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 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE.
 
 THE 
 
 BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON THE VARIOUS METHODS 
 OF JACK FISHING; 
 
 WITH AN ANALYSIS OP THE TACKLE EMPLOYED THE HISTORY OP THE 
 " PISH, &c. ALSO A CHAPTER ON SPINNING POR TROUT 
 IN LAKES AND RIVERS. 
 
 BY H. CHOLMONDELEY-PENNELL, 
 
 AUTHOR OP "TUB ANGLEB-KATCBALIST," "HOW TO SPIW *OB PIKE," BTC., EDITOR op THE 
 "FISHERMAN'S MAGAZINE AMD EEVIKW." 
 
 LONDON : 
 FREDERICK WARNE AND CO., 
 
 BEDFORD STREET, COVENT GARDEN. 
 
 NEW YORK: SCRIBNER, WELFORD AND CO. 
 
 The right of Tratulation it reterved.
 
 P5P* 
 
 MY CO-WOEKERS IN THE 
 
 'FISHERMAN'S MAGAZINE,' 
 
 FROM WHOM I HAVE RECEIVED MUCH KIND SUPPORT 
 AND VALUABLE ASSISTANCE.
 
 ' Ornari res ipsa negat, oontenta doceri." 
 
 ' The thing itself is only well content 
 To be for use, and not for ornament." 
 
 NOBBES.
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 "HAS this book a sufficient excuse for existence or has 
 it not ? " is a question which, even before that of " Is it 
 good or is it bad?" reviewers and readers have a right to 
 ask from each new candidate for our overcrowded shelves. 
 The excuse in the present instance is briefly this : 
 Excepting two brochures, one of Nobbes, temp. 1682, and 
 another by Salter of 1820, and a modern compilation 
 entitled ' Otter's Guide to Spinning, &c.,' pp. 44, no 
 English work has ever been devoted exclusively to Pike- 
 fishing : the authors who have touched upon the subject 
 have contented themselves with a few passing chapters,* 
 and none have investigated it with the attention and 
 research lavished, almost ad nauseam, upon the sister 
 arts of Salmon and Trout fishing. 
 
 O 
 
 But Trout and Salmon are beyond the reach of a great 
 
 * Tzaak Walton has a single chapter on Pike-fishing, the greater part 
 of which is now obsolete. Stoddart, in his excellent work ' The Angler's 
 Companion,' gives the subject 20 pages, confined however to Scotch 
 waters ; ' Ephemera ' (the late Edward Fitzgibbon) gives it 35 pages, 
 Salter 27, Hofland 19, and the majority of other writers still fewer.
 
 vin PREFACE. 
 
 proportion of English fishermen, whilst Pike, which are 
 for the most part within it, are yearly becoming more in 
 request, and as a consequence more difficult to catch. 
 
 That there is, therefore, an ample field open for a com- 
 prehensive practical work on Pike-fishing, may fairly be 
 assumed : whether I have succeeded in occupying it my 
 critics and the public must decide. 
 
 Since I first conceived the idea of writing this book, now 
 many years ago, I have spared no pains to make myself 
 thoroughly master of the subject whether in reading and 
 comparing the various theories of other authors or in care- 
 fully testing my own. The more I investigated and 
 experimented, however, the more scope I found there was 
 for experiment and investigation, especially in the matter 
 of Tackle, of which it has been fairly said " Tell me what 
 your tackle is, and I will tell you what your basket is." 
 I accordingly gave especial attention to this branch of 
 the question, and nearly all the tackle recommended 
 in the following pages will be found to be new either in 
 construction or application. Most Fishermen know the 
 tune which is occupied in testing fairly any single descrip- 
 tion of angling gear, and when many inventions of many 
 authors have to be passed under examination the work is
 
 PREFACE. ix 
 
 one for the leisure honrs not of weeks but of years. And, 
 indeed, on looking back, I almost feel that I have ex- 
 pended upon it an amount of labour and time which by 
 many people might be considered as excessive when 
 compared with the results to be obtained. On the other 
 hand, there may perhaps be those who think that whatever 
 is worth doing at all is worth doing as well as possible ; 
 and that the only sufficient excuse for " another book on 
 fishing ! " is, that the writer should have really studied the 
 subject on which he writes, and have something new to 
 say about it. Pike-fishing, in fact, has been with me the 
 hobby the passion I might almost say of a life : and 
 should my book be fortunate enough to contribute in any 
 degree to the advancement of my favourite sport, or to 
 making it more enjoyable to my brother Trollers, I shall 
 be repaid for whatever labour it has cost me. 
 
 WOODLANDS, WEYBEIDGE, 
 1 Oct. 1865.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAKT I. 
 HISTOEY OF THE PIKE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 General Eemarks Different Species American Pike Whether 
 indigenous or introduced into England Geographical distribution 
 Names, and derivations of Ancient mention of Age, and 
 great " King Story " Page 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Age, size, &c., continued Kenmure Pike Jack or Pike Growth 
 rate Quantityof f ood Abstinence Basking Sight Amount 
 of brain .. 13 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Rapidity of Digestion Torpidity from Gorging Voracity, anecdotes 
 of Cormorant and Pike Omnivorous instincts of Cannibal- 
 ism Attemps at manslaughter Attacks on other animals 
 The toad rejected, why Attacks on Water-rats Teeth of 
 Pike .. 25 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Habits of preying Other hunting and angling fish Attacks of Pike 
 on foxes Pike attacked by otters By eagles Perch an enemy 
 of the Pike Sticklebacks Salmon versus Pike Eavages of Pike 
 in Trout waters . . 38
 
 xii CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Whether solitary or gregarious Affection The Cossyphus Tench 
 the Pike's physician ? Superstitions Edible qualities Formerly 
 a dainty Eiver and Pond Pike Crimping Fish to be cooked 
 fresh or stale Pike eaten in roe Green flesh Fattening 
 Colours when in season Spawning Number of eggs Ichthyo- 
 logical descriptive particulars Page 52 
 
 PART II. 
 PIKE FISHING. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Arrangement of subjects Dead-bait fishing ; snap: spinning Most 
 killing mode of Pike-fishing Why "Mad-bleak" Hawker's 
 and Salter's tackles Mr. Francis Francis' tackle Objections 
 hitherto urged against spinning Remedies Number of hooks 
 Flying triangles Diagrams of new flights Bends of hooks 
 Relative penetrating powers Lip-hooks Comparison of losses 
 with new and old tackle 73 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Spinning continued. Fine-fishing Materials on which to tie flights 
 How to stain gimp " Gut-gimp " The spinning trace 
 Gut or gimp New knot for gut " Kinking " and leads 
 Swivels 92
 
 CONTENTS. xm 
 
 CHAPTEE VIII. 
 
 Spinning continued. Trolling lines generally Ancient trolling 
 lines Indiarubber dressings Oil dressings Kotting of oil- 
 dressed lines Eeels : plain, check, or multiplying Wooden 
 reels Page 107 
 
 CHAPTEE IX. 
 
 Spinning continued. Eods and rod-making Ancient rods Best 
 length Opinions of different authors Solid and hollow rods 
 Solid and hollow woods Observations on different rod-woods 
 Varnishes for rods Eings for trolling-rods Experiments with 
 Measurements of a proper Pike-rod Ferrules and joints .. 116 
 
 CHAPTEE X. 
 
 Spinning continued. How, when, and where to spin How to spin 
 Casting Working Nottingham style Throwing from the 
 reel Striking Pressure required to make hooks penetrate 
 Playing Landing Net or gaff, or neither " Disgorger-blades " 
 
 Fishing-knife Spinning-baits Fresh or stale How to keep 
 fresh Sea fish as baits Preserving baits in spirit Best method 
 
 Fishing deep or shallow How to lead the trace When to 
 spin, and effects of weather Where to spin 136 
 
 CHAPTEE XI. 
 
 Spinning for Trout. Thames Trout spinning and tackle Lake 
 trolling and tackle Minnow spinning New Minnow tackle 
 A few hints on Minnow spinning 166
 
 xiv CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTEE XII. 
 
 Pike fishing resumed. Trolling with the Dead gorge-bait General 
 remarks Impossible tackles Tackle and hooks Ancient men- 
 tion of trolling Improved tackle Trace for gorge-hooks 
 Working the gorge-bait How to tell a " run " Management of 
 Pike whilst gorging Best gorge-hooks Advantages of trolling 
 How to extract hooks Page 176 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Live-bait fishing. General remarks Snap live-bait fishing Bad 
 snap- tackles Elaine's snap-tackle Otter's or Francis's snap- 
 tackle New tackles suggested Working of bait Striking 
 Floats Baits Bait-cans Spring snap-hooks " Huxing " 
 Live gorge-bait , 197 
 
 CHAPTEE XIV. 
 
 How to set a Trimmer 218 
 
 CHAPTEE XV. 
 
 Artificial laits, including the fly. General remarks The Spoon-bait, 
 and origin of Swedish baits New rig for spoon-baits Trace 
 for Pike flies .. .219 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 How to cook Pike 237 
 
 List of Pike Waters 245 
 
 INDEX .. .. .. .. 251
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 The Pike Frontispiece, 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Facsimile of Pike King facing 8 
 
 Lower Jaw-bone of Pike 37 
 
 Angling in all its Branches 72 
 
 Hawker's and Salter's Tackles > 77 
 
 Spinning Flights facing 84 
 
 Lip-hook 88 
 
 Knots for Casting Lines 101 
 
 Leads to prevent " Kinking " 103,104,105 
 
 Kings for Trolling-Kods 131,132 
 
 " Straight across " and " Diagonal" Casts 143 
 
 Fishing-knife facing 154 
 
 Trout Spinning-Tackle facing 166 
 
 Nobbes's Gorge-Hooks 178 
 
 Gorge-Hooks facing 184 
 
 Elaine's Snap-Tackle 198 
 
 Otter's Live-bait Tackle 199 
 
 Live-bait Tackle facing 202 
 
 Live-Bait Can 208 
 
 Spring- snap Hooks, set and open 212 
 
 Spoon-Bait facing 228 
 
 Pike-Fly facing 232 
 
 Got a Bite at last .. 233
 
 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 PART I. 
 HISTOEY OF THE PIKE. 
 
 (Esox lucius.'} 
 
 CHAPTEE I. 
 
 General Remarks Different Species American Pike Whether 
 indigenous or introduced into England Geographical distribution 
 Names, and derivations of Ancient mention of Age, and 
 great " Ring Story." 
 
 THE Pike, from its high rank as a game fish, as well as 
 from its edible qualities, deserves to command next to the 
 Salmon and Trout the attention of anglers, but whilst the 
 habits and history of the latter have been made, over and 
 over again, the subject of elaborate treatises and minute 
 exhaustive investigations, those of the former if not as 
 important, at least equally interesting have been passed 
 over for the most part with merely superficial notice. 
 
 There has always appeared to me something peculiarly 
 attractive in the Pike its size, its reckless courage, and 
 
 the dash and elan with which it "takes the death." Its 
 /-> 
 
 B
 
 2 THE BOOK OF THE TIKE. 
 
 very ferocity lias an interest ; and I confess to a feeling 
 almost of affection for the gallant and fearless antagonist 
 with whom I have had so many encounters. 
 
 The Pike, of which we have only one recognized species 
 in this country and on the Continent, is common to most 
 of the rivers and lakes of Europe and North America* and 
 the more northern parts of Asia, and, according to the 
 author of 'British Fishes,' and most other writers, was 
 probably an introduced species into English waters. From 
 this view, however, with due deference to the authority of 
 so eminent an ichthyologist, I must dissent, on the follow- 
 ing grounds. Yarrell bases his opinion upon the great 
 rarity of Pike in former times in England, which he proves 
 thus : 
 
 * Although there is but one species of the Pike (i. e. Esox lucius) 
 found in the waters of Great Britain, and recognised in those of Europe, 
 the rivers and lakes of North America produce a great many varieties, 
 all possessing more or less distinct characteristics. Into the details of 
 these it is nut necessary to enter ; but the following is a list of the 
 principal species which according to American writers appear to have 
 been clearly demonstrated to be distinct : The Mascalonge (Esox esfor) 
 and the Northern Pickerel (Esox lucioides), both inhabitants of the 
 great lakes ; the common Pickerel (Esox reticulatus), indigenous to all 
 the ponds and streams of the northern and midland states ; the Long 
 Island Pickerel (Esox fasciatus), probably confined to that locality ; 
 the White Pickerel (Esox vittatus), the Black Pickerel (Esox niger), 
 and Esox phaleratus, all three inhabiting the Pennsylvania!! and 
 western waters. 
 
 Of the species above enumerated the first two are the types, all the 
 others following, more or less closely, the same formation as to com- 
 parative length of snout, formation of the lower jaw, dental system, gill- 
 covers, &c.
 
 FORMER RARITY OF PIKE. 
 
 " That Pike were rare formerly may be inferred from 
 " the fact that, in the latter part of the thirteenth century, 
 " Edward I., who condescended to regulate the prices of 
 " the different sorts of fish then brought to market, .... 
 " fixed the value of Pike higher than that of fresh Salmon, 
 " and more than ten times greater than that of the best 
 " Turbot or Cod. In proof of the estimation in which 
 " Pike were held in the reign of Edward III., I may refer 
 " to the lines of Chaucer 
 
 ' Full many many a fair partrich hadde he iu mewc, 
 And many a breme, and many a Luce in stew.' 
 
 " Pike are mentioned in an Act of the 6th year of the 
 " reign of Eichard II. (1382), which relates to the fore- 
 " stalling of fish. Pike were dressed in the year 1466 at 
 " the great feast given by Geo. Nevil, Archbishop of York. 
 " . . . . Pike were so rare in the reign of Henry VIII., 
 " that a large one sold for double the price of a house- 
 " lamb in February ; and a Pickerel, or small Pike, for 
 " more than a fat Capon." 
 
 But to what does this amount ? Simply that at some 
 periods of our history Pike were scarcer, or more esteemed, 
 and as a consequence more valuable, than at others. Nor is 
 this apparent scarcity, as I think I shall be able to show, at 
 all difficult of explanation without any reference whatever 
 to the cause which would appear to be assigned namely, 
 the recent introduction of the fish. Even on this supposi- 
 tion, however, the argument fails, as it will be observed 
 
 B 2
 
 4 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 that Pike were actually cheaper in the thirteenth than in 
 the sixteenth century, being valued in the former (the 
 reign of Edward I.) at " little more than the Salmon "- 
 then a very common fish, whilst in the latter (the reign 
 of Henry VIII.) they sold " for double the price of a house- 
 lamb." 
 
 But, as before observed, the comparative scarcity of Pike 
 is readily explicable on other grounds. It is well known 
 that, as late as the close of the fifteenth century, it was the 
 custom for most great houses, abbeys, and monastic estab- 
 lishments, to have attached to them preserves or stew- 
 ponds, containing supplies of fresh- water fish. In this way 
 the productive ponds of the country must, in great measure, 
 have been monopolized, and their owners, being generally 
 wealthy people, would, we can imagine, but rarely allow 
 their produce to find its way into the open market. Thus 
 purely fresh- water fish became a delicacy only within the 
 reach of the rich, and hence the high price of every descrip- 
 tion of such fish, as shown by records. The Salmon, on the 
 contrary, being- procurable in great abundance from the 
 sea and lacking therefore this artificial stimulus would 
 naturally realize only a fair market value in proportion to 
 other descriptions of food. 
 
 The numerous and widely differing dates which have 
 been assigned by authors for the introduction of the Pike, 
 furnish another argument in favour of the view advocated ; 
 and as we find Leland stating that a Pike of great size was 
 taken in Kamesmere, Huntingdonshire, as early as the
 
 ORIGIN OF THE NAME. 5 
 
 reign of Edgar (958), and considering also that it is dif- 
 fused throughout the length and breadth of the British 
 Islands, and is apparently indigenous in all climates which 
 are not tropical, there appears to be every reason for con- 
 cluding that it was an aboriginal, and not an introduced, 
 inhabitant of our waters. 
 
 It would seem, indeed, that a chilly or even frigid lati- 
 tude is essential to the well being of the Pike. Thus in 
 Norway and Sweden, Siberia, and the Lakes of Canada 
 and Lapland it reaches its full development, breeding in 
 vast numbers, and commonly attaining the length of four 
 or five feet, whilst it rapidly degenerates on approaching 
 warmer latitudes diminishing in geographical distribution 
 with the spruce fir, and ceasing entirely in the neighbour- 
 hood of the Equator. 
 
 For the numerous names by which the Pike is known, 
 various derivations have at different times been suggested, 
 having all more or less aptness/ Of these, however, the 
 common term * Pike,' or ' Pickerel,' is probably the only 
 one derived from our own language ; and this would 
 appear to have originated in the Saxon word piik, signi- 
 fying ' sharp-pointed,' in reference doubtless to the peculiar 
 form of the Pike's head thus, by the way, furnishing an 
 incidental concurrent testimony in favour of the indi- 
 genous character of the fish. According to Dr. Badham, 
 " Skinner and Tooke would derive it from the French word 
 ' pique,' on account, they say, of the sharpness of its snout,
 
 6 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 but to give point to this etymology it should be pointed 
 too (Tepingle, 1'abeille, I'e'peron piquent ') ; but a sword, 
 although equally sharp, unless it be a small-sword, 'ne 
 pique point, mais blesse ; ' and so our adjective piked, 
 from the same verb, means pointed. Shakespeare calls a 
 man with a pointed beard a piked man. 'Why then I 
 suck my teeth, and catechize my piked man of countries ; ' 
 and in Camden we read of ' shoes and pattens snouted and 
 piked more than a finger long.' " 
 
 In Sweden it is named Gddda, and in Denmark Giedde, 
 Gedde, Gede, or Gei, of which the second term is nearly 
 identical with the Lowland Scotch, Gedd. M. Valen- 
 ciennes has printed a long list of the names which the fish 
 bears amongst the Sclavonic and Tartar races, none of 
 which seem to have any relation to those by which it is 
 known on the western coasts of Europe. The Scandinavian 
 name had its origin, probably, in the sharpness of the teeth 
 of the Pike, and the consequent danger of injury to those 
 who attempted to handle it ; for we find a similar word, 
 Gede or Geede, used to designate a ' goat ' in Danish, and 
 Gede-hams to signify a ' hornet.' 
 
 The derivations for the French names of Brocket or 
 Brocheton, Lance or Lanceron, and Becquet, seem to be 
 obvious ; the first evidently owes its origin to the spit-like 
 shape of the body, the second to the speed with which the 
 fish darts in pursuit of its prey, and the last sobriquet to 
 the flattened or duck-bill-like form of the muzzle. 
 
 The ancient classical name of the Pike was Lucius.
 
 ORIGIN OF THE NAME. 7 
 
 under which it is mentioned by several old writers ; and 
 from this root have doubtless sprung the terms Luce or 
 Lucie (the ' white Lucie' of Shakespeare and of heraldry*), 
 as well as the Luccio or Luzzo of the Italians and the 
 Lucie of the French. 
 
 Nobbes suggests that the name Lucius is derived, 
 "either a lucendo, from shining in the waters, or else 
 (which is more probable) from Lukos, the Greek word for 
 lupus : for as," says he, " the wolf is the most ravenous and 
 cruel amongst beasts so the Pike is the most greedy and 
 devouring among fishes. So that Lupus Piscis, though it 
 be proper for the Sea-wolf, yet it is often used for the Pike 
 itself, the Fresh-water Wolf," a name which has also 
 probably some connection with the term " lycostomus " or 
 wolf-mouthed. Panthera, or Tiger, is another name be- 
 stowed in bygone days on the Pike, in consequence no 
 doubt of his supposed voracity and spotted markings. 
 
 To the ancient Greeks, so far as we are aware, the Pike 
 was a stranger, f or if known, has escaped notice in the 
 writings of Aristotle. In the works of several Latin 
 
 * Moule's Heraldry of Fish,' p. 50. 
 
 t Dr. Badham has the following observation on this point : " Some, 
 indeed, have conjectured that the oxyrhynchus of the Nile (a creature 
 mentioned by ^Elian), supposed to be sprung from the wounds of Osiris, 
 and held on that account in great respect by the Egyptians, was the 
 true ancestor of the Pike ; but as ^Elian's fish, according to Plutarch, 
 came up/mm the sea, we need look no further to be convinced that this 
 particular oxyrhynchus cannot be the Esox of modern Anglers' guides " 
 (which is purely a fresh-water fish).
 
 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 Authors it is mentioned, and is stated to have been taken 
 of very great size in the Tiber ; but it has been doubted by 
 naturalists whether this fish the Esox of Pliny is syno- 
 nymous with the Esox, or Pike, of modern ichthyology. 
 One of the earliest writers by whom the Pike is distinctly 
 chronicled is Ausonius,* living about the middle of the 
 fourth century, and who thus asperses its character : 
 
 " Lucius obscurus ulva lacunas 
 Obsidet. Hie, nullos mensarum lectus ad usus, 
 Fumat fumosis olido nidore popinis." 
 
 " The wary Luce, midst wrack and rushes hid, 
 The scourge and terror of the scaly brood, 
 Unknown at friendship's hospitable board, 
 Smokes midst the smoky tavern's coarsest food." 
 
 The age to which the Pike will attain has been always a 
 debated point. Pennant mentions one ninety years old. 
 Pliny considered it as the longest-lived, and likely to reach 
 the greatest age, of any fresh- water fish ; while Sir Francis 
 Bacon, agreeing in this view, yet limited its probable 
 1 maximum to forty years. One Author has even gone to 
 the length of complaining that the Pike "outlives all 
 other fish," which, he quaintly observes, "is a pity, he 
 being as absolute a tyrant of the fresh water as the salmon 
 is the king thereof." f 
 
 There is no doubt that in the northern parts of Persia 
 
 * In his ' Mosella.' (He mentions a great number of our fish, and 
 in fact may be said to have given their names to many of them.) 
 t ' Gentleman's Recreation,' by Sir Eoger L'Estrange.
 
 FACSIMILE OF RING. 
 
 (To face p. 8.)
 
 THE RING STORY." 9 
 
 Pike* are occasionally taken of great size Bingley says 
 sometimes upwards of 8 ft. in length arguing a corre- 
 sponding longevity ; and a Eussian naturalist with the 
 euphonious name of EZACNSKI, alludes to one which was 
 proved to have survived to little short of centenarian 
 honours. 
 
 The famous story of the Pike with the brass ring round 
 its neck that was put into the Kaiserwag Lake by one of 
 the German Emperors, and there lived to the age of 267 
 years, is probably familiar to all, as it has been a staple 
 commodity with book writers and book makers of every 
 generation since the 16th century. This is, I think, about 
 the place at which the great " Eing Story " might be ex- 
 pected to make its appearance which, however, it would 
 certainly not have done, were it^ not that I am enabled 
 to present my readers with what I hope may be consi- 
 dered as a not uninteresting addition to the goodly fabric 
 which fact and fiction have so long united to raise. This 
 is a facsimile of the actual ring itself, as it was clasped 
 into the gills of the fish by Frederick II., six hundred 
 years ago ; and on it may be deciphered in full the often 
 quoted Greek inscription, " I am the fish which was first 
 of all put into this lake by the hands of the Governor of 
 the Universe, Frederick the II., the 5th October 1230." 
 
 For the knowledge of this interesting relic, of which the 
 figure is an exact transcript, I am indebted to the research 
 of Mr. Francis Bucklarid, by whom it was discovered, in. 
 an old black-letter copy of Gesner's famous work, pub-
 
 10 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 lished in Heidelberg, A.D. 1606,* and for the opportunity 
 of presenting the engraving to my readers I have to thank 
 Mr. Van Voorst, the publisher of the * Angler Naturalist,' 
 who has kindly allowed me to make use of several woodcuts 
 taken from that book. 
 
 It is singular that this engraving should have escaped 
 the notice of the numerous commentators by whom the 
 story has been invested with its present almost historical 
 celebrity ; but, so far as I am aware, it lias never been pro- 
 duced, nor its existence referred to, by any English writer. 
 Leham, indeed, mentions having seen a drawing of both 
 Pike and ring, in a tower on the road between Heilbronn 
 and Spires ; but it does not seem to have occurred to him 
 to have it copied. He informs us, however, that, as late as 
 the year 1612, the water from which the fish was taken 
 was still named Kaiserwag, or the ' Emperor's Lake.' The 
 ring and the skeleton of the Pike are stated to have been 
 long preserved in the cathedral of Mannheim, the skeleton 
 measuring 19 feet ; but, upon subsequent examination by 
 a clever anatomist it was discovered that the bones had 
 been lengthened to fit the story in other words, that 
 several vertebras had been added. Another writer, M. 
 
 * " Icones Animalium Quadrupedum Viviparorum et Oviparorum 
 quB in Historia Animalium Conradi Gesneri, Lib. I. et II., describuntur. 
 Heidelberga: Anno M DC VI." 
 
 There is an old, English, translation of this work : " C. Gesner's 
 History of Four-footed Beasts and Serpents, by Edward Topsell ; where- 
 unto is added " the Treatise of Insects or lesser living creatures, as Bees, 
 Flies, fec. by T. Mouifet ; the whole revised by I. Nowland," 1658.
 
 THE " KING STOKY." 11 
 
 Passon Maisonneuve, in the 3rd edition of his Manuel du 
 Pecheur, gives us the further particulars concerning the 
 ring, viz., that it was of " Gilded brass " and could " enlarge 
 itself by springs," a highly necessary qualification (if its 
 wearer's growth is to be considered), and one which would 
 seem not to be confined to this portion of the story alone. 
 
 A critical comparison of the various accounts upon 
 which the general authenticity of the legend rests, would 
 extend to a volume and be quite beyond the limits of the 
 present work : moreover, M. Valenciennes has already en- 
 tered at some length into the question without coming to 
 any definite conclusion. Taking, however all the circum- 
 stances of the case into consideration, as well as the amount 
 of concurrent testimony produced, there appears to be no 
 reason to doubt that a Pike of extraordinary size and age 
 was actually taken at the place and time stated. It is to 
 be observed in estimating the probabilities of the narrative, 
 that it was certainly the custom in earlier times to put 
 metal rings into the gill-covers of fish ; and that it is on 
 record that as late as 1610 a Pike was taken in the Meuse 
 bearing a copper ring, on which was engraved the name of 
 the City of Stavern and the date of 1448. Even now the 
 practice is not entirely extinct. Sacred fish are still to be 
 found in different parts of the world. Sir J. Chardin saw, 
 in his travels in the East, fish confined in the court of a 
 mosque, with rings of gold and silver through their muz- 
 zles not for ornament, but, as he was informed, in token 
 of their being consecrated to some Oriental deity, whose
 
 12 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 votaries, not content to leave transgressors to his resent- 
 ment, took upon themselves the task of retribution, and 
 killed upon the spot an Armenian Christian who had ven- 
 tured to violate the sanctity of the place. This Eastern 
 custom is also alluded to by Moore in his " Fire-worship- 
 pers." "The Empress of Jehan Quire used to divert 
 herself with feeding tame fish in her canals, some of which 
 were, many years afterwards, known by the fillets of gold 
 
 which she had caused to be put around them." 
 
 * * 
 
 " Her birds' new plumage to behold, 
 
 And the gay gleaming fishes count, 
 She left all filleted with gold, 
 
 Shooting around their jasper fount." 
 
 Hinda. 
 
 " But whether," says Nobbes, " our faith will give us 
 leave to believe this story of the Eing or not, it is not 
 material to our disquisitions, for though we cannot prove 
 him to be so longevous as to reach hundreds, it is certain 
 he will live to some scores of years, and one of 40 or 45 
 inches, which are of the largest size, may possibly count 
 as many years as inches and some of our own country- 
 men have known and observed a Pike to come within ten 
 years of the distinct age of man, and had lived longer had 
 not fate hastened his death by a violent hand."
 
 AGE AND SIZE OF PIKE. 13 
 
 CHAPTEE II. 
 
 Age, size, &c. continued Kenmure Pike Jack or Pike Growth 
 rate Quantity of food Abstinence Basking Sight 
 Amount of brain. 
 
 IN natural connexion with this part of the subject the 
 limit of age in the Pike occurs that of its probable 
 growth and size when suffered to attain to full develop- 
 ment. It has been the custom amongst modern writers to 
 affect a civil disbelief in the accounts of very large Pike 
 handed down to us by numerous credible witnesses ; and 
 the prevailing impression appears to be that a weight of 
 30 or 40 Ibs. is about the real maximum attained. I could 
 easily refer, however, to many attested examples of Pike 
 having been taken in the British Islands up to the Aveight 
 of 70, 80, and even 90 Ibs. ; but a single instance, too well 
 authenticated to admit of doubt, will suffice. I refer to 
 the case of the Kenmure Pike mentioned also by Daniel 
 in his ' Eural Sports,' and by Dr. Grierson, Stoddart, Wil- 
 son,* Stoddart, and other Authors the weight of which 
 was 72 Ibs. It was taken in Loch Ken, Galloway, a sheet 
 of water belonging to the Castle of Kenmure, where the 
 head of the fish is still preserved, and may be seen by any 
 
 * Author of ' The Bod.'
 
 14 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 one sufficiently curious or sceptical to desire ocular de- 
 monstration. 
 
 To the Hon. Mrs. Bellamy Gordon, of Kenmure Castle, 
 my best acknowledgments are due for an interesting 
 account of this gigantic Pike and its captor, written on the 
 spot by the Eev. George Murray of Balmaclellan, as well 
 as for a photograph of the head of the fish as it now 
 appears with its proportions. These latter would be 
 scarcely intelligible without the assistance of the photo- 
 graph ; but, to give a general idea of the size of the fish, 
 I may quote one measurement that across the back of 
 the head, the width of which was nine inches. 
 
 Of this Pike Stoddart says that it is the largest known 
 to have been captured in Scotland with the rod and fly. 
 Colonel Thornton, however, in his ' Sporting Tour ' refers 
 to one taken from an insignificant sheet of water on Loch- 
 aber of the extraordinary weight of 146 Ibs., and in Loch 
 Alvie, which is not far distant, he himself caught one 
 that measured 5 ft. 4 in. in length and which weighed 
 48 Ibs. This fish Colonel Thornton states he caught with 
 a gorge hook ; but Hofland has this note on the subject 
 " The gallant Colonel has been celebrated for the use of 
 the long bow, and I have heard it stoutly asserted on the 
 other side of Tweed that the fish was taken with a 
 Trimmer ! " Again as to the measurements, " Piscator " 
 (' Practical Angler') gives the length at 4 ft. 1 in. from eye 
 to fork, extreme length 4 ft. 9 in., instead of 5 ft, 4 in. as 
 stated by its captor ; and even in the question of the locus
 
 KENMURE PIKE. 15 
 
 in quo, as to which one would suppose that he could not be 
 mistaken, the Colonel's accuracy has been grossly im- 
 pugned, for Danniel asserts positively that the water in 
 which the fish was captured was not Loch Alvie but Loch 
 Paterliche ! 
 
 Well hast thou said, Athene's wisest son, 
 All that we know is nothing can be known. 
 
 The attempt to delineate a great fish, or the taking of him, 
 must certainly exercise some mystifying influence upon the 
 piscatorial mj^id, for \ve find even Stoddart, generally so 
 accurate, wMn alluding to the celebrated Kenmure Pike, 
 going out oirnfe way to describe him as having been taken 
 with the fly, whereas, frojto the account which I have in 
 my possession, written on tfce spot, it is clear that he was 
 captured by the spinning-bait. Sir John Hawkins, in his 
 notes to the ' Complete Angler,' mentions the case of a 
 Pike taken in 1765 in a" pool at Lillishall lime works, 
 which weighed 170 Ibs. and had to be drawn out by several 
 men with a stout rope fastened round the gills. 
 
 In the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, the head of a Pike 
 is stated to have been preserved, the owner of which 
 turned the scale at 70 Ibs. ; but the Curator of the 
 Museum informs me that this head is not now in the 
 collection. 
 
 The capture of a Pike weighing 96 Ibs. in Broadwood 
 Lake, near Killaloe, is chronicled by the Author of the 
 * Angler in Ireland,' by Mr. Kobert Blakey, and by
 
 16 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 Ephemera, in his 'Notes to Walton's Angler/ (1853). 
 Each of these Authors, however, introducing just sufficient 
 variations in the weight of the fish and other accessories, 
 as to impart an agreeable air of novelty to his account. 
 The first historian of this Irish Pike, was, so far as I can 
 make out, " Piscator," author of the ' Practical Angler,' 
 who gives the additional particulars that " when earned 
 across the oar by two gentlemen, neither of whom were 
 short, the head and tail actually touched the ground " so 
 that the length of this Pike (putting the men only at 5 ft. 
 6 in., and allowing nothing for the curve of the fish over 
 the oar) must have been close upon 10 feet. But then 
 perhaps they were Irish feet ? 
 
 A Pike of 90 Ibs., however, was stated a year or two 
 ago, in the ' Field ' to have been actually killed at that 
 time in the Shannon. 
 
 In crossing the Ocean we should naturally expect some- 
 thing " big " from our transatlantic kinsmen, and accord- 
 ingly in the ' American Angler's Guide ' we find that " in 
 a pool near Newport a Pike was captured weighing 170 
 Ibs.." not a bad " take " that, even for a Yankee Troller. 
 
 Not long ago I received from the late Dr. Genzik of 
 Lintz, who kindly furnished me with much interesting 
 information concerning the Continental Pike, some facts 
 in regard to the size attained by these fish in Bavaria, the 
 Tyrol, &c., which may probably be new to many of my 
 readers. He assures me that, in the fish-markets of Vienna, 
 Lintz, and Munich, Pike are not unfrequently exposed for
 
 WEIGHT OP PIKE. 17 
 
 sale of 80 and 90 Ibs. weight and upwards,* that at Ober- 
 neukirchen he himself saw a Pike taken out of a large 
 tank or preserve, which, after being cleaned, weighed 97 Ibs. 
 and some ounces ; and that an Officer of Tyrolese Rifles 
 informed him that whilst at Bregentz during the Autumn 
 of 1862 he was present when a Pike was caught weighing 
 upwards of 145 Ibs. 
 
 These accounts received direct from such an unquestion- 
 able source must go some little way towards acquitting the 
 original historians of the " Emperor's Pike " of the charge 
 of hyperbole, and confirm the probability of the statement 
 of Bloch, that he once examined a portion of the skeleton 
 of a specimen which measured 8 feet. 
 
 There has always been a moot point connected with the 
 weight of this fish, viz., at what size it ceases to be a 
 " Jack " and becomes a " Pike." Walton says at two feet ; 
 Sir J. Hawkins at 3 Ibs. ; Mr. Wood at 2 Ibs. ; Salter at 
 3 Ibs. ; Hofland at 3 Ibs., or when it exceeds 24 inches in 
 length; "Piscator" ('Practical Angler') says 4 Ibs. ; "Glen- 
 fin," 3 Ibs. ; Mr. Elaine, 4 or 5 Ibs. ; Carpenter, 3 Ibs. ; 
 " Ephemera," 4 Ibs. in his notes to Walton, and 3 or 4 Ibs. 
 
 * The fishermen on the Danube, near Strudel and Wirbel, have 
 legends of Pike 15 and 20 ft. long, which break through all their nets, 
 and at Trauukerchen, on the Gmunden Water, there are still living 
 some fishermen who declare that about twenty years ago, when dragging 
 the lake, they enclosed a Pike longer than either of their boats, and that 
 they began, as they expressed it, " to say their prayers, thinking the 
 enemy was on their nets; the Pike, however, with one spring, jumped 
 over the nearest boat and escaped." ! 
 
 C
 
 18 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 in his ' Handbook of Angling ;' whilst Captain Williamson 
 recognizes no distinction, but, calls them indiscriminately 
 Pike and Jack. Under these circumstances and consider- 
 ing that the distinction unlike that between the Salmon 
 and Grilse is purely arbitrary, it would appear to be 
 desirable that for the future an ' act of uniformity ' be 
 passed ; and as the majority of writers seem to favour the 
 3 pounds qualification, that standard might perhaps be in 
 future adopted by general consent as the point at which 
 the young Pickerels cast off the Jack and assume the full 
 dignities of Pike-hood. 
 
 The rate of growth of the Pike has been by different 
 authors variously estimated at from 1 to 5 Ibs. a year ; but 
 these estimates do not, generally, appear to be based on 
 any very reliable grounds still less upon actual experiment, 
 and therefore go but a little way towards advancing our 
 knowledge of the subject.* My own experience leads me 
 
 * Nobbes says " One Pike of 40 inches might happly be of as many 
 years standing; not that a Pike grows just about an inch a year, for 
 that is a thing that is hard to determine, some grow faster, some slower, 
 according to the diversity of their water and their Feed : River Fish 
 are thought to grow much faster than pond fish ; except the pond be 
 very large and have a good stream run through it : for there is nothing 
 helps so much to the feeding of a Pike as fresh water. Jacks or Pickerels 
 grow faster than great ones and I have observed in a clear and springing 
 brook, that a Jack spawned in March, will take a bait in October fol- 
 lowing and will be increased to 18 inches the next March. (?) In 
 standing water as MOTES and PONDS, he grows nothing so fast ; for to 
 try the experiment I have taken one out with a cast-net in May, 
 measured him and marked him on his tail, and about Michelmas I have 
 taken the same fish, as appeared by the mark, and then measured him
 
 RATE OF GROWTH. 19 
 
 to believe that the growth-rate is susceptible of very great 
 variation, depending upon the nature of the water, and the 
 
 again and he hath not increased in length above 2 inches, and very 
 little in breadth. A river fish will grow very fast until he come to be 
 24 or near 30 inches, then he stands a little more at a stay, and spreads 
 himself in thickness ; after that he will grow a long time, and be much 
 longer growing to his full bigness from 30 inches, than he was increasing 
 to that proportion." 
 
 The following is " Ephemera's " opinion : " Young Pike grow rapidly, 
 and it is said by the end of the first year attain a weight of 2 pounds. 
 I doubt it, and am persuaded that Pike do not each add every year a 
 pound to its weight. They may do so for a few years, but the time 
 comes when their growth is stationary (!) size varying according to 
 their good and bad condition, which is regulated by food and the 
 seasons of the year. (From Yarrell) : " Block says the young reach 
 the length of 8 to 10 inches the first year; 12 to 14 the 2nd; 18 to 20 
 the 3rd ; and there are proofs on record that from this last size, pike, 
 if well supplied with food, will grow at the rate of 4 Ibs. a-year for 6 or 
 7 successive years. Rapid growth requires to be sustained by a pro- 
 portionate quantity of food." 
 
 " Piscator," ' Practical Angler,' p. 240, has the following : " The Pike 
 is a rapid growing fish, though his increase in bulk will depend in a 
 great measure on the supply of food he can obtain. Instances have 
 occurred of their growing at the rate of 4 Ibs. a year for several years, 
 in proof of which Mr. Jesse states that he saw 3 Pikes taken out of a 
 pond in Staffordshire belonging to Sir S. C. Jervoise, 2 of which weighed 
 36 Ibs. 
 
 " The pond was fished every seven years ; so that supposing store Pike 
 of 6 or 7 Ibs. were left in it, the growth of the Pike in question must 
 have bsen at least to the extent above stated. Still I apprehend that 
 it can only be under very favourable circumstances that such a rapid 
 increase in growth will take place ; and from the result of my own 
 observations in the different waters I have fished, I am inclined to think 
 that an annual increase of about 2 Ibs. is nearer the usual average ; and 
 in small hungry waters I am certain the growth is much less .... 
 whilst Griffiths states that in its first year it is often 11 or 12 inches 
 
 c 2
 
 20 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 amount of food supplied to the fish, but that in the open 
 waters at least in England it seldom averages more than 
 1 Ib. a year during the first two years, and from 1 to 2 
 Ibs. a year afterwards, decreasing again after eight or nine 
 years to about the original ratio. This average is not very 
 different from that given by Bloch as the result of his 
 observation. It cannot of course be taken as an index of 
 
 Ipng : in the 6th has been known to measure 6 feet, and in the 12th 
 about 7 or 8 . . . very probably also, as is known to be the case 
 with Tench and Carp (and the same is also believed with respect to 
 Trout), the progeny are inclined to grow large or small in proportion to 
 the parent stock from which the race is propagated." 
 
 " The growth of Pike," says Dr. Badhani, " under favourable circum- 
 stances, during the earlier portion of life is occasionally .at the rate of 
 4 Ibs. per annum : after 12 years he diminishes probably to 1 or 2 Ibs., 
 and lessens still more as age advances." 
 
 Bowlker says " The young are supposed to be of very quick growth, 
 the first year it arrives at the length of from 6 to 10 inches ; the 2nd 
 12 to 15 ; and the 3rd from 18 to 20." According to Hofland " if well 
 supplied with food and in suitable water they will increase in weight 
 from 3 to 4 Ibs. annually," and Stoddart states that he ascertained 
 pretty accurately that the average weight of a 2 year old Teviot fish 
 runs from 2 to 5 Ibs. (a tolerably wide margin !). 
 
 The following is an extract from a letter which I received from Dr. 
 Genzik : "In Moravia this year a cousin of mine found in one of his 
 Carp ponds where always small Pikes are put in, and is fished regularly 
 every three years, a pike in splendid condition of 44 Ibs. Austrian. 
 The pond is always drawn and gets nearly dry for at least ten days 
 before it is again filled and fresh stocked. How many times this Jack 
 escaped the nets of the wading men I have no idea ; but the Verwaller 
 (bailiff) of the estate assured me that just 18 years ago this tank or 
 pond lay quite dry for the whole winter and spring till harvest and 
 they made hay on the dry ground, after it was filled and stocked
 
 PRODIGIOUS FEEDING POWERS. 21 
 
 what may be done by keeping Pike in rich preserves, or 
 fattening them in stews, as the capacity of the Pike for 
 food is well nigh inexhaustible, and is in analogy with his 
 powers of digestion, the marvellous rapidity of which has 
 been aptly described as resembling the action of fire. 
 
 To procure positive data, however, upon this point 
 must clearly be a matter of great difficulty. From fre- 
 quent opportunities of witnessing the feeding and manage- 
 ment of Pike in stews, I should say that a fish of 5 or 
 6 Ibs. would eat, if permitted, at least twice its own weight 
 of fish every week ; whilst, on the other hand, it can be 
 almost starved for a very considerable period without 
 suffering perceptibly; and in the instance of the Pike 
 confined in the Zoological Gardens, which weighed 2 Ibs. 
 in 1863, the increase of weight was only 1J Ib. in ten years. 
 This capacity of existing under such opposite extremes of 
 diet throws an additional difficulty in the way of drawing, 
 from the growth-rate in stews (where only it can be con- 
 veniently tested), a correct deduction as regards that in 
 ordinary waters, as we are deprived of the means of 
 gauging the amount of food really required. 
 
 Of one point, however, I have fully convinced myself 
 viz., that during the first year the maximum growth, in 
 open waters, does not much exceed half a pound. The 
 grounds of this conclusion are briefly as follow : Pike 
 spawn in March or April : in June, when Pike-fishing pro- 
 perly commences, I have not unfrequently taken, and seen 
 taken, with the net, small Jack of about an ounce, or a
 
 22 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 little more, in weight; in September, again, I have con- 
 stantly taken them, with a minnow, of three or four ounces ; 
 and in January and February specimens of from jive to 
 seven ounces; whilst I have never within my memory 
 caught the smaller sized fish at the later periods, or vice 
 versa, thus pointing clearly to the inference that at these 
 seasons there were young Jack of those respective sizes 
 and none others, in other words, that the different sizes 
 represented the different stages of growth. These I believe 
 to be the fish of about three quarters of a pound of the fol- 
 lowing season. 
 
 As an instance of the amount of food which Pike are 
 capable of consuming, it is mentioned that eight Pike, of 
 about 5 Ibs. each, eat nearly 800 Gudgeons in three weeks, 
 and that the appetite of one of them was almost insatiable. 
 There is no doubt, however, that this dietary is far below 
 the limit which might be reached. Mr. Stoddart, in his 
 ' Angler's Companion ' (p. 298), makes a curious calcula- 
 tion of the ravages committed by Pike in the Teviot, and 
 also states that in some lochs in Scotland the fish has been 
 known to eat its own weight of baits every day. If we 
 take the ordinary meal of a pound Jack at four Gudgeon, 
 or other small fish (by no means a large allowance), and 
 suppose him to feed twice only in a day, the total number 
 of fish he would destroy in a twelvemonth would be two 
 thousand nine hundred and twenty, which again would 
 have to be largely increased with every additional year of 
 growth. We may therefore congratulate ourselves on the
 
 BASKING. 23 
 
 alleged fact that " The abstinence ^of Tthe Pike or Jack is 
 " no less singular than his voracity. During the summer 
 
 / o 
 
 " months his digestive organs are somewhat torpid." This 
 however must, as the writer adds, be regarded as a pecu- 
 liarity in the Pike economy, seeing his abstinence is in an 
 inverse ratio to his wants, which would naturally be greatest 
 when he is most emaciated after the process of spawning. 
 Mr. Elaine says " During the summer he is listless, and 
 affects the surface of the water, where in warm sunny 
 weather he seems to bask in a sleepy state for hours 
 together." Perhaps, however, it is only that he is at this 
 period sentimental, being, as Williams suggests, "fre- 
 quently ensnared by the attractions of a wire ring, and 
 led, however unwilling, to the halter." If the above is a 
 fact, it must decidedly be regarded in the light of a special 
 dispensation for the young fry, who during the early part 
 of summer, have also a particular affection for larking 
 about at the surface. The only marvel is that with the 
 astonishing capacities for feeding on the part of the Pike, 
 before described, there has not long ago been a general 
 depopulation of the fresh waters. Some Authors have con- 
 sidered that when basking the Pike was probably asleep. 
 If so he most assuredly sleeps, as Cooper says the North 
 American Indians do, with one eye open. It is a som- 
 nolency in which, if I were a young bleak or gudgeon, I 
 should be disposed to place but little confidence. Stand- 
 ing by the side of a Scotch Loch in bright calm weather, 
 I have frequently remarked a Pike basking at from 15 to
 
 24 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 25 yards from the shore, and could plainly perceive that 
 the observation was mutual. The fish after fixedly regard- 
 ing me for a few moments has generally backed slowly 
 away into the deep water, disappearing so motionlessly 
 if I may use the expression that the eye was hardly 
 conscious of his retreat, until it became aware that he 
 had vanished. I am disposed to think therefore that the 
 Pike like many other fish of prey, has a very long, and 
 a very strong sight, and that when we can see him he 
 can very probably see us. Pike fishers will do well to 
 bear this in mind when making their calculations. The 
 brain of a Pike is also large. Its proportionate size as 
 compared to the rest of the body is as 1 to 1300 ; whilst 
 in the shark it is as 1 to 2500, and in the stupid Tunny 
 but as 1 to 3700.
 
 RAPIDITY OF DIGESTION. 25 
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 Rapidity of digestion Torpidity from gorging Voracity, anecdotes 
 of Cormorant and Pike Omnivorous instincts of Cannibal- 
 ism Attempts at manslaughter Attacks on other animals - 
 The toad rejected, why Attacks on Water-rats Teeth of Pike. 
 
