144 THE PIKE 



able amount of bending and recover its shape. The 

 points of hooks are very apt to get broken off by 

 coming in contact not only with the bony jaws of big 

 pike, but with stones at the bottom of the river. The 

 flight should therefore be examined from time to time, 

 and a watchmaker's file a little thing which is easily 

 carried in the waistcoat pocket should be used to 

 bring up the points to a satisfactory degree of fineness 

 and sharpness. 



I would strongly recommend all those who prac- 

 tise pike fishing to learn how to tie on a hook and 

 make a loop at the end of a piece of gimp. It is no 

 mysterious matter, and simply consists in being able 

 to wax a piece of stout sewing-machine silk with 

 either bees' wax or cobbler's wax, and then bind 

 it carefully round the gimp or hook shank, as the 

 case may be. The finishing-off is the only difficulty. 

 This it is impossible to explain without a diagram, 

 but there are many fishermen who will show a brother 

 angler how it is done ; and if these good friends are 

 not forthcoming, there are. modern books on practical 

 angling which contain very full particulars. When 

 once the ability to do a little piece of binding 

 has been acquired, it is in the power of the angler 

 to make up his own traces, flights, and the like, an 

 extremely useful accomplishment in out-of-the-way 





