THE HAUNTS OF THE PIKE 25 



for fear of catching the weeds, be allowed to sink even 

 three inches under the surface. 



During the winter, when the weather is cold, and all the 

 weeds have rotted down and been carried away by the late 

 autumn floods, the deeps can be tried with more chance of 

 success ; although I may say that this is not a hard and 

 fast rule, as I have taken good pike, on both live-bait and 

 spinning tackle, in very shallow water in the Ouse when 

 the weather was most cutting and severe ; but still, 

 taking it all round, and carefully considering my own ex- 

 periences, the deeps show the best results when the 'weather 

 is severe. 



In fishing over these sluggish rivers, especially with a 

 spinning bait, it will be as well to try the whole of the 

 water, although I am aware that several jack may lurk 

 within the space of a few yards, while the next half-mile 

 may be practically tenantless. 



There are many pike rivers that have small islands, or 

 tiny jungles of reeds and flags with open spaces behind or in 

 front ; jack as a rule hide themselves among the roots of 

 these fastnesses, now and again coming out into the open 

 water to feed. A practised pike angler, the very first time 

 he sees a water, can tell whereabouts the pike are likely to 

 lie. Sometimes when a long fringe of flags runs alongside 

 a river, and there is a considerable depth of water for 

 some distance amongst these flags, the jack back in, and 

 show no inclination to come out into the open water in 

 front. I remember once a gentleman bringing down to the 

 Great Ouse a splendid can of Thames dace ; we tried all 

 down by the side of some flags. Two or three hours' work 

 resulted in only a four-pounder ; when I suggested that we 

 should borrow a long clothes-prop, go from end to end of 

 the flags, and bang about as far as we could reach with 

 the pole among them. This we did, and half an hour later 

 those dace again went on a voyage of discovery, and this 

 time we got five right good fish, averaging six and a half 

 pounds each ; we had bolted them out of the flags into 



