130 
THE PIKE, &C. 
of a jack, has often forced tho bait from the hook; to prevent 
which, a thread has been carried round the point of the hook 
on one side, and being passed under the belly, has been fas- 
tened to the shank of the other side ; but this deforms the 
fish, and injures its vitality, it is therefore not an eligible 
practice : its object may be obtained in a more effectual 
manner, thus : instead of one, make use of two strong but 
small hooks, No. 3, 4 or 5, according to the size of the bait; 
hang each of these to a small piece of strong gut, of three 
inches in length, and loop each end. Introduce each of these 
hooks a very little removed from each other, under the dor- 
sal fin, one on one side, and the other on the other side; this 
done, if they are critically placed, these two loops will meet 
so exactly as to be received into tho loop of the trace-lines, 
without dragging one side more than the other. This me- 
thod, we can venture to promise, will prevent the escape of 
the bait, and is, as we believe, much more effective in taking 
the prey also. 
“ The Snap-Bait variety is seldom chosen in pike-fishing 
by preference, but is rather forced on the fisher, in the spring 
and summer months, when the pike and jack are not much 
on the alert in taking baits. On the contrary, if one of them 
does seize a bait at these times, he is apt to pouch or gorge 
it, but alter roving about with it in his mouth for some 
time, he ejects, or blows it out, as Anglers term it. Snap- 
fishing, we may add, intermixes itself with live-bait fishing, 
and witli trolling also ; or rather, on some occasions wo add 
a-8uap mode of striking the pike to the other methods ; we 
have therefore a live-snap and a dead-snap, and nowand then 
snap-hooks are likewise added to a gorge-hook in trolling, and 
that with perfect success. In all cases, therefore, if tho bait- 
hooks are such as can be depended on, and the rod bo suffi- 
ciently strong, tho methods already described, and such as 
are to follow, may be lilude snap-fishing, by simply striking 
