BAITS AND BAIT-CATCHING. 63 



over six pounds can be caught with the natural bait. The 

 same writer says that he has not unfrequently killed pike with 

 the fly on bright clear days when spinning was utterly useless. 



Pike-flies are generally about the size of a large Shannon 

 salmon-fly, and it is supposed that they cannot be too gaudy, 

 even if— which ' many authorities doubt ' — they can be dressed 

 too big. 



I must frankly say that the only pike I personally ever 

 caught with the fly was taken when, fishing for chub on the 

 Thames, the fly being, if I recollect, a small black palmer. 



The orthodox pike-fly I have tried on just some such waters 

 as those described by Mr. Stoddart, on Loch Lochy, amongst 

 others, in the Caledonian chain ; on Slapton Lea, Horsea 

 Mere, of pike-fishing celebrity — ' Horsea pike, none like,' — and 

 in other apparently likely places, but uniformly without catch- 

 ing anything. 



Although the pike has long since been christened the fresh, 

 water shark, thus establishing some sort of family connection, 

 it may be presumed, between esox of the river and his salt- 

 water cousins, we should hardly have thought of finding a 

 parallelism between them in their willingness, under certain 

 conditions, to be lured to destruction by the .artificial fly. Yet 

 such it appears is actually the case, according to some notes 

 recently published by an American traveller. 



