_Pisc_. It is not to be doubted but that the _Luce_, or _Pikrell_, or
_Pike_ breeds by Spawning; and yet _Gesner_ sayes, that some of them
breed, where none ever was, out of a weed called _Pikrell-weed_, and
other glutinous matter, which with the help of the Suns heat proves in
some particular ponds (apted by nature for it) to become _Pikes_.
Sir _Francis Bacon_ [in his History of Life and Death] observes the
_Pike_ to be the longest lived of any fresh water fish, and yet that
his life is not usually above fortie years; and yet _Gesner_ mentions a
_Pike_ taken in _Swedeland_ in the year 1449, with a Ring about his
neck, declaring he was put into the Pond by _Frederick_ the second,
more then two hundred years before he was last taken, as the
Inscription of that Ring, being Greek, was interpreted by the then
Bishop of _Worms_. But of this no more, but that it is observed that
the old or very great _Pikes_ have in them more of state then goodness;
the smaller or middle siz'd _Pikes_ being by the most and choicest
palates observed to be the best meat; but contrary, the _Eele_ is
observed to be the better for age and bigness.
All _Pikes_ that live long prove chargeable to their keepers, because
their life is maintained by the death of so many other fish, even those
of his owne kind, which has made him by some Writers to bee called the
Tyrant of the Rivers, or the Fresh water-wolf, by reason of his bold,
greedy, devouring disposition; which is so keen, as _Gesner_ relates, a
man going to a Pond (where it seems a _Pike_ had devoured all the fish)
to water his Mule, had a _Pike_ bit his Mule by the lips, to which the
_Pike_ hung so fast, that the Mule drew him out of the water, and by
that accident the owner of the Mule got the _Pike_; I tell you who
relates it, and shall with it tel you what a wise man has observed, _it
is a hard thing to perswade the belly, because it hath no ears_.
But if this relation of _Gesners_ bee dis-believed, it is too evident
to bee doubted that a _Pike_ will devoure a fish of his own kind, that
shall be bigger then this belly or throat will receive; and swallow a
part of him, and let the other part remaine in his mouth till the
swallowed part be digested, and then swallow that other part that was
in his mouth, and so put it over by degrees. And it is observed, that
the _Pike_ will eat venemous things (as some kind of _Frogs_ are) and
yet live without being harmed by them: for, as some say, he has in him
a natural Balsome or Antidote against all Poison: and others, that he
never eats a venemous _Frog_ till he hath first killed her, and then
(as _Ducks_ are observed to do to _Frogs_ in Spawning time, at which
time some _Frogs_ are observed to be venemous) so throughly washt her,
by tumbling her up and down in the water, that he may devour her
without danger. And _Gesner_ affirms, that a _Polonian_ Gentleman did
faithfully assure him, he had seen two young Geese at one time in the
belly of a _Pike_: and hee observes, that in _Spain_ there is no
_Pikes_, and that the biggest are in the _Lake Thracimane_ in _Italy_,
and the next, if not equal to them, are the _Pikes_ of _England_.
The _Pike_ is also observed to be a melancholly, and a bold fish:
Melancholly, because he alwaies swims or rests himselfe alone, and
never swims in sholes, or with company, as _Roach_, and _Dace_, and
most other fish do: And bold, because he fears not a shadow, or to see
or be seen of any body, as the _Trout_ and _Chub_, and all other fish
do.
And it is observed by _Gesner_, that the bones, and hearts, & gals of
_Pikes_ are very medicinable for several Diseases, as to stop bloud, to
abate Fevers, to cure Agues, to oppose or expel the infection of the
Plague, and to be many wayes medicinable and useful for the good of
mankind; but that the biting of a _Pike_ is venemous and hard to be
cured.
And it is observed, that the _Pike_ is a fish that breeds but once a
year, and that other fish (as namely _Loaches_) do breed oftner; as we
are certaine Pigeons do almost every month, and yet the Hawk, a bird of
prey (as the _Pike_ is of fish) breeds but once in twelve months: and
you are to note, that his time of breeding or Spawning is usually about
the end of _February_; or somewhat later, in _March_, as the weather
proves colder or warmer: and to note, that his manner of breeding is
thus, a He and a She _Pike_ will usually go together out of a River
into some ditch or creek, and that there the Spawner casts her eggs,
and the Melter hovers over her all that time that she is casting her
Spawn, but touches her not. I might say more of this, but it might be
thought curiosity or worse, and shall therefore forbear it, and take up
so much of your attention as to tell you that the best of _Pikes_ are
noted to be in Rivers, then those in great Ponds or Meres, and the
worst in smal Ponds.
And now I shall proceed to give you some directions how to catch this
_Pike_, which you have with so much patience heard me talk of.
