CHAP. VIII. THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 139 



is caught is choicely good ; for I have tried it, and it is 

 somewhat the better for not being common. But with 



Let the shank be about six inches long, and leaded from the middle as low 

 as the bent of the hook, to which a piece of very strong gimp must be fastened 

 by a staple, and two links of chain; the shank must be barbed like a dart, and 

 the lead a quarter of an inch square : the barb of the shank must stand like the 

 fluke of an anchor, which is placed in a contrary direction to that of the stock. 

 Let the gimp be about a foot long ; and to the end thereof fix a swivel. To 

 bait it, thrust the barb of the shank into the mouth of the bait-fish, and bring it 

 out at his side near the tail : when the barb is thus brought through, it cannot 

 return, and the fish will lie perfectly straight, a circumstance that renders the 

 trouble of tying the tail unnecessary. 



Tin-re is yet another sort of trol ling-hook, which is, indeed, no other than 

 what most writers on this subject have mentioned ; whereas the others, here 

 described, are late improvements : and this is a hook, either single or double, 

 with a long shauk, leaded about three inchrs up the wire with a piece of lead 

 about a quarter of an inch square at the greater or lower end : fix to the shank 

 an armed-wire about eight inches long. To bait this hook, thrust your wire 

 into the mouth of the fish, quite through his belly, and out at his tail ; placing 

 the wire so that the point of the hook may be even with the belly of the bait 

 fish ; and then tie the tail of the fish with strong thread to the wire: some las- 

 ten it with a needle and thread, which is a neat way. 



Both with the Troll and at the Snap, cut away one of the fins of the bait-fish 

 close at the gills, and another behind the vent on the contrary side ; which will 

 make it play the better. 



The bait being thus fixed, is to be thrown in, and kept in constant motion in 

 the water, sometimes suffered to sink, then gradually raised; now drawn with 

 toe stream, and then against it; so as to counterfeit the motion of a small tish 

 in swimming. If a Pike is near, he mistakes the bait for a living fish, seizes it 

 with prodigious greedines, goes off with it to his hole, and in about ten minutes 

 pouches it. When he has thus swallowed the bait, you will see the line move, 

 which is fne signal for striking him; do this with two lusty jerks, and then play 

 him. 



The other way of taking Pike, viz. with the Snap, is as follows : 



Let the rod be twelve feet long, very strong and taper, with a strong loop at 

 the top to fasten your line to. Your line must be about a foot shorter than the 

 rod, and much stronger than the trolling-line. 



And here it is necessary to be remembered, that there are two ways of snap- 

 ping for Pike, viz. with the Live And with the Dead-snap. 



For the Live-snap, there is no kind of hook so proper as the double spring 

 hook. To bait it, nothing more is necessary than to hang the bait-fish fast by 

 the back fiu to the middle hook, where he- will live a long time. See the para- 

 graph above. 



Of hooks for the Dead-snap, there are many kinds; but the one, which after 

 repeated trials has been found to excel all others hitherto known, we subjoin 

 the description and use of it as follows, viz. Whip two hooks, of about three- 

 eighths of an inch in the bent, to a piece of gimp, in the manner directed for 

 that trolling-hook. Tl en take a piece of lead, of the same size and figure as 

 directed for the trolliug-hook above-mentioned; and drill a hole through it 

 from end to end. To bait it, take a long needle, or wire; enter it in at the side, 

 about half an inch above the tail, and with it pass the gimp between the skin 

 and the ribs of the fish, bringing it out at his mouth : then put the lead over 

 the gimp, draw it down into the fish's throat, and press his mouth close, and 

 then, having a swivel to your line, hang on the gimp. 



