PIKE-TACKLE. 31 



exercise of some such ingenuity as that described, succeed in 

 bringing his hand into contact with a pike's teeth, or, what even 

 more often happens, get his finger cut by the blade of a 

 water leaf, or the sudden wrenching out of the running-line by 

 a big fish, a capital temporary plaister is formed by a strip ot 

 fresh fish-skin, lapped round with a bit of waxed silk. This 

 will often enable a day's fishing to be ' fished out ' with pleasure, 

 which would otherwise have been spoilt. The cut so dressed 

 will also often heal ' by first intention,' as surgeons say. 



In many respects the most convenient form for carrying the 

 disgorger is that of a, so to speak, extra blade attached to the 

 fishing-knife. A blade, that is, of course, without cutting edges 

 of any description. By carrying the disgorger in this manner, 

 as a part of the fishing-knife, there is one thing less to be re- 

 membered every morning before starting, a blessing to absent- 

 minded troUers, such as, I am sorry to say, I am myself. 

 Attached to a knife-handle a disgorger also becomes a much 

 more powerful weapon ; the ordinary disgorger is too short for 

 practical purposes, and there is no handle by which to get a 

 good hold of it. The ' knife disgorger ' will be found to save 

 both time and trouble as well as risk to the fingers. 



The length of disgorger which I have found, on the whole, 

 most convenient for the purpose is shown in the diagram. 



The advantage of this arrangement of disgorger in trolling 

 as well as in other fishing suggested the idea of extending 

 the principle so as to embody in the same knife the rest of the 

 angler's more necessary implements, and thus spare him the 

 trouble of collecting and bestowing each before starting for 

 the river. 



The fishing-knife in the engraving contains, besides the 

 ' disgorger-blade,' a minnow-needle and a baiting-needle in a 

 box, a really powerful blade suited for crimping, lunching, or 

 other general purposes, a sharp-pointed pricker for loosening 

 knots, drop flies, &c., and lastly a strong cork-screw. 



The success of the ' troller's knife ' led to its giving birth 

 (though in other hands than my own) to a somewhat smaller- 



