176 PIKE AND OTHER COARSE FISH. - 



double, and strongly armed with wire for above a foot, then with a 

 probe or needle, you must draw the wire in at the fishes mouth and 

 out at the tail, that so the hook may lie in the mouth of the fish, and 

 both the points on either side ; upon the shank of the hook fasten 

 some lead very smooth, that it go into the fishes mouth and sink 

 her with the lead downward, as though she had been playing on the 

 top of the water, and were returning to the bottom ; your hook 

 once baited, you must tie the tail of the fish close and fast to the 

 wire. ... All being thus fitted, cast your fish up and down in such 

 places as you know pikes frequent, observing still that he sink 

 some depth before you pull him up again. When the pike cometh 

 you may see the water move, at least, you may feel him, then slack 

 your line, and give him length enough to run away to his hold, 

 whither he will go directly, and there pouch it. . , Let him lie 

 until you see the line move in the water, then with your trowl wind 

 up the line till you think you have it almost straight, then with a 

 smart jerk hook him, and make your pleasure your content.' 



An allusion to trolling, without a description of the process, is 

 met with in Barker's 'Art of Angling' (165 1), as thus : — 



' One of my name was the best Trouler for a Pike in the realm ; 

 he laid a wager that he would take a Pike of 4 feet long, of fish, 

 within the space of one month, with his Trouling Rod; so he 

 Trouled three and od dayes, and took many great Pikes, nigh the 

 length, till within the space of three dayes of the time ; then he 

 took one, and won the wa^er.' 



And ' Shrewsbury Barker' depicts the trolling-rod of this Paladin 

 but goes no further. 



Receding again a period of more than sixty years, we call into 

 court Master Leonard Mascall, who, in 1590, presented the world 

 with ' A Booke of Fishing with Hooke and Line, and of all other 

 instruments thereunto belonging,' and his evidence, with pen and 

 pencil, is to this effect : — 



' The Pyke is a common devourer of most fish, where he cometh ; 

 for to take him, ye shall doe thus : Take a codling hooke, well 

 armed wyth wyre, then take a small Roch or Gogin, or else a 

 Frogge ahve, or a fresh Hearing, and put through your armed wyre 

 with your hooke on the end, and let your hooke rest in the mouth 

 of your bayte, and out at the tayle thereof ; and then put your line 

 thereto, and drawe it up and downe the water or poole, and if he 

 see it, hee will take it in haste, let him go with it awhile, and then 

 strike and holde, and soe tyre him in the water.' ' 



