CHAPTER III. 



PIKE RODS, REELS, AND TACKLES. 



" If I, that am an angler, may protest, 

 Fishing is sweet pleasure, of sport the best, 

 Of exercises the most excellent, 

 Of recreation the most innocent ; 

 But now the sport is marred ; and wot ye why ? 

 Fishes decrease, for fishers multiply." 



" Epigram," De Piscatione, A.D. 1 598. 



THE angler intent on the capture of pike should 

 equip himself with a perfect rod, reel, and 

 line, and the necessary tackle, baits, &c. There are 

 various ideas among pike- fishermen as to what pik e 

 is a perfect rod. Some give the preference rods 

 to bamboo, others to rods made of hickory or lance- 

 wood ; the two latter are tough and substantial 

 materials, but, to my way of thinking, are too 

 heavy, and likely to tire the angler who has a day's 

 fishing before him, and a long trudge perhaps of 

 many miles beside a river. 



From a combination of woods may be con- 

 structed a very serviceable rod ; for instance, with 

 ash for the butt, hickory the second and third 

 joints, and spliced hickory and lancewood, or, 

 better still, hickory and solid cane spliced for the 



