74 ANGLING. 



All or any of them may be had at most of the fishing- 

 tackle makers, and the angler can take his choice. After 

 spinning, the next method of taking pike is that called 

 trolling, with a dead gorge bait. The dead gorge hook is 

 composed of a piece of twisted brass wire, with an eye at 

 one end and a pair of hooks at the other ; and from the 

 hooks to some distance up the wire there is cast on to the 

 apparatus a long plummet of lead (see Plate 2, Fig. 7). To 

 the eye of the wire is fastened ten inches or so of gimp. 

 When this hook is to be baited, a baiting needle is used 

 (Fig. 6), the loop of the gimp being slipped into the eye 

 of the needle, as shown in the cut. A gudgeon, dace, or 

 other small fish, suitable to the size of the hook, is then 

 selected, the point of the needle inserted into the mouth of 

 the bait, passed down along the backbone of the fish, and 

 out at the tail. The gimp is then pulled through, the 

 apparatus following it until the lead is buried in the body 

 of the bait, the hooks remaining outside on either side of 

 the mouth. The tail is then lashed round with a piece of 

 thread so as to secure it from slipping down (Plate 2, 

 Fig. 8), the needle is then disengaged, and the bait looped 

 on to the trace, which is usually about a yard of gimp, 

 with one biggish swivel attached. The trace having been 

 previously knotted to the reel or running line, all is now 

 ready for action, the same rod and line as is used for 

 spinning sufficing. 



This tackle is more often used in weedy places than not, 

 as it does not catch in the weeds like a spinning tackle. 

 Drop the bait into the water to the full extent of the rod, 

 letting it go almost to the bottom, which it will do with a 

 shoot, then pull it up with short irregular jerks to the 

 surface, making it rise and fall, and shoot hither and 

 thither, which it will do ; and having fished all the water 



