130 LIVE BAITING FOR PIKE. 



in it, and am sure it kills the bait quicker tlian the other. 

 A float is used with these tackles. Some anglers like a 

 large pear-shaped one (as shown in Plate II. fig. 7, p. 70) ; 

 I do not, as it is apt to catch in any obstruction, and so 

 lose you your fish ; a float larger in the middle and sloping 

 gradually to either end is better. A single hook thrust 

 through the nose of the bait is often used ; but unless the 

 bait be of small size, as in paternostcring. this is rather a 

 gorge bait, and time must be given for the fish to pouch to 

 be sure of getting the hook in his mouth. Others use a 

 double hook, or two hooks set back to back and tied on 

 gimp. A baiting needle is then hooked on to the loop of 

 the gimp and the point is introduced under the skin just 

 behind the pectoral fins of the bait, and the needle is run 

 along towards the tail and brought out above the vent, or 

 a little nearer to the tail, and the gimp is drawn through, 

 so that part of the gimp and the shanks of the hooks are 

 hidden under the skin (see Plate VI. figs. 9 and 10, p. 130). 

 This plan is only adopted when very long throws needing 

 a good deal of force are required, as, if any other mode of 

 baiting as practised, the bait is apt to be thrown off the 

 hook by the force employed. It is a very cruel plan, 

 however. There is only this to be said in its favour, that 

 when the fish are very shy there is very little of the hooks 

 to be seen, and more fish perhaps may be run, with it. 

 When such plans as these are adopted, as is often the case 

 by pot-hunting anglers with two or three or more rods, I 

 would ask what difference there is between them and 

 trimmer-fishing. 1 One can scarcely be held to savour 

 more of poaching than the other. 



A very searching plan, also much adopted, more par- 

 ticularly by the Thames anglers, is to use a paternoster 



1 In fact, it is trimmer-fishing in disguise, the rod being a sort of neutral 

 introduced to conceal enemies' goods, which are certainly contraband of 

 fishing thus employel. 



