ANCIENT ANGLING AUTHORS 87 



either in Maior, Pond, or River, that shall take more 

 Pikes than any Trouler with his Rod : And thus it 

 is. First, Take a forked stick ; a Line of twelve yards 

 wound upon it, at the upper end, leave about a yard 

 long, either to tye a bunch of sags or a Bladder, to 

 Buoy up the Fish and to carry it from the ground ; 

 the Bait must be a live Fish either a Dace, or Godgin, 

 or Roach, or a small Trout, the forked stick must 

 have a slit in one side of the fork to put in the Line, 

 that you may set your live Fish to swim at a gage, 

 that when the Pike taketh the Bait, he may have 

 the full libertie of the Line for his feed. 



There is a time when Pikes go a Frogging up 

 Ditches, and in the River to Sun them, as in May, 

 June and July, there is a speedy way to take them, 

 and not to misse scarce one in twenty. You must 

 take a Line of six or eight foot long, arm a large 

 hook, of the largest size that is made ; arm it to your 

 Line, lead the shank of your hook very handsome, that 

 it may be of such weight as you may guide the hook 

 to your pleasure ; you may strike the Pike you see 

 with the bare hook where you please ; this Line and 

 Hook doth far exceed snaring. 



The principall sport to take a Pike, is to take a 

 Goose or Gander or Duck, take one of the Pike Lines I 

 have shewed you before ; tye the Line under the left 

 wing, and over the right wing, and about the bodie, as 

 a man weareth his belt; turn the Goose off; into a 

 Pond, where Pikes are : there is no doubt of sport, 

 with great pleasure, betwixt the Goose and the Pike : 

 It is the greatest of sport and pleasure that a noble 

 Gentleman in Shropshire doth give his friends 

 entertainment with. 



Barker gives very practical and detailed instruction 

 in fly-tying : 



Now to show how to make Flies : learn to make 



