38 AN ANGLER'S YEAR 



strike, and the hook, as a rule, will be found firmly 

 embedded. By this means I have taken good fish on 

 the Kennet up to 81bs. in weight, although I do not find 

 it as successful for large fish as the next method here 

 described. 



Ledgering for pike is essentially a means of capture 

 well suited to the river. The pike in the Kennet are 

 not rovers, but, like the trout, take up their position in 

 definite spots, only moving out to feed when food is 

 plentiful. Pike-ledgering as an exclusive pursuit hardly 

 repays the ardent fisherman, but combined with winter 

 roach-fishing often gives a few minutes' excellent sport 

 during the day's outing. When reaching one often 

 finds that the fish are feeding well for some little time 

 and then suddenly leave off; if, after ground-baiting, they 

 do not again come on the feed, nine times out of ten it 

 is because a pike has appeared on the warpath. If the 

 angler takes the precaution to put out a ledger baited 

 with a gudgeon he will usually get the jack as 

 soon as he appears. The ledger should be of strong 

 salmon-gut, stained brownish with permanganate of 

 potash or Condy's Fluid of a rose-pink dilution, and the 

 hook and link those recommended for paternostering. 



Some anglers put the lead a round bullet of i to f 

 of an ounce on the running line ; while others thread 

 it upon gimp. Personally, however, I prefer to put the 

 bullet on the salmon-gut, which should be 4 feet 

 long. About 15 inches from the lower end a shot 

 may be pinched (or preferably a small perforated bullet 

 may be run on when the strands are being knotted up) ; 

 this, with the 8 to 10 inches of hook link, will give 

 sufficient play for the tethered bait. 



This form of tackle can be used in holes too far from 

 the bank to permit of effective fishing with the pater- 

 noster. Further, the ledger does not need as much 

 personal supervision as the paternoster, and therefore 

 is best for the roach-fisher. John Bickerdyke states 

 that it is most useful in thick water. This I should 

 venture to doubt, as in thick water pike lie very close, 

 and the best chance of capture is by thoroughly searching 



