PATERNOSTERING AND LEDGERING 181 



bait. Thus any pike going to inspect an attrac- 

 tive dace or gudgeon can hardly help observing that 

 some connection exists between the proposed meal 

 and the regions of air. With the ledger, on the 

 other hand, the bait is at the end of the line and the 

 lead lies on the bottom. Though the running line 

 starts from the lead to the surface in a slanting 

 direction, the bait itself is a yard or more distant, so 

 that the connection between the two is not so obvious 

 as in the case of the paternoster or float-tackle. I 

 imagine it is for this reason that I have found the 

 ledger most useful in very clear water, when the pike 

 were exceedingly shy and difficult of capture. But, 

 on the other hand, I have also found it deadly in 

 winter, when the water was somewhat coloured and 

 the fish were lying close to the bottom, being 

 collected in eddies, particularly those found at the 

 tails of islands. 



The pike ledger does not differ materially from 

 that used for barbel except in the matter of strength. 

 It is mainly composed of salmon gut, but the lead 

 should work on at least a foot of gimp, and the hook 

 also should be mounted on the same material. I 

 prefer flat leads to round ones, and in large rivers 

 usually have about four feet of line between my bait 

 and the lead. If the bottom is very clear and only 





