126 PIKE AND OTHER COARSE FISH. 



act in this fashion, and an attention to the above suggestion will 

 not unfrequently save the loss of the best fish of the day. 



Always strike doum stream when feasible, and, when fishing 

 in still water, in the opposite direction to that in which the fish is 

 moving the hooks will thus be brought into connection with 

 his jaws and the soft parts at the corners of the mouth, instead 

 of being pulled, as it were, away from him. In the majority of 

 instances, however, neither time nor circumstances admit of 

 these rules being adopted, and in such cases the simplest and 

 safest plan is to strike straight upwards, the spinner being always 

 prepared for shortening the line the moment the stroke is made 

 in case the fish should make a rush towards him. 



In regard to playing pike after being hooked, the golden 

 rule is, first, to keep a steady and even strain upon them with- 

 out intermission ; secondly, to get them into the basket with as 

 little delay as may be. 



The maintaining of a sufficiently heavy strain is particularly 

 necessary in pike-fishing, where stiff rods are used, and flights 

 containing several hooks, as the sudden slackening of a foot or 

 two of line is sufficient to restore such a rod to the straight 

 position from which it has been comparatively little bent, thus 

 removing the strain altogether ; whilst the tendency of using a 

 good many hooks on the same bait is, of course, to lessen the 

 pull on each particular hook. 



Even with a ' swishy ' salmon or trout rod it is always desirable 

 to keep up a certain steady strain on a fish, although in this case 

 a slackening of at least two or three feet of line must occur to 

 restore the rod to its straight position, and remove the pressure 

 from the hook ; whilst the fact of the hook being single 

 diminishes the probability of its becoming unfixed, and in- 

 creases the chance of its tearing out of its hold. 



Should a fish run under or into weeds, there is but one plan 

 to be pursued tighten the strain upon him to the very utmost 

 that rod and line will bear ; by this means the line will fre- 

 quently act as a knife and cut its way, with the fish, through all 

 obstacles. But whether the expedient fails or succeeds, it is the 



