THE PIKE. Ill 



If the angler wishes to fish in a backwater, or any other 

 place that is choked up with weeds (and he cannot very well 

 use the spinning bait there), he fishes with what is called the 

 gorge bait. The gorge hook is a double hook securely fast- 

 ened to some stout twisted brass wire ; about six inches in 

 length. Around the shank, a piece of conico-cylindrical 

 shaped lead is cast, and to bait this, it is necessary to have a 

 flat baiting-needle, about seven inches long. Put the loop 

 of the tackle in the eye of the needle, and push the point of 

 the needle in at the mouth of the bait, then drive it right 

 through the body, and bring it out between the forks of the 

 tail. The lead is now pushed into the belly of the fish, until 

 the hooks lie by the side of the mouth ; next the tail can be 

 tied to the gimp, then hang the loop of this contrivance in 

 the spring loop at the bottom of the trace, and it is ready. 

 In the weedy places where this is used, there may be a few 

 holes and openings that are comparatively free. Drop or 

 tiirow the bait into these openings, and work it with a series 

 of jerks up and down, letting it sink to the bottom, and then 

 drawing it to the surface with a jerky motion. When a fish 

 seizes the bait, the angler must let him take it where he 

 likes, letting out the line from the reel, so that the fish 

 shall not feel any obstruction. The fish begins to swal- 

 low the bait ; when he stops, — and the angler allows him ten 

 minutes to perform this operation, unless he begins to move 

 off before, — at the end of that time, wind up the line, and 

 pull a little ; striking is not necessary, as the pike most likely 

 has got the bait down his belly, and all the striking in the 

 world won't make it any faster. This is a plan of fishing 

 that I don't like, because if you only hook a pound fish or he 

 swallows the bait, you cannot return him to the water, he 

 must be killed. I don't practise this plan, if the place can 

 anyhow be spun over, Another method of pike fishing is by 

 live baiting. For this method, the spinning trace is dis- 



