18 ANGLING FOE PIKE. 



A word now as to hooks. These either project, and are 

 intended to be struck into the pike's mouth immediately he 

 seizes the bait, or lie close to the bait, with which they are 

 swallowed, the pike being hooked somewhere below the throat — 

 a cruel plan, not much followed in the present day. The first- 

 mentioned arrangements are termed snap-hoohs, the latter gorge- 

 hooTcs. Spinning baits are always furnished with snap-hooks, 

 but in the other methods mentioned either gorge or snap-hooks 

 can be used. The methods to be followed are then either: 



Live-baiting 



Twith snap-tackle. 

 Float-fishing -! with semi-gorge-tackle, 

 twith gorge-tackle. 



Paternostering | ^^\^^ gorge-tackle (rarely or never used). 



Lefferinff -f ^^^^ snap-tackle. 

 \^ 6 ^ ( with gorge-tackle (rarely or never used). 



r Spinning with natural or artificial baits. 



/ TroUinff -f ^^^^ gorge-hook. 

 (^iToiiing| ^jjjj snap-tackle. 



Dead-baiting . . ] ^^^^._^ ^.^^ gorge-hook. 

 [ with snap-1 



There are various modifications of these methods, which I will 

 describe later on ; and there is a thing called a pike-fly, which, 

 in some waters, is cast or dragged over shallows or sunken 

 weeds, but it is by no means commonly used. 



Of the five methods mentioned, some anglers stick to one, 

 some to another; but the "all-round angler" should, I venture 

 to submit, become an adept at them all, and follow the par- 

 ticular method which is most suited to the water he happens to 

 be fishing. 



In a very weedy stream it is obvious that to spin a bait 

 decorated with hooks would be futile ; while to send a live-bait, 

 suspended from a float, among the weeds, would be equally 

 useless. No; the thing to do is to paternoster if we have 

 the necessary live-baits, or to troll if our baits are dead. If 

 the water is so excessively weedy that there are not even 

 openings large enough for a bait to work clear on the pater- 

 noster, or for a trolling-bait, with snap-tackle, to be worked 

 without catching in the weeds, then, if we must fish, there is 

 nothing for it but to troU with the dead gorge, for the gorge- 

 hooks lie close alongside the bait, and do not catch in the weeds. 



