416 



THE PRACTICAL FISHERMAN. 



This of course, destroys the true spin so essential to successful pike or 

 other fishing, rendering the bait unsightly, and accelerating its destruction. 

 A great many of these detrimental features are done away with by the 

 " Pennell " flight as figured. Upon its results I have not, though I have 

 tried often with various dodges, been able to improve, a.nd I unhesita- 

 tingly, without a word for the designer, whom I do not know personally, 

 .pronounce it the best flight yet made. This is after testing it in every 

 conceivable fashion. 



As will be seen the bait is in situ, and each of the objections to the 

 ordinary shaped flight is done away with. Occasionally, according to 

 choice, another triangle hook is added, but I do not favour this. Pike 

 always, or nearly so, seize the bait by the centre here is a triplet to 

 meet him. If this does not hook him, the large tail hook does so 

 ordinarily outside the jaw. The single hook cannot, as may be seen, tear 

 out, because it goes right through the vertebra of the fish. The lip 

 hook is also greatly improved. 



The cut represents the flight baited, showing the lip hook fixed. A 

 Jittle attention to the subject of lip hooks may here be opportune. 



The old-fashioned lip hook was usually, like 

 Fig. 29, constructed by whipping two loops of 

 gimp or gut on to the hook, and sliding the 

 flight gimp through them. In order to keep it 

 in its place on the gimp, the device shown in 

 w Fig. 30 was resorted to, which briefly implied 

 5 twisting the gimp round the bend of the hook. 

 This was of course a sufficiently secure method, 

 . but, liable to innumerable inconveniences, as (\ 

 8 every jack-fisher knows, not the least being its 

 6, agency as a cause in the rapid deterioration 

 ^ the bait, either by reason of the \ 

 5 coils becoming unwound, or by 

 5 reason of its abnormal position 

 O bending the head of the bait on 

 gs one side. A newer style subse- 

 ts* quently came up, which substituted 

 fe metal loops for those of gimp. 

 This admitted of great inconveni- 

 ence, as is patent from the an- 

 nexed drawing (Fig. 31). 



This inconvenience was chiefly a 

 'greater danger of the bait " drawing," owing to 

 the position of the loops, than in the older style, ^OT^LO^PS SS VI? H 