 ACCORDING to Mr. Jesse the digestion of the Pike is so 
 rapid that in a few hours not even a bone of the swallowed 
 prey can be discovered, a fact also mentioned by Frazer in 
 his ' History of the Salmon ' with regard to that fish. So 
 rapid, he says, is the digestion of flesh and bones that fire 
 and water could not consume them quicker. Dr. Fleming 
 even gives the Salmon the pas in the matter of eating 
 over the Pike, but he thinks that the former " feeds with 
 " a prettier mouth, silently and unobserved, and does not 
 " gobble with avid eyes and crunching jaws like the Pike, 
 " so that nobody notices the large quantity of food he 
 " puts away in a gentlemanlike manner .... the one would 
 " be a Beau Brummel at table the other a Doctor Samuel 
 " Johnson." Elsewhere he observes " It requires a large 
 fish to be pouched to render torpid his (the Pike's) mus- 
 cular action, or arrest the action of his most strongly and 
 rapidly dissolving gastric juices." From instances on re- 
 cord it would appear, however, that the taking by the Pike
 
 26 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE.' 
 
 of a fish large enough to produce torpidity is by no means 
 so rare as the Doctor would seem to suppose. " On Tues- 
 day, Oct. 21, 1823," says Bowlker, " a Pike weighing 
 50 Ibs. was taken out of a lake belonging to the Duke of 
 Newcastle ; its death was supposed to have been occasioned 
 by its endeavouring to swallow a Carp, as one was taken 
 out of its throat weighing fourteen Ibs" ! It is mentioned 
 by Mr. Wright in his ' Fishes and Fishing ' that in 1796, a 
 somewhat similar circumstance occurred in the Serpentine, 
 where a 30-lb. Pike was captured alive, but in an exhausted 
 condition, nearly opposite the receiving house, and having, 
 stuck fast in his throat, a Carp of the weight of nearly 
 seven pounds. O'Gorman, in his 'Practice of Angling,' 
 relates several curious anecdotes of the ravenous appetite 
 of the Pike ; one which he caught had in his inaw a trout 
 of four pounds, whilst another seized and attempted to 
 swallow a six pound fish of the same species as it was 
 about to be landed. More remarkable still, however, is 
 the following which he witnessed on Dromore : A large 
 Pike which had been hooked and nearly exhausted was 
 suddenly seized and carried to the bottom. Every effort 
 was made for nearly half an hour to bring this second fish 
 to shore but to no purpose ; at length, however, by making 
 a noise with the oars and pulling hard at the line, the 
 anglers succeeded in disengaging the fish first hooked, 
 but on getting it to the surface it was " torn as if by a 
 large dog." though really doubtless by another Pike ; and 
 as the weight of the fish thus illtreated was 17 Ibs., the
 
 BAPIDITY OF DIGESTION. 27 
 
 size of its retainer may be imagined. I cannot, of course, 
 vouch in any way for the accuracy of this, but as Mr. 
 O'Gorman is without any exception the most conceited 
 writer on Angling I have ever met with, so far as ' manner' 
 goes, it is to be hoped that, to make amends, his ' matter ' 
 is at least tolerably accurate. 
 
 A ludicrous circumstance once happened in the feeding 
 of two Pike kept in a glass vivarium. A bait was thrown 
 in about midway between the fish, when each simultane- 
 ously darted forward to secure it, the result being that the 
 smaller fish fairly rushed into the open jaws of the larger, 
 where it remained fixed, and only extricated itself with 
 difficulty and after a lapse of some seconds. 
 
 A remarkable instance of the Pike's rapidity of digestion 
 was communicated to me by Mr. H. K. Francis, Author of 
 the ' Fly-fisher and his Library,' &c., as having occurred 
 some years ago, whilst he was fishing in the neighbour- 
 hood of Great Marlow. He observed a Pike lying in 
 the weeds in"an apparently semi-torpid condition, and suc- 
 ceeded, with the aid of a landing-net, in securing it, when 
 a large eel was found to be sticking in its throat, the tail 
 portion of which was half chewed up, swallowed, and par- 
 tially digested, whilst the head, still alive and twisting, 
 protruded from the jaws. The same gentleman caught in 
 the Thames a pike weighing 9 Ibs. with a moorhen in its 
 gullet, by which it was being suffocated ; and on another 
 occasion Mr. Chaloner caught a fish of five pounds that 
 had a smaller one half swallowed, but made, notwith-
 
 28 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 standing an effort to take his spinning-bait, and was hooked 
 foul in the attempt. Very recently a 26-lb. Pike was 
 taken at Worksop which had two moorhens in its stomach 
 when opened. 
 
 Since the above was written I have been favoured by 
 Captain S. H. Salvin with a curious pendant to one of 
 these anecdotes. Captain Salvin had until lately in his 
 possession a tame Cormorant, which had been for many 
 years trained to catch fish for his master by diving, 
 amongst other odd captures made by it being that of a 
 Water-hen, which it secured and brought to the bank after 
 an exciting chase. Within the last few months, however, 
 the career of the feathered angler has been tragically cut 
 short : whilst diving one day as usual, he was seized and 
 crushed to death by a Jack (weighing only 2 Ibs.) which 
 was itself choked in its endeavours to swallow him. 
 
 The Pike is a true cosmopolitan in his feeding. Fish, 
 flesh, and fowl are alike acceptable to him : animal, mineral, 
 and vegetable his charity embraces them all. Nothing, 
 in short, that he can by any means get into his stomach 
 (which has been described as being between that of a 
 shark and an ostrich) conies amiss to him ; and imperial 
 man himself has on more than one occasion narrowly 
 escaped being lafd under contribution to his larder. His 
 own species enjoy no immunity from this universal ra- 
 pacity ; on the contrary, it is believed, and with good reason, 
 that more young Jack are destroyed by their parents than 
 by any, or perhaps all other enemies put together a
 
 OMNIVOROUS INSTINCT OF PIKE. 29 
 
 circumstance which points to the advisability of selecting 
 as Stock fish for any pond or river, Pike of as nearly the 
 same size as may be. 
 
 A proof of this omnivorous instinct in the fish may be 
 found in the fact that watches, spoons, rings, plummets, 
 and other articles have been frequently taken from the 
 Pike's maw; and several authors have asserted that it 
 also feeds upon the pickerel-weed, a common species of 
 water-plant. I have often known Pike to run at and 
 seize the lead of a spinning trace ; and on one occasion, 
 at Newlock on Thames, Mr. Francis caught a fish which 
 had thus attempted to swallow his lead, and which was 
 entangled and held fast by the gimp lapping round be- 
 hind the gills. The opinion entertained by our ancestors 
 of the Pike's discrimination of taste, may be gathered from 
 the following receipt for a savory mess for him, given in 
 an old, and, I believe, rare book ' The Jewel House of Art 
 and Nature, &c. &c. by Sir Hugh Plat of Lincoln's Inne, 
 Knight, temp. 1653:' "Fill a sheep's-gut with small 
 unslaked limestones, and tie the same well at both ends 
 that no water get therein, and if any Pike devour it (as 
 they are ravening fish and very likely to do) she dieth in 
 a short time ; you may fasten it to a string, if you please 
 and so let it float upon the water. Also the liver of every 
 fish is a good bait to catch any fish of the same kind." 
 
 Without recapitulating the numerous instances of vora- 
 city in the Pike cited by other authors, I may mention a few 
 which have come more directly within my own knowledge.
 
 30 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 One of the most remarkable of these occurred during 
 the last few years to Mr. L , of Chippenham, Wiltshire. 
 This gentleman had set a trimmer in the Eiver Avon over 
 night, and on proceeding the next morning to take it up, 
 he found a heavy Pike apparently fast upon his hooks. 
 In order to extract these, he was obliged to open the fish, 
 and in doing so perceived another Pike of considerable size 
 inside the first, from the mouth of which the line pro- 
 ceeded. This fish it was also found necessary to open, 
 when, extraordinary to state, a third Pike, of about f of a 
 Ib. weight, and already partly digested was discovered in 
 the stomach of the second. This last fish was, of course, 
 the original taker of the bait, having been itself subse- 
 quently pouched by a later comer, to be, in its turn also, 
 afterwards seized and gorged. 
 
 Occurrences of a somewhat similar nature are by no 
 means rare ; one striking example has been already men- 
 tioned, and on several occasions I have myself taken Pike 
 with others in their stomach, but I never remember to 
 have met with a well-authenticated instance in which the 
 cannibal propensities of the fish were so strongly and sin- 
 gularly displayed as in that above referred to. 
 
 Of the indiscriminating character of the Pike's appetite 
 a more amusing illustration could not perhaps be given 
 than the following, communicated to me by Mr. Clifton, 
 who was an eye-witness of the occurrence : Upon a piece 
 of water belonging to Wandle House, Wandsworth, some 
 toy vessels were being sailed, at the stern of one of which
 
 BOY ATTACKED BY A PIKE. 31 
 
 was attached a small boat fancifully decorated with green 
 and gilding. As the little craft swept briskly across the 
 pool, with her boat in tow, a Pike suddenly darted from 
 the water and grasped the boat in his jaws, retreating as 
 instantaneously towards the bottom, and well nigh cap- 
 sizing the whole flotilla in his efforts to drag his capture 
 along with him. To this task, however, his strength was 
 apparently unequal, and a fresh breeze springing up, the 
 submerged nautilus reappeared "on the surface and con- 
 tinued her voyage, but had hardly got fairly under way 
 when the Pike again dashed forward to the attack, seizing 
 her as before, and continuing every half dozen yards the 
 process of alternately swallowing and ejecting, until she 
 grounded on the opposite bank. 
 
 The best authenticated instance of attempted man- 
 slaughter on the part of a . Pike is one which occurred 
 within a comparatively recent date in Surrey. The parti- 
 culars are given by Mr. Wright : " In the 'Beading Mer- 
 cury ' a statement appeared ' that a lad aged fifteen, named 
 Longhurst, had gone into Inglemere Pond, near Ascot 
 Heath, to bathe, and that when he had walked in to the 
 depth of 4 feet, a huge fish, supposed to be a Pike, sud- 
 denly rose to the surface and seized his hand. Finding 
 himself resisted, however, he abandoned it, but still fol- 
 lowed, and caught hold of the other hand, which he bit 
 very severely. The lad, clenching the hand which had 
 been first bitten, struck his assailant a heavy blow on the 
 head, when the fish swam away. W. Barr Brown, Esq.,
 
 32 THE BOOK OP THE PIKE. 
 
 surgeon, dressed seven wounds, two of which were very 
 deep and which bled profusely.' 
 
 " I wrote to this gentleman, who very politely obtained, 
 and sent this day, Sept. 18, 1857, the whole account, in 
 writing, from the young man's father (Mr. George 
 Longlmrst, of Sunning Hill), which I give as I received 
 it: 
 
 " ' Particulars of an Encounter with a Fish in the month of June, 
 1856. One of my sons, aged fifteen, went with three other boys to 
 bathe in Inglemere Pond, near Ascot Race-Course ; he walked gently 
 into the water to about the depth of 4 feet, when he spread out his 
 hands to swim ; instantly a large fish came up and took his hand into 
 his mouth as far up as the wrist, but finding he could not swallow it, 
 relinquished his hold, and the boy, turning round, prepared for a hasty 
 retreat out of the pond ; his companions who saw it, also scrambled out 
 of the pond as fast as possible. My son had scarcely turned himself 
 round when the fish came up behind him and immediately seized his 
 other hand, crosswise, inflicting some very deep wounds on the back of 
 it ; the boy raised his first bitten, and still bleeding, hand, and struck 
 the monster a hard blow on the head, when the fish disappeared. The 
 other boys assisted him to dress, bound up his hand with their hand- 
 kerchiefs, and brought him home. We took him down to Mr. Brown, 
 surgeon, who dressed seven wounds in one hand ; and so great was the 
 pain the next day, that the lad fainted twice ; the little finger was 
 bitten through the nail, and it was more than six weeks before it was 
 well. The nail came off, and the scar remains to this day. 
 
 " ' A few days after this occurrence, one of the woodmen was walking 
 by the side of the pond, when he saw something white floating. A 
 man, who was passing on horseback, rode in, and found it to be a large 
 Pike in a dying state ; he twisted his whip round it and brought it to 
 shore. Myself and son were immediately sent for to look at it, when 
 the boy at once recognized his antagonist. The fish appeared to] have 
 been a long time in the agonies of death ; and the body was very lean, 
 and curved like a bow. It measured 41 inches, and died the next day, 
 and, I believe, was taken to the Castle at Windsor.' "
 
 ATTACK ON DR. GOUGE. 33 
 
 " There can be no doubt," Mr. Wright adds, " that this 
 fish was in a state of complete starvation .... If well- 
 fed, it is probable it might have weighed from 30 to 
 40 Ibs." 
 
 The same gentleman also mentions that he was himself 
 on one occasion a witness, with Lord Milsington, and many 
 other persons, to a somewhat similar occurrence, where, 
 during the netting of the Bourne Brook, Chertsey, one of 
 the waders was bitten in the leg by a Pike which he had 
 attempted to kick to shore. This fish, which was after- 
 wards killed, weighed 17 Ibs. 
 
 I am indebted for the following to Dr. Genzik : " In 
 1829 I was bathing in the Swimming-School at Vienna 
 with some fellow-students, when one of them afterwards 
 Dr. Gouge, who died a celebrated physician some years 
 ago suddenly screamed out and sank. We all plunged 
 in immediately to his rescue, and succeeded in bringing 
 him to the surface, and finally in getting him up on to the 
 hoarding of the bath, when a Pike was found sticking fast 
 to his right heel, which would not loose its hold, but was 
 killed, and eaten by us all in company the same evening. 
 It weighed 32 Ibs. Gouge suffered for months from the 
 bite." 
 
 This recalls the story of the Pike which was said to have 
 attacked the foot of a Polish damsel a performance the 
 more ungallant as the ladies of Poland are celebrated for 
 their pretty ankles. 
 
 'Bentley's Miscellany' for July 1851 gives an account 
 
 D
 
 34 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 of the assaults of Pike upon the legs of men wading ; and 
 the author has himself had the privilege of being severely 
 bitten above the knee by a fine Thames fish, which sprang 
 ofi' the ground after it had been knocked on the head, and 
 seized him by the thigh where it hung, sinking its teeth 
 deeply into a stick which was used to force open its jaws. 
 
 More examples might easily be adduced ; but the above 
 are sufficient to prove that in rare instances, and when 
 under the influence of either extreme anger or hunger, a 
 large Pike will not hesitate to attack the lords (and ladies) 
 of creation. 
 
 Such being the case, it is hardly necessary to say that 
 it is by no means uncommon for animals, often of large 
 size, to be similarly assaulted, and, in the case of the 
 smaller species, devoured, by this fish. Accounts are 
 on record of otters, dogs, mules, oxen, and even horses 
 being attacked. Poultry are constantly destroyed by the 
 Pike, " the dwellers in the ' Eely Place,' " as Hood pun- 
 ningly says, "having come to Pick-a-Dilly :" sometimes 
 the heads of swans diving for food encounter instead the 
 ever-open jaws of this fish, and both are killed ; whilst 
 among the frogs he is the very " King Stork " of the Fable, 
 his reign beginning and ending with devouring them. He 
 will even seize that most unsavoury of all morsels, the' 
 toad, although in this case the inherent nauseousness of 
 the animal saves it from being actually swallowed, its 
 skin, like that of the lizard, containing a white, highly 
 acid secretion, which is exuded from small glands dispersed 
 over the body.
 
 REJECTION OF TOADS. 35 
 
 There are also two little knobs, in shape like split beans, 
 behind the head, from which, upon pressure, the acid 
 escapes. 
 
 To test this, I have sometimes, whilst feeding Pike, 
 thrown to them a toad instead of a frog, when it has been 
 immediately snapped up, and as instantaneously spat out 
 again; and the same toad has thus passed a more than 
 Jonah-like ordeal through the jaws of nearly every fish in 
 the pond, and escaped with but little injury after all. The 
 effect of this secretion may also be observed in the case of 
 a toad being accidentally seized by a dog, which invariably 
 ejects it at once with unequivocal signs of disgust. 
 
 Pike will attack both the land and water rat ; occasionally 
 pouching them, but more frequently treating them as in 
 the case of the toad a fact confirmed by Captain William- 
 son, who adds : " But whether owing to the resistance that 
 animal (the rat) makes, which I have witnessed to be very 
 fierce and that under water too or whether owing to the 
 hair or scent displeasing them, I know not ; but they do 
 not appear to be very partial to the quadruped. I have 
 repeatedly seen rats pass such Jacks as were obviously on 
 the alert without being attacked, though the former seemed 
 to have all their eyes about them and to keep close in 
 shore." 
 
 Rats which have once been gripped by a Pike rarely 
 appear to recover. They may not unfrequently be found 
 dead in the weeds, bearing evident marks of the fish's 
 teeth ; and one very large brown rat which I thus found 
 
 D 2
 
 36 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 had the head and fore part of the body crushed almost flat 
 by the pressure to which it had been subjected. The 
 marvel, however, is, not that these animals should often 
 die of their injuries, but that they should ever succeed in 
 escaping from the triple chevaux de frise with which the 
 jaws of the Pike are armed. 
 
 An anecdote, taken from Mr. Buckland's charming col- 
 lection of * Curiosities of Natural History,' illustrates the 
 formidable nature of these teeth, even when at rest. 
 
 " When at Oxford," he says, " I had in my rooms the 
 dried head of a very large Pike, captured in Holland. It 
 was kept underneath a book-case. One evening, whilst 
 reading, I was much surprised, and rather alarmed, to see 
 this monstrous head roll out spontaneously from below its 
 resting-place and tumble along the floor ; at the same time 
 piteous cries of distress issuing from it. The head must be 
 bewitched, thought I ; but I must find out the cause. Ac- 
 cordingly, I took it up, when, lo and behold ! inside was a 
 poor little tame guinea-pig, which was a pet and allowed 
 to run, with two companions, about the room. With un- 
 suspecting curiosity master guinea-pig had crept into the 
 dried expanded jaws of the monster, intending, no doubt, to 
 take up his abode there for the night. In endeavouring 
 to get out again he found himself literally hooked. Being 
 a classical guinea-pig, he might have construed 'facilis 
 descensus Averni,' it is an easy thing to get down a Jack's 
 mouth ; ' sed revocare gradum? &c., but it is a precious 
 hard job to get out again."
 
 TEETH OF PIKE. 
 
 37 
 
 The scratched prisoner was only at last rescued from 
 its Eegulus-like incarceration by Mr. Bucldand cutting a 
 passage for him through the fish's gills, and thus enabling 
 him to make his exit a tergo. 
 
 To the sharpness of the teeth in the mouth of this par- 
 ticular Pike I can bear witness, having received unpleasant 
 proof of the fact when carelessly withdrawing my hand 
 from an examination of its contents. 
 
 The engraving represents one side of the lower jaw-bones 
 of the Pike, and the position of the large canine teeth.
 
 38 THE BOOK OF THE FIKE. 
 
 CHAPTEK IV. 
 
 Habits of preying Other hunting and angling fish Attacks of Pike 
 on foxes Pike attacked by otters By eagles Perch an enemy 
 of the Pike Sticklebacks Salmon versus Pike Piavages of Pike 
 in Trout waters. 
 
 SOMETIMES the Pike lies in ambush, protruding only its 
 eyes and grim muzzle through the weeds, when the move- 
 ment of seizing a prey is little beyond a quick turn of 
 the body and an opening and shutting of the jaws ; but 
 generally he takes it with a rush and a flash, emerging so 
 suddenly and with such startling energy, that I have, in 
 more than one instance, known a fisherman literally drop 
 his rod from the effects of sheer terror. 
 
 In this boldness and absence of all artifice the Pike offers 
 a strong contrast to the equally voracious, but cunning and 
 secretive Fishing-Frog, or " Angler,"* as it is named from 
 its habit of angling for its prey. This fish is furnished 
 with two slender tapering rays on the top of the head, 
 like fishing rods, one of which is flattened out at the end 
 into a form resembling a bait, its attractions being heigh- 
 tened by a shining silvery appearance. The Angler, lying 
 on the bottom, stirs up the mud with its fins, and thus con- 
 
 * Lophius piseatorius.
 
 ANGLING AND SHOOTING FISH. 39 
 
 cealed, elevates its bait-like appendages, moving them 
 temptingly to and fro, until a sufficient number of curious 
 spectators or intended diners have collected, when it opens 
 its immense mouth and at once swallows them all. 
 
 Dr. Houston, in a lecture before the Koyal Society of 
 Dublin, exhibited the skeleton of an Angler two and a half 
 feet in length, in the stomach of which was a cod two feet 
 long ; inside the cod were two whitings of the natural size, 
 containing in their turns scores of half-digested fish too 
 small and numerous to be counted. "Angling" would 
 therefore appear to be a successful method of procuring 
 food. 
 
 Another fish, the Star-gazer (Uranoscopus Scaber), has 
 recourse to a similar device, waving about in the mud 
 the beards with which his lips are furnished, and which 
 are mistaken for worms a stratagem also adopted by the 
 great Silurus glanis, or ' Sly,' the largest of the European 
 fresh-water species, and which has lately been attempted 
 to be imported into this country. 
 
 Of all the methods of procuring food practised by fish, 
 perhaps the most singular is that of the Chaetodon of India 
 and its allied species. This fish literally shoots its prey. 
 When it perceives a fly or other insect settle upon an over- 
 hanging bush or leaf, it approaches as cautiously as pos- 
 sible, gradually bringing its head and nose close to the 
 surface of the stream, and remaining for an instant motion- 
 less whilst taking aim, with its eyes fixed upon the insect : 
 suddenly it darts at it a drop of water from its snout with
 
 40 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 such strength and precision as rarely fail to bring down its 
 object often from a distance of four or five feet. This 
 illustrates, by the way, the acute nature of the sight of 
 fish. 
 
 Whilst alluding incidentally to these ' hunting ' species, 
 as they may be termed, I should not omit to mention the 
 Reinora, or Sucking-fish, also called ' Echeneis,' from two 
 Greek words, signifying that the fish holds or stays ships 
 in their course a fabulous power attributed to it by 
 ancient authors. The Remora is furnished with an appa- 
 ratus on the back of the head and shoulders which enables 
 it to adhere with great force to other fish, or to the bottoms 
 of vessels ; and this peculiarity is, or was formerly, made 
 use of by the West Indians, who let it go with a cord 
 fastened to the tail, when the Remora attached itself to 
 fish, or to turtles, and both were drawn out together. 
 By this means a weight of several hundred pounds has 
 been sometimes raised from the bottom. Columbus men- 
 tions the Remora, and says that it will allow itself to be 
 cut to pieces rather than relinquish its hold. 
 
 As instances of the attacks of Pike upon the larger 
 animals, Dr. Genzik informs me that he once saw a fox 
 caught by an immense pike, in the Great Rosenberg Tank, 
 Bohemia, then nearly dry. The fox was shot in the water ; 
 and as the Pike would not loose its hold of its throat both 
 were pulled out together. The fox had evidently come to 
 poach upon the ducks in the tank, and must -have been not
 
 FOXES ATTACKED BY PIKE. 41 
 
 a little astonished at finding himself the subject of such a 
 singular detainer. 
 
 For another incident of a somewhat similar nature I am 
 also indebted to the researches of the same naturalist, who 
 found the account printed at the foot of an old engraving 
 by Ridinger, now in a collection at Munich. Of this curious 
 picture Dr. Genzik has kindly procured me a photograph, 
 as well as a copy of the story underwritten, of which I 
 append a translation : 
 
 " In the county of Wolffstein, at Pyrbaum, some forty years ago, the 
 following event occurred : 
 
 " Whilst fishing in the great pond, a large pike of about 18 or 19 Ibs. 
 weight was caught ; this was to be brought at night to the Castle at 
 Pyrbaum; but it escaped (sprung out), as the vessel in which it was 
 placed was not properly watched, and the persons who carried it came 
 home empty ; so they were sent back, with others, provided with 
 torches, to seek for the Pike. When they arrived at the place where 
 the pike was lost they observed a fox in the wheat, who, even on their 
 approaching him, remained standing still ; whereupon they hurried 
 nearer, and perceived that the pike had hold of the fox by the snout, 
 and had so bitten into it that they could not release it. So the fox 
 was killed, and the living Pike was brought to the Castle. 
 
 " Graciously communicated on the 19th May, 1763, by His Serene 
 Highness Carl August von Hohenloe and Gleichen. 
 
 " Johann El. Eidinger ; Aug. Wind ; 
 Mai-tin El. Ridinger." 
 
 This may be cited as an instance of the ruling passion 
 strong in death. The picture gives a very vivid idea of 
 the whole scene by torchlight, with the fox and pike in the 
 foreground, the latter holding the former by the snout. 
 
 Foxes appear to be especially obnoxious to the anti- 
 pathies of the Pike. The following comical story, referred
 
 42 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 to in Ephemera's edition of Walton, will be found in 
 * Fuller's Worthies of Lincolnshire,' p. H4 : "A cub-fox 
 drinking out of the river Arnns in Italy had his head seized 
 on by a mighty Pike, so that neither could free themselves 
 but were engrappled together. During this contest a 
 young man runs into the water, takes them both alive and 
 carries them to the Duke of Florence, whose palace was 
 hard by. The Porter would not admit him without a 
 promise of sharing his full half in what the Duke should 
 give him, to which he (hopeless otherwise of entrance) 
 condescended : the Duke highly delighted with the rarity 
 was about giving him a good reward, which the other 
 refused, desiring his highness would appoint one of his 
 Guard to give him 100 lashes, that so his Porter might 
 have fifty, according to his composition : and here my 
 intelligence leaveth me." 
 
 Occasionally however the Pike is himself a victim. 
 The Otter is his worst enemy, and generally comes off 
 victor in those desperate combats with which the watery 
 realms must be too frequently convulsed, could we but see 
 what goes on under their placid surface. A more exciting 
 spectacle in its way than such a struggle between these 
 two hereditary antagonists it would be difficult to conceive. 
 On the one hand, the Otter, dark, noiseless, and treacher- 
 ous, writhing with eel-like suppleness to secure a position 
 from which to fix the fatal grip ; on the other, the Pike, 
 an impersonation of concentrated ferocity, flashing across 
 the arena, with eyes glaring and jaws distended or even
 
 EAGLE AND PIKE. 43 
 
 in death striving to fasten his teeth into the throat of his 
 foe.* 
 
 The Otter, however, is not the only antagonist to the 
 attacks of which the adult Pike is exposed : according to 
 Mr. Lloyd, the author of ' Scandinavian Adventures,' it 
 appears that it is a circumstance by no means uncommon 
 in the North of Europe for this fish to become the prey of 
 a feathered enemy, the eagle, which pounces upon him 
 when basking at the surface of the lakes. In this case, 
 where very large, the fish has been known to carry the 
 bird under water, when the latter being unable to disengage 
 his talons, is generally drowned. Dr. Mellorborg informed 
 Mr. Lloyd that he had seen an enormous Pike with an 
 eagle thus riveted to his back both lying dead, in a field 
 previously flooded but from which the water had receded ; 
 and on another occasion the actual contest with all iis 
 vicissitudes was plainly witnessed. The Pike, when first 
 seized, was lifted by the eagle some height into the air ; 
 but his weight, combined with his struggles, soon carried 
 both down into the water, under which they sank. Pre- 
 sently the eagle reappeared on the surface, uttering pierc- 
 ing cries, and apparently making great efforts to extricate 
 his talons. All, however, was in vain; for after a pro- 
 longed resistance he finally disappeared in the depths of 
 the lake. An incident very similar is also related by the 
 
 '* It is a fact that when angry the Pike erects his fins, much in the 
 same way that a cat bristles up his fur, or a porcupine his quills ; and 
 this has been noticed by several of his biographers.
 
 44 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 author of the ' Angler in Ireland ' as having occurred on 
 one of the wild loughs of Connemara. 
 
 How far the spines of the Perch protect him from the 
 assaults of the Pike is not quite certain. In many fishings 
 both in England and Scotland, small Perch are considered 
 the favourite baits for the Pike, which does not seem to be 
 at all deterred by their spiky appearance. Moreover, as 
 the Pike always swallows his prey head-foremost, whilst the 
 spines of the Perch are capable only of projecting back- 
 wards shutting down like the props of an umbrella upon 
 pressure from in front it would not appear that they could 
 impede the operation of swallowing, but that, on the con- 
 trary, they would naturally rather assist it than otherwise 
 in the same way that the ' beard ' of an ear of barley 
 assists it in forcing a way through the sleeve of a coat or 
 other obstructed passage. 
 
 The effect of these back-action chevaux de frise is 
 curiously illustrated by a circumstance of not unfrequent 
 occurrence in Sweden. Large Perch swallow the baited 
 hooks of stationary night lines, and then enormous Pike 
 gorge the hooked Perch in their turn. In this case, 
 though the Pike is seldom or never actually hooked, yet, 
 on the fisherman's drawing in his line, the Perch some- 
 times sets so fast in his throat that he is unable to get 
 rid of it, and both are taken.* 
 
 Another insignificant, but to small Pike, by no means 
 
 * Gosse's ' Natural History.'
 
 STICKLEBACKS. 45 
 
 impotent foe, is the Stickleback the sort of relationship 
 existing between which and the Pike family is thus 
 amusingly described by Dr. Badham. 
 
 " By old Pikes," he says, " Sticklebacks are held in yet 
 greater abomination than Perch, and not without good 
 reason, seeing the havoc they commit amongst the young 
 and unwary Pickerels. It is only by personal suffering, 
 that fish, any more than men, ever buy wisdom ; growing 
 Pikes no sooner begin to feel the cravings of hunger, and 
 to find they have large mouths, well furnished with teeth 
 on purpose to cater for it, than they proceed to make pre- 
 liminary essay upon the smallest fish within reach ; these 
 are commonly the Gasterostei, or Sticklebacks, who, 
 observing the gaping foe advance against them, prepare 
 for the encounter by bristling up their spines in instinctive 
 readiness to stick in his throat, instead, as he supposes, 
 of going smoothly down into his stomach. This induces 
 a dreadful choking disease, which we venture to call 
 'sticklebackitis,' by means whereof many a promising 
 young Jack is cut off 'in cunabulis^ ' 
 
 This is also referred to by " Piscator," who says " Picke- 
 rels or young Jack are sometimes killed by swallowing 
 the stickleback; but this it seems is caused by these 
 greedy juveniles bolting them when alive, as then their 
 prickles stand erect ; for, if little, they are desperate and 
 game to the last." 
 
 Amongst his own class, however, with these exceptions, 
 the Pike reigns supreme, although it has been asserted
 
 46 THE BOOK OP THE PIKE. 
 
 that, from its superior momentum, a trout or salmon ot 
 equal weight would have the advantage in a pitched 
 battle. I doubt it much. What chance these fish have 
 against the Pike is shown by the effect of introducing the 
 latter into trouting and salmon waters, where the new- 
 comer speedily dispossesses the rightful tenants. Witness, 
 for instance, the ravages committed in the Canterbury 
 River, in the Wandle,* in the Colne, near Draycot and 
 Cowley,t in the Teviot,| and in Lochs Katrine, Lomond, 
 Awe, and Jurit, in Scotland ; and the same thing is 
 known to have taken place in many of the best Irish 
 waters, where the Pike is still continuing to spread and 
 multiply, displacing by degrees the Trout and other in- 
 digenous races. Salter says, "I have known instances 
 of Pike entirely destroying every fish in a pond, and then 
 making a prey of each other till there has been but one 
 left." If, therefore, as it has been asserted, the fish was 
 really imported into this country, it is evident that it has 
 borne the expatriation without much detriment to its con- 
 stitutional vigour or productiveness. 
 
 Indeed, how Pike spread is a problem which it has per- 
 plexed naturalists to explain. A stream, or pond, or loch, 
 reserved perhaps for centuries to the docile phlegmatic 
 Carp, or star-stoled Trout, suddenly begins to show 
 symptoms of a falling off; the next year matters are 
 
 * ' Practical Angler,' p. 242. f Wright's ' Fishes and Fishing.' 
 
 J Stoddart's ' Angler's Companion.' Stoddart's ' Scottish Angler,' p. 57.
 
 MIGRATION OF PIKE. 47 
 
 worse; the water is dragged, and the first fish to come 
 up in the net is probably a Pike. How the Pike came 
 there, or who put it there remains unexplained, but the 
 cause of the depletion of the water is no longer a mystery. 
 Some authors have accounted for these singular immigra- 
 tions by supposing that the Pike, like the Eel, actually 
 travels overland in wet weather from one pond to another ; * 
 and several curious circumstances, which have recently 
 come to my knowledge, would almost appear to lend some 
 colour to the supposition. 
 
 A gentleman who has had considerable experience in 
 the management of fish was witness to one of these appa- 
 rent migrations. " My brother and myself," he writes to 
 me, "were starting on a fishing expedition at about 
 3 o'clock in the morning, when, happening to pass my 
 breeding ponds distant some half a dozen yards from 
 the main stream we found a Pike jumping and working 
 about in the wet grass and evidently making for the 
 river, towards which it had already proceeded two-thirds 
 of the way when our arrival cut short its journey. The 
 dewy state of the grass, at the time standing for hay, 
 would have enabled me to detect any appearance of foot- 
 steps had such been near the ponds, and negatived the 
 idea of the stews having been visited by poachers, either 
 biped or quadruped. This circumstance, I think, may 
 possibly explain what has often puzzled me namely, 
 
 * See, amongst other works, ' The Complete Angler's Vade-Mecum,' 
 p. 137.
 
 48 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 how it is that so many large Pike are put into the ponds, 
 and that so few are ever forthcoming when required." 
 
 It is to be regretted, in the interest of science, that the 
 traveller was not allowed to continue his progress, so that 
 we might have a fact instead of an hypothesis to add to 
 our knowledge of the subject. There seems to be no 
 doubt, however, that if a Pike is placed near the bank 
 of a river or lake where it has no means of seeing the 
 water, it will, by instinct, immediately begin to jump in 
 the proper direction. 
 
 A somewhat analagous case to the above was com- 
 municated to me by a gentleman who happened to be 
 present on the occasion. Mr. Newnham, an English resi- 
 dent, at Antwerp, in order to test the migratory theory, 
 caused two contiguous ponds to be excavated, and 
 stocked one with Pike, and the other with small Koach, 
 Dace, &c. At the end of the second day he caused both 
 ponds to be emptied, w r hen it was found that several of 
 the Pike from pond No. 1 had made their way by some 
 means into pond No. 2, and had destroyed a great part 
 of the fry. 
 
 A singular fact, pointing indirectly to the same con- 
 clusion, once came under my own observation. A pool 
 5 or 6 yards square for the reception of small fish, had 
 been constructed close to a stew-pond containing Pike ; 
 the work had been finished in the afternoon, and the pond 
 left to fill. On visiting it the next morning, I was sur- 
 prised to find it already occupied by a Jack of about three-
 
 MIGRATION OF PIKE. 49 
 
 quarters of a pound weight, which had contrived thus 
 early to take possession. 
 
 Perhaps, however, the most remarkable occurrence of 
 this description is one which recently happened in the 
 Zoological Gardens. In the Aquarium at this institution 
 was a glass tank containing the Pike to which I have else- 
 where alluded. During the night the tank broke, and the 
 Pike being thus left dry, was discovered the next morning 
 by the keeper and his assistant making its way steadily to- 
 wards a small piece of water at some distance. I measured 
 the space between the tank and the spot reached by the 
 fish, and found it to be a little more than 24 yards. The 
 keeper informed me that when picked up the pike had 
 still plenty of strength remaining, and was quite lively, 
 and he had no doubt that, if left to itself, it would have 
 succeeded in reaching its destination, a feat, however, 
 which it would probably have had reason to regret, as the 
 water in question was nothing less than the Otters 1 pond. 
 
 Walton was too close an observer of the habits of fish 
 not to notice the mysterious appearance of Pike in un- 
 stocked waters ; but he was driven to account for it by 
 adopting one of the many fallacies held by Gesner and his 
 contemporaries. " It has been observed," he says, " that 
 where none (Pike) have been put into ponds, yet they 
 have there found many .... 'tis not to be doubted but 
 that they are bred some by generation, and some not, as 
 namely of a weed called pickerel-weed, unless learned 
 Gesner be much mistaken ; for he says this weed and other 
 
 E
 
 50 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 glutinous matter, with the help of the sun's heat, in some 
 particular months and some ponds apted for it by nature, 
 do become Pikes. But doubtless divers Pikes are bred 
 after this manner, or are brought into some ponds some 
 such other ways as is past man's finding out, of which we 
 have daily witnesses." 
 
 The absurdity of Gesner's theory is sufficiently obvious : 
 it probably arose from the fact that Pike are fond of lying 
 in beds of pickerel-weed, and not unfrequently deposit 
 their spawn amongst it. 
 
 The notion, which is on a par with the popular belief 
 in chopped horsehair thrown into ponds becoming Eels, 
 and other similar superstitions, is alluded to in the 
 ' Piscatory Eclogues :' 
 
 " Say, can'st thou tell how worms of moisture breed, 
 Or Pike are gender'd of the Pickerel-weed ? 
 How Carp without the parent's seed renew, 
 Or slimy Eels are form'd of genial dew?" 
 
 The most obvious explanation of the quasi ' spontaneous 
 breeding' of Pike would appear to be, that the impreg- 
 nated spawn is conveyed from one place to another by 
 aquatic birds, frogs, and other amphibia, either sticking to 
 their bodies, or swallowed, but undigested ; but this would 
 not explain the discovery of full-grown fish under the cir- 
 cumstances before alluded to. 
 
 The sudden appearance of Pike at certain times is not 
 less remarkable than their unaccountable dis-appearance 
 at others. There is no doubt that in seasons of great heat
 
 "SPONTANEOUS BKEEDING" THEOKY. 51 
 
 or unusual drought, when ponds or reservoirs have become 
 rapidly dried up, the Pike that were in them have vanished 
 in a very extraordinary manner, and that upon the return 
 of the water they have been immediately found in appa- 
 rently undiminished numbers. The phenomenon is not, 
 however, confined to the Esocidse ; the same thing has 
 been observed with regard to Carp and Tench ; and it is a 
 curious circumstance, of the truth of which I have been 
 frequently assured by those who have witnessed it, that in 
 New South Wales where great droughts are common, the 
 large frogs of the country will mysteriously disappear in 
 the manner described, and cannot be found even by digging 
 deep into the mud. Their croaking also, one of the most 
 constant and striking sounds in Australian bush-life, ceases 
 altogether. Yet on the first fresh of rain they at once re- 
 appear in their pools as numerous and noisy as before. 
 
 E 2
 
 52 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 CHAPTEK V. 
 
 Whether solitary or gregarious Affection The Cossyphus Tench 
 the Pike's physician ? Superstitions Edible qualities For- 
 merly a dainty Kiver and pond Pike Crimping Fish to be 
 cooked fresh or stale Pike eaten in roe Green flesh Fattening 
 Colours when in season Spawning Number of eggs 
 Ichthyological descriptive particulars. 
 
 THE question of whether Pike are solitary or gregarious, 
 has been for a long time a moot point amongst the savants. 
 Salter says they are solitary and "seldom seen two to- 
 gether." " Glenfin " on the other hand, " records his 
 opinion that " Pike are generally in pairs, the male and 
 female being frequently together." Stoddart holds the 
 opinion of some Naturalists that the Pike is ' a solitary,' to 
 be " quite a mistake." " They are," he says, " at certain 
 seasons as gregarious if not more so than the trout. True 
 they do not swim exactly side by side like perch ; but as 
 accords with their size and rapacity, maintain a wider 
 range : and when ' on the bask ' or in sunning humour, 
 distribute themselves along the margin of a plot of floating 
 weeds at short distances, each seemingly having its own 
 lurking place apportioned to it I have captured fre- 
 quently 5 or 6 Pike, one after another out of the same 
 hole ; and from the same stance ; although in experiment-
 
 SOLITARY OR GREGARIOUS? 53 
 
 ing previously, for the space of an hour over the cast, I 
 was unable to detect the presence of a single fish, none, in 
 fact, I am convinced, were at that time on the spot, and 
 they had evidently in the interval taken possession of it as 
 a body, not as individuals." Another writer says on the 
 contrary that "a large Pike is generally found alone, 
 being strong enough to drive his weaker brethren away, 
 each of whom in proportion to the relative strength they 
 bear to one another retaliates in like manner upon his 
 weaker brethren and so on ad infinitum as Blackstone so 
 frequently and learnedly remarks." 
 
 The fact, I believe, as in many other cases, to lie mid- 
 way bet\veen the two sets of opinions. 
 
 Each man's opinion is of course primarily founded on 
 the experiences which have occurred to himself : so far as 
 mine go they do not lead me to think that Pike as a rule 
 are gregarious in the ordinary acceptation of the term. 
 That similar tastes and necessities may induce a number 
 of Pike to tenant the same places at the same time, I am 
 quite ready to admit, but that, except at spawning time, 
 they do so as individuals and not in a collective capacity 
 I am equally satisfied. At the spawning season, and for 
 some considerable time before it, however, Pike like any 
 other fish are gregarious so far as ''* pairing " goes that is 
 a male and a female fish, generally of tolerably equal sizes, 
 will enter into a sort of betrothal compact, or as maid- 
 servants would express it, agree to " keep company to- 
 gether." But this pairing arrangement does not survive
 
 54 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 the completion of the great natural process from which it 
 took its rise. As before observed, however, the compact 
 appears not unfrequently to take place for some weeks, 
 sometimes indeed, months, before the actual spawning 
 season ; and early in autumn, even, I have frequently met 
 with a happy couple of this sort in some snug quiet retreat, 
 and succeeded in negotiating intimate relations with both 
 the contracting parties. 
 
 Although, from its vigorous and unsparing destructive- 
 ness, the Pike has many detractors and few apologists, it 
 must not be supposed that it is altogether without any of 
 the softer instincts. On the contrary, it has been known 
 to exhibit, under peculiar circumstances, a very decided 
 amount of friendship, and even affection, especially in the 
 conjugal form. An instance of this is on record, where a 
 female Pike was taken during the spawning- season, and 
 nothing could drive the male away from the spot at which 
 its mate had disappeared ; and the author of the ' Practical 
 Angler,' refers to a similar occurrence which happened 
 under his own observation. The Pike has also occasionally 
 exhibited considerable signs of grief at the departure of 
 other fish from a vivarium in which they had been for 
 some time fellow-prisoners. 
 
 I cannot here resist quoting an amusing account, given 
 by Dr. Badham, of the uxoriousness of another predatory 
 species, the Cossyphus often mentioned by ancient writers 
 on Halieutics : 
 
 " The Cossyphus, according to Aristotle, makes the best
 
 THE COSSYPHUS. 55 
 
 of mates, ( una contentus conjuge,' as good Koman husbands 
 in the olden time were fond of recording on their tombstones ; 
 but if so, Oppian has taken great poetical liberties with his 
 reputation, describing him as the ' Great Mogul ' of the 
 deep. According to this author, he possesses an immense 
 gynsecium, sufficient to keep him perpetually in hot, albeit 
 in cold, water. Having found suitable gites for his nu- 
 merous females, he ascends the waters, and from a transpa- 
 rent watch-tower looks down into their bowers, an open- 
 eyed sentinel, whose jealousy day and night never remits, 
 not so much as to permit him to taste food. As the time 
 for expecting a new posterity approaches, his anxiety, we 
 are told by his biographer, knows no bounds : he goes from 
 one to the other, and back again to the first, making 
 enquiries of all; but as the pains and perils of Lucina 
 proceed, the liveliest emotions of fear and anxiety are 
 awakened in his breast. As some distracted matron wan- 
 ders in her agitation backwards and forwards, and suffers, 
 by sympathy, all the daughter's pains in her own person, 
 so the agitated Cossyphus roams incessantly about, disturb- 
 ing the waters as he moves from place to place. 
 
 " The fisherman, tracking these movements, drops a live- 
 bait, properly leaded, right on the top of one of the ladies 
 in roe; the Cossyphus, supposing this an invasion of his 
 seraglio, flies at the intruder open-mouthed and is imme- 
 diately hooked, his dying moments being further em- 
 bittered by cruel taunts from the trawler, who, after the 
 insulting manner of Homer's heroes, reviles him by all his
 
 56 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 mistresses, and bids him mark the seething cauldron on 
 the lighted shore, prepared expressly for his reception. 
 His favourites, on losing their protector, leave their hiding- 
 places and getting, like other 'unprotected females,' into 
 difficulties, are speedily taken." 
 
 The one virtue to which, amongst a thousand crimes, the 
 name of the Pike has been linked, is gratitude : it has been 
 asserted that he never attacks his physician, the Tench. 
 
 As a fact, there seems to be reason to believe that from 
 some cause or other this fish exerts upon the usually omni- 
 vorous Pike an effect more or less repellant ; but we are 
 not, of course, bound to put implicit faith in the various 
 theories by which it has at different times been explained. 
 Of these the most universally accepted amongst ancient, 
 and even by some modern authors, appears to be that the 
 Tench is in some way the physician of the water, possess- 
 ing in the thick slime with which he is covered, a natural 
 balsam for the cure of himself and others. Eondeletius 
 even says that he saw a great recovery effected upon a sick 
 man by the application of a Tench to his feet. But we 
 must remember that this was at Rome ! 
 
 Camden says in his * Britannica,' " I have seen the 
 bellies of Pikes which have been rent open, have their 
 gaping wounds presently closed by the touch of the Tench, 
 and by his glutinous slime perfectly healed up." 
 
 In fact, for the Tench has been literally claimed the 
 royal gift of healing by touch. 
 
 Equally numerous, if not perhaps more credible, are the
 
 THE " PHYSICIAN TENCH." 57 
 
 testimonies to the fact that the Pike, destructive and 
 insatiable towards all else, has yet that "grace of courtesy " 
 left in him that he spares to molest his physician, even 
 when most pressed by hunger, perhaps upon the same 
 principle as that which guides his prototype, the shark, in 
 sparing the useful and friendly little pilot fish. Amongst 
 other angling authorities, Oppian, Walton, Hollinshed, 
 Bowlker, Salter, Williamson, Hofland, and Fitzgibbon, all 
 acknowledge to more or less faith in the truth of the asser- 
 tion. Salter says, " I have known several trimmers to be 
 laid at night, baited with live fish, roach, dace, bleak, and 
 Tench, each about 6 or 7 inches long; and when those 
 trimmers were examined in the morning, both eels and 
 jack have been taken by hooks baited with any other fish 
 than Tench, which I found as lively as when put into the 
 water the preceding night, without ever having been dis- 
 turbed. This has invariably been the case during my 
 experience ; neither have I met with one solitary instance 
 to the contrary related by any of my acquaintance, who 
 have had numerous opportunities of noticing the singular 
 circumstance of the perfect freedom from death or wounds 
 which the Tench enjoys over every other inhabitant of 
 the liquid element, arising from continual conflicts with 
 each other." 
 
 I have quoted some portion of the preceding from the 
 Angler-Naturalist, in which I also mentioned that to try the 
 experiment practically, I procured some small Tench, and 
 fished with them as live-baits for a whole day in some
 
 58 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 excellent Pike water, but without getting a touch. In the 
 evening I put on a small Carp, and had a run almost im- 
 mediately. I also tried some Pike in a stock-pond with the 
 same Tench, but they would not take them ; and though 
 left in the pond all night one on a hook, and one 
 attached to a fine thread both baits were alive in the 
 morning some Pike-teeth marks, however, being visible 
 upon the hooked fish. 
 
