148 DAYS AMONG THE PIKE AND PERCH 



I went down stream, started at the Newtown Meadows, 

 and spun down to Houghton ; sprats and the usual arti- 

 ficials were selected as baits ; a mild day, no wind to speak 

 of, but the water was rising like mad ; I had to wade knee- 

 deep over a low-lying meadow to reach home. Pike on as 

 I never saw them before or since. I ran no fewer than 

 twenty - one, a spoon bait being as deadly as sprats. 

 Fourteen I returned to the water, the seven kept weighing 

 44 Ibs., as follows : 8 j Ibs., 7j Ibs., 6J Ibs., 6J Ibs., 5| Ibs., 

 4J Ibs., and 4 Ibs. This bag I have always considered as my 

 record in spinning on a well-fished public river. Three were 

 killed on sprats, two on the Clipper, and two on the spoon. 

 It was the largest of these fish that sprang at my wife's arm 

 when she went to the tap for water ; they had lain on the 

 iron trough more than four hours. It only missed by a 

 bare inch (page 6). 



Nov. nth to i6th. Went out two or three times, and 

 tried everything, as the fish had been feeding well ; but 

 four outings only yielded as many fish, and none were 

 worth keeping. 



Nov. i8th. Went up Brampton Wale and had a curious 

 experience. Used my usual dead-bait flight, baited with 

 small roach, and got three fish, weighing I2| Ibs., all three 

 being exactly the same weight. A curious coincidence. 



Nov. 22nd. Again visited St. Neots, spinning down to 

 Wray House Island, Great Paxton ; water on the bright 

 side, and wind north-west ; only got three fish, this time 

 two on sprats, and one on my old spoon ; 5j Ibs., 4^ Ibs., 

 and 3f Ibs. 



Nov. 2yd. Had another try close at home ; wind 

 awfully bad ; tried all down the Newtown Meadows, but 

 only got one fish, 4^ Ibs., on the old spoon. 



Nov. 2$th. Went up Brampton Wale, and found water 

 very much clouded, must have been heavy rains up country ; 

 small dead roach on my flight, and got five fish : 5 J Ibs., 

 4f Ibs., 4 Ibs., 3| Ibs., and 3^ Ibs. 21 Ibs. in all. 



Nov. 26th. Had another very good day, spinning with 



