72 THE PIKE. 



roots, which for months past have been his home, 



a place carefully avoided by every well educated 



roach and dace in the water. 



'' It is not to be, though ; two or three frantic 



rushes on the part of the fish, as many steady pulls 



by piscator, and master pike is brought within 



reach of the gaff or landing net." 



There is more life-like motion and brilliancy im- 

 The parted to the spin of a bait by the Thames 



Thames style (which I have endeavoured to des- 



NoHi'ng- cribe on P a S e 73) than by the Notting- 

 ham ham method of spinning off the reel, which 

 has (in my opinion) too level and jog-trot 

 a motion and altogether lacks the darting and 

 varied speed, and flashing swerves, which can be 

 imparted to the lure by an adept in the Thames 

 mode, and which are so peculiarly tempting to pike, 

 and often induce them to feed even when not par- 

 ticularly hungry ; and notwithstanding what Mr. 

 Baily a great exponent of the Nottingham style 

 asserts in his Angler's Instructor, the substitution 

 of a mere mechanical motion for the combined 

 movement of the hand and rod is one great 

 objection to the method of winding the bait in 

 on a reel. Another fault is the large proportion of 

 inaccurate shots that are made by the Notting- 

 ham mode of casting off the reel. I have seen 

 Trent anglers, also those of Thames, clever 

 and successful fishermen, who had adopted the 

 Nottingham style, make most erratic shots, the 

 bait not falling or reaching within many yards 

 of the spot desired, or possibly deposited in the 

 overhanging branches of a tree, especially if the 

 finger pressure on the periphery of the reel was for 

 an instant removed ; but a proficient in the Thames 