 These are facts, which (having occurred within my own 
 knowledge) I can mention with certainty, but at the same 
 time without expressing any opinion as to the truth or 
 otherwise of the theories before referred to. The whole 
 question would form a very amusing and legitimate subject 
 for experiment to any one who might have leisure and 
 inclination to investigate it practically. 
 
 The notion of the Tench being the Pike's Physician has 
 been thus admirably versified : 
 
 The Pike, fell tyrant of the liquid plain, 
 With ravenous waste devours his fellow train : 
 Yet howsoe'er by raging famine pined, 
 The Tench he spares a medicinal kind; 
 For when, by wounds distrest and sore disease, 
 He courts the salutary fish for ease, 
 Close to his scales the kind physician glides 
 And sweats a healing balsam from his sides. 
 
 A less poetical explanation of the Pike's abstinence is given 
 by Bingley, who suggests that, as the Tench is so fond of 
 mud as to be constantly at the bottom of the water, where 
 the Pike cannot find him, the self-denial of the latter may
 
 "MEDICINAL" QUALITIES. 59 
 
 be attributable to less poetical causes. This prosaic theory, 
 however, also requires confirmation. 
 
 Superstition, which has touched almost everything sub- 
 lunary has not spared the Pike. Some of the qualities 
 and influences attributed to it are not a little singular. 
 Nobbes tells us that " his head is very lean and bony, which 
 bones in his head, shaped like a cross, some have resembled 
 to things of mysterious consequence. ... If these com- 
 parisons smell anything of superstition, yet as to physical 
 use those bones may be profitable : For the jaw-bone beaten 
 to powder may be helpful for pleurisies and other com- 
 plaints ; some do approve of it as a remedy for the pain 
 in the heart and lungs ; others affirm that the small bones 
 pulverized may be fitly used to dry up sores ; and many 
 the like Medicinal qualities are attributed to the Pike's 
 head. An ancient author writing of his Nature of things, 
 does discover a stone in the Brain of the Pike, much like 
 unto a chrystal. Gesner himself, the great Naturalist, 
 testifies that he found in the head of a little Pike two white 
 stones. . . . Gesner likewise observes that his heart and 
 galls is very medicinable to cure agues, abate feavers, &c., 
 and that his biting is venomous and hard to be cured." 
 (The latter assertion is undoubtedly true, as pointed out 
 in its effects upon rats ; but it is to be attributed to the 
 punctured shape of the wounds inflicted, rather than to 
 any poisonous qualities in the Pike's tooth.) 
 
 Writing in the reign of Charles II., Siebald says that 
 the heart of a Pike is a remedy against febrile paroxysms,
 
 00 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 that the gall is of much use in affections of the eyes, and 
 that the ashes of the fish are used to dress old wounds. 
 These, and the rest of his statements on medical subjects, 
 have the formal approbation of the President and Censor 
 of the Boyal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.* 
 
 Mr. Blakey mentions that the little bone in the form 
 of a cross, already referred to, has been worn by the 
 credulous as a talisman against witchcraft and enchant- 
 ment, and that in some of the districts of Hungary and 
 Bohemia it is still considered an unlucky omen to witness 
 before mid-day the plunge of a Pike in stagnant waters, f 
 
 The roe of this fish provokes violent vomiting:}: and other 
 disagreeable symptoms, and according to Griffiths in some 
 places it is said to be employed as a cathartic. || It used 
 to be included, with that of the Barbel, in ancient Pharma- 
 copoeias, and was prescribed as an emetic, but its effects 
 are stated to have been most deleterious ; and an enthusi- 
 astic physician, Antonio Gazius, who tried conclusions on 
 his own person with two small boluses, was so nearly killed 
 by the dose, that he has recorded his sensations as a caveat 
 to all future experimentalists. 
 
 The body of the Pike contains, according to another 
 author, " a considerable proportion of oil and volatile 
 salts." 
 
 * ' Encyclopaedia Britannica,' vol. xii. p. 25'6. 
 
 f ' How to Angle and where to go.' 
 
 J Piscator, ' Practical Angler,' p. 239. 
 
 ' Natural History of Fishes,' by S. J., p. 67 (publ. 1795). 
 
 || Griffiths's ' Supplement to Cuvier,' vol. x. p. 164.
 
 EDIBLE QUALITIES. 61 
 
 This is the case however with the roe of many fish be- 
 sides the Pike the bodies of which are yet not the less 
 good for food and even savoury. Indeed ichthyophagously 
 considered, the Pike is by no means an uninteresting 
 fish to the epicure, when properly cooked; whilst from 
 its substantial size and nutritive qualities it frequently 
 forms a very useful addition to the housewife's bill of fare. 
 A fish of from five to ten pounds is generally to be pre- 
 ferred for the table, for, as Walton quaintly remarks, 
 " old and very great Pikes have in them more of state 
 than goodness, the smaller or middlesized fishes being 
 by the most and choicest palates observed to be the best 
 meat." A dictum which Nobbes endorses, and adds, " one 
 about 2 ft. or 2G inches is most grateful to "the palate, 
 and a male fish of that size is generally fat and de- 
 licious." 
 
 As to the gustatory qualities of the Pike, however, it is 
 fair to say that opinions considerably differ, and the old 
 adage " that what's one man's meat's another man's poison " 
 loses none of its truth as applied to the question in dispute. 
 Probably, indeed, as in other matters of eating and drink- 
 ing, there is a good deal of fashion mixed up with the likes 
 and dislikes of " Pike-meat " which appear to have pre- 
 vailed at different periods. 
 
 We have already quoted the couplet of Ausonius in 
 which the ancient gourme condemns him to " smoke midst 
 the smoky tavern's coarsest food," and brands him as a fish 
 which no gentleman would offer to his friend, an opinion
 
 62 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 shared in apparently by a more modern poet* who in his 
 ' Belle of the Shannon,' after stating that 
 
 " There is not her like " 
 adds, 
 
 " All other lasses 
 She just surpasses 
 As wine molasses, 
 Or Salmon Pike." 
 
 Vaniere, however, in his ' Prsedium Rusticum,' exactly 
 reverses the dictum 
 
 " Lo ! the rich Pike, to entertain your guest, 
 Smokes on the board, and decks a Royal feast . . ." 
 
 an assertion which is perfectly in consonance with the 
 facts of the case, as it pointedly figures in the Cartes 
 de diner of most of the grand and Royal Banquets 
 of former times, as, for instance, the feast at the 
 enthronization of George Nevil, Archbishop of York, in 
 1466 feast given to Eichard II. by the celebrated Wil- 
 liam of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester in 1394,t &c., 
 whilst in Lapland and the north of Europe it is, even at 
 the present time, held in such high estimation that large 
 quantities are annually preserved for winter consumption 
 and for exportation to other countries.^ 
 
 " As for the Teviot Pike," says Stoddart, " I consider 
 
 * Kev. R. Hole. 
 
 f Mackenzie Walcot's ' Life of William of Wykeham.' 
 
 J Bingley's ' Animal Kingdom,' vol. iii. p. 63.
 
 EIVER AND POND PIKE. 63 
 
 them at all times preferable to the general run of Salmon 
 captured in that stream." 
 
 The haunts of Pike vary considerably at different times 
 of the year, and also vary with the nature of particular 
 waters; a brief account of the more usual situations in 
 which the fish may be looked for is given under the head 
 of " Where to spin for Pike." 
 
 As regards both game and edible qualities the pond 
 Pike bears no comparison to its river congener, stand- 
 ing in about the same relationship that the Pike of 
 Holland does to that of England. This distinction was 
 once amusingly illustrated by a fishmonger : " You see, 
 sir," says he, "we reckon it's pretty much about the 
 same as the difference between an Englishman and a 
 Dutchman." 
 
 The British fish, however, differ materially in point of 
 excellence according to the quality of the water and the 
 nature of the food. The Staffordshire Pike, and those 
 produced by the Thames are firm and of good flavour. 
 " Horsea Pike, none like," has been a well-known proverb 
 for upwards of a century among the Norfolk Broad men ; 
 and the fish of the Medway, which near the mouth of 
 the river, feed upon Smelts, are supposed to possess a 
 particularly fine taste in consequence. Probably the worst 
 British Pike are those bred in the Scotch lochs. The 
 French Pike, according to Bellonius, are long and thin 
 in the belly, and those of Italy particularly given to cor- 
 pulence in the same region. In fact the whole question
 
 04 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 of goodness or badness of the Pike is contained in two 
 words : " The food makes the fish." Where there is good 
 and cleanly feed and plenty of it there will be well-grown 
 and highly-edible Pike : where there is none, they will be 
 of the frog froggy. 
 
 The best way to cut up, or as it used to be called 
 " splate " * a pike, is to make a longitudinal cut down the 
 back from head to tail when the meat can be readily 
 turned back on each side from the ribs (by far the best 
 cut) without carrying with it more than a small proportion 
 of bones. These, especially the small forked bones near 
 the tail end of the fish, are exceedingly troublesome, and if 
 any one of them happens to stick in the throat, dangerous. 
 Evidently our ancestors made " no bones " of these little 
 osseus draw-backs: as, according to Mr. Dickens, the 
 following was the 1st course of a Saturday's dinner in the 
 time of Henry VIII : " First leich brayne. Item, frorn- 
 mitys pottage. Item, whole ling. Item, great jowls of salt 
 sammon. Item, great ruds. Item, great salt Eels. Item, 
 great salt sturgeon jowls. Item, fresh ling. Item, fresh 
 Turbot. Item, great Pike. Item, great jowls of fresh 
 sammon. Item, great Turbots." This was the first course 
 of a fish dinner enjoined by law as a fast for the " good of 
 their souls and bodies." f That they could manage a 
 second course after it, was a gastronomic feat not to be 
 equalled in these degenerate days. 
 
 * Best's ' Art of Angling.' f ' Household Words,' vol. iii.
 
 CRIMPING. 65 
 
 Some of our Monarclis, indeed, seem to have had an 
 especial affection for Pike, as we find from Beckwith's 
 enlarged edition of ' Blount's Tenures,' " that in one 
 instance a certain stew or fish pond without the eastern 
 gate of Stafford, was held by Ealph de Waymer of our 
 Sovereign Lord the King on condition that when he 
 pleased to fish therein * he should have all the Pikes and 
 the Breams,' the other fish coming to the hooks, including 
 eels, belonging to Ealph and his heirs for ever." 
 
 Many fishermen, including Stoddart, consider that a Pike 
 is much better eating, especially for boiling, after it has 
 been " crimped " a process which, however, cannot be 
 conveniently applied to specimens of less than 4 or 5 Ibs. 
 weight. " Crimping/' says Sir Humphry Davy, " by pre- 
 serving the irritability of the fibre from being gradually 
 exhausted, seems to preserve it so hard and crisp that it 
 breaks under the teeth, and a fresh fish not crimped is 
 generally tough." 
 
 To crimp a Pike. 
 
 Immediately after having killed the fish by a sufficient 
 number of blows on the back of the head, make a series of 
 deep transverse cuts across the sides, penetrating nearly to 
 the back bone, and at about an inch or two apart. Then 
 cut the gills underneath the throat, and taking the fish by 
 the tail hold it in the stream, or in a cool spring, for 3 or 4 
 minutes to let it bleed, which completes the process. If 
 
 F
 
 66 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 the fish is very large as much as 20 minutes' immersion 
 may be necessary.* 
 
 Fishmongers often tell their customers that fish improve 
 by keeping for longer or shorter periods. This is the 
 reverse of the fact. Almost all authorities who have no 
 interest in proving one side or the other agree that fish 
 cannot be eaten too fresh. By carefully packing in ice 
 fish may be presented at table in passable condition some 
 days after killing, but those who have tasted the Pike or 
 the Salmon fresh caught, on the banks of the Severn 
 or Medway, will not easily be reconciled to the difference. 
 Mr. Wright has a remark on this subject a propos of 
 Salmon, but which applies equally to the Pike. "The 
 fat of Salmon between the flakes," he says, " is mixed 
 with much albumen and gelatine which very speedily 
 decomposes, and no mode of cooking will prevent its 
 injurious effects on a delicate human constitution. I am 
 confirmed in this opinion by every scientific man with 
 
 * Crimping as described above, greatly improves the quality of the 
 fish for the table when boiled ; but it requires to be done the moment 
 the fish becomes insensible and before the stiffening of the muscles 
 takes place. 
 
 The usual method employed in crimping sea-fish is to strike 
 them on the head as soon as caught, which it is said protracts 
 the term of the contractibility, and the muscles which retain the 
 property longest are those about the head. The transverse divisions 
 of the muscular fibre must take place, to be of any utility, whilst they 
 have the contractile power of remaining life. See Sir A. Carlisle's 
 observations on the ' Crimping of Fish,' and Mr. Wright's ' Anatomy 
 of Fish.'
 
 FISH COOKED FRESH OR STALE ? 67 
 
 whom I have conversed, or who has even written on 
 the subject." 
 
 Again Pike should be gutted as soon as killed : many of 
 the most wholesome fish feed on the most noisome garbage, 
 weeds, insects, &c., many of which are absolutely poisonous 
 to man. If the fish is kept long with such undigested food 
 in its stomach, the whole body becomes shortly impreg- 
 nated and more or less unfit for food. This has been long 
 well known in the East and West Indies where such 
 poisonous fish as the Tetradon, yellow bill Sprat, &c., 
 abound, but yet are eaten with safety by adopting 
 this precaution (vide Linnseus, &c). According to Sir 
 Emerson Tennent, the Sardine, a native of Ceylon, 
 has also the reputation of being poisonous at certain 
 periods of the year, during which it is forbidden by 
 law to be eaten. Probably rapid gutting would prove 
 an antidote in this case as in other instances of . fish- 
 poisons alluded to. 
 
 It is a curious circumstance that although the roe of 
 the pike is so peculiarly unwholesome, according to the 
 authority of several respectable authors, the fish itself is, 
 in the opinion of other authors, best for the table just 
 before the spawning season, and when the milt and eggs 
 are in the greatest state of development. 
 
 " The Pike," says Piscator, ' Practical Angler,' " like the 
 Grayling is a strictly winter fish, being in best condition 
 from October to February, and, unlike the Trout, is always 
 in best order when full of roe." Yarrell also says that 
 
 p 2
 
 68 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 the Laplanders consider the fish in best condition in 
 spawning time; and Stoddart mentions that by many 
 English epicures they are considered " in the finest edible 
 condition when full of roe." I cannot say for my own 
 part that I ever remember testing the theory, which, for 
 obvious reasons, would be a most unfortunate one if it were 
 to be generally received. The only time when the experi- 
 ment could be properly tried would be when it was deter- 
 mined to exterminate the breed of Pike in some particular 
 water. Nobbes says that a "Pike and a Buck are in 
 season together," that is in July and August, but the two 
 following months are, in the estimation of most ichthyo- 
 logists, at least equally good, and in my opinion the best 
 month of all for a river Pike is November. Of the 
 green-fleshed Pikes referred to by Yarrell and some other 
 authors I cannot say that I have ever met with a speci- 
 men ; if such exist, they probably owe their reputation as 
 a dainty rather to the fact of their rarity, than to any 
 intrinsic superiority over Pike with flesh of the ordinary 
 colour. 
 
 The best Pike for the table are almost always found 
 cheek by jowl with Trout. Wansford Broad-water (in the 
 famous Driffield stream), the Teviot, Bala Lake, Loch 
 Tummel, Marlow Pool, the Dorsetshire Frome, &c., bear 
 witness notably to this fact. 
 
 To show the condition into which a Pike may be brought 
 by high feeding it is asserted that a quart of fat has been 
 known to be taken out of the stomach of one about a yard
 
 GREEN FLESH. 69 
 
 long ; and in the days when fat Pike were a favourite dish 
 with fat monks it was jocosely proverbial that the former 
 was as " costly and as long a-feeding " as an ox ! Of all 
 Pike-food eels are the most nutritious and rapidly fat- 
 tening. 
 
 When in high season, the general colour of the fish is 
 green, spotted with bright yellow, whilst the gills are of 
 a vivid red ; when out of season, the green changes to a 
 greyer tint, and the yellow spots become pale. The 
 ' points ' of a well-conditioned Pike should be a small head, 
 broad shoulders, and deep flanks.* 
 
 * The Staffordshire Pike, as I think Dr. Plot observes, are different 
 in colour from the ordinary run, being nearly gold on the belly, and 
 brown, or so dark an olive green as to look like brown, on the back. 
 This is not the case however with small fish, which are nearly the same 
 colour as other species. Probably these Staffordshire Pike are the fish 
 referred to by Piscator as " being sometimes seen of a beautiful golden 
 cast with black spots, when he is called the king of the Pike." A 
 curious change of colour is mentioned by Mr. Forester as having come 
 under his own observation in America. This was a Long Island Pike 
 (Esox fasciatus), which had by some means escaped from its fresh- 
 water feeding grounds, and was caught in a net in the sea. When 
 shown to Mr. Forester it was in the finest condition, but its colour, 
 instead of partaking of the' green hue generally so observable in all the 
 Pike species, was the " richest and most beautiful copper colour, down 
 the back as far as the lateral line, paling on the sides into bright orange 
 yellow, with a belly of silvery whiteness, the cheeks, gill-covers, and 
 fins all partook of the same copper hue, and the whole fish was far 
 more lucent and metallic than any of the family I had ever seen." Mr. 
 Blakey assures us that some large Pike taken out of the Marais of 
 France " are frequently quite tawny and striped across the back and 
 sides like a Bengal tiger." Young fish are always considerably greener 
 and lighter in colour than old ones.
 
 70 THE BOOK OP THE PIKE. 
 
 A selection of receipts for cooking Pike which I have 
 taken some pains to collect from the best sources, will be 
 found in the Appendix. 
 
 The Pike spawns sometimes as early as February, but 
 more commonly about March or April, according to the 
 climate, forwardness of the spring, and other local cir- 
 cumstances, the young females of three or four years old 
 taking the lead, and the dowagers following. For this 
 purpose they quit the open waters in pairs, and retire into 
 the fens, ditches, or shallows, where they deposit their 
 spawn amongst the leaves of aquatic plants ; and during 
 this period the male may often be observed following the 
 female about from place to place, and attending upon her 
 with much apparent solicitude. Although not so prolific 
 as Carp, Tench, Perch, and one or two other non- 
 migratory fish, the Pike breeds very rapidly. As many as 
 140,000 eggs have been counted in one fish.* M. Petit 
 found 25,000 eggs in one fish. Salter says " They 
 produce about 10,000 eggs in a roe;" and Piscator, 
 'Practical Angler,' mentions more than 140,000 having 
 "been counted in the roe of a female of moderate 
 size." 
 
 When the spawning process is complete, the fish return 
 again into the rivers, and are then for some weeks in a 
 state of partial stupefaction, and unfit for food. In rivers 
 
 * To ascertain the number of eggs in the roe of any given fish, it is 
 only necessary to count the eggs in a single grain, and then multiply 
 the result by the number of grains in the total weight of roe.
 
 PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTICS. 71 
 
 they begin to be in condition again about June, but in still 
 waters the recuperative process is much slower. On the 
 Thames, within the City jurisdiction, which extends up to 
 Staines, Pike fishing is illegal between the 1st of March 
 and the 31st of May. 
 
 Principal characteristics of the common Pike. Body 
 elongated, nearly uniform in depth from head to com- 
 mencement of back-fin, then becoming narrower ; body 
 covered with small scales : lateral line indistinct. Length 
 
 O 
 
 of head compared to total length of head, body, and tail 
 as 1 to 4. Back and anal fins placed very far back, nearly 
 opposite each other. From point of nose to origin of 
 pectoral fin, thence to origin of ventral fin and thence to 
 commencement of anal fin are three nearly equal dis- 
 tances. Pectoral and ventral fins small : rays of anal fin 
 elongated. Tail somewhat forked. Shape of head long, 
 flattened, and wide ; gape extensive. Lower jaw longest, 
 with numerous small teeth round the front. The sides 
 with 5 or 6 very large and sharp teeth on each side (see 
 engraving at p. 37). Upper jaw somewhat duck-billed. 
 Teeth on vomer small ; on the palatine bones larger and 
 longer particularly on the inner edges : none on superior 
 maxillary bones. Head covered with mucous orifices placed 
 in pairs. Cheeks and upper parts of gill-covers covered 
 with scales. Colour of head and upper part of back dusky 
 olive-brown, growing lighter and mottled with green and
 
 72 
 
 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 yellow on sides, passing into silvery white on belly ; 
 pectoral and ventral fins pale brown ; back, anal, and tail 
 fins darker brown, mottled with white, yellow, and dark 
 green. 
 
 Fin-ravs : D. 19 : P. 14 : V. 10 : A. 17 : C. 19. 
 
 Angling in all its branches.
 
 ART OF TROLLING. 73 
 
 PART II. 
 PIKE FISHING. 
 
 CHAPTEE VI. 
 
 Arrangement of subjects Dead-bait fishing ; snap : spinning Most 
 killing mode of pike-fishing Why "Mad-bleak" Hawker's 
 and Baiter's tackles Mr. Francis Francis' tackle Objections 
 hitherto urged against spinning Remedies Number of hooks 
 Flying triangles Diagrams of new flights Bends of hooks 
 Relative penetrating powers Lip-hooks Comparison of losses 
 with new and old tackle. 
 
 IN the last chapter we concluded the subject of Pike 
 from the Naturalist's or Ichthyologist's point of view : we 
 now come to that more especially interesting to the angler, 
 viz., Pike Fishing, or the practical art of Trolling (I use 
 the word in the largest sense). 
 
 This, for convenience of arrangement, I shall subdivide 
 into Dead-bait and Live-bait fishing, and these again, for 
 readier classification, into the methods employed with 
 "Snap" and with "Gorge" tackle respectively the 
 former term expressing of course a combination of hooks 
 with which a fish is struck immediately upon his seizing 
 the bait, and the latter one where he is allowed to swallow 
 or gorge it before striking.
 
 74 THE BOOK OP THE TIKE. 
 
 DEAD-BAIT FISHING: SNAP. 
 SPINNING. 
 
 The only hitherto known mode of snap fishing with the 
 dead-bait worth consideration is "Spinning," a branch 
 of trolling which in the majority of cases as much sur- 
 passes in deadliness all other methods as it is unquestion- 
 ably superior to them in its attractiveness as a sport, and 
 in the amount of skill required for its successful practice. 
 It will occasionally happen, no doubt, that in particular 
 waters, or states of water, the live-bait will kill more fish, 
 or that a river may be so over-grown .with weed as to 
 be impenetrable to anything except a gorge-hook; but 
 such contingencies* are comparatively rare, and taking the 
 average of waters and weathers throughout the year it 
 may be safely assumed that the spinning-bait will basket 
 three fish for two taken by any other legitimate method. 
 
 To this result several causes combine. The piquant 
 effect of an apparently wounded fish upon a pike's appetite ; 
 the concealment of the hooks by the bait's rotary motion ; 
 and, last not least, the great extent of water which may 
 be fished in a given time. Add to this the almost uni- 
 versal applicability of spinning to all countries and climates, 
 and it must be admitted that it fully justifies the high 
 position in the " precedence piscatorial " awarded it by 
 most modern authorities. 
 
 That the Pike mistakes the spinning-bait for a maimed 
 or disabled fish, there can, I think, be no doubt. Any
 
 SPINNING. 75 
 
 one who has watched the gyrations of a " mad bleak," * as 
 it is sometimes called, twisting and glancing about on 
 the surface of a stream, cannot have failed to notice the 
 resemblance between the two. The propensity of all 
 animals, and of fish in particular, for destroying sick or 
 wounded members of their own species is well known ; 
 and once when I was spinning with a gudgeon over a 
 deep pool below Hurley Weir, a second gudgeon actually 
 hooked himself fast through the lip whilst intent on paying 
 some such delicate attention to the first. I had the satis- 
 faction of baiting with my cannibalistic friend a few 
 moments after. 
 
 The first distinct mention of spinning for Pike (as we 
 understand the meaning of the word 'spinning') that I 
 am acquainted with in our Bibliotlieca Piscatoria occurs in 
 Robert Salter's 'Modern Angler,' the second edition of 
 which was published in 1811 (the first edition was pro- 
 bably therefore a good deal older) and even as late as 
 Bagster's edition of ' Walton's Angler ' (1815), the existence 
 of the art is rather hinted at than described. 
 
 On the continent, however, some sort of spinning seems 
 to have been known even earlier than the times of Walton 
 
 * On examining Bleak thus affected, it has been discovered that the 
 intestine of the fish is usually occupied by a thin white tape-worm, 
 sometimes as much as nine or ten inches long, and three-tenths of an 
 inch wide, which appears to occasion a sort of vertigo. In the ' Mirror' 
 (vol. i. 1836), in an article on Medical Quackery, it is stated that these 
 tape-worms are not unfrequently exhibited in chemists' windows, as 
 having been taken from human beings.
 
 76 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 himself, for his cotemporary, Giannetazzio, writing in 
 1648, thus alludes to the art as practised by the Neapolitan 
 fishermen for the benefit of the Belone, or Sea-pike, a 
 fish of the same family as our fresh-water Pike, and for- 
 merly included in the same genus: 
 
 " Burnished with blue and bright as damask steel, 
 Behold the Belone of pointed bill ; 
 All fringed with teeth, no greedier fish than they 
 E'er broke in serried lines our foaming bay. 
 Soon as the practised crew this frolic throng 
 Behold advancing rapidly along, 
 Adjusting swift a tendon to the line, 
 They throw, then drag it glistening through the brine." 
 
 But no definite account of the process, as we practise 
 it, appears to have been given by any of our countrymen 
 before the time of Robert Salter, and to him, therefore, 
 must be awarded the credit for the first substantial im- 
 provement in dead-snap fishing, so far as Pike are con- 
 cerned. 
 
 Captain Williamson, indeed, who published a book in 
 1808, employs the word " spinning-bait," and gives com- 
 plete directions for its use both as regards Pike and 
 Trout ; but, as he expressly states that the bait would be 
 spoilt if it were in the " least bent or not perfectly stretched," 
 as it would make the bait " look deformed," it is difficult 
 to see how the term could with any propriety be applied. 
 On this point, however, all old fishing authorities, though 
 differing in everything else, seem to have been perfectly 
 agreed, and it is evident that until Salter wrote a straight
 
 SPINNING TACKLE. 
 
 77 
 
 bait was the great desideratum. His improvement was 
 to substitute a crooked one. By curving the tail a con- 
 tinuous rotatory motion was given to the bait, which was 
 thenceforth drawn straight through the water towards the 
 troller, instead of being worked about by the play of the 
 rod, or brought home in successive perpendicular plunges. 
 It became, in short, a bond fide " spinning-bait." 
 
 The arrangement of hooks in this tackle is shown 
 below : 
 
 Hawker's Tackle. 
 
 Salter's Tackle. 
 
 Its principle was, to have for some distance above the 
 hooks a double line, one link being attached to the large 
 tail, or rather body-hook, and the other to the triangle ; 
 the large hook passed, point foremost, first round the gill- 
 cover and then throughout the length of the fish, coming
 
 78 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 out at the tail, which it thus necessarily crooked, when 
 the leaden cup figured in. the engraving was drawn down 
 over the head of the bait to keep the double line together, 
 and to act as a sinker. 
 
 It appears, then, that before 1811, Salter published the 
 diagram and description of this flight, yet, in 1824, we 
 find the same tackle re-invented, and introduced to the 
 public with no small flourish of trumpets by Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Hawker, in his ' Instructions to Young Sportsmen ' 
 (Trolling with the Minnow), not indeed as absolutely his 
 own, but as having been imparted to him in profound 
 confidence by a "trout-killing divine," and by himself 
 improved upon. " By particular desire, as the players 
 say," writes Colonel Hawker, " I now present my readers 
 with a woodcut of this tackle, every part of which Varly 
 measured as he drew it," &c. 
 
 I do not, of course, for a moment charge Colonel Hawker 
 with being aware of the prior invention of this tackle ; 
 but he cannot, I think, escape the imputation of writing 
 somewhat grandiloquently upon a subject which it is evi- 
 dent he could not have properly studied. Strange to say, 
 Wheatley, "Otter," "Ephemera," and several other authors, 
 have perpetuated this flagrant infraction of " patent rights." 
 
 The foregoing are fac-similes of the diagrams illustrating 
 the two tackles.* Their identity will at once be evident. 
 
 * See E. Salter's ' Modern Angler,' second edition, 1811, p. 99 ; and 
 Colonel Hawker's ' Instructions to Young Sportsmen,' &c., edit. 1844, 
 p. 400.
 
 HAWKEE'S AND SALTER'S TACKLE. 79 
 
 The only divergence worth mentioning in Hawker's dia- 
 gram is the substitution of one single and one double hook 
 for Salter's triangle a change, as far as it goes, decidedly 
 for the worse. 
 
 The baiting, however, of this tackle, to the explanation 
 of which Colonel Hawker devotes nearly three octavo 
 pages, is, as he truly says, the " chief art," an art which 
 probably few fishermen would have time or patience to 
 succeed in acquiring. Moreover, the disfiguring expedient 
 of weighting the trace by a leaden cup, placed, of all 
 spots, exactly over the head and eyes of the bait, would 
 be sufficient at once to condemn the tackle, putting aside 
 the clumsiness of the double thickness of line at the point 
 where increased fineness is most essential. 
 
 It should be observed that in both these diagrams the 
 doubled portion of the line ought properly to be shown 
 for four or five inches above the cups. 
 
 From this time until a few years ago, numberless 
 attempts were made to improve upon Hawker's, ne 
 ' Salter's,' spinning-tackle ; but, although they to some 
 extent overcame the difficulties alluded to in baiting, by 
 an improved style of lip-hook, and by transferring the lead 
 from the head or belly of the bait to the trace itself, they 
 proceeded in almost every case upon a principle which 
 involved the crowding of a great number of hooks on to the 
 inside curve of the bait a principle which, as I shall show 
 presently, is not only destructive to the spinning and 
 durability of the bait, but also necessarily entails the loss
 
 80 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 of about every alternate fish run. A modified instance of 
 this will be found in the flight given in " Ephemera's " 
 edition of Walton, ' Handbook of Angling,' &c., and which 
 he suggests in lieu of the ordinary flights which were " too 
 intricate, and composed of too many hooks." His own 
 consists of eleven, including three triangles ! This is also 
 the flight recommended by Hofland, " Otter," &c. 
 
 A great improvement upon these revolving chevaux de 
 f rises was made by Mr. Francis Francis in 1860, and which 
 he thus describes in the ' Angler's Eegister :' 
 
 " Amongst the novelties of the past season is the Francis spinning- 
 tackle. This is a modification and improvement on the tackle men- 
 tioned by Colonel Hawker. It consists of one large hook with a move- 
 able lip-hook above it, to which, with a thread of gut or gimp, is affixed 
 a single triangle. When about to bait it, the lip-hook and triangle are 
 slipped off and the hook threaded on to the fish by a baiting-needle 
 run from tail to head. The tail is bent on the hook. The lip-hook is 
 then slipped down over the gut or gimp, and is hooked through the 
 lips. The triangle is hooked on to the side of the fish, a bit of silk 
 lapped round the lip-hook and line, and all is ready. It makes thus a 
 most effective and neat bait, not liable to catch in weeds or get out of 
 spinning. There have been claims made of a prior invention of this 
 tackle, but as all the specimens submitted for examination have been 
 mere copies and reproductions of Colonel Hawker's tackle, without any 
 fundamental alteration, and with all the faults possessed by that tackle, 
 and to obviate which the Francis tackle was brought out these claims 
 have not been allowed." 
 
 Though excellent when baited, this tackle presents one 
 irremediable obstacle to its general use namely, the 
 necessity of detaching the flight from the trace, and the 
 lip-hook from the flight, before a bait can be adjusted, the
 
 KINKING. 81 
 
 lip-hook, moreover, requiring to be tied on to the trace 
 with a fresh lapping of silk in each instance. 
 
 Such was the state of the art in regard to spinning- 
 flights when my own tackle was first introduced to the 
 notice of fishermen through the columns of the ' Field ' in 
 1861, and afterwards in the form of a pamphlet in 1862, 
 and these were amongst the difficulties and objections, 
 which no doubt contributed to prevent spinning being the 
 general and popular method of jack-fishing it now is. It 
 has always, in the opinion of the best judges, held rank 
 next to the fly in the fishermen's vade mecum. It is fast 
 becoming as universal a favourite. 
 
 Another bete noire of the spinner, was the ' kinking,' or 
 more correctly speaking, ' crinkling ' of the line, by which 
 I have seen many masters of the craft reduced to the verge 
 of desperation, whilst others have sacrificed altogether the 
 convenience of the reel, and have been content to trail 
 their line helplessly behind them, rather than submit to its 
 vexations. 
 
 In proceeding to the examination of these various draw- 
 backs and their causes, and the remedies which I have 
 proposed for their removal, I shall take the liberty of 
 quoting a few passages from the little brochure above 
 referred to.* 
 
 * ' How to Spin for Pike,' 2nd edition.
 
 82 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 " Loss OF FISH. 
 
 " The great number of fish that escape with the ordinary 
 tackle after being once struck, is undoubtedly one of the 
 most forcible objections which has been hitherto urged 
 against spinning. The average of such losses has been 
 computed at from fifty to sixty per cent., and that estimate 
 is under rather than over the mark, as will be discovered 
 by any one who takes the trouble of keeping a register of 
 his sport. 
 
 " This undesirable result is mainly attributable to the 
 large number of hooks and triangles the latter ranging 
 from three to five commonly employed on a good-sized 
 flight. These, I unhesitatingly assert, are not only useless, 
 but eminently mischievous, both as regards the spinning 
 of the bait and the basketing of the fish when hooked. 
 Upon the bait they act by impairing its brilliancy and 
 attractiveness, rendering it flabby and inelastic ; and when 
 a transposition of the hooks becomes necessary, by gene- 
 rally destroying it altogether. Upon the Pike they operate 
 only as fulcrums by which he is enabled to work out the 
 barb of such hooks as were already fast, and which would 
 otherwise have sufficed to insure his exchange from his 
 native element into one less suited perhaps to his taste, but 
 more congenial to ours. 
 
 " The great size and thickness also of the hooks used 
 contributes materially to the losses complained of, as it 
 should always be recollected that to strike a No. 1 hook
 
 FLYING TRIANGLE. 83 
 
 fairly into a fish's mouth, requires at least three times the 
 force that is required to strike in a No. 5 ; and that this 
 is still more emphatically the case when the hooks are 
 whipped in triangles. For example : Let us suppose that 
 a Jack has taken a spinning-bait dressed with a flight of 
 three or four of these large triangles, and a sprinkling of 
 single hooks say twelve in all. The bait lies between 
 his jaws grasped crosswise. Now it is probable that the 
 points of at least six of these hooks will be pressed by the 
 fish's mouth, whilst the bait also to which they are firmly 
 attached is held in his teeth as by a vice. It follows, 
 therefore, that the whole of this combined resistance must 
 be overcome and that at one stroke, and sharply before 
 a single point can be buried above the barb ! 
 
 " The grand principle in the construction of all spinning- 
 tackle is the use of the flying triangle as distinguished 
 from that whipped upon the central link. A flight con- 
 structed with flying triangles can never fail to be tolerably 
 certain, in landing at least, a fish once struck. There are, 
 however, many degrees of excellence in such flights, even 
 in the item of ' landing ;' and as regards the ' spinning ' of 
 the bait, not one in a hundred of those that have come 
 under my notice has been in the least calculated to make 
 a bait spin with the regularity and rapidity requisite." 
 
 In order to ascertain, once and for all, the best possible 
 combination of hooks, &c., for this purpose, I have carried 
 out a series of experiments upon every part of the spinning 
 flight and trace ; including the number, shape, size, and 
 
 G 2
 
 84 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 arrangement of the hooks, leads and swivels, with the 
 various materials out of which a trace can be composed, 
 sparing no pains or trouble to obtain reliable results. In 
 every case theory has been carefully tested by practice ; 
 and I believe that the still severer test of time will show 
 that the labour has not been thrown away. 
 
 My aim has been to arrive as nearly as possible at a 
 perfect spinning trace. It may not be a very ambitious 
 object if achieved ; but as I observed in the preface to this 
 book, surely whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing 
 thoroughly. I may add that the results of these further 
 experiments, whilst suggesting various modifications in the 
 detail of spinning-tackle, have fully borne out the correct- 
 ness of the principles which I previously advanced. 
 
 Confining myself then for the present to the question of 
 flights that is the hook-portion of the spinning trace, 
 and having regard to the arguments already urged, the 
 principle which I am convinced should rule paramount in 
 the construction of all such flights is the substituting of 
 flying triangles (i.e. triangles kept loose from the bait by 
 short links of their own), for triangles, or any other 
 hooks whipped on to the central link, and even of flying 
 triangles using as few as possible. 
 
 The detailed arrangements of these, size, shape, &c., 
 which experience has proved to me to be the best, are 
 shown in the woodcut. 
 
 These diagrams represent the three sizes of tackle 
 necessary for all ordinary baits that is, from a Gudgeon of
 
 SPINNING-FLIGHTS.
 
 SIZE OF BAIT AND HOOK. 85 
 
 medium length up to a fair-sized Dace. I never spin with 
 a larger bait than this myself, but for those who do, flights 
 on the pattern of No. 4 should be dressed proportionally 
 larger. No. 1, not included here, will be figured in a 
 future chapter on Trout spinning. It is, however, precisely 
 on the same principle as No. 2, but less in size, and is a 
 very useful flight with a small Gudgeon or Bleak, in hot 
 summer weather or when the water is low and bright. 
 
 There would be no reason for arming flight No. 4 with two 
 triangles instead of one, if it could be insured that all the 
 fish run would be in proportion to the bait, as in that case 
 they would be certain to take the one large triangle well 
 into their mouths, when of course they would be hooked. 
 It frequently happens, however, that small Pike run at a 
 large bait, the result of which is that they often only seize 
 it by the head or tail, when a single triangle would be very 
 likely to miss. The upper triangle in No. 4 is, it will be 
 observed, attached to the lip-hook (the link of it can be 
 made to form the two loops), so that it must always hang 
 near the shoulder of the bait. The under triangle hangs 
 lower down near the tail. 
 
 The question of the relative size and proportion of the J 
 hooks to the bait is, of course, of the utmost importance, ) 
 as, if the hooks are too small, the pike very probably ^ 
 escapes being struck, and if too large the bait will not^ 
 spin. I should therefore strongly urge all spinners who may\ 
 be disposed to try this tackle, to keep at least the three 
 smallest of these exact sizes of flights in their trolling case.
 
 86 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 HOOKS. 
 
 Since the days when, as Oppian tells us, hooks were 
 " made of hardened bronze," and moulded in the form of 
 Dolphins (from which, in fact, they took their name, 
 " Delphini "), few inventions of man have had more skill 
 and attention bestowed upon their manufacture than fish- 
 hooks. We have never, it is true, quite equalled the 
 problematic specimens spoken of by .ZElian, that were so 
 small that they could only be baited with a gnat (none of 
 which, however, according to Badham, were found amongst 
 the abundant assortments disinterred at Pompeii, and now 
 in the Naples museum), yet short of this, I believe, some 
 of our hooks are as near perfection in shape and temper, 
 and certainly as cheap as the most exigent can demand. 
 And the shape of the hooks is a very critical point as 
 regards the deadliness of the spinning flight, those who 
 have not actually tried it would be surprised to find how 
 critical. The difference in killing power between a triangle 
 of Limerick hooks and one of the " Sneck bend," used in 
 my tackles, is not less than 100 per cent, against the 
 former ; the round and Kendal bends standing about mid- 
 way between the two a variation which is no doubt to a 
 great extent owing to the different angles at which the 
 points of the four hooks meet the skin of the fish's mouth, 
 and their consequent penetrating tendency when the line 
 is pulled tight. * * * 
 
 These facts may be readily tested by simply taking a
 
 QUALITIES OF HOOKS. 87 
 
 gut hook of each of the four patterns mentioned, of the 
 same diameters, and pulling their points into a piece of 
 cork, thus ascertaining the amount of pressure required 
 in each case. To decide this, fix the hook of a common 
 fisherman's steelyard into the loop of the gut, and pull 
 until the point of the hook is fairly buried over the barb, 
 when of course the index of the steelyard will show the 
 amount of pressure, or rather ' pull,' exerted. 
 
 The following Table shows the result of the experi- 
 ments which I tried with four hooks, selected at random, 
 from Mr. Farlow's stock (they were all No. 2's of his 
 sizes) : 
 
 Bend of Hook. Average pressure required. 
 
 Limerick 3 Ibs. 
 
 Kound 2 
 
 Kendal 2 
 
 Sneck 1J 
 
 It is very important, in order to carry out this experi- 
 ment properly, that no part of the shank of the hook 
 should for an instant rest on the cork or other support, as 
 such a rest destroys the natural angle of impact. 
 
 To return. The single large tail and reverse hook is 
 now made in one piece both for neatness and to save 
 trouble in manipulating, and here the round bend is pre- 
 ferable to the Sneck bend, either single or treble, as it is 
 more easily slipped under the skin of the bait, and gives 
 it a more perfect curve ; consequently a more rapid and 
 regular motion. It also makes the bait last longer, by 
 straining the skin less.
 
 88 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 The small reverse hook is bent on the Sneck principle, 
 but longer in proportion, to prevent the possibility of its 
 slipping out. 
 
 The construction of the lip-hook is shown below (figure 2). 
 The two little loops are formed by doubling 
 a piece of fine wire or gimp (figure 1), and 
 laying it on the upper side of the shank of 
 the hook, and then lapping over all except 
 the two ends. When complete, the end of 
 the gimp or gut to which the flight is tied should be passed 
 upwards through the lower loop, then twisted two or three 
 times round the shank of the hook, and again passed 
 upwards through the upper loop and drawn tight. 
 
 My attention has lately been called to a new form of 
 lip-hook, manufactured (and, I believe, improved upon) 
 by Mr. Farlow, from a pattern furnished him by Mr. Keale 
 Hesseltine, of Curdridge, Hampshire. Its principle is that 
 the two loops form part and parcel of the hook itself, the 
 upper one being twisted out of the end of the wire of 
 the hook, and the lower one slipped up the shank, ferule- 
 wise, and brazed or soldered on, thus combining great 
 simplicity and durability with a considerable saving of 
 trouble to the tackle-maker. It is not, however, quite 
 so neat in its appearance as the gimped lip-hook before 
 described. 
 
 Mr. Farlow has also manufactured a lip-hook on the 
 same principle but with only one loop, at the upper end 
 of the shank, the intention being that the line should be
 
 LIP-HOOKS. 89 
 
 twisted round the hook in each case, before the latter is 
 nserted in the lip of the bait. This, however, though 
 theoretically good, is practically a failure, as owing to 
 the slipperiness of the polished steel the line could not 
 be twisted round it tight enough to prevent its shifting 
 its position with the slightest strain, such as that, 
 for instance, which would be occasioned by its catching 
 in a weed. It becomes a slip-hook instead of a lip- 
 hook. 
 
 To shift the position of the lip-hook it is only necessary 
 to loosen the coils round the hook by pushing the gimp 
 upwards or downwards through the loops, and then tighten- 
 ing from the other end, according as the lip-hook may be 
 wished to be raised or lowered. Some spinners use only 
 the top loop to their lip-hook, and twist the gimp round the 
 shank in each case before putting the hook into the lips 
 of the bait, but this is not so convenient or " ship-shape " 
 as the method pointed out. The lip-hook is recommended 
 to be made small (as shown in the engraving), as it never, 
 or hardly ever, touches a fish, whilst it shows more than 
 any other hook on the flight. It is also desirable to keep 
 the bait's mouth shut as closely as possible. 
 
 It should be added, that all hooks used in spinning- 
 tackle are better for being rather fine in the wire ; and 
 that triangles should invariably be brazed (i. e. soldered) 
 together, so as to form a single piece. This has a very 
 great influence upon their killing power, principally, no 
 doubt, because triangles which are only whipped together
 
 90 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 are liable to slip or yield, when brought into sudden and 
 violent contact with a fish's jaws. 
 
 * Directions for Baiting. First, to fix the tail hook : in- 
 sert the point by the side or lateral-line of the bait near 
 to the tail, and passing it under a broadish strip of the 
 skin and through the end of the fleshy part of the tail, 
 bring it out as near the base of the tail-fin as practicable. 
 Next insert the small reversed hook, in such a position as 
 to curve the bait's tail nearly to a right-angle. Finally 
 pass the lip-hook through both its lips, always putting it 
 through the upper lip first when the bait is a Gudgeon, 
 and through the lower one first with all others. This is 
 very important in securing a really brilliant spin. 
 
 The flying triangle, or triangles, should not be hooked 
 into the bait in any way, but be allowed to fly loose in the 
 position shown in the engraving. 
 
 The upper, that is the shoulder portion of the body of 
 the bait, should lie perfectly straight ; and great care must 
 be taken that the gimp or gut is tightened sufficiently to 
 prevent any strain on the lips of the bait, and yet not so 
 tight as in any degree to bend or crook its body. If these 
 directions are not exactly attended to the bait will not 
 spin. 
 
 Upon examining the results arrived at with the fore- 
 going flights as contrasted with those obtained from any 
 of the flights previously in use, I find that whilst with the 
 best of the latter the average of fish lost after being 
 hooked, was about half ; with the former the proportion
 
 BAITING. 91 
 
 has only been one in six, or about 16 per cent., thus giving 
 a clear gain to the basket of four fish out of every twelve 
 hooked. This immense disparity, however, will appear 
 less surprising when the considerations before explained 
 are borne in mind. 
 
 The following is a register of the number of runs, and 
 number of pike lost with this tackle when fishing the 
 Hampshire Avon, during four consecutive days in August, 
 1863. I should observe that the water was in the worst 
 possible condition for spinning, being very low and bright, 
 and " choke " full of weeds : 
 
 No. caught. No. lost. 
 
 August 8 .. 11 .... 2 
 
 10 . , 6 .... 1 
 
 11 . 9 .... 
 
 13 6 . 1 
 
 The 5 largest 
 fish weighing 
 
 together 
 
 561bs. 
 
 Total . az Total lost alter -v 
 
 being hooked / 13 per cent. 
 
 My friend, Mr. Frank Buckland, who was fishing at the 
 same time, and who also used my tackle, did not miss a 
 single run.
 
 92 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 CHAPTEK VII. 
 
 Spinning continued. Fine-fishing Materials on which to tie flights 
 How to stain gimp " Gut-gimp " The spinning trace Gut 
 or gimp New knot for gut " Kinking " and leads Swivels. 
 
 IN the last chapter the question of the number, shape, 
 arrangement, &c., of the various hooks employed in spin- 
 ning nights was discussed. In the present I propose to 
 deal with the material of which such flights should be 
 formed. 
 
 It will be understood that I am not now speaking of the 
 trace itself, but merely of the lower link, about a foot in 
 length, on which the hooks are tied, and which has to come 
 in contact with the Pike's teeth. 
 
