A PIKE STORY. 43 



most deadly ; he is a lean, long fish, and spins 

 beautifully, and brighter than the finest polished 

 silver. In a very large lake of some hundred 

 acres or more, close to Granville, Manches, 

 France, I have taken pike of an enormous size 

 with the smelt, when no other bait would be 

 looked at. To all anglers interested in pike 

 fishing, I would recommend the trial of a smelt. 

 They are difficult to get, but they pay well for 

 the trouble and expense. One thing bear in 

 mind they must be fresh. As an old and 

 practical fisher, I have no hesitation in saying 

 that they are by far the best bait for spinning I 

 ever used, even better than a small eel about 

 five inches long, which is also a deadly bait. 



There is one thing that should never be for- 

 gotten by the pike fisherman, and that is, that 

 the pike is fond of change, and will generally 

 run eagerly at any fresh sort of bait. 



