Capture of Fish. 5 7 



other it is looked upon among our northern 

 anglers with somewhat the same aversion that 

 a Jew has to bacon, and fishing for pike is 

 only resorted to when all chance of catching 

 anything worthier is gone. We don't profess 

 to say whence this antipathy arises; but we 

 have heard stories from boatmen about the foul 

 feeding of pike that makes the idea of eating 

 him repulsive. Not but that we have eaten 

 him, but we never did so with relish, however 

 cunningly the artiste may have served him up. 

 As a stock for soup he is good ; but in Scotland 

 it is better not to say what the origin of the 

 stock is till your friends are at their cafe noir. 

 But here we are only interested so far as the 

 sport he gives is concerned ; and unless the 

 pike be all the larger say not under 8 Ib. the 

 sport is poor enough. Even a pike of 8 Ib. 

 and over, when hooked (which is done by trol- 

 ling or casting a minnow and working it after 

 the manner of a fly), makes one or two long 

 pulls, not rushes like a fish of the salrtio tribe ; 

 and after that he subsides into a sulk from 

 which you must trust to the strength of your 

 tackle to arouse him. The tackle should be 

 mounted on gimp, for his teeth are very sharp ; 



