THE PIKE, AND PIKE FISHING 

 and then pulled until the fish is bent a little, then the gimp is passed under 

 one gill and out of the mouth, and then under the other and again out of 

 the mouth.* 



If desired, a second triangle or single hook on a short length of 

 gimp can be passed down the gimp of the first triangle and secured 

 to the bait's side, but I think that Mr Storr rarely used more than the 

 one large triangle at the vent, and he was very successful with it. A 

 bait which slowly wobbles over and over, as this does, is often very 

 attractive, and you can fish it as deep as you like and put a lead in the 

 mouth, on the gimp, before you thread it through the gills — doing the 

 latter helps to keep them distended a little, and adds to the wobble effect. 

 Another excellent tackle is Farlow*s Pennell-Bromley Flight, which is 

 illustrated and described in their catalogue; it is made in three sizes, 

 and is probably as good as any for spinning a dead bait without the use of 

 artificial spinners. 



Formerly the Thames spinning fiight was the one chiefly used by anglers 

 in spinning for large trout and pike. It is one any angler can easily make 

 for himself by whipping three triangles, one above the other, on a bit of 

 gut or gimp with a movable single lip hook. The secret in putting a dead 

 dace or other small bait on to this tackle is always to put a hook of the 

 lowest triangle into the tail, just above the tail -fin, first, then pull on it 

 gently to get the tail bent a little sideways, then insert a hook of the second 

 triangle in the side to keep the tail bent, then one of the upper triangle 

 nearer the head, and finally the lip hook is adjusted so as to get a straight 

 pull on the bait. I always think that any bait, artificial or natural, which 

 spins from a bent tail gives a more attractive spin than one worked by 

 spinners at the head. This was one secret of the famous old *' Hawker '* 

 spinning tackle for natural minnow for trout, that and the big single 

 hook. It was described by Colonel Peter Hawker, one of Wellington's 

 officers in the Peninsular War, in his famous " Hints to Young Sports- 

 men." The late Mr William Bullock improved it and used it with most 

 deadly effect both for trout and pike. 



There are many good tackles sold now for mounting a dead natural 

 bait on so that it will spin when pulled through the water. The original 

 " Chapman Spinner " has killed thousands of pike; its chief defect was 

 that the dace, or gudgeon, or sprat was not held firmly with the head close 



'Instead of triangles single hooks can be used, and with many advantages— of course they should be larger than 

 the hook of a triangle.— R. B. M. 



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