THE THAMES ANGLER. 31 



M. W. Hallett, at Littleton, that weighed 28 lbs.; and last year 

 Mr. Richard Arabin brought me one to look at, that he had caught 

 near Christchurch, that weighed 40 lbs., the largest I ever saw. 



Pike fishing in the Thames commences about Teddinston, 

 and sport may be met with from thence up to Streetlv. There 

 are two modes of angling for this fish — namely, with a live bait, 

 or with trolling tackle ; and, as a general rule, I should recom- 

 mend the former method in small pieces of water, or where there 

 is much weed, and the latter in large open places. Whatever 

 tackle be used must always be of gimp, in consequence of the 

 sharp teeth with which the Pike is armed, and which enable 

 him to bite gut in two, as all anglers have often had sad expe- 

 rience of, when angling for Trout or Perch. I have found great 

 benefit from binding the hook round with fine wire, as after 

 catching a few fish the silk of the hook will be found cut through. 



For live-bait fishing (if not in a punt), yon should be pro- 

 vided with a kettle of gudgeon, with ;i few roach and dace, a 

 heavy rod and line (already described), a No. 3, -f, or 5 hook on 

 a piece of gimp, and fastened to the reel line with a swivel, and 

 a float having, for convenience' sake, a hole down the middle, 

 through which the running line is put. and fastened with a 

 wooden peg, this float being m< re convenient for jack and 

 perch fishing than that in common age. It must be large 

 enough to prevent the bait from sinking it, and may be weighted 

 either with shot, or a small piece of Bheel Lead. The object of 

 the swivel is to permit the bait to swim round the line (which it 

 will always do) without turning the float. The bait may either 

 be hooked through the lip. in which wheu there is a run. 



you must allow the fish to go a- far a- he will, and gorge the 

 bait, taking great care not to check him; <>r th»' hook may be 

 inserted under the back tin, and you will then Btrike at OD 

 the Pike always takes a fish across, and turns it round head first 

 to gorge. The former mode is perferable when tin.' fish are on 

 the feed, as the bait lives longer : but the latter should he adopted 

 when the fish only play with the bait. There fa another kind of 

 hook which is termed a snap, and is composed of two spring 

 hooks confined in a wire frame, witli a smaller one to insert in 

 the back fin of the bait ; the large hooks in striking a fish escape 

 from their confinement and expand : this is the surest way of 

 killing fish, but will be too large and showy in clear water.' It 

 is baited by introducing the point of the small hook under 



