The Coconino weekly sun., 1894-10-25
PIckEREL SHOOTING
A Novel Sport Combining Hupt,,u ,
 Touch of Angling. 'N

Late in August the pickerel losos |, savage appetite, and is disposed @ to IiS Ii torpid for hours among the weeds ~ He grasses in shallow water IT. ana artful devices in these times ofto. Iost to arouse in him any signs of activit isl Siinnows, frogs, salt pork, red aannyy' and the grandiest and brightest ], trolling spoons may be alike tr;oS 7, ol vain. Under all conditions of I,, ln and wind and sky the big.iawod Aahe a, lows cling to their iairs T srne iel' and inert. The country ,en hoH long ago learned how to take ,dr' doS tage of this sluggishness on tbo u, nau, of the fish, and while older arn,a gar' trolled and skittered and east s ans "still-fshed" without reward u I urchins would bring in at sunset sor,e ,,,o of the biggest pickerel in the nons ,yle This they did by snaring With q Ionu not too flexible rod cut from an aldas a short, stout line, and a runn;a' moose Of fine copper wire they conlS lift out the very best ones Thaa would slip the moose carefully over ,SS tail ot the unsuspecting fish and nass it along till it hung just back of rDo tbo pectoral fines when a quick, firm rrII would land the victim on shore.
 From the native Indians in co,or;., days the settlers learned to spear tba pickerel in the early autumn days practiced hand and an accurate eva ora needed for this sport. At nigbt tbo savages did the most successful snoau ing. drifting along the shores will torch-lit bows and uplifted lance, Rrt now the laws of most of our st.t.s strictly forbid the use of the smear .t any time, and, except among poacbsrs and greedy market fishermen, the cus. tom has fallen into disuse. But the In. dians had another mode of slaving tbs pickerel which required even more con. summate skill. That was with the borr and arrow. Only the most expert how. man could take a fish under water in this way, and the pioneers, after try. ing in vain to handle the ruder weanon made use of their flint-lock guns with great success. Since then it has been favorite sport among good rife shots though known to or practiced by but few. No prettier shooting than this may be found.
 From now until the ice covers the rivers and lakes anyone may try the trick, and few lessons will give him considerable proficiency if he has been used to handling a rifle. You may either paddle along the shore with canoe or skiff and shoot toward land. or, with good pair of wading boots, you may skirt the strand, stalking the game from behind the screening osiers and alders on the bank. The former method, while it offers less steadyfoot- ing for shooting, is easier, and allows one to secure his game when killed with far less exertion.
 In early morning or early afternoon will be the times to set out, for at noon the glare of the sun is intolIerable, and its simmer on the surface blinds and dazzlees the eye. Choose the side of the pond or stream toward the sun, for then the shadow of the trees or hills will darken the water and give you a clear view. Keep close to the | edge and paddle very quietly along shore, peering sharply ahead under all sunken logs in the patches of waving water grass and among the rushes that | droop here and there. In the shadow of lily pad they often lie for hours dozing or watching for prey. Itisan easy thing to overlook the dull brown back of old Esox reticulatus, as the | Iong-winded scientists call the fish, or to mistake it for root or water-logged limb
 If he is lying three feet or more be- low the surface it is idle to shoot. So great is the resistance of the water that it requires great experience anda good aim to kill a fish at even two foot depth The most vital spot in the fish is just above the gills and aboutaH inch below the back. A bullet m that place will always, break the backbone. Where the great art comes in is in gauging just how far below the fish to aim in order to hit this spot You will soon learn that aiming direct ly point blank at any object under wa ter is worse than useless. You VIII only overshoot, owing to the glanelng of the bullet upward as it strikes me water. The nearer you are to the leye of the water when you fire the greater will be this divergence. The stralgh'a down you aim the less you need aLI0" for the gfancing of the lead.
 The rife should not be of too heavy a. caliber, and thirty-eight will " found a most satisfactory and con, fortable gauge. Use a heavy chaige' A long bullet of even the lightest car bre' will be found far more effective than the largest size of short onS> holding its initial course more eNenl!' and offering the least surface EeSIS' anee.-N. Y. Sun.