PIKE FISHING IN RIVERS 79 



between October and April, behold a trout must needs 

 risk the hooks ! Fortunately for himself he behaved 

 meekly in the net and while the triangle was being 

 extricated, so that he was little the worse for his 

 adventure and went off rejoicing. A little further up 

 there was a bend in the river with an eddy and a hole 

 which surely must harbour a pike. I spun past his 

 probable lodgings, and saw a light brown fish form 

 as long as my arm follow the spinner at a respectful 

 distance. The clear water permitted a distinct view 

 of the manoeuvre, and enabled me to notice that, 

 three times in succession, the pike followed without 

 touching the bait, always lagging about a foot in the 

 rear of it \ if I spun swiftly he put on speed, and when 

 I checked the rate of progress he also would still 

 maintain the interval of distance. At the fourth 

 spin a trout dashed from under the bank at the 

 bait, which missing, he shot across into the centre of 

 the stream, passing on the traverse under the nose 

 of the too artful pike. 



The stream had been moderate so far, but by- 

 and-by we arrived at a corner of virtually dead 

 water, with a promontory which invited me to take 

 position and spin its length close to some reeds. 

 At last, then, I hooked my fish, and a lively one 

 it was, arching my split-cane like a willow wand. Yet 