 The first point, then, is to secure the utmost amount of 
 fineness, compatible with the required strength ; and here 
 I may perhaps be allowed to quote a few remarks from 
 my pamphlet before referred to : 
 
 " We live in times in which, as we are constantly being 
 told, the schoolmaster is abroad ; and, in England at least, 
 the dwellers in what Tom Hood called the * Eely Places,' 
 have assuredly come in for their full share of educational 
 advantages. No well-informed Pike or Trout is now to be 
 ensnared by such simple devices as those which proved 
 fatal to his rustic progenitors in the good old days of
 
 FINE-FISHING. 93 
 
 innocence and Isaac Walton. Were we to sally forth with 
 the trolling gear bequeathed to us by our great-grand- 
 fathers of lamented memory, we should expect to see the 
 whole tinny tribe rise up in scorn and wrath to repel the 
 insult offered to their understanding. 
 
 " It has become a habit with many fishermen to consider 
 the pike as a species of fresh-water shark, for whose ra- 
 pacious appetite the coarsest bill of fare, and the most 
 primitive cookery only is required. To a certain extent 
 this view is founded on fact. There are few morsels so 
 indigestible that, if they come in his way, a really hungry 
 Pike will not make at least an effort to bolt. I have known 
 one to be taken with a moorhen stuck in his throat, the 
 feet protruding from his mouth, and bidding fair to have 
 choked him in a few minutes, had not destiny, in the shape 
 of a landing net, reserved him for a more aristocratic fate. 
 In the Avon three Pike were not long ago found on a 
 trimmer, one inside the other ; whilst it is well known 
 that watches, spoons, rings, and even, it is stated, the hand 
 and fingers of a man have been taken out of this fish's 
 maw. 
 
 " But the fallacy of the opinion or rather of the 
 theory based upon it lies in the assumption that because 
 a hungry Pike will take this or that, a Pike that is not 
 hungry will do the same. Nothing can be a greater 
 absurdity. A Pike is regularly on the feed at certain 
 hours only during the 24 ; and when partially gorged, or 
 not very hungry, his appetite is dainty and requires to
 
 94 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 be tickled. At these times a man who fishes fine will take 
 plenty of fish, whilst one who uses coarse tackle will as 
 certainly take little or none at all ; and this observation is 
 equally applicable to every description of tackle." 
 
 It is with the Pike, in fact, just as with ourselves: 
 before meals we are sharp-set and feel as if we could eat 
 anything (I have known the time when a raw turnip 
 would have been a godsend) but once the edge of hunger 
 taken off, we require something gustatory highly-spiced 
 entrees, jellies, creams, ices ; and finally, to stimulate the 
 jaded palate, man's original tempter, Fruit, in which form 
 and colour are called in to assist taste. Therefore, to fish 
 fine for Pike, as well as for all other fish finer if possible 
 than any one else on the same water is the mQst certain 
 way of making the largest basket. 
 
 But it is not only as regards the basket that fine-fishing 
 is to be commended : it is the only mode of killing fish 
 that deserves the name of sport. To land a twenty pound 
 Salmon by a single strand of gut, almost invisible as it cuts 
 the water like a knife, is a feat to be proud of, and one 
 which taxes every nerve and every power of mind and 
 body to accomplish ; but what skill or sport either is there 
 in hauling out a miserable Salmon or Pike by sheer brute 
 force with a machine resembling a chain-cable and a meat- 
 hook ? There is no * law ' shown to the fish, and not the 
 slightest prowess by the fisherman. It is simple murder 
 not sport. 
 
 Now the portion of a spinning-trace in which fineness is
 
 SINGLE-GUT FLIGHTS. 95 
 
 most essential, is, of course, that part immediately above 
 the hooks, because it shows more than any other, and 
 moreover, shows most just when the fish is about to seize 
 the bait. 
 
 To ascertain, therefore, what material can be most ad- 
 vantageously employed in this place, I have tried experi- 
 ments with single gut, twisted and plaited gut, stained 
 brass and copper wire, single and twisted ; and brass, 
 copper, and silver gimp. The results in a condensed form 
 are as follow : 
 
 Single gut. Single gut is, of course, the finest of these 
 materials, and in low, bright water, I have caught a greater 
 number of fish with it than could have been taken with 
 any other material. But the great difficulty is the Pike's 
 teeth. Of fish running to 3 or 4 Ibs. weight, about one in 
 fifteen will succeed in cutting the gut clean through ; of 
 fish 5 or 6 Ibs., about one in four will do so. But, though 
 the gut is not actually cut oftener than this with proper 
 handling, it frequently gets more or less frayed at some 
 particular point, so as to become unsafe. About three 
 single-gut flights would probably be worn out in catching 
 fifteen fish. 
 
 The " sum total of the whole," therefore, as Mr. Hume 
 used to say, is that where the fish run small, and are shy, 
 either from being overfished, or from the water being low 
 or bright, or any other cause, a single-gut flight may be 
 used with advantage, but not otherwise ; as the best fish 
 is most likely to be the one to break away, and the loss
 
 96 
 
 of two or three flights a day is very troublesome and 
 vexatious. 
 
 Treble twisted gut and plaited gut. I find the twisted 
 gut more durable and more efficient than the plaited, and 
 as the latter has no advantage over the former, it need not 
 be further considered. With stout twisted gut the number 
 of fish lost by actually cutting is so small as not to be 
 worth naming, and it is in every way a great improvement 
 over the old glittering gimp. It is, however, like the 
 single gut, liable to be gradually frayed away by the teeth 
 of the Pike, and one flight will not usually catch more 
 than about fifteen fish. 
 
 Wire, twisted and single, does not answer well, as it will 
 not lap readily round the lip-hook, and soon wears out at 
 that point. 
 
 Crimp. Nothing can be worse, as regards fine-fishing, 
 than the common glittering gimp ; indeed so great is the 
 drawback that some authors have actually recommended 
 the troller to take the trouble of lapping it over from end 
 to end with waxed silk like the shanks of hooks : but it has 
 this great advantage of being very durable, safe compara- 
 tively speaking from the effects of the Pike's teeth, and 
 easily manipulated. I therefore tried various ways of 
 staining or clouding it, so as to remove the glittering 
 appearance complained of. Green paint, and sealing-wax 
 varnish both answer this purpose for a short time, but they 
 soon wear off, as do other less effectual dyes. The diffi- 
 culty was to get a stain which would permanently cloud,
 
 STAINING GIMP. 97 
 
 without impairing the strength of the gimp. With the 
 kind assistance of Messrs. Thornthwaite, however, I suc- 
 ceeded in finding a very simple chemical process, by which 
 this result can be effected. 
 
 Directions for staining Gimp. Soak brass gimp in a solution of 
 bichlorate of platinum mixed in about the proportion of one part 
 of platinum to eight or ten of water until it has assumed the colour 
 desired. This will take from a quarter of an hour to two or three 
 hours, according to the strength of the solution, then dry the gimp 
 before the fire, and, whilst warm, with a brush, give it a coat of " lacquer " 
 (composed, I believe, of shellac and alcohol, but which can be easily 
 procured ready made). 
 
 This will impart to the gimp a dark cloud tint, almost invisible in 
 the water. If desired, the gimp can be made darker by rubbing it well 
 with black lead before putting on the lacquer ; but I think the natural 
 stain is quite sufficient, and indeed the best that can be given. 
 
 The above process appears to be only applicable to brass gimp ; 
 copper and silver gimp do not take the stain properly. The permanent 
 nature of the stain is owing to a chemical action by which certain 
 minute portions of soft metal are extracted from the wire of the gimp, 
 and platinum deposited in their place. 
 
 As nothing could certainly be worse for fine-fishing than 
 gimp in its natural state, so, when clouded in the manner 
 pointed out, nothing can well be better. It becomes, in 
 fact, almost as invisible in the water as gut itself ; and is, 
 therefore, recommended strongly to be used both for trace 
 and hooks (except for the ' flying triangle '), whenever 
 single gut is not necessitated by particular conditions of 
 the fish or water before referred to. 
 
 With regard to the material of which the short link for 
 the Flying triangle (see diagram in former chapter, page 
 
 H
 
 98 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 81) should be made, this depends upon considerations dif- 
 ferent from those which govern the choice of the material 
 for the central link. The short link is comparatively little 
 liable to be cut, as it is protected to a great extent from 
 the Pike's jaws by the large triangle at the extremity, 
 which prevents their closing upon it ; and the one absolute 
 essential for the proper action of the triangle is, that the 
 substance be it gut or gimp by which it is attached to 
 the central link of the trace, should be to a certain extent 
 stiff, so that the triangle may always stand in its proper 
 position at the shoulder of the bait. Without this pre- 
 caution there can be no certainty that a fish will be struck 
 by it. For this reason, ordinary gimp which soon becomes 
 flabby, is wholly unsuited. I, therefore, had some " gut- 
 gimp," as it may be called that is gut both single and 
 twisted covered with fine wire made for me by Mr. Farlow. 
 And as this twisted Gut-gimp possesses all the advantages 
 of elasticity claimed for twisted gut simply, or for gut and 
 gimp twisted together, without the clumsiness of the one, or 
 the liability to be cut of the other, I would strongly recom- 
 mend its being used for the short link of the flying triangle 
 in all cases where single gut ' un-gimped ' is not employed. 
 In order to cause the link of the flying triangle to stand 
 well out from the bait, it should be tied round the central 
 link in a half knot, as shown in the diagram, before being 
 Japped. This is of importance. Tho gimp wire can be 
 unwound from that portion of the gut which is required 
 for tying of the knot.
 
 FANCY TEIMMINGS. 99 
 
 I have now gone through nearly all the points which bear 
 on this portion of the subject ; but, before taking leave of 
 it, I may add an observation on what may be termed, in 
 millinery phraseology, " fancy trimmings," for the shanks 
 of the hooks used in spinning flights. With the exception 
 of the lip-hook, I generally cover the lapping of the hooks 
 with silver tinsel, which, perhaps, increases somewhat the 
 attractive effect of the bait, and probably dazzles the eyes 
 of the fish as to the character of these glittering append- 
 ages. For the largest flights, a varnish, made of powdered 
 red sealing-wax and spirits of wine, may be used to give a 
 sort of haut gout to the proffered dainty. 
 
 Having now dealt in limine with the question of Hooks 
 and Flights, the next, and almost equally important 
 portion of spinning gear is 
 
 THE TRACE. 
 
 Upon this, the intermediate link between the hooks 
 and the running line, depend almost as much as on the 
 flight itself, the neatness and efficiency of spinning 
 tackle ; and the question as to the material of which it 
 is to be constructed is, therefore, well worth attentive 
 consideration. 
 
 Having reference, then, to the analysis of the different 
 substances given in the last chapter, and to the conditions 
 which are required viz., fineness and strength the con- 
 clusion at which I have arrived after careful experiment is 
 that the trace should be made of one of two substances 
 
 H 2
 
 100 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 single gut or clouded gimp. Twisted gut may be dismissed 
 as being both thicker and more expensive than gimp, 
 whilst, if there is a difference on the score of invisibility 
 in the water, the balance of advantage rather inclines to 
 the latter. 
 
 For ordinary use I always make my own traces of five 
 or six lengths of the thickest salmon gut that can be ob- 
 tained two above the lead, and three below, and when 
 properly tied and managed, I speak from experience in 
 asserting that it will hold anything of the Pike species up 
 to twenty pounds, and I have little doubt that in open 
 water that weight might be doubled, or even trebled with 
 safety. But properly tied and handled, mark: for it is a 
 great mistake to assume, as I have often heard fishermen 
 do, that because a single-gut casting line will kill a monster 
 Salmon the gamer fish of the two a fortiori, it will kill 
 a Pike of equal size. With the same rod, and in the same 
 water, it will do so no doubt. But there is a wide line to 
 be drawn between a stiff three-joint trolling rod, and a 
 twenty foot " Castel Connell," and a vast difference be- 
 tween a clear Highland Salmon river, and the weedy, often 
 foul waters, usually tenanted by overgrown Pike. The 
 stiffness of the rod renders the line liable to sudden jerks 
 and strains, whilst the sharp blow necessary, as previously 
 pointed out, for properly striking a fish, is of the most trying 
 ordeal to which any knotted tackle can be subjected. 
 
 The thing is to be done, however, notwithstanding, and 
 in the doing of it lies the skill which constitute* *be es-
 
 THE TRACE. 101 
 
 sence of all sport. Only two things besides good manage- 
 ment are required; a rod-top of the proper stiffness 
 which will be referred to hereafter and a peculiar descrip- 
 tion of knotting for the gut. The knot, which I hit upon 
 in the first instance by a sort of * inductive process,' is tied 
 thus : Join the strands of gut in an ordinary single fisher- 
 man's knot, pulling each of the half knots as tight as 
 possible ; but instead of drawing them together and lapping 
 the ends down on the outside, draw them only to within 
 about an eighth of an inch of each other, and lap between 
 them with light-coloured silk. This lapping relieves the 
 knot itself of half its duty, and on any sudden jerk, such as 
 striking, acts as a sort of buffer to receive and distribute 
 the strain. It is one of the simplest possible forms of 
 knot ; and from its being much neater and nearly twice 
 as strong, may be substituted with advantage for the ordi- 
 nary whipped knot in Salmon casting lines. As commonly 
 tied I find that stout Salmon gut will break at the knot 
 on a steady strain of from 12 to 15 pounds ; tied as suggested, 
 it will break at any other place in preference, no matter 
 how great the strain may be. Facsimiles of the two knots, 
 tied with the same strands of gut are annexed. 
 
 New knot. Ordinary knot. 
 
 This brings me to the second drawback in spinning, 
 elsewhere alluded to viz., "kinking," formerly the 
 troller's most inveterate enemy. On this point I must
 
 102 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 again quote a few observations from my pamphlet ' How 
 to Spin for Pike ' : 
 
 KINKING, AND LEADS. 
 
 " The worst and most grievous drawback to which the 
 spinner is subject, is undoubtedly kinking. Even the most 
 artistic performers are often the victims of this infliction. 
 Which of my readers cannot call to mind some ' dies carbme 
 notanda,' when rod and river were forsaken in sheer disgust 
 and weariness of spirit, caused by its insidious attacks. 
 What experienced troller but could describe to a nicety the 
 sensation of that slight, sharp jerk on the lowest ring, 
 which tells him that his running line has come to an unmis- 
 takable standstill, and that his glittering Archimedian, with 
 a yard or two of cherished salmon-gut, is in all probability 
 gracefully decorating the top of the nearest willow, or fixed 
 into the back of his own shooting-jacket ? 
 
 " The remedy for this evil hitherto recommended by 
 the masters of the craft, is to ' take off the trace, and trail 
 the running line two or three times across the nearest 
 grass field.' This plan is at best, however, but a tempo- 
 rary expedient, besides costing much trouble, and what a 
 fisherman can even less afford much time. The enemy 
 moreover is certain to return in half an hour, more vigorous 
 than ever. 
 
 "Now if we examine the 'diagnosis' of kinking, we 
 shall find that nothing can be simpler than the disease 
 and its cure.
 
 KINKING. 103 
 
 " From not sufficiently considering the subject, fisher- 
 men have generally imagined that kinking was the fault 
 of the running line, or its dressing ; and all their attention 
 has been consequently directed to these points, which, 
 however important in other respects, have seldom any- 
 thing whatever to do with the real question at issue. 
 The vice lies not in the line but in the lead. No 
 ordinary trolling line, if it be even tolerably well dressed, 
 ought ever to kink with a lead constructed on proper 
 principles. 
 
 "Hitherto the lead has always been fastened to the 
 trace, by the latter passing through a hole in the centre, 
 and the result is that it offers no resistance worth mention- 
 ing to the rotatory motion of the trace, which thus, instead 
 of being confined to the space ' below leads,' extends up- 
 wards to the running line, and produces kinking ; whilst at 
 the same time the leads cannot be materially increased in 
 weight without rendering the tackle useless. Kinking is 
 only another word for twisting ; abolish twisting, and kink- 
 ing at once becomes impossible. 
 
 " These being the causes of the disease, the cure is easy. 
 How it is proposed to effect this will be best explained by 
 a reference to the diagram, in which a represents the trace, 
 b the lead, and c the separate link by which it is fastened 
 
 to the trace. It will be observed here that the lead instead
 
 104 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 of resting as usual on the line, hangs horizontally under- 
 neath it ; and it is in this transposition that the solution of 
 the problem lies. By changing the centre of gravity the 
 resisting power or vis inertice of the lead is, for the purpose 
 in question, more than quadrupled, without any increase of 
 weight ; the proper action of the swivels is insured ; and all 
 danger of kinking obviated." 
 
 Since the above was written, in 1861, I have had the 
 satisfaction of seeing this lead or leads arranged upon 
 the same principle adopted by the large majority of 
 trollers, and its efficacy as a complete cure for kinking 
 generally admitted. I nevertheless continued to experi- 
 ment upon the. various forms and materials in which it 
 could be best applied, and it soon appeared that brass or 
 iron wire was in every way an improvement upon gut 
 or gimp as a suspender for the lead, both as regards its 
 durability and efficiency. The engravings below will 
 explain the two patterns of wire and lead, which on the 
 whole out of about twenty combinations tested appear 
 to unite the greatest number of advantages. They are 
 both, if carefully made, almost everlasting, and can be 
 applied to new traces when the old ones are worn out. 
 
 Ko. 1. 
 
 a. Lead. 6. Brass or iron wire, in one piece, running through lead, and Joined by lapping 
 at c. d. End of lead nearest to bait, with swivel attached.
 
 LEADS. 105 
 
 No. 2. 
 
 o. Lead. 6 b. Wire running through lead. c. Portion of gut or gimp forming part of trace 
 d. Point at which it is lapped on to wire. 
 
 In these diagrams the wire is represented of about the 
 proper thickness for leads of the sizes shown, which are 
 larger than will commonly be found necessary with a 
 Gudgeon as bait. Both lead and wire are much improved 
 by being varnished, or painted, a dark green, or weed 
 tint, as lead colour is very showy in bright water, and 
 I have on more than one occasion known Pike to run at 
 and seize the lead, when they showed no inclination what- 
 ever to meddle with the bait. An excellent varnish for 
 this and other similar purposes is made with powdered 
 green sealing-wax, and spirit of wine, mixed to about the 
 thickness of thin treacle. 
 
 SWIVELS. 
 
 From four to six swivels form the ordinary, and indeed 
 necessary complement to each set of spinning gear, where 
 the lead is suspended on the old plan; and these being 
 distributed at intervals up and down the trace make a 
 great show and stir in the water, frighten the fish, weaken 
 the tackle, and cost money. With the lead arranged on 
 the principle pointed out, two swivels, fastened the one 
 immediately below the lead, and the other a foot or two
 
 106 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 down, are ample for every purpose ; indeed, a single good 
 swivel, placed as shown in the engraving, and which works 
 freely, will almost always be found sufficient. The spinner 
 is thus enabled to get a clear 2 or 3 feet of gut or clouded 
 gimp between the bait and the lead a very material 
 assistance to fine-fishing. 
 
 Swivels work best, and last longest when of medium 
 size, such as those drawn in the woodcuts, and they should 
 always be well oiled before and after being used. A neg- 
 lect of this very simple precaution, causes the loss of many 
 a good fish, and half the pleasure of many a day's spinning. 
 Blue swivels show less in the water, I think, than bright 
 ones, and are less liable to rust. 
 
 I have furnished Mr. Charles Farlow, 191, Strand, 
 London, with working patterns of the tackle referred to 
 in this and the preceding chapter.
 
 TKOLLING LINES. 107 
 
 CHAPTEE VIII. 
 
 Spinning continued, Trolling lines generally Ancient trolling lines 
 Indiarubber dressings Oil dressings Rotting of oil-dressed 
 lines Reels : plain, check, or multiplying Wooden reels. 
 
 TROLLING LINES. 
 
 TRAVELLING upwards from the trace we come to the reel, 
 or running-line required for spinning, and the observations 
 bearing on this point as also those on the rod, and reel 
 itself are equally applicable to every kind of Pike-fishing. 
 
 Very little seems to be known about ancient lines, whe- 
 ther for trolling or any other fishing. We learn, however, 
 from Dr. Badham * that " they were sometimes spun of 
 hemp, sometimes of horsehair," and perhaps also occasion- 
 ally of byssus a stringy substance by which certain species 
 of mussels and pinnae adhere to the rocks, but certainly 
 not of gat. That they were finely twisted, however, the 
 epithets ' euplokamos, ' linostrophos,' &c., sufficiently indi- 
 cate. Finally they were "very short; often barely the 
 length of the rod, which was itself shorter than ours." 
 
 Amongst our own predecessors in the gentle craft great 
 differences of opinion existed as to the qualities which a 
 trolling-line should possess, and every conceivable variety 
 
 * ' Prose Halieutics,' p. 16.
 
 108 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 of material has been at one time or other recommended 
 for its composition, from " sheep and cat-gut," to " silver 
 and silk twisted." Even amongst more modern autho- 
 rities some peculiar divergencies are observable. Palmer 
 Hackle* (Robert Blakey), for instance, recommends horse- 
 hair, pur et simple; a recipe which we cannot think 
 likely to prove very successful, as it is within the expe- 
 rience of most trollers that, even with the addition of a 
 proportion of silk, twenty yards of ordinary fly-line cannot 
 be induced to run out through the rings of a jack rod. A 
 few lines further on, however, Mr. Blakey explains that 
 " there are other sorts kept by the tackle-shops, but he 
 has never tried them ;" and, therefore, he " will back a 
 hair-line against them all at a venture." Most venture- 
 some Mr. Blakey ! It may be added that the bare material 
 for a trolling line of genuine horsehair 80 yards long, 
 would cost from 25s. to 30s. 
 
 Three qualifications are essential to a spinning line : 
 strength ; a certain amount of stiffening ; and impervious- 
 ness to water, without which no line can be prevented 
 from swelling and knotting into tangles when wet and 
 uncoiled from the reel. And here it may be at once ad- 
 mitted that these conditions are all very fairly fulfilled by 
 the ordinary 8-plait dressed-silk trolling lines supplied by the 
 tackle makers. Some discussion has recently taken place 
 as to the merits of catechu, indiarubber, and other water- 
 
 * ' Hints on Angling,' p. 128.
 
 WATERPROOF DRESSINGS. 109 
 
 proof dressings, especially in securing greater durability, 
 and I shall hope at a future opportunity to go more fully 
 into this question with reference to a few experiments 
 which I have carried out, but I am satisfied that up to 
 the present time no practical application of either of these 
 dressings has been arrived at, or, at least, made public, 
 which, having regard to the numerous points to be consi- 
 dered, will bear comparison with common oiled silk. 
 
 Here is the receipt for this oil dressing, which is adopted 
 by a well-known and experienced fisherman : 
 
 " Take 1 bottle of copal varnish and 1 bottle of linseed 
 oil. Boil the latter until it singes a feather if dipped into 
 it ; then add a piece of camphor about the size of a hazel- 
 nut. Stir these ingredients together and put the line into 
 the mixture whilst warm. Let it soak for 24 hours and 
 stretch it in a yard to dry. When dry give it a second 
 coat ; and finally a third. After each coat draw the line 
 through a piece of leather held between the finger to 
 remove the superfluous dressing." 
 
 Salter's receipt is as follows : 
 
 " Take three teaspoonfuls of sweet oil, of bees' wax and 
 dark resin a piece of each the size of a walnut ; bruise the 
 resin, cut the wax in small pieces, and then put oil, wax 
 and resin into a small pipkin, and let it simmer before the 
 fire till the whole is in a liquid state. Then dip your 
 trolling line into the hot mixture and let it remain a 
 minute ; then take it out and hang it up to dry, which will 
 take two or more days to do ; when quite dry it will be
 
 110 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 waterproof, stronger, and last much longer than when 
 dressed with anything else that I am acquainted with. 
 Next in value I consider wax-candle well rubbed on and 
 into lines." 
 
 The following, for " varnish dressing," is from a 
 practical fisherman, whose method has been highly ap- 
 proved of: "Mix (cold) copal varnish and gold size, in 
 the proportion of ten parts of the former, to one part of 
 the latter. Soak the line in this dressing for, say, a couple 
 of days the jar in which it is placed being air-tight. 
 Then stretch the line to dry. The line will not be fit to 
 use for three or four weeks." 
 
 For re-dressing a line, whilst in use or when out of reach 
 of tackle-shops, the following is perhaps the best recipe 
 that can be given : Stretch the line tightly, and rub it 
 thoroughly with white (common candle) wax. Then take 
 a little "boiled oil," which can be got at most oil and 
 colour shops, and placing it on a piece of flannel, rub the 
 line well over with it. This will have the effect of making 
 the line flexible, and will give a finish to the dressing. 
 
 It cannot be denied, however, that there is always 
 some little uncertainty in the effect of oil dressings, espe- 
 cially when manipulated by amateurs ; and I have on 
 several occasions had lines returned after re-dressing 
 and that too from very careful hands wlu'ch for some 
 reason or other seemed to become in parts almost imme- 
 diately rotten, a result as far as I could judge, only 
 attributable to the effect of the new dressing. One great
 
 OIL DEESSINGS. Ill 
 
 point certainly is never to put the line into too hot a 
 mixture ; a temperature in which the finger can be placed 
 without inconvenience should be the maximum. Curriers 
 always, I believe, wet their leather before applying oil or 
 grease, which is otherwise supposed to " fire " it, as it is 
 termed. Truefit recommends the same precaution to be 
 taken before greasing the hair of the beard, and it is 
 possible that there may be some analogous effect produced 
 on silk under particular conditions, even when the oil is 
 not heated beyond the proper temperature. 
 
 Be this as it may, however, I believe the fact that silk 
 lines are not unfrequently " fired " or burnt in some way 
 whilst dressing is indisputable ; and until some one can 
 discover a remedy we must be content to pay a little 
 ofteuer for new trolling lines. In most other respects the 
 oil dressing seems to answer capitally, being neat, very 
 fairly waterproof, and easily applied. 
 
 One great safeguard against premature decay we do 
 know ; and that is, never under any circumstances to put 
 by a line wet, nor unless thoroughly dried. Attention to 
 this simple precaution will save some expense, and not a 
 few of those precipitate partings between fish and fisher- 
 man, which are so painful to at least one of the parties 
 concerned. 
 
 From 60 to 80 yards will, on the whole, be found the 
 most convenient length of line for general use as to 
 substance, a medium rather than a very fine or very stout 
 plait and for colour the pale green tint which is now
 
 112 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 very properly preferred to the yellow, as showing less in 
 the water. A heavy line will destroy the ' play ' of the 
 bait at any considerable distance immediately. 
 
 WINCHES OR EEELS. 
 
 Keels may be broadly divided into two classes metal 
 and wooden. The latter I dismiss as being unsuited to 
 anything but " Nottingham fishing," of which more here- 
 after. The former, as every fisherman knows, are divided 
 into three categories: "plain," "check," and "multi- 
 plying." Of these I think there can be no doubt that 
 the " multipliers " combine the greatest number of dis- 
 advantages with the fewest recommendations, as they are 
 expensive, very apt to get out of gear, and almost useless 
 either for winding in a large fish, or for giving line to one 
 of any other size. 
 
 The " plain " brass reel has at least the merit of being 
 plain in the sense of simpleness and inaptitude for getting 
 out of order ; but it has two great drawbacks, which exist 
 also and to a still greater extent in the wooden reel,* viz., 
 that when the line is pulled out strongly by hand, or by 
 a fish, the wheel twists so rapidly as to " over run " itself, 
 producing a sudden check, which at a critical juncture 
 is very likely to cost the troller his tackle. It is also, for 
 another reason, very unsafe when playing a fish, as, should 
 
 * Strange to say, both Hofland and Jesse advocate these impracticable 
 engines. Wooden reels are still occasionally used in Scotland for salmon 
 fishing, under the name of " pirns."
 
 CHECK REELS. 113 
 
 the pressure of the hand be for an instant removed from 
 the line, the latter runs out so freely as to produce sudden 
 slackness, an evil perhaps greater even than the other, 
 as nothing is more certainly disastrous than a slack line, 
 and nothing more probable than the occurrence of the 
 contingency referred to when fish have to be followed 
 rapidly, over broken ground. These are radical faults 
 vices would not be too strong a term inherent in 
 the principle of all " plain " reels, and inseparable from 
 them. 
 
 They are, however, entirely obviated by the CHECK 
 system ; and check reels should therefore be the only ones 
 ever employed for any kind of heavy fishing, whether 
 with bait or fly. With this reel the line is entirely in- 
 dependent of the hand, by which indeed it is very seldom 
 desirable that it should be touched in any way. All that 
 the hands have to do is to keep the point of the rod well 
 up, and a steady strain on the fish ; and eyes and attention 
 are thus left free to take care of their owner's neck a 
 practical advantage which those who have chased a strong 
 salmon down the cragged and slippery channel of a High- 
 land river will know how to appreciate. A check winch, 
 in fact, does two-thirds of the fisherman's work for him, 
 and may almost be left to kill by itself; it acts upon the 
 golden rule of never giving an inch of line unless it is 
 taken, and when really required pays it out smoothly and 
 rapidly to the exact extent necessary, and no more. The 
 even check prevents the line " over running " itself in 
 
 i
 
 114 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 the one case, or sticking fast in the other ; and when it 
 becomes necessary to wind up a fish, is in every way as 
 direct and powerful a lever as the plain old-fashioned 
 wheel. 
 
 I defy any man to fairly wind in a heavy fish with a 
 multiplying reel. It is the old mechanical principle of 
 losing in power what is gamed in speed ; and a reel that 
 gives four turns of the axle to one of the handle, loses 
 exactly one-fourth of its strength for each turn that is, 
 has one-fourth only of the direct power of a check winch. 
 
 Beautiful reels for salmon fishing and trolling are now 
 made on this principle, partly of wood (walnut) and partly 
 of brass, and as the saving in weight thus secured is con- 
 siderably more than 35 per cent, they will no doubt be of 
 great assistance to men who are not strong, and who may 
 find the weight of a salmon or trolling rod and reel tell 
 upon their muscles. 
 
 A reel has recently been made still lighter even than 
 the above ; in fact not much more than one-half its weight. 
 It is formed wholly of aluminium, and looks very attrac- 
 tive, but the cost is something serious 4Z. 
 
 Within the last few years a considerable improvement has 
 been introduced into the form of reels generally, by the 
 substitution of narrow grooves and deep side-plates,- for 
 the old-fashioned shallow-plated, broad-grooved winches. 
 The advantages thus gained are increased speed and 
 power ; speed, inasmuch as the diameter of the axle on 
 which the line is wound is enlarged ; and power, because
 
 REEL HANDLES. 115 
 
 with the greater length of handle a greater leverage is 
 obtained. Whilst speaking of handles, I would here most 
 strongly recommend those attached to the side-plate of 
 the reel itself, without any crank, as they obviate the con- 
 stant catching of the line which takes place with handles 
 of the ordinary shape. 
 
 i 2
 
 116 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 CHAPTEK IX. 
 
 Spinning continued. Bods and rod-making Ancient rods Best 
 length Opinions of different authors Solid and hollow rods 
 Solid and hollow woods Observations on different rod -woods 
 Varnishes for rods Eings for trolling rods Experiments with 
 Measurements of a proper Pike-rod Ferrules and joints. 
 
 SPINNING-RODS, AND EOD-MAKTNG. 
 
 IN the last chapter, I pointed out the improvements which 
 have been gradually introduced in the item of Jack-lines 
 since the days when Nobbes, christened the "Father of 
 Trollers," could suggest " silver and silk twisted," or " sheep 
 and cat gut," as desirable materials for their manufacture. 
 The improvement has been by no means confined to lines ; 
 every part of the fisherman's gear has undergone a change 
 almost amounting to metamorphosis, and whatever we 
 may think of the skill of our venerated forefathers in the 
 gentle craft, it can hardly be denied that the implements 
 they used were in every way vastly inferior to our own, 
 and indeed, it may be added, generally such as to make 
 any great display of science on their part out of the 
 question. 
 
 Of the mechanical knowledge and ability which have 
 led to these improvements, probably more have been
 
 KOD-MAKING. 117 
 
 lavished upon the Kod than upon all the rest of the fisher's 
 equipment put together, and if the fulfilling of every 
 requirement which the most fastidious can demand be 
 admitted as proof of excellence, we may very fairly con- 
 gratulate ourselves on having arrived as nearly as may be 
 at perfection in this one item at least. 
 
 That in none was there more room for improvement 
 may be gathered from the following recipe for the con- 
 struction of a trolling rod given by Juliana Berners in the 
 brown old ' Boke of St. Alban's,' published about 1486 : 
 
 "Ye shall kytte (cut) betweene Myghelmas and Can- 
 dylmas, a fayr staffe, of a fadom and a halfe longe, and 
 arme-grete, of hasyll, wyllowe or ashe ; and bethe (? bake) 
 hym in a hote ouyn, and set him euyn ; thenne lete hym 
 cole and dry a moneth. Take thenne and frette (tie it 
 about) hym faste with a corkeshote corde; and bynde 
 hym to a fourme, or an euyn square grete tree. Take, 
 thenne, a plummer's wire, that is euyn and streyghte, 
 and sharpe at the one ende ; and hete the sharpe ende in 
 a charcole fyre tyll it be whyte, and brenne (bum) the 
 staffe therewyth thorugh, euer streyghte in the pythe at 
 bothe endes, tyll they mete ; and after that brenne hym 
 in the nether ende wyth a byrde-broche (bird-spit) and 
 wyth other broches, eche greeter than other, and euer the 
 grettest and the laste, so that ye make your hole, aye 
 tapre were. Thenne lete hym lye styll, and kele two 
 dayes ; unfretle (unbind) hym thenne and lete hym drye 
 in a hous roof in the smoke, tyll he be thrugh drye. In
 
 118 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 the same season, take a fayr yerde of grene hasyll. and 
 bethe him euen and streyghte, and lete it drye wyth the 
 staffe ; and whan they ben drye, make the yerde mete 
 unto the hole in the staffe, unto half the length of the 
 staffe ; and to perfourme that other halfe of the croppe, 
 take a fayr shote of black thornn, crabbe tree, medeler, 
 or of jenypre, kytte in the same season, and well bethyd 
 and streyghte, and frette thym togyder fetely, soo that 
 the croppe may justly entre all into the sayd hole ; and 
 thenne shaue your staffe, and make hym tapre were, 
 thenne ryrell the staffe at both endes with long hopis of 
 yren, or laton (plate-tin), in the clennest wise, wyth a 
 pyke at the nether ende, fastynd wyth a rennynge ryce 
 (a turning-wheel for yarn, or a reel to wind yarn on), to 
 take in and out your croppe ; thenne set your croppe an 
 handfull wythin the ouer ende of your staffe, in suche wise 
 that it be as bigge there as in ony place about ; thenne 
 arme your croppe at the ouer ende, down to the frette, 
 wyth a lyne of vj heeres, and dubbe the lyne, and frette 
 it faste in the toppe wyth a bowe to fasten on your lyne ; 
 and thus shall ye make you a rodde soo prevy (uncon- 
 spicuous) that ye may walke therwyth ; and there shall 
 noo man wyte where abowte ye goo." 
 
 A writer on " Halieutics," referring to the above, makes 
 the very fair deduction from it that the Dame Juliana 
 must have been a lady of very "powerful thews and 
 sinews," not much macerated by fasting and prayer, her 
 prioresship notwithstanding, since she was able to handle
 
 ANCIENT EODS. 119 
 
 a rod, according to her own figures, of at least some 
 14 feet long ; the " staffe," or butt, measuring a " fadom 
 (fathom) and a half," of the thickness of an "arm-grete," 
 or about as thick as a man's arm ; the joints being more- 
 over, bound with long " hopis of yren " (iron hoops). 
 
 Such a rod as this would certainly try the muscles of 
 these degenerate days, even thougli they belonged to a 
 Waltonian of the " mining districts," where the swarthy 
 sons of the spade and the pickaxe not unfrequently extem- 
 porize their fishing-rod out of the nearest clothes-prop. 
 In the length of her rod, however, the fair prioress was 
 less ambitious than some of her modern disciples ; Hofland,* 
 writing in our own century (1839) talks of a trolling-rod 
 twenty feet long ! such a rod would certainly require a 
 trailer 10 feet high to wield it effectively. 
 
 To show the crudity of some of the directions given by 
 ^wa^'-trolling authorities, the following may be quoted 
 from The Fishing-rod and how to use it, by " Grlenfin," who 
 professes to give " the most approved instructions in the 
 whole art." 
 
 " The best trolling-rods," he says, " are made of stout 
 bamboo, with a short whalebone top-piece . . . Almost any 
 stoutly made rod may be converted into a trolling-rod by 
 
 changing the top-piece The trolling-rod should have 
 
 one ring on each joint," &c. 
 
 To practical fishermen, who are acquainted with the 
 difficulty of keeping the spinning-line clear even with all 
 * ' British Angler's Manual,' &c.
 
 120 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 the appliances of upright rings and plenty of them, and 
 who know the absolute necessity of having a stiff, rather 
 than a pliable top-joint for striking a fish, it is needless 
 to point out the fallacy of these " most approved " instruc- 
 tions. It is hardly possible that the writer could have 
 been even a tolerably promising disciple in the school of 
 which he professes to be an apostle. 
 
 We are not at all surprised, therefore, to find him 
 immediately afterwards advocating a " 16 or 18-foot rod 
 of stout " bamboo ; all I would say to those who regard 
 with an eye of favour such an un wieldly and exhaustive 
 engine is try it. Spin for 6 or 7 hours consecutively with 
 a stout 18-foot troll ing-rod, and if at the end of it the 
 muscles of the arm and back do not cry " hold, enough ! " 
 I am much mistaken. The more moderate length of 12 
 feet is that recommended by Mr. William Bailey in his 
 ' Angler's Instructor,' and if that length is found sufficient 
 by the Nottingham spinners who throw from the reel, thus 
 necessitating a very considerable "swing" or impetus to 
 the bait, it must surely be ample (so far as efficiency is 
 concerned) for all ordinary spinning, where the line runs 
 out free and unchecked. 
 
 A 12-foot rod is that which on the whole I have found 
 to be certainly the most useful and efficient as a general 
 Pike rod, taking into account all the different branches of 
 Jack-fishing for which it may be required spinning, gorge- 
 baiting, live-baiting, &c. Were the rod intended to be 
 used with the live-bait only, perhaps a foot or two longer
 
 BEST LENGTH OF ROD. 121 
 
 might be preferable, as in bank fishing it is of advantage 
 to be able to cover as much water as possible with a short 
 line, and thus spare the bait the knocking about of long 
 casts. With the gorge-bait, it is very seldom necessary to 
 cast more than 20 or 25 yards, whilst with a 12 -foot 
 hickory rod of the proper build 40 yards at least may be 
 covered by a tolerably expert spinner. 
 
 I say a hickory rod, because I know as a fact that with 
 such a rod a cast to the distance stated may be made, 
 having done it myself.* Nearly or quite equal results 
 might very probably be obtained with a bamboo rod of 
 equal length; but not having actually seen such a cast 
 made and measured, except in the instance alluded to, I 
 cannot assert that it is so. My experience of the two kinds 
 of woods leads me to give the preference to hickory for 
 any Jack rod under 12 or 13 feet in length. Above those 
 dimensions the difference in weight, slight as it is, would 
 tell decidedly in favour of bamboo. This question of 
 weight, indeed, has probably led a large majority of trailers 
 to give the preference to bamboo over hickory. It is only 
 natural to imagine that as the one is hollow and the other 
 solid, the former must have a very great advantage over 
 
 * When fishing in the Avon last year I took a Pike at the end of a 
 42 yards cast, as measured by Mr. Frank Buckland. This was in a 
 dead calm, and with a rod reduced to about 11 feet by being fitted 
 with a short top. The tackle also was remarkably light ; bait, lead, 
 and trace weighing together 1 oz. 2 scruples only. The Pike taken 
 weighed 7 Ibs., and at the end of 40 yards of line he made a grand 
 fight.
 
 122 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 the latter. They would perhaps be surprised if they were 
 told that the actual proportionate difference in weight is 
 little more than 10 per cent, or, in a 12-foot rod, 3 ozs. ; 
 but such is the case. I weighed a solid 12-foot rod against 
 one of East India bamboo of the same length, and the 
 weights were : 
 
 Solid rod .... 1 Ib. 10 ozs. 
 Hollow rod . . . 1 7 
 
 Whilst on this subject, a few observations on the dif- 
 ferent woods used in rod making generally, may not per- 
 haps be out of place. 
 
 There are eight woods more or less universally employed 
 by rod manufacturers ; four of which grow solid, viz., 
 hickory, greenhart, ash, and willow ; and four hollow, 
 East India bamboo, Carolina or West India cane, White 
 cane, and Jungle cane. 
 
 Of the "solids" the most valuable is, perhaps, on the 
 whole, hickory. This wood grows in Canada, and is sent 
 over in what are called in the tackle trade " billets," that 
 is, longitudinal sections of a log ; each log being sawn from 
 end to end through the middle twice or three times so as 
 to cut it up into 4 or 6 bars V shaped having three sides. 
 On their arrival in England the billets are transferred to 
 the saw mills where they are again cut up into planks ; 
 and these planks are then put carefully away in a warm 
 dry place and left for a year or two to season before being 
 touched. After seasoning they are re-cut roughly into
 
 SOLID RODS. 123 
 
 joints, sorted, and put away again for three years more, 
 sometimes for as much as ten years, when they are finally 
 worked up into rods. This will give an idea of the trouble 
 and expense entailed in the production of a really first rate 
 rod. 
 
 The inferior billets, which are rejected by the larger 
 manufacturers, are cut up at once into joints and sold about 
 the country by hawkers, who make it their regular business 
 to supply the small country makers with wood for their 
 rods. The same thing takes place as regards bamboo* 
 After this insight into the ima penetralia of the fishing 
 tackle trade, no one I fancy will feel inclined to grumble 
 at having to pay a good price for a really good rod, or will 
 be surprised at the comparative worthlessness of the rods 
 turned out by inferior makers. 
 
 Hickory is the heaviest wood used in rod making, with 
 the one exception of greenhart ; and the purpose for which 
 it is most commonly employed is the middle joints of 
 rods, and for solid butts where weight and strength are 
 required. In hollow butts it is never used, as it will not 
 stand being bored. 
 
 Greenhart, which is an export from the West Indies, 
 demands the next place, if indeed it does not deserve the 
 post of honour, in the rod maker's table of precedence. 
 In all kinds of rods and in every different position it is to 
 be found, whilst in some cases, as in the salmon rod of 
 Castle Connell, and many other Irish rods, it forms the 
 sole material employed. Its speciality is, however, for
 
 124 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 tops ; and here it is simply invaluable, as it is the only 
 wood sufficiently stiff and at the same time elastic to admit 
 of being used in' such small bulk in a single piece. Thus 
 in light trouting rods it will very often be found in slips a 
 yard long and tapering off at the end to a substance little 
 thicker than that of a stout darning needle, whilst a 6-foot 
 joint averaging about the circumference of a swan-quill, is 
 the very common " lash " of a Castle Connell. 
 
 In consequence of its great weight, greenhart is only 
 used for butts when they are very slender or tapered 
 rapidly off from the handle, as in the rods turned out by 
 the Irish tackle makers. 
 
 Joints of this wood are hardly ever perfectly straight 
 when fresh cut. They are bent or " warped " straight by 
 hand pressure over a charcoal fire, and when cool retain, 
 at any rate for a long time, their symmetrical shape, much 
 as does the originally straight walking-stick handle its 
 crooked one after a somewhat similar process, though 
 I believe in this latter case the softening medium is 
 water and not fire. Notwithstanding this " ductility " of 
 some, indeed most, woods, there can be no doubt that 
 the straighter a joint comes originally from the steel of the 
 sawyer the straighter will it remain in the hands of the 
 fisherman. A joint that comes out straight from its season- 
 ing hardly ever becomes permanently crooked afterwards, 
 and per contra, one which is radically warped at the end of 
 this process will as seldom be made really straight, or 
 remain so for any length of time, however it may be twisted 
 or bent over the charcoal of the tackle maker.
 
 HOLLOW RODS. 125 
 
 The other solid rod woods are ash and willow. The 
 former, which in weight is between willow and hickory 
 (willow being the lightest of all), is extensively used for 
 hollow butts of bottom and trolling rods, as it bores well 
 and is of good medium strength. It is also used for the 
 solid butts of salmon rods. For middle joints it has been 
 found too weak and yielding, the difference in strength 
 between ash and greenhart being such that a top made of 
 the latter would be as strong as the joint next below it 
 of the former. 
 
 Willow is a good deal used for the butts of common 
 rods, as it " bores" more readily than any other wood; 
 indeed its centre is little harder than the pith of a reed. 
 In seasoning both ash and willow require more care to 
 make them ' usable ' than do the heavier woods. " If the 
 butt is not made hollow," says Stewart, " fir may be sub- 
 stituted for ash with advantage, as it is much lighter and 
 quite strong enough." 
 
 I now come to the hollow woods, or canes and bamboos. 
 Of these by far the most valuable, indeed the only one 
 which can be used properly in either trolling- or fly-rods, 
 is that grown in the East Indies commonly known as the 
 "mottled" bamboo which has a considerable thickness 
 throughout its length, and in the upper parts is almost 
 solid.* 
 
 * There is another East India cane, which is quite solid but lacking 
 elasticity. It goes amongst the tackle makers by the expressive name 
 of " puddeny."
 
 126 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 In this case there is of course no preparatory sawing or 
 planing to be gone through, as the bamboo comes from its 
 native jungle in pretty much the same state, barring the 
 mottling,* as that in which we find it in our rods; but 
 even here the joints have to be ' warped ' as in the case of 
 solid woods, and thoroughly seasoned, and much depends 
 upon a judicious selection of the original stock and in 
 subsequent careful matching and tapering of the various 
 pieces of which the rod is composed. 
 
 I was never more puzzled than when admitted as a lad 
 to the warehouse of a great London tackle maker to choose 
 a cane to be made up for my " particular own." Well do 
 I remember how my fingers glowed with pleasure and 
 excitement as I lifted and poised one tapering beauty after 
 another, uncertain among so many wooers which to take, 
 and feeling, like the Captain in the Beggars' Opera, 
 
 " How happy could I be with either, 
 Were t'other dear charmer away ! " 
 
 Like its schoolboy master, the rod built from the cane 
 then chosen has since had many a narrow escape "by 
 flood and fell," and not a few damaged 'tips,' aye, and 
 'joints' too; but its main timbers are as sound as ever, 
 and I trust may yet be destined to wave death over many 
 a pikey pool and glittering torrent when the hand that 
 
 * This mottled appearance is understood to be the result of some 
 application of fire, before the canes leave the hands of the natives. The 
 exact process is, I believe, unknown.
 
 DIFFERENT ROD WOODS. 127 
 
 chose them is no longer able to do justice to their supple 
 graces. 
 
 But my pet rod is leading me into inadmissible digres- 
 sions. To return. The White cane, which comes princi- 
 pally from Spain and America and is a fragile delicate 
 creature compared to its swarthy Indian cousin, is used 
 for roach rods, " White cane roach rods," as they are 
 temptingly described in the catalogues and is fit for 
 nothing else. For this one purpose, however, it is per- 
 fection. 
 
