THE SPINNING BAIT AND ITS TACKLE 143 



reel, and of reels those of the Nottingham type are 

 the best. Nowadays these are almost invariably 

 made with a check, so that there is no danger of 

 over-running, and there are several forms of line- 

 guards which prevent the line uncoiling off the barrel 

 and twisting round the neck of the reel. I designed 

 a simple little thing of wire, which any blacksmith or 

 ironmonger can make and fix on the reel at the cost 

 of a few pence. The best Nottingham reels are now 

 made of ebonite, German silver, or aluminium. The 

 diameter for pike fishing should not be less than four 

 inches, five inches being better. 



For spinning tackle good hooks are of the first 

 importance. I have lost many a fine pike owing to 

 hooks which were made of soft metal and bent, or 

 were badly tempered and snapped, or were so ill 

 formed that it was next to impossible to drag them 

 into the mouth of the fish. There is nothing better 

 for pike fishing than square-bent hooks with the 

 point parallel with the shank. The penetration of 

 these is good, and one loses few fish with them. 

 Their temper can always be ascertained by the simple 

 test of bending them outwards. If they snap they 

 are over-tempered ; if they remain bent outwards 

 they are under-tempered, and in both cases should 

 be rejected. The good hook should stand a reason- 



