THE PIKE. 79 



to make longer throws, than is necessary, so that the bait 

 may not be knocked about too much. 



In the Thames, and other waters like it, where the fish 

 are much fished for, they get oftentimes very shy, and the 

 appearance of so many large hooks about the bait will 

 often deter pike from taking it in this case the method of 

 fishing with live gorge tackle is employed. I give illustra- 

 tions at Fig. 3, Plate 3, of this tackle, baited and unbaited. 

 To bait it you take a baiting needle, and slipping the loop 

 of the gimp into the eye, insert the point of the needle 

 into the skin at the shoulder, and, pushing the needle 

 along under the skin, bring it out near the tail ; and then 

 drawing the gimp down until the pair of hooks are 

 arrested by the skin, take off the needle and loop the gimp 

 on to the trace. With this tackle you can make longer 

 throws without losing your bait than you can with the snap 

 hooks. When your float goes down you must give the 

 pike time to pouch ; and wherever he goes you must let 

 off line so as not to check him in his run in the least, or 

 he will leave the bait. Indeed he will often do so whether 

 checked or no, and not unfrequently with snap tackle will 

 cut the bait off, and leave your hook or line fast in a weed, 

 which is trying to the feelings. When he has pouched, 

 which will be in from five to eight or ten minutes, strike, 

 and get out your fish as well as you can. 



I confess that I am not much enamoured of this style of 

 fishing and seldom adopt it, as the hooks are always down 

 the fish's throat when you hook him, and you must kill 

 every fish you hook, and many pound and pound and a half 

 fish fall victims to it, which caught on snap tackle you 

 would return to the water. Still it is a method largely 

 adopted, particularly on the Thames, and I am compelled 

 to notice it. 