[Illustration of a Pike]
His feeding is usually _fish_ or _frogs_, and sometime a weed of his
owne, called _Pikrel-weed_, of which I told you some think some _Pikes_
are bred; for they have observed, that where no _Pikes_ have been put
into a Pond, yet that there they have been found, and that there has
been plenty of that weed in that Pond, and that that weed both breeds
and feeds them; but whether those _Pikes_ so bred will ever breed by
generation as the others do, I shall leave to the disquisitions of men
of more curiosity and leisure then I profess my self to have; and shall
proceed to tell you, that you may fish for a _Pike_, either with a
ledger, or a walking-bait; and you are to note, that I call that a
ledger which is fix'd, or made to rest in one certaine place when you
shall be absent; and that I call that a walking bait, which you take
with you, and have ever in motion. Concerning which two, I shall give
you this direction, That your ledger bait is best to be a living bait,
whether it be a fish or a Frog; and that you may make them live the
longer, you may, or indeed you must take this course:
First, for your live bait of fish, a _Roch_ or _Dace_ is (I think) best
and most tempting, and a _Pearch_ the longest liv'd on a hook; you must
take your knife, (which cannot be too sharp) and betwixt the head and
the fin on his back, cut or make an insition, or such a scar as you may
put the arming wyer of your hook into it, with as little bruising or
hurting the fish as Art and diligence will enable you to do, and so
carrying your arming wyer along his back, unto, or neer the tail of
your fish, betwixt the skin and the body of it, draw out that wyer or
arming of your hook at another scar neer to his tail; then tye him
about it with thred, but no harder then of necessitie you must to
prevent hurting the fish; and the better to avoid hurting the fish,
some have a kind of probe to open the way, for the more easie entrance
and passage of your wyer or arming: but as for these, time and a little
experience will teach you better then I can by words; for of this I
will for the present say no more, but come next to give you some
directions how to bait your hook with a Frog.
_Viat_. But, good Master, did not you say even now, that some _Frogs_
were venemous, and is it not dangerous to touch them?
_Pisc_. Yes, but I wil give you some Rules or Cautions concerning them:
And first, you are to note, there is two kinds of _Frogs_; that is to
say, (if I may so express my self) a _flesh_ and _a fish-frog_: by
flesh _frogs_, I mean, _frogs_ that breed and live on the land; and of
these there be several sorts and colours, some being peckled, some
greenish, some blackish, or brown: the green _Frog_, which is a smal
one, is by _Topsell_ taken to be venemous; and so is the _Padock_, or
_Frog-Padock_, which usually keeps or breeds on the land, and is very
large and bony, and big, especially the She _frog_ of that kind; yet
these wil sometime come into the water, but it is not often; and the
land _frogs_ are some of them observed by him, to breed by laying eggs,
and others to breed of the slime and dust of the earth, and that in
winter they turn to slime again, and that the next Summer that very
slime returns to be a living creature; this is the opinion of _Pliny_:
and [in his 16th Book De subtil. ex.] _Cardanus_ undertakes to give
reason for the raining of _Frogs_; but if it were in my power, it
should rain none but water _Frogs_, for those I think are not venemous,
especially the right water _Frog_, which about _February_ or _March_
breeds in ditches by slime and blackish eggs in that slime, about which
time of breeding the He and She _frog_ are observed to use divers
simber salts, and to croke and make a noise, which the land _frog_, or
_Padock frog_ never does. Now of these water _Frogs_, you are to chuse
the yellowest that you can get, for that the _Pike_ ever likes best.
And thus use your _Frog_, that he may continue long alive:
Put your hook into his mouth, which you may easily do from about the
middle of _April_ till _August_, and then the _Frogs_ mouth grows up
and he continues so for at least six months without eating, but is
sustained, none, but he whose name is Wonderful, knows how. I say, put
your hook, I mean the arming wire, through his mouth and out at his
gills, and then with a fine needle and Silk sow the upper part of his
leg with only one stitch to the armed wire of your hook, or tie the
_frogs_ leg above the upper joint to the armed wire, and in so doing
use him as though you loved him, that is, harme him as little as you
may possibly, that he may live the longer.