 The Carolina cane is also quite inferior to the East 
 Indian. It is much lighter, and longer between the knots, 
 and is employed only in the more common bottom rods. 
 
 Last on the list comes the Jungle cane, a Chinaman 
 principally, but found also in many other parts of Asia. 
 It grows as thick as a man's body, and is put to every 
 variety of use by the Chinese, who amongst other things 
 hollow out the pith and convert the skin into water-pipes. 
 It is this skin or rind only with which we have to deal, 
 and that must be taken from a cane about as thick as a 
 man's wrist. This is split up into narrow slips, and these 
 slips when planed and smoothed down become the solid, 
 grained-looking, pieces of wood, so constantly forming the 
 upper splices of top-joints. 
 
 And now to apply these observations to the practical 
 matter in hand the best description of Jack rod. I have 
 said that on the whole experiment has led me to prefer a
 
 128 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 hickory rod to one of any other wood ; but I used the 
 expression " Hickory " rather in its colloquial than literal 
 sense, as, though my Jack rod is one which would be 
 catalogued by fishing tackle makers under that designa- 
 tion, it is in fact formed out of two of the woods above 
 referred to, viz., hickory and greenhart ; hickory for the 
 butt and for the two middle joints, and greenhart for 
 the top. A hollow butt is of course unnecessary in a Jack 
 rod, as the stiff upright rings on the top joints prevent 
 them under any circumstances from being stowed away in 
 it ; but if from any cause or fancy a hollow butt should be 
 desired, ash would have to be substituted for hickory for 
 the reasons before stated. Sufficient thickness and strength 
 at the butt without too much weight is essential to give a 
 good grasp for the fingers, and both these desiderata are 
 fulfilled by hickory. Hickory gives, moreover, precisely 
 the degree of weight and elasticity to the middle joints 
 necessary for the " liveliness " and play of the rod, w r hilst 
 for the top-joint, where stiffness and strength combined 
 are indispensable, greenhart is the very pink of per- 
 fection. 
 
 I need not here enter again into the reasons which make 
 striking desirable in almost all descriptions of Pike fishing, 
 and an absolute necessity in the case of spinning. They 
 depend upon propositions connected with the number of 
 hooks attached to any given bait and the pressure re- 
 quired to insure their penetration propositions demon- 
 strable beyond dispute by the simplest arithmetical
 
 VARNISH FOR RODS. 129 
 
 calculations, based on experiment, and which have been 
 already given in detail at pages 83, 87, and 148. 
 
 The top-joint of a spinning-rod, then, must be strong 
 enough and stiff enough to strike a fish effectually at the 
 end of at least 20 or 30 yards of line, and as the amount 
 of force required to be exerted depends again entirely 
 upon the weight of the bait and the size of the hooks 
 used, at least three different lengths of top, of correspond- 
 ing strengths, are necessary for an efficient trolling rod. 
 
 A spike is worse than useless, as the natural position of 
 the butt is to be constantly resting against the hip-joint 
 for ease or purchase, and sooner or later the troller so 
 armed is most likely to impale himself upon his own spike. 
 The best finish for the butt is a large rounded knob of 
 some hard wood. .. ,, ? 
 
 As a good varnish for rods, and generally for varnishing 
 
 ' * 
 lappings of hooks, &c., the following^used by Farlow and 
 
 most of the tackle manufacturers, may probably be found 
 useful, 
 
 Spirits of Wine, . 
 Orange Shellac, ^ 
 Gum Benjamin, a small piece, about ,'5. 
 
 Allow the mixture a fortnight to dissolve before using. 
 A varnish of some sort over the lapping is exceedingly 
 valuable in all gimp tackle, as it protects the silk from the 
 effects of the water, as well as from the corrosion produced 
 by wet brass and steel coming in contact. At the close of 
 
 K
 
 130 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 every season, rods which have had a great deal of wear 
 and tear should be re-varnished to preserve the wood ; or, 
 in the absence of varnish, well rubbed with oil (linseed is 
 the best) before being finally stowed away. 
 
 KINGS FOR TROLLING BODS. 
 Four considerations must regulate the question of rings : 
 
 (1) That the material (especially of the top and bottom 
 rings) should be hard enough to resist considerable friction ; 
 
 (2) that the top and bottom rings should be so shaped as 
 to prevent the line catching round or over them ; (3) that 
 the rings generally should be large enough to let the line 
 run through them with perfect freedom, and (4) and this 
 is by no means an unimportant point that there should be 
 enough of them on the rod to prevent the weight of the 
 line ' bagging ' in the intervals, and yet not so many as 
 unnecessarily to increase the wearing friction on the line 
 passing through them, or curtail the length and freedom 
 of the cast. 
 
 To begin with the material : For the two middle joints 
 those rings which are described as " solid," that is made 
 not of wire, but formed out of a steel hoop soldered into 
 a brass foundation, are the best, as they will bear a great 
 deal of friction without wearing into ruts, do not expose or 
 corrode the lapping, and will take twice as much knocking 
 about as any other combination. The average diameter of 
 the middle rings should not be less than -^ ths of an inch 
 inside, as shown in the drawing, and ranging somewhat
 
 RINGS. 131 
 
 smaller above and larger below. These solid rings will 
 
 not answer, however, for the bottom ring of all, as the line 
 
 has a constant tendency 
 
 to be catching round that 
 
 ring in making a cast, 
 
 The bottom ring should, 
 
 therefore, be made in the 
 
 form that is called "pronged," out of thick iron wire, 
 
 twisted into a ring, in the form and of about the size shown 
 
 in the woodcut annexed, 
 
 with separate side pieces 
 
 (marked A) brazed on. 
 
 The diameter of this ring 
 
 should never be less than 
 
 |ths of an inch. The 
 
 perpendicular supports or 
 
 arms being slightly wider 
 
 apart at the bottom than at the apex, throw off instantly 
 
 any curls of the line which may be inclined to twist round 
 
 them. This will be found a really great practical advantage 
 
 in spinning. 
 
 Of even greater importance, however, is the form of 
 the top ring, as this is , both more liable to catch in 
 the line and proportionately more difficult to clear at the 
 distance of 10 or 12 feet from the troller; (the material as 
 in the case of the lowest ring, should be of steel wire). In 
 order to remedy this catching of the line over the top ring, 
 Mr. Frank Buckland and myself tried various experi- 
 
 K 2
 
 132 THE BOOK OF THE TIKF. 
 
 ments with rings of all sorts of different shapes and sizes ; 
 Mr. Buck] and, amongst other devices, inventing a most 
 ingenious form of outer ring, or guard, of a pear shape, 
 and which was found to be a great improvement on the 
 old patterns, indeed I had all my trolling tops fitted with 
 it. Subsequent experiments, however, convinced me that 
 by bearing in mind exactly what was wanted viz., the 
 avoidance of all projections over which the line would or 
 could possibly hitch itself a simpler form of ring might 
 be arrived at, and which would answer even better than 
 the supplemental " guard." 
 
 This condition will, I believe, be found to be fulfilled by 
 the pattern of ring of which the engraving is a copy 
 
 This is, in fact, to a certain extent, a modification or 
 adaptation of the principle of the pronged ring recom- 
 mended for the bottom joint. After being lapped over to 
 within about half-an-inch of the ring, the wire is made to 
 branch out in the shape of a V, the upper points or sides 
 forming a continuation of the ring itself. These sides act as 
 a sort of guard to the ring to throw off the line, if it should 
 curl over (much as the sloping sides of a gate on a barge 
 walk throw off the towing-line) ; whilst the position of the 
 ring that of inclining downwards towards the butt of the 
 rod, instead of upwards towards the point makes it almost
 
 MEASUREMENTS OF RODS. 
 
 133 
 
 impossible for the line by any effort of ingenuity to get 
 above it so as to "hitch." In other words the head of 
 the ring forms an acute, instead of an obtuse angle with 
 the rod. 
 
 As regards the number of rings which should be used 
 the following will be found the best number for a 12-foot 
 rod : 1 large ring just below the ferrule of the bottom 
 joint '-1 on the second joint 3 on the third joint and 5 on 
 the top joint, when the top is of the full length ; 11 in 
 all. Any less number than this will be found inconvenient 
 and more are superfluous. 
 
 The following are the measurements, &c., of the several 
 joints of the trolling rod recommended in the foregoing 
 pages, and to which I have referred as being that which 
 according to my experience is the most perfect for spinning, 
 as well as most generally useful and efficient as a general 
 pike rod : 
 
 
 
 
 fc 
 
 
 
 
 S -5 
 
 -^ 
 
 
 Total length of Rod, 
 12 leet. 
 
 Length of Joint. 
 
 1-2'- 
 II g 
 
 32 
 
 Number of Rings. 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 
 Butt solid, hickory 
 
 3 feet 
 
 Sfin. 
 
 2| in. 
 
 11 of steel wire, 
 \ "pronged." 
 
 2nd (or " large '')} 
 ' joint, hickory / 
 
 3 
 
 21,, 
 
 1| 
 
 2 solid. 
 
 3rd (or " small ') ^ 
 joint, hickory j 
 
 3 
 
 13 
 
 IA 
 
 3 solid. 
 
 Top (or fourth) "1 
 
 1st top, 3 
 
 
 t 
 
 (5. 4 solid, and 
 \ 1 of steel wire. 
 
 joint, greenhart } 
 
 2nd top, 2 ft. 7 in. 
 
 S >' 
 
 " ) 
 
 4. 3 
 
 
 3rd top, 2 ft. 2 in.. 
 
 
 I 
 
 3. 2 .,
 
 134 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 One word as to ferrules. These should always be " ham- 
 mered," and not " tube-cut," To show the vast difference 
 which there is between a good and a bad rod, even in such 
 an item as ferrules, a brief explanation of the mode of 
 manufacturing the two descriptions of ferrule referred to, 
 may be given. 
 
 Ferrules used for common rods, or tube-cut ferrules, are 
 simply cylinders, of the same size at both ends, and cut off, 
 2 or 3 inches at a time, as required, from a piece of com- 
 mon soldered brass piping. These, of course, cost next to 
 nothing and break or bulge with the first strain put upon 
 them. The ferrules used by the really good tackle makers 
 are made, each one separately, out of sheet brass, hard- 
 soldered or brazed; and then hammered out cold into 
 the proper shape upon steel triblets a process which 
 though somewhat expensive and tedious makes the ferrule 
 in the end very nearly as hard and strong as the steel 
 itself. 
 
 The bottoms of all joints should be ' double brazed,' 
 i.e., covered with brass, not only round the thick part of 
 the joint where it fits the ferrule but also round the thinner 
 end, or plug, below it 
 
 This is a very useful precaution as it tends to prevent 
 the joints swelling and sticking fast. If the joints are only 
 half brazed or not brazed at all, the best way to avoid 
 sticking is to grease or soap them before use. Joints 
 which have become hopelessly stuck, may in general be 
 easi y separated by being turned slowly round and round
 
 JOINTS. 135 
 
 at the " sticking point" in the flame of a candle for some 
 seconds, or until it is found that the joints will come apart. 
 This process does not damage anything but the varnish 
 of the ferrule.
 
 136 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 CHAPTEE X. 
 
 Spinning continued. How, when, and where to spin How to spin 
 Casting Working Nottingham style Throwing from the 
 reel Striking Pressure required to make hooks penetrate 
 Playing Landing Net or gaff, or neither " Disgorger-blades " 
 
 Fishing-knife Spinning-baits Fresh or stale How to keep 
 fresh Sea fish as baits Preserving baits in spirit Best method 
 
 Fishing deep or shallow How to lead the trace When to 
 spin, and effects of weather W/iere to spin. 
 
 HOW, WHEN, AND WHERE TO SPIN. 
 
 QUITTING now the subject of Spinning Tackle and what it 
 ought to be the next point to be considered is, how, 
 when, and where to use it ; and if in this branch of the art 
 the skill of our trollers has not left very much to be said 
 that is new, or at least unknown, I can at any rate under- 
 take to advance nothing that is not true. Moreover, though 
 the Practice of spinning is doubtless more or less familiar 
 to most of us, the Theory has never yet been expounded 
 in print in anything like a complete or comprehensive 
 form. 
 
 To begin, then, at the alpha of the subject 
 
 How TO SPIN. 
 
 Presuming the rod and tackle to be arranged as already 
 described, and the bait, say a Gudgeon, placed on the flight
 
 HOW TO SPIN. 137 
 
 according to the directions given at page 90, and hanging 
 about 2 yards from the top of the rod, the spinner unwinds 
 from the reel as much line as he thinks he can manage, 
 allowing it to fall in loose coils at his feet ; and giving the 
 bait one or two pendulum-like movements, swings it vigor- 
 ously out in the direction in which he wishes to cast, at the 
 same time letting go the line altogether, and permitting the 
 bait to run out to its full extent. After allowing a few 
 moments (according to the depth of the water) for the bait 
 to sink, he lowers the point of the rod to within a foot or 
 so of the surface, and holding it at right angles to the bait 
 begins drawing in the line with his left hand, making 
 with his right a corresponding backward movement of the 
 rod, between each " draw." The object of this movement 
 of the rod, which to the spinner soon becomes a sort of 
 mechanical see-saw, is to prevent the bait being stationary, 
 whilst the left hand is preparing for a fresh ' draw ;' and in 
 order to accomplish it satisfactorily the most convenient 
 plan is to hold the rod firmly with the right hand just 
 below the lowest ring, letting the line pass between the 
 upper joints of the middle and fore-finger, and resting 
 the butt of the rod firmly against the hip. In spinning 
 from a punt an agreeable change of posture is obtained by 
 standing with the right foot on the side or well of the boat 
 and partially supporting the elbow and rod on the knee. 
 The " draws " or pulls, and the corresponding movements 
 of the rod must of course be varied in length and rapidity 
 according to the depth of water, size of bait, and other cir-
 
 138 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 cumstances, but a good medium speed, when the left hand, 
 or rather the line, is carried well back, is about 40 " draws" 
 per minute ; and a cast for every 2 yards of stream fished is 
 the allowance which on the whole will generally be found 
 the most advantageous. 
 
 The bait should not be taken out of the water until 
 brought close up to the bank, or side of the boat, as it is not 
 at all an uncommon circumstance for a fish, which has 
 perhaps been following it all the way across, to make a 
 dash at it at the last moment, when he appears to be about 
 to lose it. 
 
 The proper play of the rod, which is one of the most 
 certain tests of a good spinner, is highly important, not 
 only to prevent the stopping of the bait between the draws 
 but in order to give it its full glitter and piquancy. It 
 produces a more life-like motion, as it were, than that 
 imparted by the mere pulling in of the line by hand, whilst 
 for some reason or other probably the greater elasticity 
 of the lever used the spin of the bait is also far more 
 rapid and brilliant. 
 
 The substitution of a mere mechanical motion for this 
 combined movement of the hand and the rod is in my 
 opinion one fatal objection to what is termed the " Notting- 
 ham style " of spinning, thus described, by Mr. Bailey (the 
 chief apostle of the system), in his ' Angler's Instructor,' 
 pp. 5, 6, 9, 10. 
 
 " You cannot have a reel too light or that runs too free. The best is 
 a four-inch common wood reel, varnished to keep the rain from swelling
 
 "NOTTINGHAM STYLE." 139 
 
 the wood the only brass about it being the hoop for fastening it to the 
 rod. Brass inside and out adds to its weight and lessens its utility. 
 To cast a long line you must have a free and easy running reel. . . . 
 A line made wholly of good silk, well plaited, is the best for Pike- 
 fishing. Fifty yards of such a line ought to weigh no more than three 
 quarters of an ounce. . . . Well, having cast your bait as far as 
 possible, allow it, if you are fishing in a pond, or lake or deep water, to 
 sink a little, say two feet, then wind away at a brisk rate, holding your 
 rod on one side rather low ; if no run wind out and throw again, but 
 this time wind brisk four or five yards, then all of a sudden stop a 
 moment, then off again, doing so three or four times in one cast. T 
 have often found this a good plan. If you still have no run try another 
 throw and wind brisk as before, but occasionally giving your rod a 
 sharp but short twitch. I have also found this an excellent method of 
 using the spinner, but should it prove unsuccessful, here is another 
 style : Throw as before, but on this occasion wind slow four or five 
 yards, then with your rod drag the bait one or two yards sharp through 
 the water, stop a moment and wind slow again ; you will sometimes 
 find when resuming the slow winding process that your bait is brought 
 to a dead stop, which of course you must answer with a jerk of your 
 rod. If you feel you have got a fish give him one or two more as 
 quick as lightning, for you can seldom put the hook firmly in at the 
 first strike. When you have got a run you will sometimes feel a sharp 
 tug, but you will invariably be apprised of it by your line coming to a 
 sudden stop, as if you had hooked a clump of wood. When you do 
 hook a fish give him line, but keep one finger on the reel so as to pro- 
 serve the line taut, and play him artfully. . . . When spinning in 
 rivers where there is a strong current, take care to wind very slow, 
 otherwise your bait will be always on the surface of the water." . . 
 
 The peculiarities of this system, it is to be observed, 
 are the substitution of a plain wooden, for a metal check 
 reel ; the throwing from the reel (that is leaving the mo- 
 mentum of the bait when swung out to unwind by its own 
 impetus as much line as is required for the cast) ; and the 
 winding-in of the line on the reel, instead of the pulling of
 
 140 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 it in by the hand and rod and coiling it loosely on the 
 ground. This plan has doubtless some merits, and in the 
 hands of really good spinners (and not a few such have 
 adopted it) it may have a very slight advantage in bank- 
 fishing where the rough or scrubby nature of the ground 
 renders the ordinary loose coils of the line liable to catch 
 or tangle. But it may be doubted whether, even under 
 these exceptional circumstances, the method not unfre- 
 quently practised by Thames spinners of winding in the 
 line rapidly over the finger and thumb, or coiling it in a 
 ball in the hollow of the hand, would not be at least 
 equally efficacious, whilst the employment of a wooden 
 unchecked reel is liable to a vast number of disadvantages 
 as explained in chapter viii., pp. 112-113. Added to this 
 is the loss of attractiveness in the bait, above referred to, 
 consequent on the substitution of a monotonous mechanical 
 motion, for the elastic play of the rod and hand. To test 
 the fact that such a loss does actually take place, the fol- 
 lowing simple experiment will suffice ; drop your spinning 
 bait into the water, and wind it in as fast as possible, 
 on the Nottingham plan (that is by the reel only), keeping 
 the point of the rod stationary ; then draw the bait through 
 the water at the same pace using the rod only, and it will 
 be found that whilst a rapid spin is gained by the one, the 
 effect of the other is little better than a " wobble." 
 
 These are the obvious theoretical objections to the Not- 
 tingham style, as a system, which must occur to anyone 
 accustomed to the Thames method of spinning. It is much
 
 CASTING. 141 
 
 to be doubted, however, whether practically it would be 
 found even feasible with the small baits and very light 
 leads and traces constantly used on the Thames and other 
 fine waters. With such a bait and trace, weighing together 
 exactly 1 oz. 2 scruples, I have made a cast of 42 yards,* 
 which I should say would be entirely out of the question 
 if the bait were thrown from the reel. The weight of the 
 bait and trace used by Mr. Bailey, and of which I obtained 
 patterns from him, is 3i ozs., or nearly 3 times as much. 
 
 The methods referred to of gathering up the line in the 
 hand /require some little practice and would be difficult to 
 describe on paper. I should suggest a few lessons from 
 some experienced Thames spinner as the simplest way of 
 acquiring them. 
 
 With regard to the direction in which to cast a spinning 
 bait, opinions differ somewhat. In stagnant waters no 
 difficulty can of course be felt, as the simple and obvious 
 rule is to cast over the place in which the fish are most 
 likely to be ; but with rivers the case is different, and the 
 cast straight across stream, and that straight down stream 
 have both their advocates. As in many other matters I 
 believe that the truth lies midway between the two ex- 
 tremes, and that putting aside exceptional circumstances, 
 which of course make their own rules, the best direction in 
 which to cast with the spinning bait over running water is 
 diagonally, or in a direction rather slanting down and across 
 the stream. 
 
 * See p. 121.
 
 142 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 This conclusion would seem to be unavoidable if we con- 
 sider what are the objects which are desired to be attained. 
 They may be enumerated thus : 
 
 To cover the greatest extent of water within a given 
 time. 
 
 To present the bait in the position most attractive to the 
 fish ; and 
 
 To make sure of hooking him when he takes it. 
 
 Now to begin with the first of these desiderata. It is 
 clear that by drawing the bait from one side of the stream 
 to the other, the greatest area of water will be fished, and 
 for this reason ; that in order to give the proper intervals 
 between the casts when throwing straight down stream it 
 would be necessary to move the boat across the current a 
 yard or two at a cast, until it reached the other side, and 
 then drop down stream 20 or 30 yards before a fresh series 
 of casts could be commenced, whereas when thrown dia- 
 gonally or across it is only necessary to let the boat drop 
 down on one side of the river without delay or hindrance. 
 Moreover, supposing the spinner to be without a boat, he 
 would, if he confined himself to casting down stream, never 
 be able to fish more than one side of the water, and that 
 close to the bank. 
 
 Thus, in the question of the amount of water covered, 
 the "cast down stream" must be held to be radically 
 bad the arguments being about equally divided between 
 the " cast diagonal," and the " cast straight across ;" but
 
 CASTING. 
 
 143 
 
 on the second point, viz., the presenting of the bait to the 
 fish in the most attractive manner, the advantage will be 
 found to be all in favour of the diagonal mode of casting : 
 
 The fish it will be remembered lie with their heads up 
 stream, and the object must of course be to show them the 
 bait whilst showing them at the same time the least pos- 
 sible proportion of line or trace. Bearing this point and 
 a most vitally important one it is in view, the cast straight 
 down stream will again be at once ' put out of court ' inas- 
 much as it is evident, that except at the very extremity of 
 the cast, the whole of the line and trace must pass right 
 over the fish's eyes before he can possibly see the bait. The 
 question, therefore, narrows itself as between the ' diagonal ' 
 and 'straight across' casts: and here a glance at the an- 
 nexed diagram will I think prove that the advantages are 
 all on side of the former. 
 
 Cast straight across. 
 
 Supposing a fish to be stationed at each of the points a, 
 b, c, d, e and /, marked in these diagrams, it is evident that
 
 144 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 in almost every case the advantage, both as regards show- 
 ing the bait and striking, rests with the diagonal cast. 
 The only spot where the chances are at all equal is at a, 
 and even in the event of a fish taking the bait at this 
 point, the looping of the line, inseparable from the cast 
 straight across, would considerably diminish the chances of 
 hooking with the latter method. The greater curvature 
 of the line in this mode of casting would also tell unfavour- 
 ably on the hooking of a fish at the three other points I, c, 
 and d ; whilst it is obvious that at each of these points a 
 large portion of the running line, and the whole of the trace, 
 would pass in deliberate review across the vision of a fish 
 before he could by any means be expected to see the bait. 
 The points e and / can never be ' fished ' at all, in the 
 proper sense of the term, with the straight across* cast, as 
 by the time the bait arrives at the near side of the bank it 
 will also have well nigh reached the top of the trolling 
 rod, the waving of which to and fro will probably have 
 formed a subject of pleasing curiosity to any Jack that 
 may be in the neighbourhood. 
 
 Such being the evidence, it cannot be doubted that 
 the jury will find an unanimous verdict in favour of the 
 diagonal cast, for all ordinary river spinning. 
 
 Thus much as to casting. The next and equally signi- 
 ficant question in " How to spin," is striking, as more Pike 
 are probably lost by a failure in this point than by all the 
 other casualties of spinning put together.
 
 LOSSES AFTER STRIKING. 145 
 
 As elsewhere stated, these losses, with the old form of 
 three triangled spinning flights, amounted to no less than 
 50 per cent, of the fish run. As this may seem a large 
 average to those who have never kept a register of their 
 runs and losses, I will quote one (out of scores,) of corro- 
 borative testimony, from the " Visitor's Book " at Slapton 
 Ley Hotel, 8th October, 1862 : " Mr. Clarke caught 91 
 Pike ail by spinning and lost 93 others after hooking 
 them." Of course much depends upon the skill of the 
 fisherman ; I understood, however, that Mr. Clarke was a 
 remarkably good performer, and having fished with many 
 of the very best spinners on the Thames from Tom Kose- 
 well downwards, I can assert confidently that an average 
 of 50 per cent, for losses after striking is, with the old- 
 fashioned tackle, a very moderate computation.* In the 
 case of inferior performers the average would of course be 
 greater. With the tackle here recommended to be used 
 the losses have been only in the proportion of one in six, 
 or 16 per cent, in lieu of 50, -as detailed at page 91, 
 Chap. VI. From this chapter also I would beg permission, 
 
 * Many fishermen have remarked on the very large proportion of 
 Pike lost after being once struck. Robert Salter, who is entitled 
 in some sense to be considered the father of spinning, as Nobbes was 
 the father of trolling, refers to the fact in his ' Modern Angler,' 2nd 
 edit., 1811, p. 103 " Snap-fishing (spinning)," he says, " cannot be 
 considered the most certain method of taking Pike, because so many are 
 missed after striking them." Professor Rennie, in his ' Alphabet of 
 Angling,' also adverts to the circumstance, but attributes it to the fact 
 of the Pike not being " leather-mouthed.'"
 
 146 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 though at the risk of repetition, to quote a few remarks 
 shewing why these losses could not but occur : 
 
 " The great size and thickness of the hooks used also 
 contributes materially to the losses complained of, as it 
 should always be recollected that to strike a No. 1 hook 
 fairly into a fish's mouth requires at least three times the 
 force that is required to strike in a No. 5 ; and that this 
 is still more emphatically the case when the hooks are 
 whipped in triangles. For example : Let us suppose that 
 a Jack has taken a spinning bait dressed with a flight of 
 three or four of these large triangles, and a sprinkling of 
 single hooks say 12 in all. The bait lies between his 
 jaws grasped crosswise. Now it is probable that the points 
 of at least 6 of these hooks will be pressed somehow or 
 other by the fish's mouth, whilst the bait also to which 
 they are firmly attached is held in his teeth as by a vice. 
 It follows, therefore, that the whole of this combined resist- 
 ance must be overcome and that at one stroke, and 
 sharply before a single point can be buried above the 
 barb. . . . 
 
 " The shape of the hooks is also a very critical point as 
 regards the deadliness of the flight, those who have not 
 actually tried it would be surprised to find how critical. 
 The difference in killing power between a triangle of 
 Limerick hooks and one of the * Sneck bend,' used in my 
 tackle, is not less than 100 per cent, against the former ; 
 the round and Kendal bends standing about midway be- 
 tween the two a variation which is doubtless to a great
 
 SHAPES OF HOOKS. 147 
 
 extent owing to the different angles at which the points 
 of the four hooks meet the skin of the fish's mouth, and 
 their consequent penetrating tendency when the line is 
 pulled tight. ... In fact, as Captain Williamson very truly 
 observes, the great point is that all hooks should be 
 angular at the bend, and not semicircular. The following 
 table shows the result of the experiments which I tried 
 with 4 hooks, selected at random from the stock of a 
 London fishing tackle maker (they were all No. 2's of his 
 sizes) : 
 
 Average 
 Bend of Hook. pressure required. 
 
 Limerick 3 Ibs. 
 
 Eound 2i Ibs. 
 
 Kendal 2^ Ibs. 
 
 Sneck 1| Ibs." 
 
 Now suppose that only one triangle is used (as in my 
 tackles), of the same size as the above, and of the Sneck 
 bend, and that no other hook on the flight touches the 
 fish. Well, it is probable, we may assume, that two of the 
 hooks of this triangle will be in contact with the Pike's 
 mouth ; therefore a stroke equal to 3 Ibs. pressure at the 
 very least, will be required to fix these two hooks over 
 the barb, and that without taking into account the resist- 
 ance offered by the holding of the bait itself between the 
 fish's jaws. Have any of my readers ever tried what the 
 pressure actually exerted by an ordinary stroke with a 
 Jack rod is at, say, 25 yards? If not, let me suggest a 
 slight experiment which will assist them, perhaps, in future 
 
 L 2
 
 148 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 in judging what the force really exerted by ordinary 
 striking is : 
 
 Take a 3 Ibs. weight, and adding another pound to 
 represent the loss of power caused by the obstruction of 
 the water, and two more to allow for the pressure of the 
 Pike's teeth on the bait itself (6 Ibs. in all), attach the end 
 of your trolling line to it, and using an averagely stiff 
 Jack rod, see how much striking force is required to be 
 exerted in order to move the weight smartly say 4 inches 
 at 25 yards distance. If the bait be very heavy, or larger 
 sized hooks be used, or more of them, or of a less pene- 
 trating " bend," a little calculation on the foregoing basis 
 will easily enable the spinner to adjust the weight used in 
 the experiment so as to represent the average pressure, or 
 force, required for an efficient stroke. 
 
 It is therefore strongly recommended to all spinners, 
 as the very alpha of their craft, and notwithstanding the 
 opinions to the contrary expressed by many angling author- 
 ities, to strike, and that the moment they feel a run. All 
 other rules, such as " giving the fish time to turn," " waiting 
 till he shakes the bait," &c., &c., are useless, and indeed 
 generally impossible in practice. Again the Pike, with 
 many other predaceous species, shows a great reluctance 
 to quit his hold of a prey once seized. Most of us have 
 probably witnessed this tenacity in the case of both Eels 
 and Perch ; and the Stickleback as is well known, will let 
 itself be pulled out of the water by its hold of a worm.
 
 STEIKE WITHOUT DELAY. 149 
 
 On one occasion for the sake of experiment, I fastened a 
 large cork to a string, and drew it across a Pike-pond, 
 giving it at the same time an irregular, life-like motion. 
 It was quickly seized by a fish of about 2 Ibs., which made 
 a most determined resistance, running out the twine as if 
 really hooked, and only relinquishing its grasp of the cork 
 when within arm's length. The experiment was repeated 
 several times with a similar result. 
 
 This illustrates a fact of great importance to Pike- 
 fishers, and one which is of especial significance in the 
 case of spinners: namely, that Pike will constantly show 
 considerable fight, and even allow themselves to be dragged 
 many yards, by the obstinacy of their hold, without ever 
 having been pricked by a hook shaking the bait out of 
 their mouths when almost in the net. 
 
 Therefore I say once more Strike, and strike hard; 
 and repeat the stroke until a violent tearing struggle is felt ; 
 such a struggle almost invariably beginning the moment a 
 fish really feels the hook, and being easily distinguished 
 from that sluggish resistance, sometimes absolute inaction, 
 experienced when he is only "holding on." It is gene- 
 rally large unwieldy Pike which act in this fashion, and an 
 attention to the above suggestion will not unfrequently 
 save the loss of the best fish of the day. 
 
 Always strike down stream when feasible, and when 
 fishing in still water in the opposite direction to that in which 
 the fah is moving, the hooks will thus be brought into 
 contact with his jaws and the soft parts at the corners of
 
 150 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 the mouth, instead of being pulled, as it were, away from 
 him. In the majority of instances, however, neither time 
 nor circumstances admit of these rules being adopted, and 
 in such cases the simplest and safest plan is to strike 
 straight upwards, the spinner being always prepared for 
 shortening the line the moment the stroke is made in case 
 the fish should make a rush towards him. 
 
 PLAYING. 
 
 The golden rule in playing all fish is to keep a strong 
 and even strain upon them from the first to last, and get 
 them into basket with as little delay as possible. The 
 maintaining of a sufficiently heavy strain is particularly 
 necessary in Pike-fishing where stiff rods are used, and 
 flights containing several hooks, as the sadden slackening 
 of a foot or two of line is sufficient to restore such a rod 
 to the straight position from which it has been compara- 
 tively little bent, thus removing the strain altogether ; 
 whilst the tendency of using a good many hooks on the 
 same bait, is of course to lessen the pull on each par- 
 ticular hook. Even with a "swishy" Salmon or Trout 
 rod it is always desirable to keep up a considerable steady 
 strain on a fish, although in this case a slackening of at 
 least 3 or 4 feet of line must occur to restore the rod to 
 its straight position, and remove the pressure from the 
 hook, whilst the fact of the hook being single diminishes 
 the probability of its becoming unfixed and increases the 
 chance of its tearing out its hold.
 
 PLAYING AND LANDING. 151 
 
 Should a fish run under or into weeds, there is but 
 one plan to be pursued ; tighten the strain upon him 
 to the very utmost that rod and line will bear : by this 
 means the line will frequently act as a knife and cut its 
 way, with the fish, through all obstacles. But whether the 
 expedient fails or succeeds it is the only one that can be 
 adopted : if once the fish passes under the weeds without 
 carrying the line with him, the latter forms an angle, at 
 the point where it strikes the obstacle, and all power over 
 the fish is instantly lost. Not one large fish in twenty 
 will be brought to basket under such circumstances. 
 
 LANDING. 
 
 There are many conflicting opinions in regard to the 
 landing of the Pike, as on all other angling matters. 
 
 Nobbes suggests that you " put your fingers in his eyes," 
 adding " some will adventure to take him by the gills, 
 though that hold is neither so secure nor so safe for the 
 Fisher, because the fish in that heat of passion, may acci- 
 dentally take revenge upon his adversary, by letting him 
 blood in the Fingers, which way of phlebotomizing is not 
 esteemed so good." 
 
 The justice of this latter observation will probably com- 
 mend itself to Pike-fishers without any very elaborate 
 argument. Indeed most of us would probably object to 
 attempting practically either one or the other of Nobbes's 
 ingenious methods. If neither a landing-net nor a gaff 
 is accessible, by far the best and safest method of landing
 
 152 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 a Pike is to grasp him as tightly as possible behind the 
 shoulders, and either lift or throw him on the bank. 
 
 When bringing a fish to land it seems to be a canon 
 very generally preached, if not accepted, that the attempt 
 should be made to lift " his nose out of water as soon as 
 possible for the purpose of choking him." This is referred 
 to by Gay in his admirable lines : 
 
 " Now hope exalts the fisher's beating heart : 
 Now he turns pale, and fears his dubious art ; 
 He views the trembling fish with longing eyes, 
 While the line stretches with th' unwieldy prize ; 
 Each motion humours with his steady hands, 
 And one slight hair the mighty bulk commands ; 
 Till tired at last, despoil'd of all his strength, 
 The game athwart the stream unfolds his length ; 
 He now, with pleasure, views the gasping prize 
 Gnash his sharp teeth, and roll his bloodshot eyes, 
 Then draws him to the shore with artful care, 
 And lifts his nostrils in the sickening air" 
 
 For myself I must confess that, poetry apart, there is 
 nothing I dislike more than seeing any portion of my fish 
 whether nose or tail, appearing on the top of the water 
 until the net is actually being placed under him. The 
 plunges and violent shakes of the jaws which a Pike gives 
 when brought to the surface are more dangerous both to 
 tackle and basket than all his other sub-aqueous per- 
 formances. 
 
 In spinning, the gaff has some advantages over the net, 
 inasmuch as it avoids the straining, and often breaking of 
 the flight, by the struggles of the fish in the net. A bait
 
 " DISGORGER BLADES." 153 
 
 would also be frequently saved in the case of the gaff which 
 would be destroyed with the net. Of Pike gaff-hooks the 
 double, hinged, having a blade on one side and a hook on 
 the other, are the best, as they can be safely slung across 
 the shoulder with a light strap, which the ordinary fixed 
 gaff cannot, and the " cutting blade " is often very useful 
 to clear the bait from weeds, boughs, &c. 
 
 When spinning from the bank, however, I rarely use 
 either gaff or net, and seldom find any practical incon- 
 venience result. On the only occasion on which I remem- 
 ber hooking so large a Pike that I could not manage 
 him myself, Mr. Frank Buckland heroically waded into 
 the water and carried him out in his arms like a great 
 baby. This unwieldy individual was caught in a * stew :' 
 he weighed 23 Ibs. 
 
 The notion that Pike's teeth are poisonous is, I believe, 
 entirely unfounded ; but the truth is that, like all punc- 
 tured wounds, the injuries inflicted by them heal very 
 slowly and are excessively painful. In consequence of the 
 inconvenience experienced in extracting hooks from the 
 mouths of these fish with the ordinary short disgorger, I 
 caused a ' disgorger blade,' if I may so term it made, of 
 course, without edges of any sort to be inserted in my 
 fishing-knife, by which means the length of the disgorger 
 was doubled, and its power and readiness for use very 
 greatly increased. The advantage of this arrangement of 
 the disgorger, both in trolling and other fishing, suggested 
 the advisability of extending the principle so as to embody
 
 154 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 in the same knife the rest of the angler's desiderata, and 
 thus spare him the necessity of collecting and stowing each 
 individual article before starting for the river. I am 
 aware that knives intended to fulfil the object have been 
 already produced ; but they have generally been exceed- 
 ingly clumsy and expensive, and have either not embraced 
 the really essential implements, or have sacrificed their 
 efficiency to a number of others which are practically 
 useless. 
 
 The engraving opposite represents the form and arrange- 
 ment of a fishing-knife which will, I believe, be found 
 to contain all that is really required, viz. : a powerful 
 blade suited for crimping or other general purposes : a 
 ' disgorger blade ;' a minnow-needle ; an ordinary baiting 
 needle, the last two slipping into a box in the handle 
 of the knife, a sharp-pointed pricker (an exceedingly 
 useful instrument for unpicking knots, loosening drop- 
 flies, separating feathers, &c.), and last, not least, a strong 
 corkscrew. 
 
 I have furnished Messrs. Weiss, of No. 62, Strand, Lon- 
 don, with the pattern for this knife. 
 
 An ingenious contrivance in the form of a sort of pair of 
 scissors, with a spring to prevent the blades closing again 
 when opened, has also been lately invented, by Messrs. 
 Alfred and Son, I believe, which would probably be very 
 useful in fixing open the jaws of a Pike whilst the hooks 
 are being extracted.
 
 1. Box containing minnow-needle and 5. Pricker, for loosening drop-flies, sepa- 
 
 baiting-needle. rating feathers, &c. 
 
 2. Hole for pricker (marked 5.) 6. Minnow-needle. 
 :s. Blade for crimping or other purposes. 7. Baiting-needle. 
 4. Pisgorger. 
 
 FISHING-KNIFE. 
 
 (To face p. 154.)
 
 NATURAL BAITS. 155 
 
 SPINNING-BAITS. 
 
 THIS is the last subject properly embraced under this 
 division " How to spin ; " and as it is the last, so it is 
 undoubtedly the most important, standing in somewhat 
 the same relation to the other branches of the art that 
 the " catching of the hare " proverbially bears to its sub- 
 sequent cooking. The spinner may make his casts to per- 
 fection, and be prepared at all points for the striking, 
 playing and landing of his game, secundum artem ; but 
 without a proper bait the one will be wasted and the others 
 have little chance of " airing their graces." 
 
 To commence, then, with the fresh, natural baits (arti- 
 ficial baits will be reserved for a subsequent chapter) : 
 The best of all natural baits, so far as perfection of spin- 
 ning and durability are concerned, is incontestably the 
 Gudgeon, and I believe that taking the average of waters 
 and weathers, it is also the most killing bait for Pike all 
 the year round.* In clouded water or very dark weather, 
 a Bleak or small bright Dace or Chub may, from their 
 glittering scaling, possibly possess an advantage, as being 
 more readily seen ; and in cases where the Pike are known 
 to be of exceptional size, a bait of one or other of the 
 two last-named species, and larger than a Gudgeon, may 
 
 * This is also Ephemera's opinion. Mr. Baily prefers a Bleak for 
 spinning, a Gudgeon for trolling, and a two ounce Dace for live-bait, and 
 Palmer Hackle (Mr. Blakey) of course gives a Roach as the nonpareil 
 that being incontestably the worst of all for any species of trolling !
 
 156 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 be desirable ; but taking the whole season through I 
 believe a Gudgeon to be the very best spinning bait for 
 Pike that swims, as it is certainly the most readily pro- 
 curable and easiest of transport. Even in the exceptional 
 cases mentioned there would appear to be great doubt of 
 the advantages of very large or very bright baits, as, 
 if the water is really so much discoloured as to prevent 
 a Gudgeon being visible, it is fitter for livebaiting than 
 spinning, whilst I have frequently known the largest Pike 
 take a Minnow in preference to anything else that could 
 be offered them. As a general rule it is always safe to 
 use a small bait when the water is low and bright, and a 
 larger one when it is full or settling after a flood. 
 
 Some authors have stated that the spinning-bait should 
 be allowed to stiffen before being used, and others that the 
 keeping of it in salt or pickle for a day or two improves 
 its flavour. Can anything be a greater absurdity ? Not 
 only does a fresh bait spin better, and keep spinning better, 
 than a stale one, but, in the latter the lack of elasticity 
 to a great extent destroys the " life-like-ness of the bait, 
 whilst its scales lose their metallic brilliance, and the eye 
 that most prominent feature in all Pike-baits becomes 
 shrunken and lustreless. As a well-known writer on the 
 subject observes, fish are not aldermen, and, unless it be 
 the Eel, none that we know of prefer their game high ! 
 
 Therefore, if possible, carry your baits with you alive, 
 and kill them as required. The most humane and effectual 
 way of doing this is to give them two or three hard " flips "
 
 FRESH BAITS BEST. 157 
 
 with the finger or with a small stick on the back of the 
 head until all motion ceases. The first blow stuns them, 
 and death thus inflicted is probably entirely painless. 
 
 If the baits cannot be carried with the spinner alive, 
 the plan recommended by Walton, Salter, and most other 
 authors is to put them into a little dry ban, which it is 
 said keeps them fresher than any other method, by absorb- 
 ing the moisture. My own plan, of preserving baits for a 
 day's spinning, when they cannot be carried alive, is to 
 wrap them in a soft damp cloth, immediately after being 
 killed, re-moistening the cloth whenever it shows symptoms 
 of dryness. 
 
 I would recommend this plan in preference to the other 
 as being both more convenient and maintaining better 
 the elasticity and brightness of the baits. Salt or brine 
 is destruction to baits as they very soon become flaccid, 
 and lose every attractive quality which it is desirable 
 they should possess. 
 
 When fresh- water bait cannot be procured either of the 
 following sea-fish can be used as substitutes : Basse (best) 
 Grey Mullet, and Herring-Sprat. 
 
 Although as I have said the fresher the bait is the more 
 deadly it will be, yet it will sometimes happen that the 
 spinner may find himself so situated that none can be pro- 
 cured for love or money. In such a case baits preserved 
 in spirit of wine are the best substitute, and indeed no bad 
 one, as practical trial has proved to me, and as has been 
 shown by the numerous communications on the* subject
 
 158 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 which have been published during the last year or two. 
 Without going into all the various methods proved by 
 myself or others to be ineffectual (and of which I should 
 place preserving by Oxalic Acid in the first class), I will 
 here give the receipt which I can avouch from my own 
 knowledge and experiment to be efficient, not only in pre- 
 serving thoroughly, but in producing a bait which will 
 really kill, certainly not quite so well as when fresh, but 
 at least well enough to make a good basket in most waters, 
 and decidedly better than any other substitute for fresh 
 baits with which I am acquainted : 
 
 Procure some canisters or tins in shape like Sardine 
 pots, but having the lid not yet fixed on : take the baits 
 (Gudgeons are those which I have always used) and 
 having killed them, make a small slit in their bellies with 
 a penknife : then wipe them carefully dry with a cloth, 
 taking care to get all the slime off the scales, and placing 
 them in the box (as many as it will hold easily without 
 any pressure) let the lid be soldered down. When this 
 is done make a small hole in the lid, at the point which 
 appears most raised, and pour in sufficient pure spirit of 
 wine (not camphorated) to fill the tin quite up to the hole: 
 then let the hole be soldered up and the process is 
 complete. 
 
 Great care should be taken that the box when finally 
 soldered up is perfectly air-tight all over, as upon this 
 point the perfect preservation of its contents mainly de- 
 pends. The softer the tin that can be procured for making
 
 PRESERVED BAITS. 159 
 
 the boxes the better, as they can then be opened with 
 a sardine-knife like Sardine-cases : thus avoiding much 
 trouble. The object of making the slit in the .bellies of 
 the baits is to let the spirit reach the stomach and intes- 
 tines ; and the baits are wiped before being put into the 
 spirit, because otherwise the slime or moisture becomes 
 yellow and opaque in the spirit, ami destroys the glittering 
 appearance which it is so desirable should be retained. 
 
 If the directions given above are carefully attended to, I 
 will guarantee that the baits will be in perfect condition 
 for use six months after preserving. 
 
 Any pure strong spirit might probably do nearly as well 
 as spirit of wine ; and if the baits are not required to be 
 preserved beyond a few weeks, it is very likely that they 
 would keep sufficiently well in a carefully corked bottle 
 or air-tight jar ; but I cannot state it as a fact within my 
 own knowledge that they will do so. I can state, how- 
 ever, that baits preserved " higgledy-piggledly " in a bottle 
 or jar, are very apt to become so twisted and contorted as 
 to be almost useless for spinning purposes, which is not 
 the case with those packed carefully side by side in a flat 
 Sardine pot. The tin case is also much more convenient 
 for travelling than glass. 
 
 I cannot but think that it would be well worth the while 
 of the London Tackle Makers to procure Sardine cases 
 from France (where they are manufactured and used), and 
 keep a supply of preserved baits always in stock. It would 
 be a convenience of which both Pike and Trout fishermen
 
 160 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 would, I believe, eagerly avail themselves. Imported in 
 the gross the cost of these tin cases would be comparatively 
 trifling ; and even if the baits were twice as expensive as 
 the natural ones, men who were spending a guinea or so 
 a day for their sport, would hardly hesitate to spend 
 another shilling for the one absolute essential, without 
 which all the rest of their outlay would be wasted. 
 
 As regards the depth at which the, spinning bait should be 
 worked, that depends entirely upon the state of the water 
 with reference to weeds and other circumstances. It will 
 be generally found, however, that in hot weather the fish 
 lie near the surface, and in cold weather near the bottom ; 
 so that the bait should be spun "shallow" or "deep" 
 accordingly. 
 
 In "leading" the trace for the purpose of regulating 
 the depth, it should always be borne in mind that to sink 
 a large bait to a given depth, requires a heavier lead than 
 is necessary in sinking a smaller bait. Thus if a half- 
 ounce lead will sink an ounce bait to the depth of one 
 foot, a lead of an ounce in weight would be required to 
 sink a two ounce bait to the same point. This is owing 
 to the fact of the bait being as nearly as may be of the 
 same weight as the water. It has been proved that in 
 ordinary fresh water a fresh killed fish of 19 Ibs. weighed 
 1 J Ib. only. 
 
 The tendency of the bait being to remain on the surface 
 of the water where it is thrown, it is obvious that the
 
 WHEN TO SPIN. 161 
 
 larger the bait the heavier must be the weight to carry 
 it down to the same place, in a given time. Moreover the 
 larger the bait (or, in other words, the greater its vis 
 inertice), the greater inclination has the line when pulled 
 upwards from the top of the rod to lift the sinking lead 
 to the level of the bait. Tims there is a compound re- 
 sistance to be overcome in weighting a large bait to sink 
 deeply. 
 
