258 THE PIKE. 



net. For landing a large pike a gaff hook is preferable to a land- 

 ing net, as it is not always an easy matter, to get an overgrown 

 fish into an ordinary sized one. If you have no gaff, a crook stick 

 cut from the hedge, inserted in his gill covers, will answer the 

 purpose tolerably well ; at any rate, I have contrived to land many 

 a whacking pike by that means. 



As your success in the above kind of fishing, will depend in a 

 great degree, on the liveliness of your baits, (for with a dead one 

 you will do but little,) you ought to have a good sized bait kettle, 

 which should not be over crowded, and the water should be fre- 

 quently changed, plunging the kettle into the river, and allowing 

 it to remain there as long as you continue fishing at any one fixed 

 spot. If you purchase a new bait kettle, or fresh paint your old 

 one in the inside, you must keep it filled with water a day or two 

 before you use it, or what is still better, allow it to remain for some 

 days, sunk under water : otherwise, the fresh paint will either kill 

 or considerably weaken the baits. 



In fishing with the dead gorge, the hooks are placed back to 

 back, and leaded up almost to the bend. They should be of dif- 

 ferent sizes, to correspond with the proportions of the respective 

 baits to be used : as when baited, they ought not to stand far out 

 from the lead, but to repose snugly and as unconspicuously as pos- 

 sible, cheek by jowl with the face of the fish. Gorge hooks, such 

 as sold in the fishing tackle shops, are generally fitted upon wire, 

 with a joint beyond where the tail of the fish when baited, would 

 come out. The better plan however is to remove this wire beyond 

 the joint, and supply its place with a piece of gimp. The mode 

 of baiting it, is to attach the baiting needle to a loop whipped at 

 the end of the gimp snead : then put the needle in at the mouth 

 of the dead bait, and out at the middle of the tail, drawing the 

 gimp after it, till the hooks reach the fish's mouth ; fixing the point 

 of each hook near the eye of the bait ; then with a strong piece of 

 well waxed white silk, tie the tail to the gimp, which will not only 

 keep the bait in a proper position, but prevent the caudal fin from 

 catching against weeds and other obstacles. When thus baited, 

 the hook is to be attached to the line by means of a strong single 

 swivel ; and the bait being ca&t into the water, is kept in constant 

 motion, by sometimes letting it sink, and gradually raising it, and 

 then suddenly lowering the rod, it will dart ahead in a very natural 

 manner. When a pike runs, you must proceed exactly in 



