LIVEBAITING. 99 



back ; and booted to his knees ; so we will go with 

 him to the river side, and commence live-baiting a 

 deep sedge-fringed pool, where the stream makes 

 a splendid eddy by a bed of rushes growing in the 

 water, a rare place for a pike, and the home 

 of a large one we know of. 



Selecting a bright and lively dace and placing it 

 carefully (so as not to injure it) on the snap-tackle, 

 then adjusting the float so that the bait shall swim 

 somewhat below mid-water, and pulling a dozen 

 yards or so of line off the reel, we next draw the 

 line down through the rod rings, and thus lift the 

 bait up towards the top-joint. Then with a gentle 

 and " accelerative " swing of the rod, we release the 

 line, letting it slide through our fingers, and cast 

 the bait quietly in at the top of the pool, paying 

 out line when necessary, but holding the bait for a 

 minute here and there, or drawing it to likely 

 places. Thus we fish all the water, down to the 

 centre of the eddy, when suddenly the float 

 disappears under the surface but comes up again a 

 few yards farther off ; then down it goes again, and 

 we quickly gather up the short slack of line, and 

 drive home the steel, when from the swirl in the 

 water and impetuous plunge of the fish, we know 

 that we have hooked a heavy pike. 



Keeping as tight a rein as is possible, but 

 giving or recovering line according as the fish 

 dashes desperately here and there in its efforts to 

 escape, and playing It from tJie reel in preference to 

 having line lying loose on the ground, thus 

 avoiding the possibility of its being trodden under 

 foot or otherwise hung up and fouled, the fish is 

 played and conquered, drawn to the landing-net 

 and lifted ashore ; it proves to be a female, much 



II 2 



