36 PIKE AND OTHER COARSE FISH. 



surprised at the great differences which he will find in this 

 particular in gimps and lines of the same thickness and 

 apparent value. 



One other hint. The best gimp is usually made on per- 

 fectly white silk, gimp dressed on yellow-coloured silk being 

 ordinarily of an inferior quality. 



Although, however, gimp forms an almost indispensable 

 adjunct in most kinds of pike-tackle, it has, in its natural state, 

 the great disadvantage of being exceedingly glittering and showy 

 in the water, especially when new. Nothing can be much 

 worse, in fact, in the interests of 'fine fishing' than the white 

 or yellow of gimp as it comes first from the tackle shops, whilst 

 copper-coloured gimp is only a degree less offensive ; indeed, so 

 great is the drawback that some authors actually recommend 

 the troller taking the trouble of lapping all the gimp over from 

 end to end like the shanks of hooks. To get over this incon- 

 venience I tried, when writing the ' Book of the Pike,' various 

 ways of staining or clouding it. Green paint and green sealing- 

 wax varnish, I found, both answered this purpose for a short 

 time, so also did in a less degree the common tackle varnish, 

 but these soon wear off, as do also other less effectual dyes. 

 The difficulty is to get a stain that will permanently cloud, 

 without in any way impairing the present strength of the gimp, 

 or affecting its durability. The best stain I could then hit 

 upon, which has since been very generally used in the tackle 

 shops, was based upon soaking the gimp in a solution of 

 bichlorate of platinum. 



This process is, however, apparently only applicable to brass 

 gimp, and I have certainly had reason to think that in several 

 instances when the coil of stained gimp has been laid by for 

 some time, it has become so much weakened or rotted either 

 by the original action of the chemical, or subsequent corrosion 

 affecting the silk as to make it worthless. Others besides 

 myself have had this experience, and altogether I should 

 hesitate now to recommend it. 



Amongst those who tried it, Mr. Hearder, who is well 



