THE PIKE. Ill 



best things I ever saw to keep live baits in was a stone trough 

 that was fixed under a pump at the bottom of an old friend's 

 garden. This trough was made out of a peculiar red sand 

 stone, and had been there in all probability a good many 

 years. It did not matter how sickly and weak the baits 

 were when turned out of the can, they soon recovered in the 

 trough. Perhaps there was some virtue or other in the old 

 stone, anyhow I never knew any other pump trough that 

 would keep baits so long and so well. I might also just tell 

 the novice that it is not a good plan to keep live baits all 

 night in a small bait can, as he would be bound to find 

 some of them dead in the morning, and the rest not very 

 lively. If you have nothing else, put them in a good sized 

 pail with a landing net over the top, and let a tap drip into 

 them all night ; if no tap is available, use a good big tub 

 three parts filled with water. A lump of ice put on the lid 

 of a can will sometimes keep the baits alive for many hours. 



Before I close this chapter I might just say that good silk 

 gimp is better for pike traces than the twisted steel wire that 

 is sometimes recommended. The latter is finer, and shows 

 less in the water, but it wDl occasionally kink, and when it 

 does kink it snaps very easily. Short lengths of twisted 

 wire are extremely useful to dress the hooks of snap, etc., 

 tackles on ; but when a long trace is required I strongly 

 advise either gimp or gut, for the reason just stated. Wire 

 will kink and break very easily — at least this is my experi- 

 ence. 



I think I have said as much as I need say on the subject 

 of pike fishing that is likely to be of interest to the working 

 man angler. Fishing with such items as a pike fly, or an 

 artificial rat, or the thousand and one different tackles and 

 artificials that are now nut on the market would only be a 

 slight variation not worth mentioning. The general prin- 

 ciples I lay down in the foregoing pages would be the same 

 in nearly all instances. 



