THE PIKE. 125 



one of "J. P. W.'s" tips in the Sportsman. 

 January is usually a cold month, but it is' winter 

 one of the very best for pike-fishing ; by fishing 

 that time the winter floods have swept most of the 

 decayed leaves and weeds out of the rivers, and 

 beds of rushes and reeds, far too high in the early 

 autumn, can be thrown over from the bank, and 

 the spinning-bait drawn carefully along their edges ; 

 or the live-bait can be dropped quietly over them 

 and worked into all sorts of good holes for a 

 pike. 



A likely spot in the winter for pike is just below 

 a reed bed, either at the side or in the middle of 

 the river ; if a deep eddy is formed below this bed, 

 you are almost certain to find a pike in or near it. 

 Little bays out of the main stream should be care- 

 fully fished over and searched thoroughly ; and in 

 spinning, it is important not to spin too fast. 

 Work the water with the spinning-bait up and 

 down as well as in a straight line, letting the bait 

 sink and drawing it up again. By so doing you will 

 get many a fish that will not come near the surface 

 to seize the bait, for, though the pike is voracious, 

 he will sometimes want a little humouring ; on 

 other occasions he will eagerly pursue anything in 

 the shape of a bait that you may put before him, 

 or, indeed, he may refuse everything. In floods, 

 pike keep close to the bottom, and may be caught 

 by legering in eddies ; after floods, I prefer spinning ; 

 while the paternoster is a most useful tackle to 

 search deep holes and corners below timbers or 

 camp sheathing .Indeed, I think the paternoster is 

 the most deadly livebait tackle there is ; it searches 

 water thoroughly, though fish are often lost by 

 striking too soon. There is nothing like a pater- 