And now, having given you this direction for the baiting your ledger
hook with a live _fish_ or _frog_, my next must be to tell you, how
your hook thus baited must or may be used; and it is thus: Having
fastned your hook to a line, which if it be not fourteen yards long,
should not be less then twelve; you are to fasten that line to any bow
neer to a hole where a _Pike_ is, or is likely to lye, or to have a
haunt, and then wind your line on any forked stick, all your line,
except a half yard of it, or rather more, and split that forked stick
with such a nick or notch at one end of it, as may keep the line from
any more of it ravelling from about the stick, then so much of it as
you intended; and chuse your forked stick to be of that bigness as may
keep the _fish_ or _frog_ from pulling the forked stick under the water
till the _Pike_ bites, and then the _Pike_ having pulled the line forth
of the clift or nick in which it was gently fastened, will have line
enough to go to his hold and powch the bait: and if you would have this
ledger bait to keep at a fixt place, undisturbed by wind or other
accidents which may drive it to the shoare side (for you are to note
that it is likeliest to catch a _Pike_ in the midst of the water) then
hang a small Plummet of lead, a stone, or piece of tyle, or a turfe in
a string, and cast it into the water, with the forked stick to hang
upon the ground, to be as an Anchor to keep the forked stick from
moving out of your intended place till the _Pike_ come. This I take to
be a very good way, to use so many ledger baits as you intend to make
tryal of.
Or if you bait your hooks thus, with live fish or Frogs, and in a windy
day fasten them thus to a bow or bundle of straw, and by the help of
that wind can get them to move cross a _Pond_ or _Mere_, you are like
to stand still on the shoar and see sport, if there be any store of
_Pikes_; or these live baits may make sport, being tied about the body
or wings of a _Goose_ or _Duck_, and she chased over a Pond: and the
like may be done with turning three or four live baits thus fastened to
bladders, or boughs, or bottles of hay, or flags, to swim down a River,
whilst you walk quietly on the shore along with them, and are still in
expectation of sport. The rest must be taught you by practice, for time
will not alow me to say more of this kind of fishing with live baits.
And for your dead bait for a _Pike_, for that you may be taught by one
dayes going a fishing with me or any other body that fishes for him,
for the baiting your hook with a dead _Gudgion_ or a _Roch_, and moving
it up and down the water, is too easie a thing to take up any time to
direct you to do it; and yet, because I cut you short in that, I will
commute for it, by telling you that that was told me for a secret: it
is this:
_Dissolve_ Gum of Ivie _in Oyle of_ Spike, _and therewith annoint your
dead bait for a_ Pike, _and then cast it into a likely place, and when
it has layen a short time at the bottom, draw it towards the top of the
water, and so up the stream, and it is more then likely that you have
a_ Pike _follow you with more then common eagerness_.
This has not been tryed by me, but told me by a friend of note, that
pretended to do me a courtesie: but if this direction to catch a _Pike_
thus do you no good, I am certaine this direction how to roste him when
he is caught, is choicely good, for I have tryed it, and it is somewhat
the better for not being common; but with my direction you must take
this Caution, that your Pike must not be a smal one.
_First open your_ Pike _at the gills, and if need be, cut also a little
slit towards his belly; out of these, take his guts, and keep his
liver, which you are to shred very small with_ Time, Sweet Margerom,
_and a little_ Winter-Savoury; _to these put some pickled_ Oysters,
_and some_ Anchovis, _both these last whole (for the_ Anchovis _will
melt, and the_ Oysters _should not) to these you must add also a pound
of sweet_ Butter, _which you are to mix with the herbs that are shred,
and let them all be well salted (if the_ Pike _be more then a yard
long, then you may put into these herbs more then a pound, or if he be
less, then less_ Butter _will suffice:) these being thus mixt, with a
blade or two of Mace, must be put into the_ Pikes _belly, and then his
belly sowed up; then you are to thrust the spit through his mouth out
at his tail; and then with four, or five, or six split sticks or very
thin laths, and a convenient quantitie of tape or filiting, these laths
are to be tyed roundabout the_ Pikes _body, from his head to his tail,
and the tape tied somewhat thick to prevent his breaking or falling off
from the spit; let him be rosted very leisurely, and often basted with
Claret wine, and Anchovis, and butter mixt together, and also with what
moisture falls from him into the pan: when you have rosted him
sufficiently, you are to hold under him (when you unwind or cut the
tape that ties him) such a dish as you purpose to eat him out of, and
let him fall into it with the sawce that is rosted in his belly; and by
this means the_ Pike _will be kept unbroken and complete; then to the
sawce, which was within him, and also in the pan, you are to add a fit
quantity of the best butter, and to squeeze the juice of three or four
Oranges: lastly, you may either put into the_ Pike _with the_ Oysters,
_two cloves of Garlick, and take it whole out when the_ Pike _is cut
off the spit, or to give the sawce a hogoe, let the dish (into which
you let the_ Pike _fall) be rubed with it; the using or not using of
this Garlick is left to your discretion. This dish of meat is too good
for any but Anglers or honest men; and, I trust, you wil prove both,
and therefore I have trusted you with this Secret. And now I shall
proceed to give you some Observations concerning the _Carp_.