THE PIKE 



be enjoyed without the infringement of the laws of 

 sport. It has been briefly described in these pages, 

 is called the ' Marston dead bait snap tackle,' and 

 it allows you the old gorge fishing with the snap 

 principle applied. A brass wire with a needle eye 

 screws into a length of pipe lead, which gives the 

 principle of weighting the bait so that it shall 

 sink plump into the water, while the screw shaft 

 enables the angler to lengthen the contrivance to suit 

 the size of the bait. This avoids one of the nuisances 

 of the old style. Unless the angler could ensure his 

 bait being always the exact length of the wire to 

 which the lead was welded, so that the eye should 

 be just emerging from the root of the tail, he had to 

 put up with much annoyance. 



This modern bait is treated in somewhat the 

 same manner as the old. The wire with the needle 

 eye is thrust through the body, but the hooks do not 

 protrude on the outside of the mouth. Two sets of 

 double hooks lie up one side, with, however, the dis- 

 advantage that they must sooner or later catch in the 

 weeds. But we cannot have everything, and the user of 

 this bait must take his chance and learn how to avoid 

 the growth. 



A somewhat similar form of tackle has been 

 invented by John Bickerdyke, and of the principle 