 WHEN TO SPIN. 
 
 In some respects the discussion of this part of my sub- 
 ject may be considered unnecessary, as, practically, men 
 who have once taken to spinning rarely care much for 
 any other method of Pike-fishing, and with slight ex- 
 ceptions the spinning-bait may be used with advantage 
 from the 1st of June to the end of February that is 
 during the whole season when Pike can be taken. I have 
 'already explained at p. 74, the causes which, in my 
 opinion, make spinning the most generally deadly mode 
 of fishing throughout the year, arid it is not necessary 
 therefore to repeat them : the only circumstances under 
 which the preference is to be given to the live or gorge 
 bait, is (for the former) when the water is too much dis- 
 coloured by flood ; and (for the latter) when too much 
 overgrown with Aveeds, to make spinning practicable. 
 Nor do I believe that there is any rule as to the state of 
 the wind, weather, or water, by which the most experienced 
 Pike-fisher can really prognosticate what will be a good 
 
 M
 
 162 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 day for spinning and what for trolling, or even whether 
 the day will prove good for Pike-fishing at all. To this 
 view I have been gradually led by a careful observation 
 of the condition of weather and water existing on days on 
 which I have had the best and the worst sport, and I can- 
 not say that I have ever been able to make out that there 
 was any rule or system whatever traceable in the result. 
 In this opinion I am confirmed by a conversation I had 
 some little time ago with Captain Warming-ton, of Sand- 
 hill House, Fordingbridge, a most experienced Pike-fisher, 
 who informed me that he had kept an exact register of 
 the state of the wind, water, barometer, &c., on the days 
 when he had been Jack-fishing, for a great many years, 
 and had not been able to arrive at any result whatever, 
 the results, in fact, were altogether contradictory and un- 
 intelligible. 
 
 Many plausible rules on these subjects have, however, 
 been laid down by other authors. One recommends to fish 
 in the morning and evening in hot weather, and all day 
 long in cloudy weather, and pleasantly remarks that "it's 
 the wind and the cooler clouds, when Zephirus cui'ls the 
 waves with a brisk and delightsome gale, that invites a 
 fish to repast." * 
 
 * Nobbes's ' Troller.' This quaint old author says, " A northern wind 
 indeed is sharp and piercing, and will weary the fisherman's patience, 
 because Boreas his breath is more nipping than that of his fellows, and 
 the North-east carries a proverb with it enough to discourage a fresh- 
 water shark." 
 
 Stoddart, writing principally with regard to Scotch waters, says, " As
 
 EFFECTS OF WEATHER, 163 
 
 Another favours the sharp breeze that sweeps the half- 
 frozen dyke 
 
 " And hungers into madness every plunging Pike," 
 
 Whilst the majority, including Nobbes, are of opinion 
 
 that 
 
 to the weather and state of water best suited to Pike-fishing, the former 
 I esteem most when dull and warm ; there being at the time a breeze 
 from the south or south-west. Sunny glimpses, now and then, are not 
 unfavourable, and the approach of thunder, so inimical to the hopes of 
 the trout fisher, may be held auspicious. On cold days, however 
 windy, Pike seldom bite well, although in Teviot, during the spring 
 season, I have met with exceptions. In this river also I have noticed 
 that these fish are in high humour for taking immediately before a 
 flood, and when the water is just beginning to swell. This is owing no 
 doubt to the anticipations entertained by them, through instinct, of 
 being deprived for some length of time of their usual food, which 
 during a thick muddy water they are unable to discern and secure. 
 They moreover bite freely when the river is of a deep brown colour, and 
 I have caught them in pools highly impregnated with snow ; in fact, 
 there is no state of water, actual floods excepted, during which the river 
 Pike I allude to (Scotch) may not be induced to take." 
 
 Baily says, " Never go Pike-fishing when it freezes sharp." (Here 
 some joke about fingers). . . . " Besides, although some anglers 
 say Pike will bite well in such a state of weather, I can assure you they 
 are very much mistaken. In January and February when the weather 
 is open and a little sunshiny, and the water clear, with a gentle breeze 
 blowing, Pike will bite well. A calm still day is bad for Pike-fishing 
 at any time of the year, but particularly in summer, when the weather 
 is hot, but they may be taken on such days in the morning and even- 
 ing. A good rough Avind will keep them alive in the roughest weather. 
 As a general rule, however, you can take great store of Pike in spring, 
 summer, autumn, and winter, if the water is clear and rippled by a 
 gentle breeze and the day cloudy." 
 
 M 2
 
 164 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 " When the wind is in the south, 
 It blows the bait into the fish's mouth," 
 
 and pronounce that Eurus is neither good for man nor 
 beast. 
 
 Probably, however, the truth is that a good breeze from 
 whatever quarter it may blow is favourable for Jack-fishing, 
 and particularly for spinning ; whilst with regard to Water 
 the only rule whicli can be considered to have any general 
 significance is that a full fresh stream the rising that 
 precedes a flood and the clearing that follows it are 
 usually preferable to a water that is low or bright. 
 
 As regards the Where of spinning, there can be but one 
 rule, and that applies equally to all branches of trolling, 
 or other angling i. e., to spin the spots in which, accord- 
 ing to the season, the fish are most likely to be found. 
 The following hints will probably be found sufficiently 
 indicative of these, so far as the Pike is concerned : 
 
 The haunts of Pike vary considerably at different times 
 of the year, and also vary witli the nature of particular 
 waters ; but it usually prefers a still, unfrequented spot 
 plentifully supplied with weeds and flags, selecting if 
 possible a gravelly or sandy bottom. The neighbourhoods 
 of reeds, docks, bulrushes, and the broad-leaved water-lily 
 are its favourite resorts ; and of these a flooring of lilies, 
 with from four to six feet of quiet current over it, and a 
 wall of reeds at the side, springing from the bottom, is 
 the best
 
 WHERE TO SPIN. 165 
 
 " A league of goss washed by a slow broad stream 
 That, stirr'd with languid pulses of the oar, 
 Waves all its lazy lilies and creeps on. . . 
 
 Indeed it may be said that the reed and the lily are to 
 the Pike what the hollybush is to the woodcock. In lochs 
 and meres it commonly frequents the most shoal and 
 weedy parts, small inlets, and little bays, or the mouths 
 of streams where minnows or other fry congregate ; and 
 in rivers, back-waters and dam-heads, eddies between two 
 streams, or in fact any water that is weedy, of moderate 
 depth and not too much acted upon by the current. 
 
 As a general rule, Pike will be found during the summer 
 in or close upon the streams ; and in winter, after the first 
 heavy flood, in the large eddies and deeps.
 
 166 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 CHAPTEE XL 
 
 for Trout. Thames Trout spinning and tackle Lake 
 trolling and tackle Minnow spinning New Minnow tackle 
 A few hints on Minnow spinning. 
 
 SPINNING FOB TROUT. 
 
 AT first sight it may perhaps appear that I am departing 
 somewhat widely from the scheme originally marked out 
 by including in the ' Book of the Pike,' a chapter on " How 
 to spin for Trout ; " but the truth is that a great part of 
 what has been said in the preceding pages on the subject 
 of Jack-fishing, and nearly the whole of that which has 
 reference more specifically to Tackle required for spinning, 
 is as applicable to the one description of fish as to the 
 other, so far that is, as Thames Trout spinning and Lake 
 trolling are concerned. With regard to the ordinary mode 
 of Minnow spinning, for Trout in brooks and streams I 
 shall also offer a few remarks, partly for the sake of com- 
 pleteness, and partly because I venture to think that I 
 can point out a Minnow tackle at once simpler and more 
 effective than any of the numerous patterns, which at the 
 recommendation of Angling books or Tackle venders I 
 have at different times tested. 
 To begin with
 
 N? I 
 
 'LU 
 
 N? 3 
 
 Nf 4- 
 
 2. 
 
 TROUT SPINNING TACKLE.
 
 TROUT SPINNING-TACKLE. 167 
 
 THAMES TKOUT SPINNING, 
 
 the best months for which are April, May, and June : 
 
 The line, reel, and rod for Jack-spinning as described in 
 Chapters IV. and V. the longest top joint of the rod 
 being used will answer every ordinary purpose in this 
 mode of fishing ; if, however, the fisherman has a choice, 
 a somewhat longer and lighter weapon, made of East 
 Indian or mottled bamboo, presents a slight advantage 
 especially in spinning under or over the weirs where a 
 considerable ' reach ' and a short line are desiderata. 
 
 The Trace should be the same in construction as that 
 recommended for Pike (Chapter VII.), the material in all 
 cases being single gut, but made up " finer " than when 
 used for Pike, the Lead also being lighter to correspond 
 with the bait. 
 
 The Flight : The flight of hooks should be identical 
 in construction with that figured at page 84, Chapter VI., 
 patterns Nos. 2 and 3, single gut being used throughout, 
 but in size these patterns will most commonly be found too 
 large for the baits (small Gudgeon or Bleak), usually pre- 
 ferred by Thames Trout Spinners. 
 
 In the annexed plate an engraving is given of the size 
 of Flight (No. 1) which will generally be found most suit- 
 able for Trout on the Thames: it is also a very useful 
 flight for Pike in hot summer weather when the water is 
 low and bright. 
 
 Directions for baiting are given at p. 90, Chapter VI.
 
 1G8 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 Unlike Jack, Trout are very frequently in the habit of 
 " taking short," as the puntsmen phrase it, that is seizing 
 the bait by the tail instead of by the head, or from laziness 
 or shyness making their dash a little behind rather than 
 before it. In order to meet this peculiarity and to render 
 the killing powers of the above flight as deadly in the 
 case of Trout as they are in that of the Pike, I use for 
 Trout spinning an additional flying triangle, tied on a 
 separate link of twisted gut (see Plate, Figure 2), and 
 which can at pleasure be attached to or disengaged from 
 the ordinary flight by being passed over the tail-hook 
 from the point. This triangle flies loose from the bait in 
 the position indicated by the dotted outline A (Figure 
 No. 1 on Plate) and will be found to act as a powerful 
 argument against any sudden change of mind or loss of 
 appetite on the part of a pursuing Trout. The size of the 
 hooks, length of gut, &c., shown in the engraving, are of 
 the proper proportion for a flight of the size No. 1. They 
 should be enlarged or diminished as flights of a larger or 
 smaller size are used. Elasticity or stiffness is absolutely 
 essential to the proper action of this " tail triangle " and 
 therefore the only material of which the link should be, or 
 can be made, if it is to be of any use, is twisted or plaited 
 gut twisted being the better of the two. 
 
 As regards the method of casting, working the bait, &c,, 
 it is, in all open waters, identical with that described for 
 Pike spinning, pp. 136-138, Chapter X. In the case of weirs, 
 however, and other ' rushes ' of water, which are generally
 
 LAKE TROLLING TACKLE. 169 
 
 the best places, no rules can be laid down, and a few 
 lessons from some one of the many experienced spinners 
 which the Thames boasts would be preferable to a volume 
 of written instructions indeed the whole modus operandi 
 above described is peculiar to, and suitable only for the 
 Thames, or other equally large river possessing an equally 
 large breed of Trout. 
 
 LAKE TKOLLING. 
 
 ' Lake Trolling ' or Spinning differs altogether from that 
 pursued on the Thames the most essential point of dis- 
 tinction being that whereas in the latter the bait is always 
 worked by hand, in the former it is as invariably * trailed ' 
 or dragged behind the stern of a boat. This difference in 
 the mode of fishing necessitates several corresponding 
 modifications in the rod and tackle used : thus, for 
 instance, the sudden strain produced by a heavy fish seiz- 
 ing the bait, the rod being fixed, renders one of more 
 powerful construction (such as that for Pike described at 
 p. 133, Chapter IX.), desirable both to avoid breakage and 
 for the safe hooking of the fish ; the same causes neces- 
 sitate the employment of the very strongest gut for the 
 trace, &c., whilst the great quantity of line to be trailed 
 behind the boat commonly from 40 to 60 yards renders 
 an extra weight of lead essential to sink any bait to a 
 given depth. With these exceptions, however, the tackle 
 above recommended for Thames Trout fishing, including 
 the additional Tail-hooks, will, if I may rely at all upon
 
 170 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 my own carefully tested experiments, or upon the published 
 opinions of many first rate spinners, be found the most 
 simple and deadly of any Lake Trolling tackle hitherto 
 brought to the notice of fishermen.* 
 
 The Great Lake Trout, which is perhaps best known to 
 anglers as the species for which Loch Awe has always been 
 famous, is probably distributed throughout almost all the 
 larger and deeper lochs of Scotland. It occurs to my 
 knowledge in Lochs Ericht, Lochy, Garry, and Laggan, 
 and it has also been recognised in Loch Shin, in Lochs 
 Loyal and Assynt, and amongst some of the Orkney and 
 Shetland Islands. In Ireland it appears to be an in- 
 habitant of all the best known and most extensive lakes, 
 having been found in Loughs Mask, Melvin, Erne, Corrib, 
 and Neagh, where it is locally named Buddagh, the younger 
 and smaller-sized fish being termed Dolachans. It is the 
 Ullsivater Trout and Grey Trout of the English Lake 
 districts, referred to by Dr. Heysham, and was erroneously 
 considered to be identical with the Great Trout of the 
 Lake of Geneva a theory contradicted by Agassiz, who 
 pronounced it to be distinct from any of the large Con- 
 tinental species. 
 
 As a rule, however, not much success attends the troller 
 for the Great Lake Trout a circumstance which may 
 possibly be in some measure attributable to the general 
 
 * The causes which combine to this result, and the arguments pro 
 and con, have been discussed at full length in the previous chapters of 
 this book a propos of Pike spinning.
 
 GREAT LAKE TROUT. 171 
 
 ignorance of all its habits and of the manner in which it is 
 to be fished for. 
 
 The secret of success lies in four points time, depth, 
 speed, and place : thus 
 
 Time. As a rule, begin fishing at the time when other 
 people are leaving off that is, about six o'clock P.M. : up 
 to this hour the fish are rarely in a position from which 
 they can by any accident see your bait. From six o'clock 
 until midnight Lake Trout may be caught.* 
 
 Depth. Instead of weighting your tackle to spin at 
 from 3 to 4 feet from the surface, lead it so as to sink to 
 within about the same distance from the bottom, be the 
 depth what it may. 
 
 Speed. Let your boat be rowed slowly, rather than at 
 a brisk, lively pace as a large Lake Trout will seldom 
 trouble himself to follow a bait that is moving fast away 
 from him ; consequently your bait must possess the speci- 
 ality of spinning, at all events moderately well, or it will 
 not spin at all. 
 
 Place. The place to spin over is where darkness and 
 light seem to meet in the water that is where the bank 
 begins to shelve rapidly, say at a depth of from 1 2 to 20 
 or 30 feet according to the nature of the basin : a much 
 greater or much less depth is useless. This is a rather 
 important point, as thereupon it depends whether your 
 bait is ever seen by the fish you wish to catch. 
 
 * These fish are essentially night feeders. During the day they lie 
 hid under rocks and in holes, in the deepest parts of the lakes, and only 
 venture into fishable water at the approach of evening.
 
 172 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 The food of the Lake Trout consists of small fish. These 
 are not to be found in any great depths of water, but on 
 the contrary on the sloping shores of the lake, up which, 
 therefore, the Trout naturally comes in search of them, 
 stopping short of the shallows. 
 
 TROUT MINNOW SPINNING. 
 
 I do not propose under this head to go into the vexed 
 question of how the Minnow is to be worked that is 
 whether up, down, or across stream, as I am of opinion 
 that in this particular branch of fishing no practical rule 
 of general significance can really be laid down. Moreover 
 has not the question been already argued over and over 
 again by W. C. Stewart, ably, and by other 'angled' 
 authors in various degrees of acuteness and obtusity with 
 as much prospect of arriving at a unanimous solution as 
 of squaring the circle ? I shall, therefore, confine my 
 observations to the construction of the Minnow Tackle 
 to which I adverted in the beginning of this chapter, 
 adding only such few suggestions for its manipulation as 
 may be really essential. 
 
 What, then, is the best Minnow Tackle ? 
 
 In order that we may arrive at a satisfactory answer to 
 this question I would suggest, as in previous cases, a sort 
 of simple process of induction. Thus : 
 
 What are the qualities essential in such a tackle? 
 I mean those which all spinners would endeavour to
 
 BEST MINNOW TACKLE. 173 
 
 combine if they could ? They may, I think, be epitomised 
 thus: 
 
 1. As to hooks : (A) an arrangement which will give a 
 brilliant spin to the bait; (B) which will most certainly 
 hook any fish that takes it ; (c) and which will least often 
 let him escape afterwards. 
 
 2. A trace fine, strong, and clear of all encumbrances. 
 
 3. A lead so placed as to sink with the greatest rapidity 
 and least disturbance or show in the water. 
 
 4. The utmost simplicity of application in the whole 
 tackle. 
 
 That these are the essentials of a perfect Minnow tackle, 
 I think no experienced Minnow spinner will probably dis- 
 pute, I therefore assume their concurrence so far. Now 
 then we have an intelligible task before us : we know at 
 least what we have got to do, and the only question is 
 ' how to do it.' As I start with the assertion that the 
 tackle I proposed to submit to the verdict of my readers 
 fulfilled all the essential desiderata, I shall, for the sake of 
 convenience, here reverse the order of argument, and 
 instead of following step by step the chain of logical and 
 mechanical sequence by which the desired results are to 
 be arrived at, at onco direct attention to the diagram of the 
 Tackle in which I believe them to be realised (Figure 3 
 of Plate) and explain my reasons for such belief: 
 
 In this figure a represents the lip-hook (whipped to the 
 main link and not moveable) ; b, a fixed triangle, one hook 
 of which is to be fastened through the back of the Minnow ;
 
 174 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 c, a flying triangle hanging loose below its tail ; d, a lead 
 or sinker whipped on to the shank of the lip-hook, and 
 lying in the belly of the Minnow when baited. 
 
 Directions for baiting. Having killed the Minnow, push 
 the lead well down into its belly ; then pass the lip-hook 
 through both its lips, the upper lip first, and lastly insert 
 one hook of the triangle (b) through its back, just below the 
 back fin, so as to crook or bend the body sufficiently to pro- 
 duce a brilliant spin* Figure 4 shows the position of the 
 hooks, &c., when baited. 
 
 But your " reason, Jack, your reason ? " as Poins says. 
 Well, first as to the Flight : That this arrangement of 
 hooks fulfils the conditions of spinning, hooking, and hold- 
 ing (A B and c in desiderata), is of course capable only of 
 ocular and not of verbal demonstration, but anyone who 
 has had much experience of Minnow spinning and who 
 has followed the arguments in the preceding chapters of 
 this book on the relative powers of flying versus fixed 
 triangles, will not, I think, have much hesitation in coming 
 to an affirmative conclusion, at least in so far as the last 
 two points are concerned. With regard to the first 
 spinning capabilities I can only say that when properly 
 baited (and nothing is easier than to bait it properly) I 
 have never seen any tackle which was superior to it ; and 
 should my assurance have sufficient weight to induce any 
 of my brother anglers to try it made exactly according 
 to the pattern here drawn, N.B. I am satisfied that they 
 will endorse my statement.
 
 DIRECTIONS FOE BAITING. 175 
 
 (2.) As to the arrangement of Lead, and (3) general 
 Fineness : The lead, which lies in the bait's belly, not only 
 puts the weight exactly in the place where it is most 
 wanted, but gets rid of the clumsy and complicated " nose 
 cap" with which the celebrated Hawker's ne Salter's 
 spinning flight and other modifications of it are disfigured 
 (vide page 77).
 
 176 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Pike fishing resumed. Trolling with the Dead gorge-bait General 
 remarks Impossible tackles Tackle and hooks Ancient men- 
 tion of trolling Improved tackle Trace for gorge-hooks 
 Working the gorge-bait How to tell a " run " Management of 
 Pike whilst gorging Best gorge-hooks Advantages of trolling 
 How to extract hooks. 
 
 TROLLING WITH THE DEAD GOEGE-BAIT. 
 
 IN the first chapter of this book I proposed for greater 
 convenience of treatment to separate the various systems 
 of Pike fishing into two grand divisions, viz., Dead-bait 
 fishing and Live-bait fishing ; and each of these again into 
 the methods employed with Snap and Gorge tackle respect- 
 ively. The last chapter concluded the subject of spinning, 
 and with it the whole question of Dead-bait snap fishing, 
 so far as any practical utility is concerned. Spinning is 
 the only method of snap-fishing by which any real appear- 
 ance of vitality is imparted to a dead bait, and as it is a 
 fact notorious to all Troll ers that the Pike will not, unless 
 under the most exceptional circumstances, touch a dead fish 
 when quiescent, we need feel no hesitation in discarding 
 at once as worthless all the recipes given by old angling 
 writers in which such a condition forms an item. It is 
 doubtful whether they could ever have been of any use :
 
 DEAD-BAIT SNAP TACKLE. 177 
 
 in the nineteenth century they are certainly of none 
 whatever. 
 
 For the sake of curiosity, however, and to show the 
 absurdity of some of the plans recommended by even 
 respectable angling authorities, I will quote from Captain 
 Williamson's ' Complete Angler's Vade Mecum,' the de- 
 scriptions of dead-bait snap tackle which he advocates : 
 
 " It should consist," he says, " of a single hook, large 
 and stout, which being fastened to strong gimp is inserted 
 in the mouth of a Gudgeon or other small fish and brought 
 out either at the middle of its side or just before the vent," 
 or else, " the treble snap, which is by far the best, being 
 made of three such hooks tied back to back and secured 
 to a piece of gimp : it is inserted by means of a baiting- 
 needle at the vent and carried out at the mouth which is 
 closed by a lip-hook" 
 
 Both these tackles are, of course, absolutely useless : 
 the former because it is next to impossible to insert the 
 hook as directed without reducing the bait to a mummy, 
 and the latter because it is evident that either the ' lip- 
 hook ' must be drawn right through the bait, or else the 
 tackle taken to pieces each time it is baited ! 
 
 To return, then, to the point from which I started : 
 the only dead-bait Snap-tackle of any value to the angler 
 is that used in Spinning ; and the only dead-bait Gorge- 
 tackle which can be similarly described is that employed in 
 the method of Pike fishing commonly known as " Trolling," 
 and to which I shall confine myself in the rest of this chapter.
 
 178 
 
 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 Trolling with the Gorge-bait. 
 Tackle. Hooks. 
 
 The art of Trolling, or as it was formerly spelt " Trowl- 
 ing," from the old English word to troll, to move circularly 
 or in a rollicking kind of way,* has been always attributed 
 to " Nobbes," who was a writer of the 17th century, and 
 who has accordingly been christened the Father of 
 Trollers. The woodcut below is a facsimile of his Gorge- 
 hooks as printed in the original Edition of 1682, probably 
 the first ever engraved in England. They were used with 
 a wire-arming of which the first link reached to the ex- 
 tremity of the bait. 
 
 The reader will be struck with the remarkable simili- 
 tude of their barbs to the tail of the Dragon which St. 
 
 Nobbes's Gorge-Hooks. 
 
 * Or perhaps from French word troler, to lead about, to stroll.
 
 EARLY MENTION OF TROLLING. 179 
 
 George has been represented in the act of transfixing for so 
 many centuries that one almost wishes the Dragon might 
 have a turn now and then for variety. 
 
 With regard to early mentions of trolling in this coun- 
 try, I cannot do better than quote the following letters 
 published in the ' Fisherman's Magazine,' and addressed to 
 me by my kind- friend Mr. Westvvood, the talented author 
 of ' Bibliotheca Piscatoria,' whose eminent qualifications 
 both as a fisherman and bibliographer are so well known 
 to all lovers of angling literature : 
 
 " SIB, Nobbes was, undoubtedly, the first English writer that dis- 
 coursed at large, and in a substantive shape, on the art of trolling, but 
 that his sobriquet of ' The Father of Trollers ' asserts, in any respect, 
 his invention of the modus operandi of the craft in England is scarcely 
 borne out by evidence. The title means, I take it, what that of ' The 
 Father of Anglers ' means in Walton's case what that of ' The Father 
 of Pike-fishers' will mean in your own, sir, when posterity agree, 
 ne.rn. con., thus to designate you, namely, that he was the first 
 authoritative professor of the sport. 
 
 " That Nobbes himself puts in no claim to inventor's honours, is 
 .shown by his dedication, in which be ascribes all his skill as a troller 
 to the tuition of 'The Right Worshipful James Tryon, Esquire, of 
 Bullwick, in Northamptonshire,' and to his brother ; while in his 
 address ' To the Ingenious Reader,' he adds, ' I confess I have not 
 had that experience in the Art which many have that have made it 
 their business for the space of several years, and 1, but a late pretender.' 
 
 " It is true, that in a preceding passage, he adverts to the silence of 
 former writers on angling, ' I never could see,' quoth he, ' any other 
 (than Walton and Cox*) concerning trolling, though if there be, it 
 may be of an old standing.' 
 
 " Here, however, friend Nobbes overlooks one of his immediate fore- 
 
 Cox (1674) borrows from Yenables. 
 
 N 2
 
 180 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 runners, Col. Robert Venables, whose ' Experienc'd Angler' (1662) 
 contains the following passage : 
 
 " ' The best way of angling is with a trowle for a Pike, which is very 
 
 delightful Let your line be silk, at least two yards next the 
 
 hook, and the rest of strong shoemaker's thread, your hook 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 head 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 ' (1651), 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 
 wager.' % 
 
 "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 deuourer of most fish, where he commeth ; 
 for to take him, ye shall doe thus : Take a codling hooke, well armed
 
 TROLLING AS ANCIENTLY PRACTISED. 181 
 
 wyth wyre, then take a small Tloch or Gogin, or else a Frogge a line, 
 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 a while, and then strike and holde, and soe tyre him 
 in the water.' 
 
 " I have searched no farther, for Leonard Mascall's ' Booke of Fishing ' 
 is a reproduction of the ' Boke of St. Albans,' and beyond the ' Booke 
 of St. Albans' falls the night. The rest, if rest there be, is a matter 
 of ' lost Pleiads,' and in that limbo of vanished things that holds the 
 'AXifVTiKa of Pancrates the Arcadian, the 'Ao-TraXievrt/ca of Seleucus of 
 Emesa, and many another famous scroll of the ancients, may lurk also 
 more than one early English treatise on our sport (the ' old fish-book,' 
 amongst them, whence Walton borrows his ' old rime '), the recovery 
 of which would brighten the eyes and rejoice the heart of every angling 
 bibliomaniac. 
 
 "And this recovery may, after all, become a, fait accompli the 
 passion of the book-collector has conjured out of darkness and oblivion 
 so many rare and forgotten treasures, that we need not despair of 
 adding, some day, to our Billiotheca Piscatoria a ' Grandfather of 
 Trollers ' to take precedence of Nobbes. 
 
 " T. WESTWOOD. 
 
 " The Editor of 
 
 ' The Fisherman's Magazine and Review.'' " 
 
 Trolling in some form or other, however, appears to 
 have been not only well understood but very generally 
 practised by the ancients. It is frequently referred to by 
 Oppian who recommends as bait a live Labrax if obtainable, 
 and if not a dead fish sunk and raised alternately with a 
 weight attached. The following is his description of the 
 baiting and working :
 
 182 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 . . . He holds the Labrax, and beneath his head 
 Adjusts with care an oblong shape of lead, 
 Named, from its form, a Dolphin ; plumbed with this 
 The bait shoots headlong thro' the blue abyss, 
 The bright decoy a living creature seems, 
 As now on this side, now on that it gleams, 
 Till some dark form across its passage flit 
 Pouches the wire, and finds the biter 's bit. 
 
 Although Trolling is by no means so exciting or artistic 
 a mode of fishing as spinning and all gorge-tackle should 
 on humane considerations be avoided as far as practicable 
 yet it is often an exceeding useful adjunct in the Pike- 
 fisher's vade mecum, as he may not unfrequently meet with 
 waters so weedy, or overrun with bushes or stumps that a 
 spinning bait cannot by possibility be worked. The gorge- 
 bait is then in its legitimate province a province to which 
 I confess I, for one, should be disposed to confine it. 
 
 It is curious that whilst so many portions of the Fisher- 
 man's equipment have of late years undergone such a 
 complete transmogrification, the gorge-hook, except in the 
 matter of finish, has been literally stationary. In fact in 
 a most essential particular it has retrograded instead of 
 advancing I refer to the length of the wire shank or 
 " arming " attached to the leaded hook. It will be seen in 
 Nobbes's tackle that after the lead itself there is no wire 
 appendage at all, except a loop to fix the line to, and this 
 is a most important point, for two reasons. First because 
 the modern system of elongating the hooks by a stiff coil 
 of twisted wire destroys to a considerable extent the life-
 
 GORGE-HOOK UNIMPROVED. 183 
 
 like play and elasticity of the bait ; and, secondly, because 
 this unnatural stiffness and rigidity is constantly the cause 
 of the Pike refusing to pouch it* 
 
 The cause of the modern innovation is plain enough ; it 
 is to assimilate this length of the hook to that of the bait, 
 so that there may be something solid on which to fasten 
 the bait's tail, and thus prevent it slipping down the gimp 
 and doubling up. Even with this assistance, however, the 
 
 * Vide amongst other confirmatory opinions those of " Ephemera " 
 and " Piscator " (' Practical Angler '). Salter says, " I usually take 
 about half the lead from the shank, as I have found when a Jack has 
 struck my bait he has sometimes left it immediately, in consequence of 
 his feeling the lead in the bait's body" He adds : " this may be pre- 
 vented by leaving that part of the lead only which lies in the throat of 
 the bait ;" from this latter opinion, for the reasons given at page 185, 1 
 entirely dissent. Such a remedy would be twice as bad as the disease ; 
 and, indeed, to judge by the effect produced by such an unnatural 
 arrangement, I am forced to the conclusion that Mr. Salter could never 
 have practically tried the plan he recommends which I have. 
 
 It is a notion, I believe, not unfrequently entertained that Pike 
 swallow their prey literally whole. This is Blumenbach's view which 
 is thus refuted by Mr. Wright. He says, " With every respect to Mr. 
 Blumenbach, I must take leave to state that he is incorrect ; when fish of 
 prey take a small bait such as a Minnow, they seize it by the middle 
 of its body ; in turning it to take it down head foremost they in a 
 measure masticate it ; but if the prey be a large Gudgeon, or a large 
 Roach or Dace it is much mutilated and only partially swallowed that 
 is the head and shoulders ; and the Pike, Perch, or Trout's jaws are con- 
 stantly triturating and masticating the head and shoulders of the fish 
 so preyed upon to a pulp, and following up the same process with the 
 remainder until it passes into the stomach." If this opinion is correct 
 even in a modified sense, which 1 have reason to know that it is in the 
 case of the Pike, its important bearing upon the point under considera- 
 tion is obvious.
 
 184 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 process of baiting is tedious enough: to be effectual it 
 must be done very carefully ; and what can be more trying 
 than pottering with numbed fingers over the complicated 
 miseries of needle and silk in a biting east wind, or when, 
 perhaps, the only propitious hour of a winter's afternoon 
 is visibly gliding away. Moreover, if the hook be not ex- 
 actly of the right length of the bait's tail, there remains 
 the contingency either of having nothing to lap it to, or of 
 leaving a thick stump of brass wire protruding where most 
 certain to be seen. 
 
 With these facts and experiences vividly in my recol- 
 lection, I one day set about thinking how this tackle could 
 be improved, the object being of course to get rid of the 
 superfluous wire shank, at the same time finding a simple 
 and effectual manner of fastening the bait's tail without it. 
 Hather by good luck, I believe, than anything else, I suc- 
 ceeded in hitting upon a plan which not only fulfils these 
 conditions but also gets rid altogether of silk or needle and 
 saves the trouble and delay which they entailed. 
 
 The plan is this: (I suppose the reader to have a 
 gorge-hook something like that of Nobbes's, without any 
 wire shank, and with a link of gimp attached to the lead). 
 
 First cut the tail-fin of the bait off close to the flesh, then 
 with a baiting needle pass the gimp in at the mouth and 
 out again at the tail of the bait as usual, taking care to 
 bring it out as nearly in the centre of the tail as possible : 
 then pass the baiting needle laterally through the bait's 
 tail, at about a quarter of an inch from the extremity,
 
 A 
 
 .(7. 
 
 No. 2. 
 
 No. 1. 
 
 GORGE HOOKS. 
 
 No. 3.
 
 IMPROVED TACKLE. 185 
 
 drawing the gimp through after it ; and finally pass the 
 end of the gimp through the loop thus made at the ex- 
 tremity of the bait and draw it tight. A sort of half knot 
 is thus formed which never slips, and which can be untied 
 in a moment when a fresh bait is required. To explain a 
 mechanical process verbally is always rather difficult and 
 lengthy, but I can assure my readers that the arrangement 
 itself when understood is the very simplest possible such 
 as any tyro could manage without difficulty at the first 
 trial and that simple as it is (and for that reason 
 only, valuable) it will be found practically to make the 
 whole difference in the comfort and efficiency of a Trolling 
 bait. 
 
 The figure No. 1 in the annexed woodcut represents the 
 above gorge-hook unbaited, and No. 2 the same when 
 baited and fastened as described. Figure 3 is a smaller 
 size of the same tackle, and the loop A shows the position 
 of the gimp after being passed through the tail of the 
 bait, &c. 
 
 In this figure (No. 1), it will be seen that the shank of 
 the hook (C) is left bare for about half an inch above the 
 bend. This is the portion of the hook which lies in the 
 throat of the bait when adjusted, and the object in cutting 
 away the lead is to prevent that unnatural and unsightly- 
 looking enlargement of the throat and gills which occurs 
 with the ordinary hook, and which renders it necessary 
 to tie the gill-covers down to prevent their catching 01 
 tearing in the weeds. It also avoids the necessity of
 
 186 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 sewing up the lips of the bait to prevent the hooks slipping 
 or shifting.* 
 
 This is another decided saving of time and trouble, and, 
 moreover, makes the bait last longer by being less strained. 
 The darting and glancing motion which it should have is 
 also increased by the placing of the lead in the proper 
 place the belly ; and the removal of the unnatural stiff- 
 ness and rigidity before adverted to, by getting rid of the 
 wire shank, makes a Pike much more inclined to pouch 
 it when taken. The increase by this cause alone in the 
 proportion of fish brought to basket is about 20 per cent. 
 The precise bend of the hooks themselves, whether single 
 or double, used for gorge-fishing is of comparatively little 
 consequence, although the neatest is that shown in the 
 engraving, fig. 3. The one essential is that their points 
 should stand sufficiently out from the sides of the bait's 
 head, to ensure hooking, and yet not so far as to be un- 
 sightly or catch in the weeds, the barbs pointing upwards 
 towards the eyes of the bait. 
 
 Trace for Gorge-Hooks. 
 
 No link of gimp, separate from the trace, is required in 
 this arrangement; as the trace, which should consist of 
 about 4 feet or so of fine stained gimp, can be looped on 
 to any hook in the manner shown in the engraving (fig. 
 1, B). Gut is unnecessary in gorge-fishing, when the bait 
 
 * Vide Salter's ' Modern Angler.'
 
 WORKING THE GORGE-BAIT. 187 
 
 is so frequently amongst weeds and roots, and if used 
 would be liable to be constantly cut and frayed by the 
 long exposure to the teeth of the Pike. No swivels whatever 
 are required for fishing with the gorge-bait; they are 
 merely encumbrances recommended by the Tackle shops 
 for trade reasons which are obvious. When a fresh bait 
 is to be put on the hooks, the gimp should be unhitched 
 at its junction with the running line. The simplest and 
 most efficient fastening for this, and all other traces and 
 casting lines, is shown in figure 1 (A). 
 
 The rod, reel, &c., recommended for spinning are also 
 suited to Trolling with the gorge-bait. 
 
 Working the Gorge-bait. 
 
 The word " troll," meaning to rove about in a circular 
 rollicking fashion, expresses the sort of movement which 
 should be given to the gorge-bait, and for the purpose of 
 producing this it is a common and very good plan to cut 
 off a pectoral fin on one side and a ventral fin on the other. 
 A good many Trollers also cut off the back and anal fins to 
 prevent their catching in the weeds, but I believe this 
 to be a mistake, as the stripping off of all its fins reduces 
 the bait too much to the condition of ' King Log,' and con- 
 siderably curtails the variety of its gyrations in the water. 
 Moreover the inconvenience which it is intended to obviate 
 is usually more imaginary than real. 
 
 The major part of the movements of the bait being pro- 
 duced by itself when sinking head-foremost, the principal
 
 188 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 part of the Troller is to keep on raising it, every second or 
 two, to the surface, and generally to take care that its 
 conduct approaches as nearly as circumstances will permit 
 the laws of perpetual motion. 
 
 Short casts rather than long ones are to be recommended 
 as the bait can thus be made to enter the water in a 
 downward-darting direction instead of flat on its side, or 
 perhaps tail-foremost. The rule of fishing " fine and far 
 off" a most salutary one under most circumstances has 
 not much significance in this particular kind of fishing, 
 sas the gorge-bait is usually employed in deep holes, or 
 amongst weeds from under which the fisherman cannot be 
 seen. 
 
 I am not usually an advocate for any Medo-Persic laws 
 with regard to fishing up stream or down stream ; but in 
 the branch of the art now under consideration, it is 
 essentially necessary to adopt the former method that is 
 to cast somewhat in front of and above you, and work the 
 bait downwards towards you and for a very simple rea- 
 son : namely, that the slope of the weeds with the current 
 makes it impossible to work it properly in any other way. 
 
 This plan has also the merit of bringing the bait into 
 contact with the Pike's jaws first instead of his tail. I am 
 aware that in this I am laying down a diametrically 
 opposite principle to that recommended by Ephemera, 
 and a good many other authors. The question however 
 is one not of opinion but of a physical fact, and as such 
 can be easily tested. I should say, therefore, cast rather
 
 HOW TO TELL A "EUN." 189 
 
 up and across stream, keeping the bait as much as possible 
 in the runs and gullies between weed-clumps, or at the 
 margin of weed-beds in pools, a/id bringing it well home to 
 your boat or your feet before lifting it out of water for a 
 fresh throw. Each time that the bait is left to sink after 
 a ' lift,' a proportionate quantity of the line should be 
 pulled in with the left hand and allowed to coil at the 
 Trailer's feet ; the action being slower than, but of the 
 same nature as, that required in Spinning. 
 
 How to distinguish a " run." 
 
 Upon a fish seizing the bait, the first notice which the 
 Troller receives of the fact is the stoppage or check of 
 the line, very often hardly to be distinguished from that 
 occasioned by a weed, and followed generally by a few 
 savage little tugs or wrenches which are produced by the 
 jaws of the Pike in his efforts to kill his supposed victim. 
 Sometimes, however, the bait is taken by a heavy fish 
 with a rush and jerk that well-nigh twists the rod out of 
 the Trailer's hand. 
 
 A capital description of the taking of a gorge-bait is 
 given by Mr. Stoddart in his ' Angler's Companion ' : 
 
 " No one that ever felt the first attack of a Pike at the 
 gorge-bait can easily forget it. It is not, as might be 
 supposed from the character of the fish, a bold, eager, 
 voracious grasp ; quite the contrary, it is a slow calculat- 
 ing grip. There is usually nothing about it dashing or at 
 all violent : no stirring of the fins no lashing of the tail
 
 190 THE BOOK OP THE PIKE. 
 
 no expressed fury or revenge. The whole is mouth- 
 work ; calm, deliberate, bone-crushing, deadly mouth-work. 
 You think at the moment you hear the action the clang- 
 ing action of the fish's jaw-bones ; and such jaw-bones, so 
 powerful, so terrific ! you think you hear the compressing, 
 the racking of the victim betwixt them. The sensation is 
 pleasurable to the angler as an avenger. Who among our 
 gentle craft ever pitied a Pike ? I can fancy one lamenting 
 over a Salmon or star-stoled Trout or playful Minnow ; 
 nay, I have heard of those who, on being bereft of a Gold- 
 fish, actually wept ; but a Pike ! itself unpitying, unsparing, 
 who would pity ? who spare ? . . . 
 
 " I no sooner felt the well-known intimation, than draw- 
 ing out line from my reel and slightly slackening what 
 had already passed the top-ring of my rod, I stood prepared 
 for further movements on the part of the fish. After a 
 short time time he sailed slowly about, confining his excur- 
 sions to within a yard or two of the spot where he had 
 originally seized the bait. It was evident, as I knew from 
 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 my- 
 self, 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 disposed of at one gulp, out he rushed, 
 vigorous as any Salmon, exhausting in one splendid run
 
 MANAGEMENT WHILST GORGING. 191 
 
 nearly the whole contents of my reel, and ending his 
 exertions with a desperate somerset, which revealed him 
 to my view in all his size, vigour, and ferocity ; the jaws 
 grimly expanded, the fins erect, and the whole body in a 
 state of uncontrollable excitement." 
 
 Management of Pike whilst Gorging. 
 
 The first step to be taken on perceiving a fish, or a 
 suspicious ' 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 
 charming 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 palpably to be seen stuck fast 
 in a submerged gate-post. This reminds me of another 
 story which is, I dare say, 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
 
 192 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 themselves cause a huge Pike to be manufactured and 
 suspended mid-water in a likely looking pool. The bait 
 takes but the Pike does not. Esox senior soon discovers 
 Esox junior, and goes through every mano3uvre natural 
 under such circumstances to induce him to bite, to the 
 great delight of the watching jokers, who on his return 
 cross-question him sharply as to his sport This goes on 
 for several days Minnows, Dace, Gudgeon, have all been 
 tried and in vain. One of the party suggests that possibly 
 ' a frog might.' . . . Ha Esox senior has taken the 
 idea and is off like a flash. An hour two : he returns 
 " You have him. No ? impossible ! Well certainly I 
 thought a frog " " Not a bit, my dear sir, no use, no 
 use whatever I assure you, tried him with it for two 
 hours, wouldn't touch it, would'nt touch it, my dear sir ; 
 but he ran at me several times ! " 
 
 Another version of the story has it that (driven to 
 despair) the Troller, as a last resource, hoisted the con- 
 tumacious Pike out with a wire snare ! 
 
 To return : when the nature of the retainer which your 
 bait has received is doubtful, a little judicious tightning or 
 a few slight pulls of the line will generally elicit signs of 
 vitality should a Pike be at the other end of it. If " no 
 sign " is made, the demonstrations may be gradually in- 
 creased until the point is satisfactorily settled one way or 
 other. Should the seizer being unmistakably a fish 
 remain passive or moving quietly about within a small
 
 WHEN TO STRIKE. 193 
 
 compass for more than three or four minutes after taking, 
 a slight jerk (or "stirring" as Nobbes has it) may be given 
 at his mouth, which if dexterously administered will pro- 
 bably have an effect the reverse of that produced upon a 
 horse who has taken a ' bit in his teeth,' and is hesitating 
 whether to bolt or not. 
 
 Sufficient time should always be allowed to a Pike to 
 gorge the bait five or even ten minutes if necessary ; the 
 fact of his having "pouched" will most commonly be 
 indicated by his moving off towards his favourite haunt 
 immediately afterwards. If he then remains quiet without 
 moving away again the line should be gradually tightened 
 (not struck, although Nobbes says a " gentle stroak will 
 do him no harm ") and the fish landed.* 
 
 It will of course not very unfrequently happen that a 
 Pike takes a bait in or close to his favourite gite, when no 
 moving off (or ' on ' as the Police have it) can be expected. 
 In this case the Troller must be guided by circumstances 
 and his own judgment. 
 
 * Captain "Williamson, Bowlker, Salter, and Hofland all sayj5TMKE ; 
 the last adding, however, " gently." Mr. Blakey, with whom I am 
 delighted for once to be able to agree, says " striking smartly, as some 
 authors recommend, is pure nonsense." 
 
 The reasons for not striking are obvious : The points of the hook lie 
 very close to the bait the bait, in order to escape from the Pike's maw, 
 must squeeze through a comparatively narrow gullet and the slower 
 and more gradually it passes the more likely it is for the hooks to hold. 
 In fact one would say that the only chance for a pouched Pike escaping 
 from a gorge-hook was its being jerked out suddenly. Probably some 
 of the authors above named use the word " strike " merely to express that 
 the fish is to be then landed. 
 
 O
 
 194 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 Should a number of small bubbles rise from the spot 
 where, from the direction of the line, it is evident that the 
 Pike is lying, it is, according to Captain Williamson,* a 
 certain sign that he has not yet pouched. As a rule, 
 however, it is a mistake to suppose that bubbles are 
 occasioned by fish ; and when they are so caused Captain 
 Williamson considers they may be regarded as a symptom 
 that the fish will not bite, being already satiated, and the 
 bubbles arising from the digestive process. " The bubblers," 
 he says, "will always refuse the bait. Wounded fishes, 
 especially Jacks, evince their pain in this manner, as they 
 do also their disquietude when unable to swallow their 
 prey." I must confess it appears to me more probable, 
 and it is more in accordance with my experience, that the 
 bubbles in this case arise rather from the uneasiness of 
 the fish at being unable to get rid of the bait already 
 pouched and the hooks of which have begun perhaps to 
 be felt or from the tickling of the line in the throat and 
 jaws. 
 
 The Trent has always had the credit of producing good 
 Trollers. One of them, author of ' Practical Observations 
 on Angling in the River Trent,' propounds a theory on 
 the subject of Trolling which, as I do not remember to 
 have met with it elsewhere, I shall quote for the benefit of 
 those who may be inclined to verify the fact. " After the 
 Pike," he says, " has had your bait five minutes, take up 
 your rod, and draw your line in gently till you see him 
 
 * The ' Complete Angler's Vade Mecum,' p. 194.
 
 BEST GOUGE-BAITS. 195 
 
 .(which he will permit though he has not gorged). If you 
 find the bait across his mouth give him more time, but if 
 he has gorged govern him with a gentle hand." 
 
 Nobbes considers that when a Pike moves up stream 
 after being struck it is a sign of a large fish and vice 
 versa. 
 
 Best Gorge-baits. 
 
 Should the Troller find that a considerable proportion of 
 fish refuse to pouch after taking, it is a clear sign that they 
 are not on the feed in earnest in fact are only dilly- 
 dallying with the bait for amusement. The best plan 
 under these circumstances is to resort to snap fishing 
 either spinning or live-bait in which no time is given to 
 the fish to change his mind, or failing this to substitute a 
 very small bait, which requiring less trouble has a better 
 chance of being swallowed. Any of the ordinary Jack- 
 baits can be used with gorge-tackle; but a Gudgeon is 
 commonly the most killing in clear water, and a Dace or 
 other bright fish in water that is swollen or discoloured. 
 
 Advantages of Trolling. 
 
 Many fishermen, amongst them Stoddard and Hofland, 
 give the preference to the gorge-bait over all other methods 
 of Pike-fishing. From this verdict, for the reasons given 
 at page 74 of this Book, in favour of spinning, I must 
 emphatically dissent. It is to be observed, however, that 
 Hofland was not acquainted with the latter modus operandi, 
 
 o 2
 
 196 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 and that Stoddart had never seen it practised in England, 
 where only it is understood in perfection. The one 
 advantage (amongst many drawbacks) of Trolling, as 
 contrasted with Spinning, is that it can be used effectively 
 in foul and weedy places where spinning cannot. As 
 compared with other less artistic methods it has the 
 advantage of being used with a dead instead of with a live 
 bait, which is not unfrequently a great convenience. 
 Directions as to the best means of carrying dead baits for 
 a day's fishing are given under the head of Spinning. 
 
