The morning call., 1892-08-17
LASSOIkG PICKEREL.
Some Picturesque Night Fishing Along
a New Jersey River.
New York sun.

Some Picturesque Night Fishing Along
New Jersey River.
New York sun.
One dark night last week score of men
and boys stood on both banks of Saddle
River, not far from Hohokus, in Bergen
County, \. j., and fshed industriously
and with great success. The weird
glare of numerous torches which lighted
their labor or sport, as they chose
to call it, fell upon goodly piles
of guttering pickerel that lay on the grass.
Suckers, too, were there in abundance, but
they instance only the proves of tie very
young fishermen, who. for the most part.
lad speared them. The pickerel were taken
by those fishers who were older
and more skilled in the piscatorial
art. Very few of the voracious fish
were speared; the great majority of
them were caught in a Moose at the eud of
slender wire and tossed ashore. 1t was a
strange and Interesting exhibition and none
OF the actors in il seemed to care straw
that this is the closed season for piekerel,
and ans one detected catching them be-
comes liable to fine and Imprisonment.
''Ob, we are not fishing for piekerel,"
said man, as with sudden jerk he
chueked a long, slender fish with cruel
looking jaws out Of the water and added it
10 a dozen others that lay at his feet. "Suck-
eTs are always in season, you know. and
they are what we are after. We are not
altogether as successful in catching them
with our snariDg- wire as the boys are with
their spears, and if a pickerel pushes his
head through the loop, why, he has ONLY
himself TO thank for il. We can't be ex-
peeted to set him free. You see when a
hsh has once been caught and restored to
liberty his captoT will take no more fish 10
that locality for hours. The one he has
liberated ~ and racflnSc
maybe, he tells the others about his expert
ence and they all swim away. SO in self
defense as II were, we are obliged 10 keep
what we catch. Besides, if there is any one
in these parts deputed to enforce the laws
protecting water game have ever met him.
Now watch that fellow"
HIS voice sank tOa whisper. and with a
motion of his head he indicated a large
pIckerel about Is inches below the surface
Of the water. The river at that spot was
probably 20 feet wide, five feet deep, and as
clear as mountain spring. BY the light
OF the torches every pebble on the bottom
could be seen, and the big fish was. of
course, plainly visible. He was almost
mOti0nless, only slight vibration of his
fms showing that he was neither dead nor
steering. The flaming torch in the hand
Of the man who was trying to snare him
did not seem to frigbten him, or if it did
MS curiosity was greater than his fear, for
his eyes were fixed intently upon it, Slowly
anu steadily the fisherman pushed ii toward
his victim, and when it was close to tile
water he allowed tie snariBg wire hang
ing from long slender pole W hich he held
IN his dlsengGged hand 10 drop into the
river so gently that it hardly caused a
ripple. DaZZied by the fame of the
torch, the plckerel evidently did not
see the snare at ali. Possibly the glare
affected him as the footIights at the
edge OF stage 10 theater affect a Young
actor, preventing him from distinctly dis
ceruDg his audience. That the fish sawthe
light, however, and wanted to obtain
closer view Of il, was evident enough. for
he now began to rise slowly In doing so
his head and half the length Of his slim
body passed through the fatal moose Then
his motion was unexpectedly accelerated
The wire suddenly frightened, the water was
churned as though the propeller of a small
steamer was lashing 1t. and ia a moment a
three pound piekerel lay floundering impo-
tently upon the bank.
All the fishermen caught their pickerel in
the same way. None of them used a hook
and line. At this season, however, different
tactics have to be used in catching suckers.
lDese muc-ioyiDg fish are so fat and soft
just now that q slender wire tightening
around their obese waists would cut them
larry IN TWO. They are very lazy and easily
speareo, but the ear Goes not always hold.
a sklliiul lancer, however, can generally
laKe enough IN night to supply his neigh
borbo6d, for they are not considered deli
cacy anywhere; but spearng them by torch
light is great sport. Not as good as lasso-
ing piekerel, though.