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THE ANGLER'S SOUVENIR. 



so are overfished and poached, so that they are 

 scarcely worth a visit. Very often the bast sport 

 is to ba had in deep pools in trout rivers, where 

 the pike has made his home unnoticed, and where 

 nobody thinks of fishing for him. 



In spite of a commandment against envying one's 

 neighbour's possessions, I always envy the man 

 who has a good pike pool or river all to himself 

 and his friends. For him there is no asking for 

 leave and incurring an obligation. He can go when 

 he pleases, and have his fill of sport, without having 

 to ask any man for permission. The summit of 

 my angling ambition is to possess a pike pool, or 

 a right of fishing in one when I please. Now 

 that I have made my wants known, perhaps some 

 kind friend will step forward and give me that 

 which I desire. 



I have pike-fished in many waters, ami have 

 caught my fair share of pike, but up to the time 

 of which I write I had never caught any really 

 large fish. I had caught plenty of good-sized ones, 

 up to ten or twelve pounds or so, but none of your 

 monster fish of thirty, forty, and fifty pounds in 

 weight. I had seen a friend catch one thirty-three 

 pounds in weight, and that was the nearest I had 

 ever been to a big fish. Many a time I had gone 

 to noted pike waters expecting to do wonders, and 

 building very pleasing castles in the air, but the 

 same confounded mediocrity always attended my 

 efforts. 



