360 PIKE AND OTHER COARSE FISH. 



range of the lines. The long casts are destructive to the baits ; 

 but this is not of much consequence, as baits are cheap. There 

 is nothing distinctive in the tackle used. On waters where 

 pike are plentiful those under five pounds are returned to the 

 \vater, and of the others perhaps only a dozen are retained, it 

 not being considered good form to take a tumbril-load away, 

 as has been done before now from private waters when the 

 fish were on the feed. When fish have to be returned snap- 

 hooks are of course essential, but on waters where such restric- 

 tions are not observed live-bait gorge-hooks are much used. 

 For one thing it is not easy to strike hard with forty yards of 

 line out, and the 'bag' of the line possibly under the weeds; 

 and for another reason, the fish are more securely hooked. 

 When a man has two rods he will perhaps have a gorge-hook 

 on one and a snap on the other, and then as likely as not forget 

 which is which. 



In Broad fishing it depends upon the sort of day whether 

 the fish are in the weedy shallows or in the deeper and more 

 open water, and actual trial of both is the only guide. Person- 

 ally I have been most generally successful in shallow water, 

 often fishing with less than a foot between the bait and the 

 float in order to clear the weeds. A rough day is considered 

 the best, as on a fine still day the boat is visible so far in the 

 shallow water, and any vibration is more easily perceived by the 

 pike. The live-baiting is varied by spinning, standing up in 

 the boat and casting in the orthodox fashion. I have known a 

 spoon thus used to take several fish out of water which had 

 before been assiduously but unsuccessfully fished over with 

 live bait. There is nothing distinctive about the spinning 

 tackle or flight, Norfolk anglers following the lead of others in 

 this respect. 



I have never seen any one trolling with the dead gorge- 

 bait ; for these waters it has no advantage over live-baiting 

 or spinning. 



January and February arc accounted the best months, as 

 the weeds are down and the pike have an unimpeded view of 



