THE PIKE. 73 



or injury, and then re-bait, and at it again. Take 'em while 

 they're in the humour, as that doesn't happen all day 

 long with pike, but often only for an hour or so, when all 

 your work must be done. In the chief season for pike 

 fishing, viz., from November to February, inclusive, the 

 best time runs from eleven to three in the day. You may, 

 of course, catch fish before and after that, but that is when 

 the cream rises, so mind you skim it carefully. In spinning, 

 fish the water nearest to you first, and then lengthen the 

 casts, and having fished over all the water within reach, 

 move on. 



The rate at which you spin will be a good deal 

 determined by the depth of the water. In deeper water 

 you must spin more slowly than in shallow, so as to give 

 the fish more time both to see and to secure the bait ; and 

 the lead, of course, must be suited to the depth of the 

 water. It will often happen that you have water to fish 

 over where the weeds often approach very near the surface, 

 and when, consequently, you need to spin as near it as 

 possible over the top of the weeds. In this event, of course, 

 you use no lead at all, the weight of the bait and line 

 being quite enough : and you must also get the draw on 

 the line as soon as possible, before even the bait makes to 

 the weeds, or you will certainly have to make a fresh cast. 

 Pike big pike, especially only feed at intervals of a day 

 or two, or even longer, when they take a big meal, and then, 

 like boa-constrictors, take time to digest it ; the angler 

 should remember this ; it may sometimes save him from 

 disappointment when going for some special " big *un." 



All sorts of artificial spinning baits are used for pike. 

 Spoons, otters, phantoms, gutta-percha fish of all sorts, 

 glass baits, plano-convexes, and kill-devils: their name 

 is legion. A good-sized spoon is often as good as any. 



