58 BEST'S ART OF ANGLING. 



made in- the lid that you may change your water 

 often, which will keep them alive a long while ; 

 your dead ones in a tin hox made for that purpose, 

 with bran, which dries up the moisture that hangs 

 about them, and contributes to preserve them loii- 



fer. Angling for the pike at the snap is to let 

 im run a little, and then to strike him the con- 

 trary way from whence he runs, with two strong 

 jerks : in this method you must use a double 

 spring hook, which is to be had at any of the 

 shops, and your tackle must be very strong. The 

 snap is best used in March, when they are spawn- 

 ing, at which time they are sick and lose their 

 stomach ; though they will then take your bait, 

 but immediately throw it out of their mouths : 

 therefore striking them when they first take the 

 bait is the only way to be even with them, which 

 is called angling at snap. The way to bait the 

 snap-hook is thus : make a hole with a sharp pen- 

 knife in the bide of the bait-fish ; then put the 

 gimp that is fastened to your hook into it, and 

 draw it out at the mouth, till the spring hook 

 comes to the place where the incision was made; 

 which when it is, put it into the belly of the fish, 

 then have a piece of lead about* the size of a 

 horse-bean, though of an oval form, with a hole 

 through it from end to end large enough for the 

 gimp to go through ; draw it down to the fish's 

 mouth, then put it in it, and sew it up. Or you 

 may make an incision in the skin only, and draw 

 the gimp out at the bone behind the gills, then 

 enter it again under the gills, and bring it out at 

 the mouth, which I think is the best method, be- 

 cause the hook has only the skin to hinder its fix- 

 ing in the pike, whereas in the first method it 

 must pierce through the flesh and skin before it 