 There remains one other question for consideration, 
 viz. : the best method of extracting the hooks from the 
 fish when landed. The following is Stoddart's plan : 
 
 Open the gill-cover and cutting through the gills them- 
 selves allow them to bleed freely. This done take hold of 
 the wire arming of the gorge-hook, and drawing it tightly 
 up you will discover your hook lodged fast amongst the 
 entrails of the fish. You have then only to cut it out with 
 your knife. 
 
 This, however, is a disagreeable kind of operation, and 
 has, besides, the effect of spoiling the appearance of your 
 fish. Far the better and simple plan is, I think, to make 
 a small slit in the belly of the fish at the point where the 
 gorge-hook is felt to be, and, after disengaging the trace 
 from the running line, draw the bait out head foremost 
 through the orifice.
 
 SNAP LIVE-BAIT FISHING. 197 
 
 CHAPTEE XIII. 
 
 Live-bait fishing. General remarks Snap live-bait fishing Bad 
 snap tackles Elaine's snap-tackle Otter's or Francis's snap- 
 tackle New tackles suggested Working of bait Sriking 
 Floats Baits Bait-cans Spring snap-hooks " Huxing " 
 Live-gorge bait. 
 
 LIVE-BAIT FISHING. 
 
 THEEE are two kinds of Live-bait fishing one that in 
 which a certain number of hooks are attached to the outside 
 of a bait, and with which a Pike is struck almost immediately 
 upon his seizing it : the other an arrangement in which the 
 hooks, &c., are more or less concealed under the skin or 
 through the lip of the bait, which is allowed to be gorged 
 before striking. In both cases leads of some sort are used 
 to keep the * baits down, and floats to keep them up ; as 
 also to indicate the ' runs.' I shall continue the order of 
 sequence already followed, and commence with 
 
 Snap Live-Bait Fishing. 
 
 A great variety of patterns of live-bait tackle are given 
 by various authors ; some of them tolerably good, others 
 (and they are the majority) execrably bad whilst a few 
 are simply impossibilities, as no live-bait could survive 
 their application more than a few minutes. Here is an 
 example of the last, taken from F. T. Salter's ' Angler's
 
 198 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 Guide and Complete Practical Treatise, &c.,' 2nd edition, 
 temp. 1815. He calls it the " Bead-hook : " 
 
 " The Bead-hook is formed of two single hooks tied back 
 to back, or you may purchase them made of one piece of 
 wire tied to gimp ; between the lower part of the shanka 
 is fastened a small link or two of chains, having a piece of 
 lead of a conical form, or like a drop-bead (from which it 
 takes its name) linked by a staple to it : the lead is put into 
 the live bait's mouth, which is sewed up with white thread " / 
 
 This is not much unlike thrusting a kitchen poker down 
 a man's throat and then stopping up his mouth with pitch- 
 plaister. And yet this prodigious piece of absurdity is 
 quoted with laudatory expressions by a whole string of 
 authors. 
 
 The following tackle, as an example of my second class, 
 is copied from Elaine's ' Encyclopaedia of Eural Sports,' 
 one of the least trustworthy manuals, so far as fishing is 
 concerned, that I am acquainted with, and yet one of the 
 most quoted by modern compilers : 
 
 Elaine's Snap-Tackle. 
 
 With hooks of the proportionate size shown in this 
 diagram, the chances are about three to one that no Pike 
 would ever be struck by them at all, but if he were so
 
 BAD SNAP-TACKLES. 199 
 
 struck the likelihood of his being brought to basket with- 
 out his cutting one or other of these two suspensory gut ^ 
 links (the whole tackle is to be made of single gut) would 
 be small indeed. And yet Ephemera, in his ' Handbook 
 of Angling ' (p. 142, 3rd edition), calls this miserable 
 abortion I can characterize it by no milder term " the 
 best " live-bait tackle extant ! 
 
 These sort of betises (for the foregoing are only speci- 
 mens, if flagrant ones) which are to be found cropping up 
 everwhere in fishing-books, make us almost ready to agree 
 with a reviewer in a recent Number of the ' Fisherman's 
 Magazine,' who affirmed that the gentle craft was afflicted 
 with a literature as large, perhaps, as that of all other 
 field sports put together, and of which nine-tenths would 
 appear to have been written for the express purpose of 
 showing how ignorant it was possible for men to be of 
 subjects on which they nevertheless thought themselves 
 competent to instruct others. 
 
 A really efficient live-bait snap-tackle, and one which 
 has been extensively used for many 
 years by Pike-fishers on the Thames 
 having been the invention, I believe, 
 of one of the best and most popular v I / 
 
 fishermen on its banks * is figured in 
 
 Otter's Live-bait Tackle. 
 
 Otter's * Modern Angler,' of which an 
 
 engraving, reduced to |th the actual size, is appended. 
 
 * H. R. Francis, Esq., M.A., author of the 'Fly-Fisher and his 
 Library.'
 
 200 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 Even this, however, ought rather, perhaps, to be de- 
 scribed as the least faulty, than as the most complete of 
 the patterns which have been published. It is very far 
 from embracing all that could be wished ; and as such an 
 examination may assist us in arriving at a more perfect 
 arrangement, I will proceed briefly to point out what its 
 shortcomings are premising that they will almost all be 
 found to exist, only in an exaggerated degree, in other 
 patterns recommended by quasi Pike-fishing authorities. 
 The tackle, which, for the sake of convenience, I will here 
 call Otter's, is baited thus : the single lip-hook is passed 
 through the upper lip of the bait, and the small hook of 
 the triangle is fixed into the skin near the back-fin. From 
 this it results that the bait is suspended in a most unna- 
 tural position in the water, standing in fact on its tail, 
 except at the moments when it rights itself by a muscular 
 effort. The effect of this is, of course, that it cannot 
 " travel " properly, and instead of roving about freely in 
 every direction, is confined to a comparatively small space, 
 having moreover a constant tendency to rise to the surface 
 rather than to remain swimming at mid water. This (next 
 to the specialities of the Elaine's and Salter's tackles above 
 described, the one of which kills its live-bait instanta- 
 neously, and the other with almost equal certainty loses 
 any Pike that may take it) is perhaps the most serious 
 blot that such a tackle can be subject to, as the extent of 
 water worked by the bait in a given time very fairly repre- 
 sents its chances of being seen by any fish on the feed,
 
 TACKLE SUGGESTED. 201 
 
 and, consequently, of bringing them to basket. Of minor 
 imperfections it may be observed than any hooking of the 
 lips is always objectionable, as it tends, by interfering with 
 the functions of respiration, to shorten the existence and 
 lessen the vitality of the bait, and this is one reason why 
 all live-bait tackles which consist only of a single lip-hook 
 are bad. But in addition to this vice in principle there is 
 a drawback which makes such tackles radically defective 
 in practice, viz., that with an ordinary sized Jack-bait, and 
 with only a single hook of the size which must be and 
 always is used on them, the chances are so much against 
 any fish being hooked ; and also that when the Pike has 
 got the said bait crosswise in his jaws (or still more if 
 he has time to turn it, as usual, head downwards) the 
 hooks must be turned exactly the wrong way upwards for 
 striking. 
 
 What is wanted, therefore, in a live-bait tackle is 
 (1) That'the hooks should be suspended in a position in 
 which they will be most certain to strike when the bait lies 
 crossivise in a Pike's mouth ; (2) that the lips of the bait 
 should not be interfered with in any way ; and (3) that 
 when on the hooks its natural position should be nearly 
 horizontal, and with the head pointing rather downwards 
 than upwards to prevent its rising to the surface. 
 
 Bearing these conditions in mind, I have after a good 
 many experiments constructed a tackle in which I believe 
 it will be seen that they are all fairly fulfilled ; and as I 
 have now for some years been in the habit of using it,
 
 202 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 I can safely say that I have found the conclusions arrived 
 at on theory fully borne out by the results of practice. 
 
 This tackle is shown in the annexed plate, figure 1 re- 
 presenting the arrangement of hooks in the flight, and 
 figure 2 the same when baited. In baiting, the gimp is 
 passed under a good broad strip of skin with the baiting- 
 needle * (in two separate stitches if necessary), and pulled 
 through until the shank of the small hook (a) is brought 
 close up to the side of the bait below the skin : this keeps 
 the large flying triangle (b) at a proper distance and in its 
 correct position under the shoulder of the bait. 
 
 It is of importance, to secure the full killing powers of 
 this or any other tackle, that the proportion between the 
 size of the hooks and the bait with which they are used 
 should be preserved. The bait shown in the engraving 
 a small Dace is of the .proper size for those hooks. The 
 hooks should always be of the Sneck-bend pattern, for 
 the reasons previously given. This method of fastening 
 the gimp under a strip of skin is much better both for the 
 longevity and liveliness of the bait, than the passing of a 
 hook through its lips, and on humane considerations is also 
 to be preferred ; as, whilst experiments have demonstrated 
 that the bodies of fish are capable of feeling but a very 
 slight amount of pain, it is well known that nothing causes 
 
 * The best baiting-needles, whether for Minnows or larger bait, are 
 those in which the eye is in this shape :
 
 WOEKING OF BAIT. 203 
 
 so much suffering as any interference with the organs of 
 breathing. 
 
 The hooks should be tied on about a foot and a half of 
 fine stained gimp, with a loop at the other end which can 
 be most conveniently attached to the upper portion of the 
 trace (also composed of 2 or 3 feet of stained gimp) by 
 means of a' " hook swivel " (figure 3), which will also have 
 the effect of keeping the lead in its proper place. A lead 
 of the shape drawn is neater and shows less in the water 
 than one of the ordinary bullet form, and is therefore to be 
 preferred. Both lead and float should be painted of dark 
 green, or weed tint, with the same object (green sealing- 
 wax varnish prepared as already directed will be found the 
 most convenient mixture). Strike very sharply the moment 
 a fish takes, and repeat the stroke (as recommended in 
 Spinning) until a violent struggle is felt ; otherwise it will 
 frequently happen that whilst the fisherman thinks the 
 Pike is hooked, the latter is in reality merely holding on 
 to the bait at his own pleasure. 
 
 Most authorities on live-bait snap-fishing recommend 
 allowing the Pike a few moments, " to turn the bait in his 
 mouth before striking." This, however, is clearly a mistake 
 in the case of a tackle like the above, where the hooks are 
 in the best possible position for striking the moment a 
 Pike takes the bait (as in 9 cases out 10 he does) across 
 his jaws, and with the majority of their own tackles the 
 delay would be a still greater folly, as the more the bait 
 was " turned" head downwards, the more would their hooks 
 turn bend instead of point upwards.
 
 204 THE BOOK OP THE PIKE. 
 
 With regard to the float for live-bait fishing I have found 
 a considerable advantage from adopting an idea suggested 
 to me by one of the best practical fishermen with whom 
 I am acquainted. His plan is this. Instead of having 
 one large float, to employ a number of much smaller 
 ones, say 4 or 5, strung on the line at a foot or so apart : 
 cork balls varnished green and varying in size from a ban- 
 tam's to a pigeon's egg are most convenient. The great 
 merit of this arrangement is that whenever the bait makes 
 a plunge the corks yield to him, and enable him to rove 
 about over a much larger area and at a greater variety of 
 depths than he can with the ordinary single large float, 
 which is, likewise, both more easily seen by the fish, and 
 more liable to stick in weeds and roots" than its smaller 
 substitutes; another advantage is that the corks prevent 
 the running line from tangling with the bait and trace, 
 a convenience which in still water can hardly be exagger- 
 ated. The cork nearest the bait (or two together if one is 
 not buoyant enough) should be just sufficient to keep the 
 bait up when absolutely at rest, and no more. 
 
 Baits. 
 
 With regard to live-baits a good deal must of course 
 depend upon the state of the water. Should it be very 
 bright and clear, a Gudgeon, which is also a very tough fish, 
 will generally be found the best, and in extreme cases even 
 a Minnow used with a small float and single gimp hook 
 passed through its upper lip or back may sometimes be
 
 BEST LIVE-BAIT. 205 
 
 used with advantage. In this case the smallness of the 
 bait nullifies the objection to a single lip-hook. Bigger 
 baits and with brighter scaling should be used as waters 
 are more swollen and discoloured. It should always be 
 borne in mind that with snap-tackle whether spinning or 
 live-bait, the larger the bait the greater are the chances 
 against fairly hooking a fish. And this is a rule to which, 
 from the necessity of the case, no tackle can be an excep- 
 tion. Four or five ounces is about the maximum weight of 
 any bait which can be properly used on live-bait snap- 
 tackle; where bigger baits are necessary (and in some 
 waters, as for instance Slapton Ley, fish of half a pound 
 and upwards are very commonly used) recourse should be 
 had to the live-bait gorge tackle which will be described 
 presently. 
 
 Probably the best live-bait of all for thick or clouded 
 waters is a medium-sized Dace, as its scales are peculiarly 
 brilliant, and the fish itself by no means easily killed. In 
 case of waters in which the Pike are over-fed or obstinately 
 insensible to the attractions of the ordinary baits, I should 
 recommend my readers to try them with live Gold-fish ; 
 with which I have more than once caught Pike under cir- 
 cumstances leading me to believe that if instead of one or 
 two baits, I had had as many dozen, remarkable results 
 might have followed. If Gold-fish are not forthcoming, 
 small Carp form a very killing and long-lived bait. I am 
 certain that the principle which is so generally admitted 
 in the case of men and the higher animals, also holds
 
 206 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 good in that of fisli : if you want to attract them and stir 
 their appetites offer them a novelty no matter what but 
 something that they have not been accustomed to. Thus, as 
 a rule, were I fishing a river in which there were no " ground 
 swimmers," I should try a Gudgeon ; if there were no coarse 
 fish, a Dace ; and so on. How, if not upon this principle, 
 is to be explained the indisputable fact that the " spoon," 
 at first so deadly both for Pike and Trout, is now almost 
 disused on many of the waters where it was originally 
 most successful ? Indeed, so convinced have I felt that 
 " novelty has charms " even for the rugged breast of the 
 Pike that I have more than once been on the point of 
 rigging up a plated fork instead of a spoon, to try conclu- 
 sions with. I wish now that I had done so, in order that I 
 might have been able to state the result as an appropriate 
 conclusion to a somewhat digressive paragraph. 
 
 Bait-cans. 
 
 The most important points in live-bait cans are (1) That 
 they should have a double lid for the double purpose of 
 keeping out the sun and keeping in the water. The ab- 
 sence of such a lid will very frequently kill the baits in 
 hot weather, and when the weather is cold its presence 
 will preserve the legs of the carrier from a perpetual 
 sprinkling of half frozen water. Another advantage of a 
 double lid is, that a small hand-net can be carried between 
 the upper and lower one, which will save much time, and
 
 BAIT-CANS. 207 
 
 avoid the probability of poking out the bait's eyes with the 
 operator's thumb nail. 
 
 The above desiderata have already been to some extent 
 fulfilled in the bait-cans sold at the Tackle shops. But 
 there is still a grievous lack, which, so far as I am aware, 
 has never been successfully supplied I mean the produc- 
 tion of a can of such form and construction that it may be 
 conveniently carried, when full, by a strap across the fisher- 
 man's shoulders. This lack makes, in very many cases, 
 the whole difference between comfort and discomfort in 
 live-bait fishing : for what pleasure can there be in a choice 
 on the one hand of stopping fishing and carrying your can 
 along with you, or on the other of leaving your can and 
 continuing your fishing operation, every step of which 
 carries you farther away from your baits? In fact live- 
 baiting, except from a punt or with an attendant, thus 
 becomes much like a game of battledore, in which the 
 fisherman, who is kept of course perpetually on the hop, 
 may be taken as a not inapt impersonification of the 
 shuttlecock. 
 
 To remedy this drawback I have had a bait-can con- 
 structed, somewhat on the principle of the ordinary pannier 
 or creel as shown in the engraving, which can be strapped 
 comfortably over the shoulders and carried along with the 
 fisherman without fear of losing his baits on one side or 
 his fish on the other and getting wet through between 
 them. I have furnished the model of this can to Mr. 
 Farlow, 193, Strand, London.
 
 208 
 
 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 [By a mistake on the part of the engraver, the shoulder-strap in the above engraving is made 
 to pass through the lower instead of the upper set of holes.] 
 
 To preserve baits alive for any length of time, they 
 should be placed in some shady spot (in a running stream 
 if possible), in a box not less than 3 feet square with large 
 gratings in several different places and especially at both 
 ends. The box, of which a portion ought properly to be 
 out of water, should be kept clean and well scoured from 
 slime and rubbish ; and food, in the form of worms, gentles, 
 or chopped liver, should be scattered into it every day or 
 two. As Mr. Francis Francis says, " fish cannot well live 
 without eating ; do not be surprised, therefore, if you do 
 not feed them, at their dying off in the course of a month 
 or six weeks." Dead baits should be removed from the 
 box as soon as discovered.
 
 THE HOW AND WHERE OP LIVE-BAITING. 209 
 
 How and where to work the Live-bait. 
 
 The " How " of live-bait fishing is simple enough. In 
 warm weather, and generally throughout the summer, the 
 bait should swim at about mid-water ; in cold or wintry 
 weather at about ^rd from the bottom, those being the 
 positions respectively occupied by the fish at such periods. 
 The bait should not be left too long in one place, but be 
 kept gently moving about, or " roving," as the old writers 
 have it, either by force of the current or with the aid of the 
 fisherman's hand and rod. It should also be held as little 
 as possible out of water, on to "which, when cast, its fall 
 should be as light as possible to avoid injury and premature 
 decease. If baits run short it will generally be found the 
 better plan, instead of going on fishing with a specimen 
 that has lost its activity and attractiveness, to keep bright, 
 lively baits on the hook whilst they last, and then to use 
 up the dead orifes again, either with the Spinning or Gorge 
 Tackle. A three-quarters defunct live-bait is certainly a 
 delusion, but rarely a snare so far as the Pike is con- 
 cerned. 
 
 As regards the " Where " of live-baiting ; that admits 
 of being compressed into still fewer words. In ponds, and 
 sheets of water of small extent, the live-bait, and especially 
 the gorge-live bait to be hereafter described, is generally 
 more killing, all the year round, than any other method of 
 fishing; and there are some rivers and large lakes too 
 (though they are comparatively rare) in which Pike will 
 
 P
 
 210 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 not take freely anything except a bait that is alive. These 
 waters of course make their own rules. 
 
 Under usual circumstances and in ordinary rivers the 
 period when the live-bait is most killing is after the fish 
 have been swept by the first winter floods into the eddies 
 and deeps, and where the water is full and slightly dis- 
 coloured. 
 
 " In hot sultry weather," says Piscator,* " or when the 
 water is unusually low, Pike will not bite, and although 
 you continue casting your bait right before his eyes, he 
 will remain motionless as a log, until, annoyed by the 
 repetition, he will sheer sulkily off towards some place of 
 concealment. ... A basking Pike can seldom be tempted 
 to bite ; and at such times he is generally gorged, whilst 
 he is enabled to see enough of the trick to arouse his 
 suspicions ; one plan, however, has been found to succeed 
 under these circumstances when all others have failed, 
 and this has been to souse in the bait with a good splash 
 right behind the Pike, when the commotion suddenly 
 arousing his attention, and turning round to ascertain the 
 cause, which he probably resents as an insult, he instantly 
 lays hold of the imaginary offender ! .... Be this as it 
 may, many a Pike has been thus taken, and I would 
 strongly advise my readers under similar circumstances at 
 any rate to try the experiment." 
 
 The above comical receipt reminds me of an expedient 
 
 * ' Practical Angler,' p. 251.
 
 SPRING-SNAP HOOK. 211 
 
 formerly adopted by the Salmon fishermen on the Thames 
 for dealing with an overgrown or refractory fish. In case 
 of the Salmon being too large or too shy to go naturally 
 into the net, the wooden hoop of the latter was dropped 
 smartly on its tail from above, when it instantly turned 
 a backward somersault into the net, and was captured. 
 This curious dodge was mentioned to me by Mr. Richard 
 Harris, of the Lincoln Arms, Weybridge, who remem- 
 bers well the time when fishermen got a handsome living 
 by catching Salmon on the Thames, and has himself 
 taken as many as 16 fish at two hauls of the net below 
 Chertsey Bridge. The fishermen had no difficulty in 
 selecting the Salmon from the Trout in the punt-well, 
 even in the darkest night, as the Salmon could be held 
 fast and securely by the tail, which the Trout could not 
 But this is a digression. 
 
 The Spring-snap Hook 
 
 is a miserable invention of the enemy, which I allude to 
 here merely for the purpose of entering an emphatic caveat 
 against it. And yet I believe that, excepting old Kobert 
 Salter, Stoddart is almost the only writer on Pike-fishing 
 who does not devote more or less space to figuring its pro- 
 portions and eulogizing its merits. " I shall say nothing of 
 it," says Mr. Stoddart, " holding it as I do, quite super- 
 fluous;" he might have added without hyperbole, " and 
 quite useless also." I will explain in half-a-dozen words 
 why it is so. It is composed of two large hooks and one 
 
 p 2
 
 212 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 small hook, riveted together by the shanks of the two large 
 hooks being flattened into springs ; when fixed to the bait 
 (by the small hook sticking into the bait's 
 back) these two big hooks are pressed to- 
 gether by a thin metal frame into which 
 they slip (vide woodcut). Well, so far 
 so good in this "first position" they 
 look deadly enough, though clumsy ; but 
 
 Spring-snap hooks set. 
 
 what follows f Ihe moment a fish seizes 
 the bait and they are brought into action by being pulled 
 from their sheath, the hooks fly out at right angles, when 
 instead of their barbs pointing upwards and outwards, they 
 must of necessity point inwards and almost downwards! 
 so that it is all but a physical impossibility for anything to 
 be touched by them. I hold one of the 
 least badly constructed of these ingenious 
 inventions in my hand as I write ; but 
 to prove to my readers that what I say 
 is the literal fact, I have only to call 
 their attention to the annexed engraving 
 of the position of the hooks when in ope- 
 aa P hooks open, ration, which, as also that given above, is 
 a fac-simile of the tackle recommended 
 in Elaine's ' Encyclopedia of Eural Sports,' and quoted 
 withcommendatory expressions by Ephemera,* Otter, and 
 many other writers, the former adding by way of a 
 
 * .Notes to Ephemera's edition of Walton's ' Angler.'
 
 HUXING." 213 
 
 crowning absurdity that " it is generally used with a dead 
 bait." This is certainly piling Pelion on Ossa. 
 
 I shall not here do more than allude to the " Pater- 
 noster," as although occasionally used to take Pike, and 
 not without some success, it cannot be considered as form- 
 ing a branch of the art of Pike-fishing properly so called, 
 and for which, indeed, it is in many ways unsuited. 
 Otter's is the first angling book, so far as I am aware, 
 in which it was figured, though known for at least half a 
 century before. Henceforth it will of course be mentioned 
 en regie by all angling book-makers, and some hundred 
 years hence (supposing always the non-advent of Lord 
 Macaulay's New Zealander) it will no doubt be known as 
 Otter's live-bait tackle, or he may even, like Nobbes, be 
 re-christened our " Father " of Pater-nosters. Certainly the 
 Mother of live-bait tackle (and thus to some extent of 
 all its offshoots) was Dame Juliana Berners, of often 
 quoted memory ; she directed the Pike-fishers of those 
 days to " take a codlynge hoke, and take a roache or a 
 fresh heering and a put it in at the mouth .... and then 
 put a plumbe of lede upon your lyne a yarde longe from 
 yr. hoke, and a flote in midwaye betweene," &c. She was 
 also the first chronicler, if not inventor of " Huxing " 
 " Yf ye lyst to have good sporte thenne tye the corde [of 
 your gorge-line] to a gose flote ; and ye shall see god 
 halynge [? hauling] whether the gose or the pyke shall 
 have the better." Walton alludes to Huxing as being a
 
 214 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 good invention " to make sport," as also does Barker, who 
 however well he may have acquired the " art of angling," 
 had not apparently much notion of the art of rhyming : 
 
 " A rod twelve feet long, and a ring of wire, 
 
 A winder and barrel, will help thy desire 
 In killing a Pike: but the forked stick, 
 
 With a slit and a bladder ; and that other fine trick, 
 Which our artists call snap with a goose or a duck : 
 
 Will kill two for one if you have good luck : 
 The gentry of Shropshire do merrily smile, 
 
 To see a goose and a belt the fish to beguile." * 
 
 I do not know whether the Shropshire gentlemen still 
 include Huxing amongst their favourite sports ; but it is 
 not very long since it was practised on a reservoir near 
 Glasgow and also on the Scotch lakes Monteithf and Loch- 
 maben. An amusing account of an incident which hap- 
 pened to a Dumfriesshire farmer in the neighbourhood 
 of the latter is given by McDiarmid, in his ' Sketch-Book ;' 
 it is also quoted by Professor Kennie in the ' Alphabet of 
 Angling :' 
 
 " Several years ago," he says, " the farmer kept a gan- 
 der, which not only had a great trick of wandering himself, 
 but also delighted in piloting forth his cackling harem to 
 weary themselves in circumnavigating their native lake, 
 or in straying amid forbidden fields on the opposite shore. 
 Wishing to check this vagrant habit, he one day seized the 
 gander just as he was about to spring into the water, and 
 
 * Barker's ' Art of Angling.' f Piscator, ' Practical Angler,' p. 255.
 
 AN ANGLING GANDER. 215 
 
 tying a large fish-hook to his leg, to which was attached a 
 portion of a dead frog, he suffered him to proceed upon his 
 voyage of discovery. As had been anticipated this bait 
 soon caught the eye of a Pike, which swallowing the hook, 
 not only arrested the progress of the astonished gander, 
 but forced him to perform half-a-dozen somersaults on 
 the face of the water ! For some time the struggle was 
 most amusing, the fish pulling and the bird screaming 
 with all its might; the one attempting to fly, and the 
 other endeavouring to swim, from the invisible enemy; 
 the gander the one moment losing and the next regaining 
 his centre of gravity, and casting between whiles many a 
 rueful look at his snow-white fleet of geese and goslings, 
 who cackled out their sympathy for their afflicted commo- 
 dore. At length victory declared in favour of the feathered 
 combatant, who bearing away for the nearest shore, landed 
 on the green grass one of the finest Pikes ever caught in 
 the castle-loch. This adventure is said to have cured the 
 gander of his propensity for wandering ; but on this point 
 we are inclined to be a little sceptical." 
 
 The same author who refers to the huxing practised on 
 Loch Monteith, also states that huxing, if it may be so 
 called, by means of a kite not feathered but papered 
 was recently carried out with success on Slapton Ley, 
 South Devon. All these eccentric inventions for killing 
 Pike, however, bear a suspicious resemblance to the Trim- 
 mer, or as authors formerly used to call it, " Floater," of 
 the legitimacy of which, as a sportsmanlike mode of Pike-
 
 216 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 fishing, opinions have fortunately undergone a considerable 
 change since Robert Salter (1811), wrote that on "large 
 pools it afforded stronger exercise and greater variety of 
 amusement than any other part of pool fishing." 
 
 Live-gorge Bait. 
 
 The Live-gorge bait may be used in all the places and 
 under the various circumstances referred to as being most 
 suitable for snap live-bait. The rules as regards time for 
 pouching, &c., are the same as those given under the head 
 of 'Trolling with the dead-gorge bait,' and the tacklo 
 (float and trace) is identical with that recommended for 
 live-bait snap fishing in everything except the hook and 
 the mode of baiting. 
 
 These are so simple that an explanatory diagram is 
 superfluous : Instead of the flight used with the snap 
 live-bait, the hooks consist of a common double or single 
 hook on gimp, with the aid of the baiting needle the gimp 
 is inserted under the skin of the bait, just behind its 
 pectoral fin, brought out again near the end of the back 
 fin, and drawn carefully through until the shank of the 
 hook is hid under the skin. The loop of the gimp is then 
 attached to the hooked swivel on the trace, and the 
 arrangement is complete. 
 
 The disadvantage of this tackle as with all other Gorge- 
 bait tackle is, of course, that the Pike has the opportunity 
 of rejecting after taking it if he thinks proper. On the 
 other hand the hooks are less seen than those used in snap
 
 LIVE-GORGE BAIT. 217 
 
 fishing, and the fish consequently is less likely to be fright- 
 ened by them. Its most useful province is when in a lake 
 or other large sheet of water the fisherman wishes to carry 
 on two kinds of fishing at once, say for Perch and Jack. 
 He can then leave his Gorge-bait to take care of itself 
 whilst he wanders away with his other rod, returning at 
 intervals to see if he has had a run. When the rod is thus 
 left, 20 or 30 yards of line should also be left carefully 
 uncoiled, so that it will run out easily if the bait is taken. 
 It must be added, however, that this leaving-the-rod- 
 to-fish-for-itself style of operation is not many degrees 
 removed from Trimmering, which ought to be the abomi- 
 nation of all sportsmen. 
 
 In alluding to this Live-Gorge Bait-tackle Mr. F. T. 
 Salter's engraving contrives to make the only blunder 
 possible under the circumstances by describing it as a 
 snap-tackle, for which it is of course wholly unsuited.
 
 218 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 CHAPTEE XIV. 
 
 How TO SET A TRIMMER. 
 
 PROCURE a good supply of old bottles, rusty hooks and 
 clothes-line, and the assistance of the most notorious 
 poacher and blockhead in the neighbourhood ; and the 
 chances are that the angler will find himself exactly fitted 
 for his sport, both in tackle and companionship, and 
 without " violating the bond of like to like."
 
 ARTIFICIAL BAITS. 219 
 
 CHAPTEK XY. 
 
 Artificial baits, including the fly. General remarks The Spoon-bait, 
 and origin of Swedish baits New rig for spoon-baits Trace for 
 Pike flies. 
 
 ARTIFICIAL BAITS, INCLUDING THE FLY. 
 
 THIS is a subject which many reasons, besides a considera- 
 tion for the patience of my readers, warn me must be very 
 lightly touched. A mere enumeration of the various 
 descriptions of artificial Pike-baits would fill a catalogue : 
 their name is legion, and to judge by such appellations as 
 "kill-devil," "satanic tadpole," &c., they maintain in other 
 respects the connection which a multiplicity of titles seems 
 to have presupposed with a personage unmentionable to 
 ears polite. The names, indeed, of artificial baits are very 
 commonly their only recommendation like the heroic 
 attributes inscribed on the backs of Chinese warriors, and 
 which were never observed till they ran away, their merits 
 exist only in the puffing placards of the tackle-makers, and 
 the purchaser is seldom thoroughly satisfied with his 
 bargain until he has fairly * seen the backs ' of them. That 
 the poet who asked, " What's in a name ? " knew nothing 
 of tackle vending is indeed obvious enough ; but the fact 
 has been during the last few weeks particularly impressed
 
 220 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 upon my mind by reading the description of an invention 
 (a salmon-fly, I think), of an Irish maker, in which, in 
 every advertisement, he goes to the trouble and expense 
 of informing the public that he has christened it, " faugh- 
 a-ballah" clear the way! A name which, it must be 
 presumed, has some patriotic or other occult attraction to 
 Irishmen, but which regarded merely from a piscatory 
 point of view would appear, to say the least, to be some- 
 what infelicitous. 
 
 But as regards artificial baits there is still more to be 
 said in favour of saying nothing : viz., that the fashions 
 are perpetually changing. The bait found most killing 
 one year, may very probably be superseded the next ; and 
 unless a new edition of this book were called for every 
 twelvemonths a luxury which even the most sanguine 
 author can hardly calculate upon any information which 
 it might contain as to these ephemerae would speedily 
 become obsolete. Moreover, the life of no single fisherman 
 would suffice to fairly test them all, even had he the in- 
 clination, and I am very loth to place implicit confidence 
 in the experiences of other persons, however veracious, 
 unless confirmed by my own. 
 
 We all know how constantly a slight unintentional 
 exaggeration will alter the facts of any case ; and how 
 easily omissions or additions, trifling in themselves, will 
 vitiate the conclusions based upon them. 
 
 Without, therefore, wishing in any way to detract from 
 the merits of many of the modern artificial spinning baits,
 
 ORIGIN OF THE SPOON-BAIT. 221 
 
 which are exceedingly pretty and ingenious and of which 
 no fisherman should be without at least a few specimens 
 in case of emergency, I shall here confine myself to two 
 descriptions only, which have stood the test of a longer 
 period of time, if they are not more generally admitted to 
 be successful than any others. I mean the Spoon-bait and 
 the Pike-fly. 
 
 The Spoon-bait. 
 
 Considerable interest attaches to the origin of the 
 Spoon-bait, partly from the oddity of the invention itself, 
 and partly because no two writers (and a good many have 
 written upon it) can be found to agree as to who is entitled 
 to claim the merit of being the inventor. Even the 
 country in which it was first discovered remains itself still 
 a matter for discovery. England has claimed it, Canada, 
 Sweden, and Lapland have claimed it, and (of course) 
 America has claimed it ; whilst others with perhaps at least 
 an equal show of reason have asserted that it had its birth- 
 place amongst the aborigines of the Polynesian Islands.* 
 Mr. Frank Buckland appears to be of the last opinion. 
 In his ' Curiosities of Natural History,' he says, " The new 
 trolling Spoon-baits, which are spoken of so highly by 
 anglers are nothing more than an improved copy of the 
 savage's hook: he ties on to his hook portions of the 
 irridescent shell of the Venus-ear, which, glittering in the 
 water, attracts the fish." 
 
 * ' Sea Fish and how to Catch them,' by W. B. Lord, K.N.
 
 222 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 Of the claims of America, the author (a Mr. Brown, I 
 believe,) of the ' American Angler's Guide,' appears to be 
 the earliest, if not most reliable advocate : 
 
 " The Spoon-bait (he says) was first invented and used 
 by a gentleman in the vicinity of Saratoga Lake for Black 
 Basse. The idea occurred to him that the lake Basse 
 would bite at anything bright if kept in motion ; he pro- 
 cured the bowl of an old silver-plated spoon, scraped off 
 the silver from one side, cut off the point, flattened the 
 shape, soldered two good-sized hooks to the small end, and 
 attached a swivel to the other. It worked like a charm, 
 and he took more fish in the same space of time than was 
 ever done before by any individual in the neighbour- 
 hood." 
 
 This statement is referred to by Mr. Frank Forester, in 
 his edition of ' Fish and Fishing of the United States,' 
 published by Bentley in 1849. He calls the Spoon a 
 "murderous instrument," and says that the Mascalonge, 
 one of the Pike species of America, takes it readily. It is 
 to be observed that no mention is made of the Spoon in 
 either of the earlier American impressions of this work, 
 and that the account was only added, with the " second 
 part," in the London edition of 1849, in which he speaks 
 of it as a " recent invention." 
 
 " Shade of departed Walton ! " he exclaims, " could you 
 but imagine a silver-plated table-spoon attached to a hook 
 to lure the finny tribe with ! thou wouldst shrink with utter 
 dismay from the sight. But there were no Yankees in
 
 SWEDISH USE OF SPOON-BAIT. 223 
 
 Walton's days, and the telegraph and the Spoon-bait were 
 alike unknown." 
 
 Clearly, and I believe they invented the spoon just about 
 as much as the electric telegraph, which was invented by 
 Dr. Hooke, in 1684, and brought into use in the French 
 Eevolution nearly a century afterwards, and before such a 
 thing as a Yankee existed ! The amount of credit which 
 is to be attached to Mr. Forester's statement is to be 
 gathered from the fact that he describes "the snaring of 
 Jack with a wire " as another startling novelty also peculiar 
 to America ; and it is much to be feared that Mr. Brown's 
 ichthyology is on a par with Mr. Forester's chronology, 
 as throughout his work he dubs the Pike " Essex " in- 
 stead of Esox. The whole of the 'American Angler's 
 Guide,' in fact, not to mention Frank Forester's ' Fish and 
 Fishing,' suggests an unlimited use of paste and scissors, 
 and one would be inclined to believe that neither author 
 had ever handled a Spoon-bait in his life, let alone seen it 
 in actual operation. 
 
 Now certainly as regards Sweden, if not Lapland, we 
 have distinct and credible testimony at least to the fact 
 that the Spoon-bait was known early in the present 
 century. To an inquiry which I made in the ' Field ' news- 
 paper, in 1862, I received the following replies; one of 
 them it will be observed from a gentleman whose writings 
 under the pseudonym of " an old Bushman " must probably 
 be well known to the fishing world, and who on all matters 
 relating to Scandinavian sports is certainly entitled to 
 speak with authority :
 
 224 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 " SPOON-BAIT. Certain it is that this bait has been 
 known in Sweden at least half a century ; for an old grey- 
 headed peasant of nearly fourscore told me he has caught 
 his largest Pike in his younger days with the blade of an 
 old spoon. AN OLD BUSHMAN (Sweden, Nov. 15, 1862.)" 
 
 " In the answers given in the ' Field ' to Mr. Pennell's 
 inquiry as to the origin of Spoon-baits, I observe that they 
 are stated to be an American invention. I remember to 
 have seen Spoon-baits about eighteen years ago, in Sweden 
 and Lapland, in the houses of the native fishermen, who 
 used them for taking Pike in the lakes. The spoon was 
 entirely of silver, and bright on both sides, a large hook 
 being fitted into the concave side, and a piece of scarlet 
 cloth attached to the end of the spoon. I feel nearly 
 certain that I have heard of this bait being used for Pike 
 in this country as long ago as twelve years." 
 
 Artificial baits are clearly by no means a modern inven- 
 tion, and from the slight clues furnished by contemporary 
 literature it would seem that as early as the middle of the 
 17th century specimens described by their chroniclers as 
 " curious baits " * had been imported hither from Sweden. 
 
 The Swedes still appear to enjoy a speciality in the 
 matter, at least as far as primitiveness of their baits is 
 concerned. I recently received from that country, by 
 the kindness of the author above-mentioned, a specimen 
 of a most, to modern eyes, abnormal looking instrument, 
 
 * NobbesV Trailer.'
 
 PRIMITIVE SWEDISH BAIT. 225 
 
 the mode of using which, as described in the accompany- 
 ing note, is perhaps equally unique : 
 
 " Gardsjo, Carlstad, Sweden. 
 
 " SIK As a brother angler and one who is much interested in read- 
 ing your excellent practical remarks on the subject of Spinning, and 
 feeling confident that you must also be interested in seeing a new pattern 
 of tackle, I take the liberty of sending you an artificial bait which I 
 obtained last autumn from a peasant here. I think it is well worth a 
 niche in your cabinet of curiosities. 
 
 " There were three flights of hooks similar to the one sent [evidently 
 large trimmer hooks taken off the wire] not whipped on, but the points 
 shoved through the holes in the bait till they fastened at the bend, 
 No trace, but a brass swivel, home made, tied on to the mouth of the bait, 
 and then the line. Eod he used none, but the line was rolled round a 
 kind of bank runner which lay in the bottom of the boat, and passed 
 up into his mouth, for he was single-handed, and as he was rowing him- 
 self of course his hands were fully occupied. The bait dragged after 
 him, and when a fish struck he felt the jerk and dropping his oars 
 hauled it in. 
 
 " The bait, the hooks, and the way they are fixed are unique. 
 
 " Every man, as you justly say, has his hobby in the pattern of his 
 spinning tackle, and I'll be bound this old peasant would use no other. 
 And if the proof of the pudding is in the eating such tackle answers in 
 our waters, for I watched the fellow for an hour (I was beating for snipe 
 by the river side) and saw him take three fish, and what surprised me 
 was that they were all small, perhaps from i Ib. to 2 Ibs., but a few 
 days before the old boy managed to land one of 14 Ibs., with just such 
 tackle. 
 
 " It is indeed wonderful at what monstrosities in the shape of baits 
 the fish will run in many of these waters. A man with fine tackle 
 might do wonders in some places here. Spinning, or, as they call it, 
 " .swivelling " is all the go here ; I never yet saw a man trolling. 
 
 " Yours obediently, 
 " H. Cholmondeley Pennell, Esq." " AN OLD BUSHMAN." 
 
 The bait is simply a flat piece of brass, cut out roughly 
 into the form of a fish, and twisted at the fins and tail, 
 
 Q
 
 226 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 where three immense double hooks like meat-hooks are 
 suspended. 
 
 Some years ago a person called upon me and described 
 himself as the original inventor of the Spoon-bait in 
 England ; and he also left with me the actual spoon with 
 which the discovery was alleged to have been made. The 
 spoon I have still, though I unfortunately lost the address 
 of its owner. It is simply the bowl of a good-sized plated 
 spoon, with two large Pike hooks soldered roughly on to 
 the inside of the small end an arrangement to which, 
 despite the risk of exciting a controversy analogous to that 
 of the " big-enders " and " little-enders " in Gulliver's 
 Travels, I must say that I have heard many fishermen 
 give the preference, as making the action of the spoon 
 more eccentric. His account of the discovery was briefly 
 this: Some twenty or thirty years ago he was in the 
 service of the Bishop of Exeter, when one day emptying 
 a pail of slops into the Exe, a spoon was accidently left in 
 it, and was discharged with the other contents of the pail 
 into the river. As the spoon went wavering down through 
 the water, a Pike darted from under the bank and took it. 
 The man being a keen fisherman immediately conceived 
 the idea of turning the accidental discovery to practical 
 account and constructed, with the aid of a tin-smith, the 
 spoon deposited with me, and which became the prototype 
 of the bait now unknown upon but few European and 
 American waters. These are the principal facts as men- 
 tioned to me. The minute details with regard to dates.
 
 DRAWBACK IN SPOON-BAIT. 227 
 
 &c., though also given with the utmost circumstantiality, 
 have since escaped my memory. At the time he called 
 upon me, my informant stated that he was keeping a 
 thriving public house in the city, much frequented by 
 anglers, and let us hope unhaunted by the vengeful 
 ghosts of the millions of sdlmonidoe and esoscidce which 
 its owner believes he has been the means of transfer- 
 ring to the streams of more classical but less comfortable 
 regions. 
 
 Thus much as to the origin of the famous Spoon-bait, 
 and from which I mast leave my readers to form . their 
 own conclusions. 
 
 I, in common with probably most other spinners, took 
 strongly to the Spoon-bait when it first became generally 
 known in this country ; and under some circumstances, 
 more especially in large lochs, I certainly had very good 
 sport with it. Its advantage over most other artificial 
 baits is that it is as killing with Trout, both sea and fresh- 
 water, and also with the Perch, as with the Pike, and even 
 the lordly Salmon is not altogether insensible to its attrac- 
 tions. As regards sea Trout and Perch, indeed, I think it 
 may fairly be said that a small spoon has the superiority, 
 not only over other artificial baits, but over the natural 
 spinning-bait also. 
 
 One drawback, however, and a most serious one, I 
 soon discovered in using the spoon, viz., the very great 
 number of fish lost with it. These losses not less than 
 three out of every five struck were the inevitable result 
 
 Q 2
 
 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 of the great size of the hooks, and their position on the 
 bait. 
 
 The upper triangle was next to useless owing to its 
 hanging in the hollow of the spoon in some respects 
 indeed, worse than useless, as it frequently got hitched 
 into the lower triangle, and so disabled that also. Nothing 
 could well be more vexatious than to find after half an 
 hour's trailing, that during this time your hooks had been 
 in such a position that the bait could not have been spin- 
 ning in a manner at all likely to entice a fish to take, and 
 that if one had so taken he would have most probably 
 escaped. 
 
 Owing to these drawbacks I almost gave up using the 
 spoon for some years, but when I conceived the idea of 
 writing the present book I determined to try whether 
 something could not be done to remedy them. 
 
 What was wanted was clearly smaller hooks, and those 
 so placed that they should be tolerably certain of hooking 
 into a fish instead of each other. Other minor improve- 
 ments also suggested themselves as being possible. - 
 
 The figure No. 1, in the annexed plate, shows the ar- 
 rangement which after trial of some score of different 
 " rigs," appeared to combine most satisfactorily the above 
 desiderata. This rig also has the advantage of being easily 
 applied to any spoon-bait with a few minutes' trouble. 
 Two small medium-sized flying triangles it will be observed 
 are used in the tackle, and these are so arranged that they 
 cannot possibly get foul of one another ; nor, except by a
 
 SPOON BAIT. 
 
 (To face p. 228.)
 
 NEW RIG FOR SPOON-BAITS. 229 
 
 rare accident, with the line. They are fastened on to the 
 spoon simply by means of a piece of copper wire, used 
 almost like ordinary lapping, though of course stouter. 
 I assume that the remarks made at pages 82-83* on the 
 capacities of flying triangles, &c., are still within the me- 
 mory of my readers and need not, therefore, be here 
 repeated. Bearing those arguments in mind I think no 
 one comparing this tackle with the old rig will doubt for 
 a moment as to which of the two is the more deadly. I 
 need only add that I kept a register of the comparative 
 number of runs missed with each, and that whereas with 
 the ordinary rig the percentage was about three out of five, 
 with the arrangement above shown it was about three out 
 of ten. 
 
 This saving of losses and avoiding of the entanglement 
 of the hooks are the two principal points in which I claim 
 a superiority for mine over the common rig of spoon-baits. 
 There are, however, one or two minor points as to shape 
 and colour, in which, I believe, it is also an improvement. 
 As to shape it is more oval and less concave, which has the 
 effect of making it dart about more and increases the eccen- 
 tricity of its orbit both, as I consider, advantages. As to 
 colour, instead of the usual copper colour of the convex side 
 of the spoon, which is not the least like any part of any fish, 
 I have my spoons plated on both sides and painted with a 
 
 * The bottom triangle must be so fixed that it should stand out stiff 
 from the spoon, without materially losing its position. This is easily 
 effected in adjusting the wire fastening.
 
 230 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 broad stripe of green metallic varnish down the convex 
 side thus making the one more nearly resemble the 
 green back, and the other the silvery belly of a natural 
 bait. 
 
 The most convenient mode of fastening the spoon to the 
 trace (which should be the same as that recommended for 
 ordinary spinning, pages 99-106), is, for Pike, a short link 
 of stained gimp about half a foot long, as shown in the en- 
 graving, looped at one end to slip on to the trace, and with 
 a hook swivel for attaching it to the ring of the spoon at 
 the other : this enables the spoon to be readily changed 
 and also gives it a perfect freedom of motion, which is 
 highly desirable. For the same purpose a small steel ring 
 should always be inserted at the top of the spoon (as usual) 
 to which to attach the swivel. In spinning for lake or 
 river Trout a gut link would of course be substituted for 
 gimp. 
 
 The time when the spoon-bait is generally most killing 
 is in wild, dark, stormy weather indeed, short of a regular 
 gale, there cannot be too much wind for its full efficacy. 
 Of spoon-baits various modifications have at different times 
 been introduced, but none of them are, in my opinion, 
 equal to the original invention.^ 
 
 Pike-Fly. 
 
