WIRING. 117 



used they are often taken by trout, which are 

 generally so much injured by the coarse hook 

 as to succumb. For a large pike there is no 

 better trimmer bait than one of his smaller 

 brethren. Grayling do not make good baits, 

 but possibly a lively trout of about -|ib. would 

 prove very attractive to a large pike. Frogs 

 are fairly good baits, but the objection to these 

 is that trout often take them, especially if they 

 are small. A dead bait is sometimes success- 

 ful, but it should only be used when live ones 

 are not procurable. 



When once a large pike has been seen in a 

 deep hole, it is only a question of time to secure 

 it, although occasionally many baits are killed or 

 torn from the trimmer before the pike is hooked. 

 If, after persevering for some days, a fish known 

 to be in a particular place does not take the 

 bait set in the manner before described, it is 

 well to try if the following alteration of the 

 depth at which the bait works will attract it : 

 Fasten a stone or bullet, a couple of ounces in 

 weight, to the line, leaving two or three feet 

 between it and the bait. Lower the lead or 

 stone gently into the hole. This keeps the line 

 down while the bait swims about above it quite 

 freely near the bottom of the water, instead of 

 working near the surface, as it does when 

 adopting the method previously described. 



