SPINNING TACKLE 77 



depend upon it that the simpler the tackle, and the fewer 

 hooks there are in it (combined with a fair arming of the 

 bait and a reasonable chance of hooking the fish of course), 

 the better. A great many pike do continually escape from 

 spinning tackle, and these are mostly the best fish ; and a 

 very hard stroke is required to send the hooks home beyond 

 'the barbs if many and good-sized hooks are used. I do not 

 mean to say this is always so, because it may happen that 

 only one hook comes in contact with the pike's jaw, but this 

 is certainly exceptional. Another reason for harder striking 

 than would at first seem necessary is this : the pike, when 

 he seizes the bait, takes it across his jaws, that is, the head 

 and tail protrude on each side of his mouth. Savage perhaps 

 with hunger and rage he drives his long tusks almost through 

 the bait. Now, the hooks being also buried in the bait, they 

 must either be torn out of it, or the bait be dislodged from the 

 firm grip of the pike's tusks, before the hooks can be stuck 

 into him. It often happens that the angler will play a good 

 pike for some minutes solely by the fish having his teeth 

 stuck deeply into the bait, and not having the sense to open 

 his mouth, or from his refusing to relinquish his prey. The 

 first time he comes to the surface of the water he gasps for 

 breath, his huge mouth gapes, he gives his head a shake and 

 out tumbles the bait, hooks and all,* not one of them having 

 had hold. Away then goes pikey, quite satisfied with his 

 entertainment pro tern., and wondering what that ugly two- 

 legged monster with the hop-pole in his hand, and who looked 

 in such a state of perplexity and stew, had to do with the 

 matter. There is another reason why pike often get off through 

 the barbs of the hooks not being fleshed in the pike, and that 

 is, from the bad shape of the hooks, the points being far too 

 long and the barbs much too rank. I have touched more 

 fully on this subject in the chapter on hooks. 



But, to return to that important point, the flight of hooks. 

 The tackle with three triangles and a sliding lip-hook has 

 perhaps the greatest number of admirers of any. Some 



* Another reason why a pike is often thus held, is owing to the peculiar 

 shape of his teeth. Let the angler examine the mouth of a pike, and note 

 how it is made for holding. The tusks curve slightly backwards and inwards 

 from the lower jaw, while all the upper teeth, particularly the palatel teeth, 

 are bent directly back towards the throat, therefore the angler will easily 

 perceive that if those teeth were buried in a bait, and the bait were drawn 

 firmly forwards, it would not be an easy thing for the pike to disengage 

 himself by any other method than the one suggested, and which he very 

 commonly adopts. F. F. 



