THE PIKE. 109 



came under my own observation were a small jack over a 

 pound in weight, and a live blackbird with a broken wing. 

 In the former case we knew that a large pike tenanted a 

 pool some little distance from the Trent, but all efforts to 

 catch him by the ordinary baits proved futile. At last a 

 well-known Newark tradesman tried him with a small jack 

 that weighed at least a pound and a quarter. This fish was 

 threaded on a very large gorge tackle, and for nearly an hour 

 lugged four or five large live bait floats about manfully round 

 and round that pool. At last he took it, and we gave him 

 half an hour to swallow the bait, which he did. We 

 were disappointed over that fish, it was no less than 45 inches 

 long, and only scaled up to i61b. The other case was also 

 in a pool away from the main river. We had noticed earlier 

 in the day a jack make a grab at a yellow wagtail that sat on 

 the edge of a weed bed. A small terrier we had with us 

 found a wounded blackbird with a broken wing under the 

 hedge bottom. This bird we carefully tied on a saddle 

 tackle, so that one set of hooks was on its back and the 

 other under its breast. Removing the trace, lead, and floats 

 this bait was thrown out like a huge fly. He flopped on the 

 water, making a rare commotion for a minute or so, when a 

 51b. jack snatched him under and was safely landed. That 

 was the only time I ever fished with a live bird for a bait, 

 and I did not feel at all proud of the exploit, as it was a 

 cold-blooded job, to say the very best ; but the pike snap- 

 ping at the wagtail, and the dog finding the wounded bird 

 so soon afterwards, gave us a hint. But it was a strange 

 thing, as we had tried the same pool dozens of times before 

 and never landed a jack on a live fish out of it. Once I 

 got a brace of jack when chub fishing with a lump of pith, 

 and a friend of mine one afternoon landed four when bream 

 fishing with worms. A live bait kettle is also a necessity 

 of the pike fisherman as a receptacle to carry his live baits 

 about in. I have seen all sorts in use, from a square bis- 

 cuit tin with a string handle, to Field's patent can, that has 

 an arrangement fixed to it to pump air among the water. 

 The accompanying illustration show the kinds that are gene- 

 rally in use ; but perhaps the best of the lot is the one that 

 has an inner kettle of perforated zinc that can be lifted in 



