68 LOCH-FISHING. 



between the shallow and the deep water ; this, however, 

 the sinking mud will often prevent your accomplishing. 

 If you have found the pike on the feed, you may return 

 over the same ground with the gorge, trying all the 

 openings among the weeds that you could not fish with 

 the running-bait. I never troll for pike from a boat, un- 

 less they cannot be reached any other way. 



SET-LINES FOR PIKE. 



Although rod-fishing for pike affords undoubtedly the 

 best sport, and requires much greater skill, yet by far the 

 most deadly way is with set-lines. This is either done 

 with a long line, and from twelve to twenty hooks, or 

 with single hooks, fixed to a bottle or other equally 

 buoyant float. I have also heard of tying baited hooks 

 to the legs of geese, and turning them adrift : when a 

 pike seizes the bait, the goose begins to flap its wings, 

 and there is often considerable sport in the struggle ; but 

 it is certainly a most cruel diversion, especially if a large 

 pike is hooked. The humane man will be more amused 

 with the float, which I have often practised with great 

 success. 



After very tightly corking up the bottles, and 

 fastening the cord to them, let from five to eight feet 

 hang down, according to the depth of the water; fix a 

 large double pike-hook, armed upon brass wire, and 

 baited with a small perch, trout, roach, or frog to each : 

 be sure to cut off the perch's dorsal- fin and lower part 