 The fly, although it has always held a recognized place 
 amongst Pike-baits, is practically very little either known
 
 PIKE-FLIES. 231 
 
 or used, and the small experience I have had of it leads 
 me to class it rather as a " fancy bait," which may perhaps 
 be occasionally employed as an agreeable variety, than as 
 a rival to the more solid and time-honoured modes of troll- 
 ing. Mr. Stoddart seems to be much of the same opinion. 
 " I used to practise it," he says, " with tolerable success in 
 a shallow loch in Fife. I have also tried it in Perthshire ; 
 but the result of my experiments with the Pike-fly is that 
 I am convinced that it is not a lure at all attractive to 
 large or even middle-sized fish, that, in fact, few of a greater 
 weight than 3 or 4 Ibs. are ever tempted to seize it and 
 these do so only in shoal water, and during dull windy 
 days." 
 
 The Pike-fly is also used in the Norfolk Broads, where, 
 according to a recent writer* in the 'Field' newspaper, 
 the experience of Trollers is precisely contrary to that 
 of Mr. Stoddart, as it is found that large-sized Pike 
 will frequently take it freely, when nothing over 6 Ibs. 
 can be tempted 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 use- 
 less. 
 
 As a rule Pike-flies cannot well be too gaudy, though 
 they may easily be too big. The bodies should be fat and 
 rough, made of bright coloured pigs' wool, cocks' hackles, 
 &c., and plentifully bedizened with beads and tinsels ; the 
 
 * ' Field,' 24 July, 1865.
 
 232 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 wings of two peacocks' moon feathers (tail feathers with 
 eyes in them). In the western lakes of Ireland, patterns 
 dressed with sable or other furs and without wings are 
 more in favour. 
 
 Ephemera thinks the Pike-fly is looked upon by the Pike 
 as a gigantic dragon-fly. But that it is mistaken for a 
 yellow hammer, or perhaps for a swallow appears to me to be 
 the more probable hypothesis. Indeed a yellow hammer 
 or other small bright bird dragged along the surface of the 
 water is quite as good a bait as the regular Pike-fly, if 
 not better. According to an excellent trolling authority, 
 much may be done in Ireland by trailing the tuft of 
 the end of a calf's tail well armed with hooks. The 
 engraving opposite is taken from a very fine speci- 
 men of the Pike-fly as used in Ireland, and which was 
 presented to me by Mr. Martin Kelly, of Dublin. Any 
 combination, however, of feathers and tinsel which is bright 
 and big, would probably answer the purpose equally well ; 
 indeed even the size seems to be doubtful, as I have twice 
 caught Pike on Chub-fties, and Stoddart says that, in Loch 
 Ledgowan, Pike are fished for with flies " dark in colour, 
 and resembling those used in many rivers for summer 
 Grilse." 
 
 The best places for using the Pike-fly are sufficiently 
 indicated in the above extract from Mr. Stoddart's 'Angler's 
 Companion' the fly itself should be worked like a Salmon- 
 fly, only a good deal quicker. It is most deadly when 
 used on that poaching instrument the " cross line."
 
 PIKE-FLIES. 
 
 233 
 
 With all artificial baits the fish should be struck the 
 instant they take, as the first feel of the bait between their 
 jaws undeceives them as to its character, and the next 
 instinct is that of summary ejection. 
 
 Got a bite at last.
 
 APPENDIX.
 
 ( 237 ) 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 HOW TO COOK PIKE. 
 
 [The following is a selection of Receipts for various modes of cooking 
 and pickling Pike, taken from authorities new and old. The 
 Author has not tried them all himself, arid therefore leaves those 
 who may be ichthyophagously disposed to test their several merits 
 for themselves.] 
 
 Mr. Stoddarfs Receipt for Boiling. 
 
 After cleansing, wrap up the Pike in a cloth brought for that purpose 
 and transfer it to your pannier. The directions given for boiling it are 
 similar to those elsewhere given for boiling of Salmon, viz : 
 
 " It is essential that a Salmon intended for boiling should have been 
 newly caught ; the fresher it can be procured the better, and a fish 
 transferred from the net or gaff-hook to the pan or kettle, is always stire 
 to give the most satisfaction. The way of treating a Salmon under one 
 or other of these circumstances is as follows : Crimp the fish imme- 
 diately on its being killed, by the water-side, making the cuts slant- 
 wise, and at a distance of two inches from each other ; separate also the 
 gills, and holding it by the tail, immerse its body in the stream for 
 the space of three or four minutes, moving it backwards and forwards, 
 so as to expedite the flowing off of the blood. In the mean time, give 
 orders, if you have not previously done so, to have the fire briskened 
 and the pot or cauldron filled, or nearly so, with spring water set on to 
 boil. The fish, after being crimped and bled as I have directed, must 
 now be conveyed to a table or kitchen dresser, and there thoroughly 
 cleansed inside. This done, divide it through the backbone into cuts 
 or slices, of the thickness already indicated in the crimping, throwing 
 these into a large hand-basin as you proceed. I shall presume, by this 
 time, that the water is at the boiling-point. If so, convey to it a large
 
 238 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 bowlful of kitchen salt ; do not stint the material or you ruin the fish. 
 Allow the water, thus checked, again to bubble up, and then pop in 
 the cuts of Salmon, head and all. Several minutes will elapse before 
 the liquid contents of the pot once more arrive at the boiling-point ; 
 when they do so, begin to note the time, and see, as you measure it, 
 that the fire is a brave one. For all fish under nine pounds' weight, 
 allow ten minutes' brisk boiling, and when exceeding nine pounds, grant 
 an extra minute to every additional pound. When ready, serve hot, 
 along with the brine in which the fish was cooked. This is Salmon in 
 perfection, and constitutes the veritable kettle of Tweedside, such as 
 frothed and foamed in the days of the merry monks of Melrose and 
 Kelso, and what, no doubt, has been feasted on, in a less civilized age 
 than ours, by the crowned heads of rival kingdoms within the towers 
 of Roxburg, Work, and Norham. Who knows indeed but some sturdy 
 Eoman imperator has tickled his palate at a fish-kettle on Tweedside, 
 and taken home to the seven-hilled city, and the gourmands of the 
 senate-house, a description of the primitive banquet ? 
 
 "A fresh Salmon thus cooked is remarkable for its curd and con- 
 sistence, and very unlike the soft oily mass generally presented under 
 that designation. Even when it has been kept a day or two, this method 
 of boiling will be found to bring out more equally the true flavour of 
 the fish, than if it had been placed entire, with a mere sprinkling of 
 salt, in the fish-pan. Under these circumstances, melted butter is pre- 
 ferred by some to the simple gravy above mentioned, but no true 
 fish-eater can tolerate the substitute." 
 
 The only difference necessary in applying the foregoing receipt to the 
 Boiling of Pike is, that it is advisable first of all to immerse the fish for 
 a minute or two in scalding-hot water and thereby render easy the 
 removal of the scales by means of a knife or scraper. A Pike of about 
 8 Ibs. in weight when baked or roasted forms an excellent dish. It 
 is of course much improved by sauces and stuffings, but it is not, as 
 some affirm, mainly indebted to these for its edible qualities. 
 
 From Otter's ' Spinning and Trolling ' : 
 
 " I consider the best way of cooking small Pike is to split them down 
 the back, take out the long bone, and, after rubbing them in flour, fry 
 them in egg-battet, when, if properly done, they will be found first- 
 rate."
 
 APPENDIX. 293 
 
 Nobles's Receipt for Boiling. 
 
 " Take your Pike and open him ; rub him within with salt and claret 
 wine ; save the milt, a little of the blood and fat ; cut him in two or 
 three pieces, and put him in when the water boils ; put in with him 
 sweet marjoram, savory, thyme, or fennel, with a good handful of salt ; 
 let him boil near half-an-hour : for the sauce take sweet butter, 
 anchovies, horse-raddish, claret wine, of each a good quantity ; a little 
 of the blood, shalotte, or garlick ; some lemon sliced ; beat them well 
 together, and serve him." 
 
 (Hofland says, after quoting the above, "When a Pike has been 
 crimped there is no better mode of dressing it than boiling it in salt 
 and water, with a good stuffing in its belly.") 
 
 The following receipt for Eoasting Pike was obligingly furnished me 
 by the hostess of the Sand's Hotel, Slapton Lea, one of the very best 
 fish-cooks in England. She is particularly celebrated for the manner in 
 which she cooks Pike : 
 
 " Clean, soak in salt and water two or three hours, stuff with veal 
 stuffing, put it in a brisk oven, larding it with dripping, and keep 
 basting it frequently with the dripping in the oven until it begins to 
 brown throw off first basting and baste with butter till done. Serve 
 with brown gravy with a little Port wine. Bake till nicely brown." 
 
 The following are from Arthur Smith's ' Thames Angler' : 
 
 " A Baked Pike. 
 
 " Take a large (or two small) fish, stuff it with force-meat, skewer it 
 round, flour, and lay it on an earthen dish, with pieces of butter on the 
 top, and a sprinkling of salt ; send it to the oven. A large Pike will 
 take an hour in baking. When removed from the oven, the dish will be 
 found full of gravy. Put to a sufficient portion for the sauce, two 
 anchovies, finely chopped, a little grated lemon-peel, a glass of wine, 
 Eeading sauce, or lemon-pickle, and make it as thick as cream, with 
 flour and butter, adding capers, if desirable.
 
 240 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 " Fillets of Pike en Matelote. 
 
 " If for a dinner for twelve, fillet ftmr small Pike ; egg and bread- 
 crumb, and fry in oil ; dish them round on a border of mashed potatoes 
 (previously cutting each fillet in halves) and serve sauce matelote in 
 the centre." 
 
 From Wright's ' Fishes and Fishing ' : 
 
 " To loil a Pike. 
 
 " Open and cleanse him, rub the inside with a little salt dissolved in 
 Port or claret wine, save the blood if you can, cut him across into two 
 or three pieces; place in the fish-kettle as much cold water as you 
 require, over a very good fire, and say for a 121b. fish a large handful of 
 salt " [? two ; a large quantity of salt enables the water to attain a 
 higher temperature, and the albuminous particles are consequently more 
 instantaneously solidified. H. C. P.] " a good quantity of sweet mar- 
 joram, savory, and thyme ; let these boil, and whilst in a state of 
 extreme ebullition, put in the smallest " [? largest] " piece of the 
 fish, and make the water boil up again before you put in the next 
 smallest " [? largest] " piece, and so progressively with the rest ; boil 
 half an hour. 
 
 " Sauce Fresh butter melted in the usual way, anchovies, claret, or 
 Port wine, a little of the blood, if any saved, eschalot, and lemon-juice, 
 beaten well together ; serve all hot ; garnish with scraped horse-radish. 
 
 " To roast a Pike. 
 
 " Let the fish soak, so that the scales will come off easily ; wash and 
 wipe the inside quite dry ; take beef suet shred and chopped fine, and 
 grated bread, of each a pound if it be a good-sized fish, or in proportion 
 accordingly ; season with pepper, salt, grated nutmeg, fresh lemon-peel, 
 thyme, winter savory, the flesh of three or four anchovies, all chopped 
 very fine, and mixed with the bread and suet, and made into a pudding 
 with the yolks of three or four eggs ; fill the belly of the fish, sew it up, 
 roast in a cradle spit before a clear fire, not too near ; keep it well 
 basted with fresh butter ; when the skin cracks it is done. 
 
 " Sauce Rich gravy one pint ; stewed oyster cut small, one pint ;
 
 APPENDIX. 241 
 
 pickled shrimps and small pickled mushrooms cut small, of each half-a- 
 pint ; quarter of a pound of fresh butter melted ; half-a-pint of white 
 wine ; mix all well. Place the Pike in a dish, pour the sauce over it ; 
 serve it up hot, garnished with small pickled mushrooms. 
 
 " ' Braising* a Pike. 
 
 " Take a large Pike, scale and cleanse it thoroughly, raise the skin on 
 one side without spoiling the flesh, lard it with equal quantities of 
 anchovies, pickled gherkins, carrots, and truffles, stuff it with the same 
 ingredients, or the stuffing for fowls or veal ; put it into a braising 
 stew-pan, with a pint of rich gravy ; baste it often whilst over a very 
 slow fire, and when more than half-done, put on the cover and fire on 
 it. Serve with this sauce Mince some ham with the same quantity 
 of truffles, put them into a stew-pan with a piece of butter, over a slow 
 fire ; let them simmer a quarter of an hour, add a quarter of a pint of 
 white wine, and a pint of calves'-foot jelly, the white of two eggs boiled 
 hard and minced small (may be dispensed with) and the yolks of 
 four eggs boiled hard and rubbed down smooth with the wine, as above, 
 and a quantity of small pickled mushroons, equal to the ham and 
 truffles, and one lobster's tail, all mixed small, with the spawn ; take 
 up the fish, pour the sauce hot over it, garnish with scraped horse- 
 radish." 
 
 The above receipts were communicated to Mr. Wright, says that 
 gentleman, by a French " cuisinier." 
 
 The following are the various receipts given by Soyer for cooking 
 Pike: 
 
 " Pike roasted. 
 
 " This fish in France is found daily upon the tables of the first 
 epicures, but the quality of the fish there appears much more delicate 
 than here. But perhaps the reason of its being more in vogue there is 
 that other fish are more scarce ; not being so much in use here (that is, 
 in London), but in the country, where gentlemen have sport in catching 
 them, they are much more thought of, and to them perhaps the following 
 receipts may be the most valuable. To dress it plain it is usually 
 baked, as follows : Having well cleaned the fish, stuff it and sew the 
 
 E
 
 242 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 belly up with packthread : butter a saute'-pan, put the fish into it and 
 place it in the oven for an hour or more, according to the size of it ; 
 when done dish it without a napkin, and pour anchovy sauce round 
 it ; this fish, previous to its being baked, must be trussed with its tail 
 in its mouth, four incisions cut on each side, and well buttered over. 
 
 " Pike a la Chambord. 
 
 " The large fish are the only ones fit for this dish (which is much 
 thought of in France). Have the fish well cleaned, and lard it in 
 a square on one side with bacon, put it in a fish-kettle, the larded side 
 upwards, and prepare the following marinade : Slice four onions, one 
 carrot, and one turnip, and put them in a stew-pan with six bay-leaves, 
 six cloves, two blades of mace, a little thyme, basil, a bunch of parsley, 
 half a pound of lean ham, and half a pound of butter ; pass it over a 
 slow fire twenty minutes, keeping it stirred ; then add half a bottle of 
 Madeira wine, a wineglassful of vinegar, and six quarts of broth ; boil 
 altogether an hour, then pass it through a sieve, and pour the liquor 
 into the kettle over the fish ; set the fish on the fire to stew for an hour 
 or more, according to the size, but take care the marinade does not cover 
 the fish, moisten the larded part now and then with the stock, and put 
 some burning charcoal on the lid of the kettle ; when done, glaze it 
 lightly, dish it without a napkin, and have ready the following sauce : 
 put a pint of the stock your fish was stewed in (having previously 
 taken off all the fat) into a stew-pan, with two glasses of Madeira wine, 
 reduce it to half, then add two quarts of brown sauce, keep it stirred 
 over the fire till the sauce adheres to the back of the wooden spoon, 
 then add the roes of .four carp or mackerel (cut in large pieces, but be 
 careful not to break them), twenty heads of very white mushrooms, 
 twenty cockscombs, twelve large quenellings of whiting, and finish with 
 a tablespoonful of essence of anchovies, and half a one of sugar ; pour 
 the sauce round the fish, arranging the garniture with taste ; add twelve 
 crawfish to the garniture, having previously taken off all the small 
 claws ; serve very hot. 
 
 " This dish, I daresay, will be but seldom made in this country, on 
 account of its complication, but I thought proper to give it on account 
 of the high estimation in which it is held in France ; I must, however, 
 observe, that I have omitted some of the garniture which would make 
 it still more expensive, and if there should be any difficulty in getting 
 what remains, the sauce is very good without.
 
 APPENDIX. 243 
 
 " Pike en Matelote. 
 
 " Stuff and bake the fish as before ; when done, dress it without a 
 napkin, and pour a sauce matelote in the middle and round the fish, 
 and serve very hot. Or the fish may be stewed as in the last. 
 
 " Pike a la Hollandaise. 
 
 " Boil the fish in salt and water, in the same manner as Cod-fish ; 
 drain it well, dish it without a napkin ; pour a sauce Hollandaise 
 over it. 
 
 " Pike with Caper Sauce. 
 
 " Boil the fish as before, and have ready caper sauce made as follows : 
 Put fifteen tablespoonfuls of melted butter in a stew-pan, and when it 
 boils add a quarter of a pound of fresh butter ; when it melts, add two 
 tablespoonfuls of liaison ; let it remain on the fire to thicken, but do not 
 let it boil ; moisten with a little milk if required, then add two table- 
 spoonfuls of capers and pour over the fish. 
 
 " Pike a la Maiire $ Hotel. 
 
 " Boil the fish as usual, and dish it without a napkin ; then put 
 twelve tablespoonfuls of melted butter in a stew-pan ; and when it is 
 upon the point of boiling, add' a quarter of a pound of Maitre d'Hotel 
 butter, and when it melts pour over and round the fish ; serve hot. 
 
 " Pike a rUJgyptienne. 
 
 " Cut two onions, two turnips, one carrot, one head of celery, and one 
 leek into slices ; put them into a large stew-pan with some parsley, 
 thyrne, bay-leaves, and a pint of Port wine ; then have your fish ready 
 trussed, with its tail in its mouth ; put it into the stew-pan, with the 
 vegetables ; add three pints of broth, and set it on a slow fire to stew, 
 with some live charcoal upon the lid ; try when done by running the 
 knife close in to the back-bone ; if the meat detaches easily, it is done ; 
 take it out, and place on a baking sheet ; dry it with a cloth, then egg 
 and bread-crumb it; put it in the oven, and salamander it a light 
 
 K 2
 
 244 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 brown ; then put twenty tablespoonfuls of white sauce in a stew-pan 
 with eight of milk, and reduce it five minutes ; then add four gherkins, 
 the whites of four hard-boiled eggs, and two ruffles, cut in very small 
 dice ; finish with two tablespoonfuls of essence of anchovies, the juice 
 of half a lemon, and four pats of batter ; dress the fish without a napkin, 
 and sauce over. 
 
 u FiUets of Pike en Matelote. 
 
 " If for a dinner for twelve, fillet four small Pike ; egg and bread- 
 crumb, and fry in oil ; dish them round on a border of mashed potatoes 
 (previously cutting each fillet in halves), and serve sauce matelote in 
 the centre. 
 
 " Fillets of Pike a la Meuniere. 
 
 " Fillet your Pike as above, cut each fillet in halves, rub some 
 chopped shallot into them, dip them in flour, broil them ; when done, 
 sauce as for Sole a la Meuniere. Observe, if you happen to live in the 
 country, where Pike is plentiful, you may dish the fillets in as many 
 ways as Soles, or any other fish ; but I have omitted giving them here, 
 thinking it useless to fill a useful book with so many repetitions ; we 
 have several ways of dressing Pike to be eaten cold in France, which I 
 have also omitted, as they would be quite useless in this country."
 
 'APPENDIX. 
 
 245 
 
 PIKE WATERS. 
 
 [The following is a list, compiled from my own experience and the best 
 sources of information available, of the principal waters in the 
 United Kingdom in which Pike exist in more or less abundance. 
 
 As already stated, however, Pike may be found either in ponds 
 or canals, in almost all the districts of England, and in a vast pro- 
 portion of those of Scotland and Ireland ; but it would be obviously 
 impossible, as well as unnecessary, to attempt to give a list of them 
 here : such a list would necessarily embrace a great many thousand 
 names and localities of little general interest, and respecting which 
 the best practical information can usually be obtained in the neigh- 
 bourhood itself.] 
 
 ENGLAND AND WALES. 
 
 The THAMES 
 
 Hampden Park. 
 
 The Evenlode. 
 
 (Best reaches 
 Teddington, above 
 Lock. 
 
 Culham to 
 Abingdon. 
 Nuneham.) 
 
 , , Windrush. 
 OTHER ENGLISH RIVERS. 
 
 Kingston. 
 
 
 Bedfordshire. 
 
 Thames Ditton. 
 Hampton to Sunbury. 
 Walton. 
 
 TRIBUTARIES OF 
 THAMES. 
 
 The Lea. 
 , , Ouse. 
 ,, Hyel. 
 
 Halliford. 
 
 The Medway. 
 
 ,, Ivel. 
 
 Sheperton. 
 Weybridge. 
 Chertsey. 
 
 
 Eavensbourne. 
 Brent. 
 Lea. 
 
 Middlesex. 
 
 The Thames. 
 /~i rt i~ 
 
 Penton Hook. 
 
 
 Wandle. 
 
 , , (Jolne. 
 
 Staines. 
 
 
 Mole. 
 
 , , Lea. 
 
 Oookham to Marlow. 
 
 
 Way. 
 
 
 Hurley. 
 
 
 Colne. 
 
 Buckinghamshire. 
 
 Wargrave. 
 
 
 Wick. 
 
 The Thames. 
 
 Shiplake. 
 
 
 Loddon. 
 
 , , Ouse. 
 
 Purley. 
 
 
 Kennet. 
 
 ,, Colne. 
 
 Pangboume. 
 
 
 Thame. 
 
 ,, Wick. 
 
 Streatley. 
 
 
 Ock. 
 
 
 Montsford to 
 
 
 CherwelL 
 
 Oxfordshire. 
 
 Mongwell. 
 
 
 Isis. 
 
 The Thames. 
 
 Bensington Lock. 
 
 
 Ouse. 
 
 , , Isis.
 
 246 
 
 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 
 The Windrush. 
 
 Herefordshire. 
 
 Worcestershire. 
 
 , , Evenlode. 
 
 The Thame. 
 
 The Avon. 
 
 , , Cherwell. 
 
 
 , , Stour. 
 
 
 Gloucestershire. 
 
 
 Surrey. 
 
 The Isis. 
 
 Warwickshire. 
 
 The Thames. 
 
 , , Upper Avon, 
 
 The Avon. 
 
 ,, Wey. 
 
 , , Lower Avon. 
 
 , , Thame. 
 
 
 , , Cam. 
 
 , , Anker. 
 
 Sussex. 
 
 ,, Stroud. 
 
 
 The Ouse. 
 
 , , Berkeley Canal, 
 Stroud. 
 
 Huntingdonshire. 
 The Nen. 
 
 Kent. 
 The Medway. 
 
 Cambridgeshire. 
 The Cam. 
 
 , , Ouse (and many 
 meres full of Pike). 
 
 , , Stour. 
 
 
 
 Essex. 
 
 Northamptonshire. 
 The Nen. 
 
 Norfolk. 
 The Tare. 
 
 The Blackwater. 
 
 , , Cherwell. 
 
 ,, Ouse. Also the 
 " Broads." 
 
 , , Chelmer. 
 
 , , Ouse. 
 
 Horsea Mere. 
 
 , , Colne. 
 
 Q j 
 
 Leicestershire. 
 
 Heighham Sounds. 
 
 , , tetour. 
 
 
 
 T 
 
 The Anker. 
 
 
 , , I-ru. 
 
 ,, Welland. 
 
 Su/olk. 
 
 
 ,, Soar. 
 
 The Lesser Ouse. 
 
 Hertfordshire. 
 
 
 , , Stour. 
 
 The Lea. 
 
 Lincolnshire. 
 
 
 , , Colne. 
 
 The Trent. 
 
 Devonshire. 
 
 , , New Kiver. 
 
 ,, Welland. 
 
 The Exe. 
 
 
 ,, Witham. 
 
 
 Berkshire. 
 
 Nottinghamshire. 
 
 Yorkshire, 
 The Don. 
 
 The Thames. 
 
 The Trent. 
 
 , Calder. 
 
 , , Kennet. 
 
 
 , Aire. 
 
 , , Loddon. 
 
 Somersetshire. 
 
 , Hodder. 
 
 
 The Tare. 
 
 , Eibble. 
 
 Wiltshire. 
 
 ,, Axe. 
 
 , Wharfe. 
 
 The Kennet. 
 
 , , Avon. 
 
 , Nid. 
 
 Avon. 
 
 , , Brent. 
 
 , Ure. 
 
 
 
 , Swale. 
 
 Hampshire. 
 
 Staffordshire. 
 The Trent ''and many 
 
 , Ouse. 
 , Hull. 
 
 The Avon. 
 
 ponds, lakes, &c. full 
 
 , Tees. 
 
 ,, Test. 
 
 of large Pike). 
 
 , Humber.
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 247 
 
 Lancashire. 
 
 Rutland. 
 
 WALES. 
 
 The Mersey^ 
 
 The Quash or Wash. 
 
 Merionethshire. 
 
 , , Irwell. 
 
 
 Bala Lake. 
 
 , , Leven. Also 
 Coniston Water. 
 
 Cumberland. 
 
 Llyn Bodlyn. 
 . , Cwm Howel. 
 
 Esthwaite Water. 
 
 The Eden. 
 
 , Inddin. 
 
 
 , Eamont. 
 
 , Eaithlyn. 
 
 Durham. 
 
 , Petterell. 
 
 , Pair. 
 
 The Tees. 
 
 , Derwcnt. 
 
 , Treweryn. 
 
 , , Wear. 
 
 , Irthing. 
 
 , Arenniag. 
 
 
 , Caldew. 
 
 , Gewirn. 
 
 Northumberland. 
 
 , Irt. Also 
 
 
 The Till. 
 
 Bassenth waite Water. 
 
 Montgomeryshire. 
 
 Westmoreland. 
 
 Derwent Water. 
 Butlermere. 
 
 Llyn Cudwiow. 
 
 The Eden. 
 
 
 Radnorshire. 
 
 ,, Ken. 
 , , Lowther. 
 
 Derbyshire. 
 
 Llyn Gwyn. 
 , , Llanadin. 
 
 , , Brathey. 
 , , Rothay. Also 
 
 The Trent. 
 ,, Thame. 
 
 , , Gwingy. 
 , , Hardwell. 
 
 Windermere, 
 
 
 
 Burnmoor, 
 
 
 Monmouthshire. 
 
 Taru, 
 
 _____ 
 
 The Usk. 
 
 Kydal Water, 
 
 
 
 Grassmere, 
 
 
 Brecknockshire. 
 
 and others. 
 
 
 Langor's Pool. 
 
 Amongst miscellaneous waters may be mentioned Penponds, Rich- 
 mond Park ; Virginia Water and Cumberland Lake, Windsor ; Weston 
 Turville Reservoir, Tring ; Shardloes, Bucks ; Blenheim Water, near 
 Oxford ; Dagenham Breach, Essex ; Kingsbury Reservoir, Kilburn 
 Gate ; Diana Pond, Bushey Park ; Slapton Ley, near Dartmouth, 
 Devon ; Lake in Woodstock Park, near Oxford ; Ruislip Reservoir, near 
 TJxbridge ; Surrey Canal ; sheet of water in Osterley Park, Baling ; 
 Mill Pool at Godstone, Surrey ; Long Pond, Stanmore, Middlesex ; and 
 numerous pools and meres in Shropshire.
 
 248 
 
 THE BOOK OF THE PIKE. 
 IRELAND. 
 
 Lough Neagh, Ulster. 
 
 E. Anna, Munster. 
 
 L. Erne, Munster. 
 
 L. Derg, on the Shannon. 
 
 Broadwood Lakes, near Killaloe. 
 
 B. Shannon, from Killaloe to 
 Lanesborough, and several 
 loughs and streams commu- 
 nicating with it. 
 
 B. Moy. 
 
 E. Deel. 
 
 E. Suire. 
 
 L. Corrib. 
 
 L. Conn. 
 
 L. Mask. 
 
 Inchegeelah Lake. 
 
 L. Tadman, near Ennis. 
 
 In the lakes of Cavan, Tyrone, and Donegal, large Pike abound ; 
 and the Pike-fishing on the Shannon at the places indicated, is consi- 
 dered some of the finest in the world. 
 
 SCOTLAND. 
 
 Galloway. 
 
 Sutherland. 
 
 L. Walson. 
 
 Loch Granuoch. 
 
 E. Helmsdale. 
 
 L. Maghaig. 
 
 L. Dornal. 
 L. Glentoo. 
 
 L. Migdale (only Su- 
 therland Loch con- 
 
 L. Inchmahorne. 
 L. Eusky. 
 
 L. Brack. 
 L. Barscobe. 
 
 taining Pike). 
 
 Allan Water. 
 Gartmorin Dam. 
 
 L. Honie. 
 
 
 L. Coulter. 
 
 L. Skae. 
 
 Caithness. 
 
 L. Tay. 
 
 
 L. Scharmlet. 
 
 E. Dean. 
 
 Renfrewshire. 
 
 
 Stirlingshire. 
 
 L. Kilbimie. 
 
 Perthshire. 
 
 E. Forth. 
 
 Castle Sample L. 
 
 L. Ard. 
 
 E. Teith (and lochs 
 
 L. Goin. 
 
 L. Craiglush. 
 
 through which it 
 
 Brother L. 
 
 L. of the Lows. 
 
 flows). 
 
 Black L. 
 
 Butterstone L. 
 
 E. Endrick. 
 
 Long L., (and several 
 
 L. Eotmel. 
 
 
 small lochs near Can- 
 
 L. Aishnie. 
 
 Inverness. 
 
 tyre). 
 
 L. Cluny. 
 
 L. Oich. 
 
 E. Black Cart. 
 
 L. Drumelli. 
 
 L. Lochy. 
 
 L. Libo. 
 
 L. Katrine. 
 
 L. Duntelchak. 
 
 Hairlaw Eeservoir. 
 
 L. Venachar. 
 
 L. Alvie.
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 249 
 
 L. Ness. 
 
 L. Neathe. 
 
 Lanarkshire. 
 
 L. Bothiemurchus. 
 
 Ledgowan L. 
 
 E. Clyde, and tribu- 
 
 L. Morlich. 
 
 L. Ling. 
 
 taries. 
 
 L. Gartin. 
 
 L. Carron. 
 
 Kelvin Water, N. Glas- 
 
 (Several lochs at the 
 
 L. Taniff. 
 
 gow. 
 
 head of the Spey.) 
 
 L. Maree. 
 
 Crane Loch. 
 
 
 L. Broom. 
 
 E. Tweed. 
 
 Fifeshire. 
 E. Orr. 
 
 Argyleshire. 
 L. Awe. 
 
 Aberdeenshire. 
 
 B. Leven. 
 
 
 E. Don. 
 
 Kinrogshire. 
 
 Wigtonshire. 
 Numerous lochs. 
 
 E. Dee. 
 Ley's Loch. 
 
 L. Leven. 
 
 
 
 Dumfriesshire. 
 
 Kircudbrightshire. 
 L. Dee. 
 
 Kincardineshire. 
 E. Dee. 
 
 Lochmaben 
 
 E. Dee. 
 
 
 (Several lochs). 
 
 L. Trool. 
 
 Ayrshire. 
 
 
 L. Erroch. 
 
 E. Doon. 
 
 Rosshire. 
 
 L. Lochinvar. 
 
 L. Martnaham. 
 
 L. Hullim, or Huelim. 
 
 L. Kinder. 
 
 L. Fergus. 
 
 L. Cullen. 
 
 (The above 5 Lochs 
 
 
 L. Achin. 
 
 are the best in 
 
 Several lochs in the 
 
 E. Conan, and several 
 
 Stewarty.) 
 
 neighbourhood of the 
 
 lakes through which 
 
 E. Ken. 
 
 E. Ayre. 
 
 it passes. 
 
 L. Ken. 
 
 
 
 E. Easay, or Black- 
 
 E. Orr. 
 
 The E. Spey, in Banff- 
 
 water, and several 
 
 
 shire and Elginshire. 
 
 lochs through which 
 
 Dumbartonshire. 
 
 
 it passes, including 
 
 E. Clyde, and many of 
 
 The E. Tweed, in Eox- 
 
 L. Garve. 
 
 its tributaries. 
 
 burgh, Selkirk, Ber- 
 
 L. Ussie. 
 
 E. Leven. 
 
 wick, Lanark, and 
 
 L. Kinellan. 
 
 L. Lomond. 
 
 Peebleshire. 
 
 INDEX.
 
 ( 251 ) 
 
 INDEX. PART I. 
 
 HISTORY OF THE PIKE. 
 
 ABSTINENCE. 
 
 Abstinence, 23. 
 
 Affection, 54. 
 
 Age, size, growth, &c., 8-17. 
 
 American Pike, 2. 
 
 Ancient appreciation of as food, 
 
 64-65. 
 
 Ancient mention, 3-7. 
 Angling fish, 38-40. 
 Attacks on moorhens, 27, 28. 
 
 other Pike, 26, 27, 28, 30. 
 other large fish, 26, 27,46. 
 , , on men, 31-34. 
 , , water-rats, 35. 
 toads, 34, 35. 
 , , otters, dogs, mules, oxen, 
 
 horses, poultry, 34. 
 foxes, 4042. 
 
 Basking, 23. 
 Brain, amount of, 24. 
 Breeding of Pickerel-weed 
 other superstitions, 49. 
 
 Cannibalism, 28, 30. 
 Colours when in season, 69. 
 Combats with eagles, 43. 
 , , otters, 42. 
 Cormorant and Pike, 28. 
 Cossyphus, the, 55. 
 Crimping, 65. 
 
 and 
 
 KENMURE PIKE. 
 
 Digestion, rapidity of, 21, 25, 27. 
 Dutch Pike, 63. 
 
 I 
 
 I Eagles, combats with, 43. 
 
 j Edible qualities, 62-64. 
 
 ; Eggs, number of, 70. 
 
 I 
 
 Fattening, 69. 
 
 Fish to be cooked fresh or stale, 66. 
 
 Food, amount ot, 19-22. 
 
 French Pike, 64. 
 
 General remarks, 1. 
 Geographical distribution, 5. 
 Gorging, torpidity from, 25, 27. 
 Green flesh, 68. 
 Gregarious or solitary, 52-54. 
 Growth-rate, 18-22. 
 
 Horsea Pike, 63. 
 
 Hunting and angling fish, 33-40. 
 
 Ichthyological descriptive parti- 
 culars, 71. 
 
 Indigenous or introduced, 2-5. 
 Italian Pike, 64. 
 
 Jack or Pike .' 
 Kenmure Pike, 13.
 
 252 
 
 INDEX TO PART I. 
 
 LABGE PIKE. 
 
 Large Pike, instances of, 8-17. 
 
 Manslaughter, attempts at, 31-34. 
 Medway Pike, 63. 
 Migrations of Pike, 47-51. 
 
 Names, various, and derivations, 5-8. 
 Norfolk Broad Pike, 63. 
 
 Omnivorous instincts, 28-30. 
 Otters, combats with, 42. 
 
 Perch, spines of, 44. 
 Pike or Jack, 17. 
 Preying, habits of, 38. 
 
 Rats attacked, 35. 
 Ravages in Trout waters, 46. 
 " Ring story," 9-12. 
 River and pond Pike, 63. 
 Roe, Pike eaten in, 67. 
 
 WATEB-BATS. 
 
 Salmon, a large eater, 25. 
 
 Scotch Pike, 64. 
 
 Sight, 24. 
 
 Spawning, 70. 
 
 Species, different, 2. 
 
 Staffordshire Pike, 63-69. 
 
 Sticklebacks, attempts at swallow- 
 ing, 45. 
 
 Superstitions medicinal qualities, 
 &c., 59-60. 
 
 Teeth, and engraving of, 37. 
 Tench, the Pike's physician ? 56-58. 
 Teviot Pike, 63. 
 Toads, rejected, 34-35. 
 Torpidity from gorging, 25, 27. 
 Trout and Salmon versus Pike, 46. 
 
 Voracity, anecdotes of, 25-36. 
 Water-rats attacked, 35.
 
 ( 253 ) 
 
 INDEX. PART II. 
 
 PIKE FISHING. 
 
 ARTIFICIAL BAITS. 
 
 ARTIFICIAL BAITS (pp. 219 to 233). 
 Numerous patterns of, 219. 
 Spoon-bait, and origin of, 221- 
 
 230. 
 
 New spoon and rig, 228. 
 Trace for spoon, 230. 
 Pike-fly, 230-233. 
 
 Cooking Pike, receipts for, 237-244. 
 
 Dead-bait fishing, general remarks 
 on, 74. 
 
 , , , , various modes of, 
 74-196. 
 
 LIVE-BAIT FISHING (pp. 197 to 218). 
 
 Snap live-bait fishing, 197. 
 
 Absurd tackles, 197. 
 
 Elaine's snap tackle, 198. 
 
 Mr. H. E. Francis' tackle, 199. 
 
 Faults of ordinary tackles 
 new tackle, 200-202. 
 
 Management and striking, 203. 
 
 Trace, 203. 
 
 Floats, 204. 
 
 Baits, 204. 
 
 Bait-cans, 206. 
 
 To preserve live-bait, 208. 
 
 How and wbere to work live- 
 bait, 209. 
 
 LIVE-BAIT continued. 
 
 The Spring-snap hook, 21 1. 
 The Paternoster, 213. 
 Huxing, 213-216. 
 Live-gorge bait, 216. 
 How to set a Trimmer, 218. 
 
 Pike waters, list of, 245-249. 
 
 SPINNING FOR PIKE (pp. 74 to 165). 
 Spinning - bait mistaken for 
 
 wounded fish, 74. 
 Spinning, early mention of, 75. 
 "Mad-bleak," 75. 
 Hawker's spinning tackle, 77. 
 Salter's spinning tackle, 77. 
 Francis Francis's tackle, 80. 
 Pennell, spinning tackle, 81. 
 "Kinking" in lines, 81-101. 
 Loss of fish in spinning, 82-91. 
 Spinning Flights, faults of, 82. 
 Striking, 83. 
 Flying-triangles, 83-84. 
 Flights, diagrams of, 84. 
 Hooks, difference in killing 
 
 powers of various bends, 
 
 86-89. 
 
 Lip-hooks, 88. 
 Baiting, directions for, 80. 
 "Fine-fishing," 92. 
 Materials for spinning-flights,
 
 254 
 
 INDEX TO PART II. 
 
 SPINNING FOB PIKE continued. 
 
 gut, single, twisted, and 
 gimp, 95-99. 
 
 Gimp, how to stain, 97. 
 
 " Gut-gimp," 98. 
 
 Spinning-trace, 99. 
 
 Knot, new for, 101. 
 
 Leads for spinning- traces, 102- 
 105. 
 
 Swivels, 105. 
 
 Lines for Pike-fishing gene- 
 rally, 107. 
 
 Ancient lines, 107. 
 
 Oil-dressings for lines, 109-111. 
 
 India-rubber dressings, 109. 
 
 Keels for Pike-fishing gene- 
 rally, 112-115. 
 
 Rods and rod making, 116-122, 
 127-135. 
 
 Rod-woods, account of, 122-129, 
 
 Rod varnish, 129. 
 
 Rings for trolling-rods, 130-133. 
 
 Ferrules, 134. 
 
 Sticking of joints, 134. 
 
 How to spin, 136-138. 
 
 Nottingham style, 138-141. 
 
 Casting. 141-144. 
 
 Striking the question argued, 
 144-150. 
 
 Weight of an ordinary " stroke," 
 148. 
 
 Playing, 150. 
 
 Landing. 151. 
 
 Gaff or net, 152-153. 
 
 Fishing-knife and disgorger, 154. 
 
 Spinning-baits, 155-157. 
 
 Preserving baits, 157-160. 
 
 SPINNING FOR PIKE continued. 
 
 Depth at which to spin, and 
 how to lead trace, 160. 
 
 When and where to spin, 161- 
 165. 
 
 SPINNING FOE TROUT (pp. 166 to 
 175). 
 Thames Trout spinning, 167- 
 
 169. 
 Diagrams of spinning flights, 
 
 167. 
 Lake-spinning, or trolling, 169- 
 
 172. 
 Minnow-spinning, new tackle, 
 
 172-175. 
 
 TROLLING WITH THE GORGE-BAIT 
 (pp. 176 to 196). 
 General observations, 176. 
 Impossible tackles, 177. 
 Tackle. Hooks, 178. 
 Nobbes's gorge-hooks, 178. 
 Early mention of trolling Mr. 
 
 Westwood's remarks, 178- 
 
 182. 
 Faults of common tackle, and 
 
 remedies, 182-186. 
 Diagrams of gorge-tackle, 185. 
 Trace for gorge-hooks, 186, 
 Working the gorge-bait, 187. 
 How to tell a " run," 189. 
 Management whilst gorging, 
 
 191-195. 
 
 P>est gorge-baits, 195. 
 When to troll, 195. 
 How to extract hooks, 196. 
 
 LONDON : PRINTED BY W. CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFOltD STREET, 
 AND CHABING CROSS.
 
 WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 
 
 THE ANGLER-NATURALIST: 
 
 A HISTORY OF BRITISH FRESH-WATER FISH. 
 
 WITH A PLAIN EXPLANATION OF THE RUDIMENTS OF ICHTHYOLOGY. 
 
 Illustrated by 150 Engravings. 
 
 Reader. ' An admirable work. It is stored throughout with anecdotes, which Mr. Pennell relates 
 in language that Is always terse and graceful. On the subject of fishing he is well known as an 
 
 authority "The Angler- Naturalist" is a clever book, and a useful book, and a book sui 
 
 generis. We have no doubt that it will become a standard work of reference. Let us add, what 
 Mr. Penuell has modestly omitted, that it is the most complete history of British fresh-water fish of 
 the present day ; and that the illustrations are equal to the text which is the greatest compliment 
 we can pay them.' 
 
 Globe. ' The enthusiasm of the writer carries the quietest reader with him ; and we can fancy few 
 to whom tin's volume would not be a pleasant pocket-companion.' 
 
 Field, ' How many an angler is there who, as he lights his pipe of peace after his mid-day lunch, 
 and looks at the shining beauties at bis feet, the result of his morning's sport, wishes from his heart, 
 now that the excitement of catching.the fish has passed away, that he knew somewhat of their habits, 
 structure, names, and proper places in the animal creation. This is a want which has been long felt : 
 it need not be felt any longer. Mr. Cholmondeley-Pennell in the admirable book now before us gives 
 exactly what we want. The angler need no longer, if he have Mr. Pennell's book with him, be in 
 doubt (as many young hands are) whether the fish he has just caught be a salmon, bull-trout, or sea- 
 trout. The distinctions between each are lucidly given, and it is only necessary to compare the 
 fresh-caught fish itself with the rules given, to enable the angler to hold his own against the argu- 
 ments and tenets of the obtuse gillie or unconvincible gamekeeper. It Is, in fact, the most complete 
 history of British fishes of the present day.' 
 
 Sporting Gazette.' Mr. Cholmondeley-Pennell combines theoretical knowledge with a thoroughly 
 practical acquaintance with the mysteries of the craft.' 
 
 John Bull. ' A work of national importance. Characterised by a careful and systematic knowledge 
 of the special branches of zoology which come within its scope ; and thoroughly worthy to place its 
 author's name by the side of that Coryphaeus of this class of literature Gilbert White of Selborne.' 
 
 Morning Advertiser.' A first-rate work. Mr. Pennell is an eloquent writer.' 
 
 Saturday Review.' It admirably carries out its selected programme. It claims for every sportsman 
 that he should be a bit of a naturalist, and does its part to make the angler a complete one, as far as 
 fish are concerned. That Its author is both one and the other we have abundant evidence. The 
 lucidus ordo bespeaks the naturalist, the practical information a true disciple of the gentle craft.' 
 
 Press.' Brilliant though immature as a poet, Mr. Pennell shows no sign of immaturity as an 
 angler; and his temperament, poetic and humorous, causes his book to be anything but the dry 
 
 reading which it would have been In average hands So good a manual has not hitherto 
 
 appeared ; the lazy angler will dream over It ; the strenuous angler will carefully study it, and make 
 
 good use of its concise information and manifold suggestions Instruction and amusement are 
 
 pleasantly mingled in its pages, and the angler will be unwise who does not contrive to find room in 
 his knapsack for this charming volume.' 
 
 London Review.' A good book, and a useful one.' 
 
 Quarterly Review.' A very entertaining work ; we have pleasure in recommending Mr. Cholmon- 
 deley-Pennell's book, which contains much interesting matter agreeably written.' 
 
 Saily's Sporting Magazine. ' No man can be qualified to send forth such a book as this one, which 
 we have Just read with infinite pleasure and profit, unless his knowledge of natural history and 
 angling be a practical and a full one, gained by personal experience, cherished by a true love of the 
 subject, and totally independent of theory and book- wisdom.' 
 
 Lancet.' Let those who have hitherto been satisfied with being simply killers of fish turn to this 
 very beautiful book, and make themselves masters of its pages. It will be strange, indeed, if they do 
 not wish to become something more, and we must even say better.'
 
 PUCK ON PEGASUS. 
 
 Now in the Press, 5th Edition, revised and enlarged, and profusely illustrated by LEECH, 
 TENNIEL, DOYLE, PHIZ, NOEL PATON, and CEUICKSHANK. 
 
 Opinions of the Press on earlier Editions. 
 
 London Review.' Humorous poetry of the genuine Ingoldsby or Bon Gaultier stamp is always 
 welcomed by the reading public. Few books of late years can boast such an array of comic talent. . . . 
 The popularity this work has already attained serves to show that the author's desires have b< 
 crowned with success.' 
 
 Press' Mr Pennell is a marvellous mimic; still we prefer him in his own vein, the description 
 of dashing and rapid movement. In passages like these his verse rises to poetry; his words catch 
 the rush of the steam-engine or the racer, his metre seems to fly.' 
 
 Saturday Review.' Healthy and vigorous versification Beside^ the foregoing extracts, 
 
 our readers will find much that is clever and amusing in " Puck on Pegasus." 
 
 Court Circular.' One of the cleverest productions of the day, and giving evidence of the genius of 
 the author in almost every page.' 
 
 Literary Budget. ' Mr. Pennell's lines possess an elegance, and a sly bo-peep sort of beauty.' 
 
 frazer's Magazine.-'" Fuck on Pegasus" is full of those eccentricities which make one laugh with 
 oneself, or in spite of oneself, according as one takes it up in a grave or gay humour. 
 
 Literary Gazette.' To be funny without being vulgar, to tell a story with gestures and yet not 
 become a buffoon, to parody a poet and yet retain the flavour of his real poetry, to turn all the nnest 
 feelings of the heart into fun and yet not to be coarse or unfeeling, Is not granted by Apollo to every 
 
 writer of humorous poems Mr. Pennell is an excellent parodyist, an ingenious punster, a 
 
 reviver and modifier of existing systems of fun, a vigorous worker of veins of humour not yet cam 
 far enough.' 
 
 Examiner. ' Let Mr. Pennell trust to the original strength that is In him, and he may bestride his 
 Pegasus without fear.' 
 
 2nd Edition. 
 
 CRESCENT? AND OTHER LYEICS, 
 
 HOW TO SEE SCOTLAND; 
 
 OR, A FORTNIGHT IN THE HIGHLANDS FOR 6. 
 
 EDITED, AND CONTRIBUTED TO, BY THE SAME ATJTHOB. 
 
 FAMILY FAIET TALES. 
 
 Illustrated. 2nd Edition, enlarged. 
 
 
 FROM APRIL, 1864, TO OCTOBER, 1865.
 
 NUIBRARY0/ 
 
 3 1158011594503