20 



PIKE AND OTHER COARSE FISH. 



of any kind, and generally made of wood, on which the line is 

 ' wound in ' by the trailer instead of being drawn in by hand, 

 and from which the spinning or other bait is cast, without any 

 reserve of loose line, on the assumption that between the skill 

 of the caster and the unchecked ' running ' of the reel itself the 

 latter will give out sufficient line, and with sufficient rapidity and 

 accuracy, to meet all practical requirements. Indeed, as to 

 spinning, I have often heard Nottingham fishers, or, at any 

 rate, fishers who use the Nottingham style, assert that they 

 can throw more accurately and to longer distances with the 

 reel described than with the method practised on the Thames 



i (irfual size D 



I. INF. HITCHING PREVENTER. 



and most other rivers of letting the line lie in loose coils on the 

 ground before making the cast. When, however, I have had 

 opportunities of bringing this assumption to the actual test of 

 practice I find it more or less break down. With the same 

 weight of bait and trace I am quite satisfied that both a longer 

 and more accurate cast can be made by the ordinary method, 

 whilst with a really light bait and trace the whole thing, lead 

 included, weighing, let us say, i ox. 2 scruples (such as I fre- 

 quently use myself) I am of opinion that the Nottingham style 

 would be found in practice an entire failure. 



