260 THE PIKE. 



that he is merely holding crosswise on the bait, wholly unharmed 

 by the hooks ; when, the line being relaxed, he has taken advan- 

 tage of the temporary cessation of hostilities, to pouch the bait, 

 and been captured in consequence. 



THE DEAD SNAP is fitted with several hooks ; and as there 

 are a great many patterns, so almost every particular one has its 

 advocates. The one I have succeeded the best with, is a very sim- 

 ple contrivance. It consists first of a single hook : number two 

 or three, tied to an ordinary snead of gimp, which is baited by 

 inserting the baiting needle in the lateral line of the bait, just 

 above the anal fin, drawing the snead and hook after it, leaving 

 the hook just free of the incision : a smaller hook, about number 

 4, with two small loops or eyes just large enough to allow the 

 hook to run over the snead of the former hook, (and to which a 

 flyer hook, number 1, is attached by a piece of gimp just long 

 enough to allow the whole hook, arming wire and all, to be clear 

 of the gill covers of the bait, when run in at the mouth and brought 

 out there,) is slid down the snead, the flyer being run into the 

 mouth and out of the gills on the opposite side of the sneaded 

 hook, and the small hook run in at the mouth and fixed firmly 

 there, the point coming out on the top of the head ; and then a 

 turn or two of waxed silk must be made over the arming wire of 

 the small hook, to keep that and the snead well and firmly attached 

 to each other, which can easily be cut adrift again when the hooks 

 require to be rebaited. 



As the length of the gimp attached to the flyer, should be pro- 

 portioned to the size of the bait, several of these, varying from 

 an inch to two inches and a half, should be provided, as a great 

 deal of the success of this particular pattern, depends upon the 

 flyer hanging just loosely clear of the gill covers of the bait that 

 being the hook that generally secures the pike. The looped end 

 of the snead should be hung to a strong single swivel, attached to 

 about a foot or more of gimp, with a noose at the other end to 

 fasten it to the line, and on this should be fixed the leads to sink 

 the bait, which should be of the barley corn shape; the thickest 

 at the middle, and tapering gradually towards each extremity : 

 these should have a hole through them, in order to push the gimp 

 through, and the ends should then be squeezed, either with your 

 teeth, if you are blessed with such as are adapted to the purpose, 

 if not, with a pair of pincers ; the proportion of lead will depend 



