TROLLING WITH DEAD GORGE-BAIT. 191 



experience, that he still held the bait crosswise betwixt his jaws, 

 and had not yet pouched or bolted it. To induce him, however, to 

 do so without delay, I very slightly, as is my wont, tightened, or 

 rather jerked, the line towards myself, in order to create the notion 

 that his prey was making resistance and might escape from his 

 grasp. A moment's halt indicated that he had taken the bait, and 

 immediately afterwards, all being disjjosed of at one gulp, out he 

 rushed, vigorous as any salmon, exhausting in one splendid run 

 nearly the whole contents of my reel, and ending his exertions with 

 a desperate somersault, which revealed him to my view in all his 

 size, vigour, and ferocity ; the jaws grimly expanded, the fins erecl, 

 and the whole body in a state of uncontrollable excitement. 



The first step to be taken on perceiving a fish, or a sus- 

 picious ' check,' is to slacken the line, letting out a few yards 

 from the reel if there is none already unwound, and seeing that 

 all is clear for a run. The next point is to ascertain indubitably 

 that it is a fish ; because, although it is perhaps comparatively 

 seldom that a fish is mistaken for a weed for more than a few 

 seconds, it by no means unfrequently happens that a weed or 

 stump is so mistaken for a fish ; and nothing less than a wasted 

 five minutes will convince the agitated troller that such is the 

 case. 



Most of my readers will probably remember Leech's charm- 

 ing sketch of the old gentleman who has got a ' run ' of this 

 sort, standing, watch in hand, instructing his young companion 

 'never to hurry a pike, Tom. He has had ten minutes 

 already ; I shall give him another five to make sure ' — whilst 

 his hooks are to be seen palpably stuck fast in a submerged 

 post. 



This reminds me of another story which is, I daresay, quite 

 as much public property as the above, although I cannot at 

 this moment recollect where I met with it. 



A pike fisher of the Briggs school is staying at a country 

 house, where the guests, to amuse themselves, cause a huge 

 wooden jjike to be manufactured and fixed about mid-water in 

 a likely looking pool. The bait takes, but, naturally, the pike 

 does not. Esox homo soon discovers Esox piscis, and goes 



