THE PIKE. 



137 



Trolling for pike may be practised during the 

 winter months, when trout fishing has ceased ; 

 and the colder season of the year 

 is in fact more convenient for the 

 sport, owing to the decay or 

 diminution of the weeds which 

 usually surround their favourite 

 haunts. With the exception of 

 chub and dace, which bite pretty 

 freely at the bottom all winter, 

 scarcely any other fish can be 

 relied upon for sport during the 

 more inclement portion of the 

 year. To bait a gorge-hook, 

 take a baiting-needle, and hook 

 the curved end to the loop of 

 the gimp, to which the hook is 

 tied. Then introduce the point 

 of the needle into a dead bait^s 

 mouth, and bring it out at the 

 middle of the fork of the tail, 

 by which means the piece of lead 

 which covers the shank of the 

 hook, and part of the connecting 

 wire, will lie concealed in the in- 

 terior of the bait : the shank 

 will be in the inside of its mouth, 

 and the barbs on the outside, turn- 

 ing upwards. To keep the bait 

 steady on the hook, fasten the tail part just above 

 the fork to the gimp, with a silk or cotton thread ; 

 or a neater method is, to pass the needle and thread 



