KILLING THE TROUT'S ENEMIES 363 



keeper and his master proficient in all of them. In 

 the spring very small pike are seen basking in weed- 

 choked carriers, and the wire is, under these con- 

 ditions, the best if not the only means of dealing 

 with them. 



A past-master in pike-spinning can levy a heavy 



toll on the fish and at the 

 Spinning. same time get a fair amount 



of sport out of it. He can use 

 a natural bait or an artificial, and of the latter the 

 wagtail is perhaps the most successful. On days 

 when it is not taken, and when the natural bait 

 does not seem to tempt the jack a spoon or phantom 

 minnow may sometimes be tried with advantage. 

 The great secret of spinning for pike is to keep the 

 bait moving slowly and as deep down as is compatible 

 with the quantity of weed in the water. 



Wiring" is a very deadly method in the hands of the 



expert. One, two, or three 

 Wiring. strands of brass wire twisted 



together should be used, the 

 number of strands being dependent on the size of the 

 pike. It is a good plan to carry wires of different 

 thicknesses, as one of three strands is not successful 

 with very small pike, and the wire of a single strand 

 will often be broken by the weight of a large one. 

 An open loop or eye is worked at the end of the wire, 

 which is passed through this eye to make a running 

 noose, and is tied securely to the finer end of a bamboo 

 of from twelve to sixteen, or even eighteen feet in 



