THE ANGLER'S SOUVENIR. 



27 r 



frantic desire to escape. The pike, on the other 

 hand, shows no terror ; he fights you as an enemy 

 would, with a great pleasure in the fight ; and if 

 he succeeds in breaking away from you, he will 

 even dash at your bait again, although his mouth 

 may be lacerated by the former struggle. When he 

 dies, he dies not in pitiful terror, but in splendid 

 ra<*3. One experiences no uncomfortable feelings 

 of compassion, but rather a sense of well-won 

 triumph. Then there are so many ways of fishing 

 for him. You may troll with a dead-gorge bait 

 in weedy pools beset with sunken roots and 

 branches ; and then you have a delicious feeling of 

 siispense for ten minutes or so while he gorges the 

 bait. You may spin for him, your bait sliding 

 over mass3s of tangled weed, and from out the 

 lanes of clear water you will see his swift and 

 splendid rush that sends your heart leaping into 

 your mouth with excitement ; you may fly-fish for 

 him with a huge fly, or trail a spoon-bait after 

 your boat as you row round the mere during 

 an autumn gale ; and you may sit at ease in your 

 punt, on a warm August day, and watch your 

 large float bob with the movement of your live- 

 bait, and then dive down suddenly with the 

 "run" of a pike. In all and each of these ways 

 yon will find much enjoyment and good sport. 



The worst of it is that good pike-waters arc 

 very hard of access nowadays. As a general rule 

 they are strictly preserved, and where they are not 







