FLOAT-TACKLE AND ITS USES 171 



difficulty in arranging the tackle to the bait, but this 

 is easily overcome by practice. 



With the snap-tackles I have described it is not 

 necessary to give the pike any time. A float may 

 sometimes be drawn under by the efforts of the bait 

 to escape, but once sure that the pike has the bait 

 strike as soon as any slack line there may be has 

 been gathered up. As a rule, I reel up gently until I 

 can just feel the fish, and then strike, putting on as 

 much strain as I dare during the first three or four 

 seconds. 



A pike when first hooked will sometimes come to 

 the surface of the water, open his mouth widely, and 

 shake his jaws angrily in the air. When this occurs 

 he should be dealt with very tenderly, the point of 

 the rod should be kept as low as possible, and he 

 should be drawn gently below the surface of the water 

 again. Salmon, trout, and pike all have the nasty 

 habit of jiggering, to use the fisherman's phrase ; that 

 is to say, they back in the water, shaking their heads 

 the while, and next to twisting a line round a weed, 

 stone, or old stump there is no better method by 

 which they can rid themselves of the hooks. A 

 jiggering fish requires most careful handling. 



A word more as to float-tackle and this portion of 

 my subject is done. Those who do much live-baiting 



