160 THE PIKE 



it to the bottom and held it there for some minutes. 

 I have no doubt that the tale may be regarded as 

 true if we substitute seconds for minutes. 



Spinning in very big lakes degenerates, as a rule, 

 into trailing, or, as it is more often termed in Ireland 

 and Scotland, trolling ; this, I should mention, is not 

 to be confounded with trolling with the dead gorge 

 as understood in England. In immense sheets of 

 water, provided the tackle and baits are right, far 

 more depends on the skill of the boatman than on 

 the efforts of the angler, for the boat has to be rowed 

 quietly and steadily, and on such a course that the 

 bait is brought as closely as possible to weeds and 

 reeds. I never feel confident that I am doing my 

 best on a big lake unless my bait catches in the weeds 

 four or five times in an hour. It is a vexatious 

 thing to have to wind up and clear the triangles, 

 but unless the weed-beds are most systematically 

 worked very few pike will be caught. Now and 

 again, of course, pike range about in the open, and 

 occasionally are found feeding close to the surface ; 

 but, generally speaking, they lurk in the weeds, and 

 the bait should be spun five or six feet from the 

 bottom. 



I have often thought that in this big-lake fishing 

 we might take a leaf out of the sea-fisher's book and 



