The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-17
IT, pic ;sssc 4. bod, !. ...Tov and p armed

with thick heavy scales and a hook which
strikes 10 nywhere other than In the mouth
y not apt TO take hold. IL does sometimes
can tell always when II has happened by the
peculiar and greatly increased drag on the line.
Keeling IN u four-pound picherel which II com
Ing ing deway even when It is half exhausted,
VIII test the strength OF any tackle.
here Is no more firing work than spoon
fishing, for the reason that the casts are Of
great frequency and the lure must be kept NOV
lng steadily az good speed. Five casts a min
ute are often made and when this II kept up for
a half-hour the muscular strain * considerable.
because % thls some men WHO are getting old,
or were born lazy. Prefer live bait. a much
easier thlng to uSe. though u will probably not
take as many fish, 4; Is difficult To say what
form Of i've bait the plckerel prefer, because
VIII take one ~ readily as another, There Is "a
wide difference, however, In the manner IN
which the ,%yarioua forms of live. bait must be
handled II does not do any good. for instance,
TO cast and wlggle a crawfish a. one would cast
anu wlRgle a minnow. The Cravfl~h Goes not
travel like q minnow and, when made to do 80
by means OF a line and a foolish hand at the FAR
end Of II inrre~ses any pickerel which secs il as
crazy. As 4 general rule, in using bait II IA best
70 simulate as nearly as possible, the motion OF
~" bait when IL il not attached 10 anything.
The crawiSh in running streams lives und r
rocks. most often rocks that are near 10 the
edge OF the bank. in water 10 shallow that nrowl-
ers can not get through II This miniature
lobster travels backward, getting It's motion by
curving It's tail under il with a Jerk and II goes
very fast indeed, This motion. Of course, u IS
impossible for a man with a rod and line to lmi-
tate. Often, however. the Crawdsh Is caught
by a strong rush Of current when II Is careless
and Is 81 swept down stream, roll ng over ana
over before II can brace its manv feet on the
bottom and make Its back ward dart, There
fore, in nndeavoring TO induce the piCkcrell To
take the hooked crawftsh II is bett.r 10 lower the
which the stream Is rippling and then permit
the fastened lure 10 roll dow the stream. II
this be well done, any pickerel thereabout Is
pretty certain to take an instantaneous share in
the proccedings. The crawnsh should be hooked
through the mouth and the barb be passed 10
its tail, traversing the entire length Of the body.
This gives il n natural curve.
In fishing with the small green frog, which i
q most attractive morsel To. all forms or game
fish, the most killing method u To pinch W. the
skin Of the back and pass the hook through II,
frog so fastened will live fer a long time under
water and its kicks will be exactly those which
il would make II 1t were free This fastening
Is insecure and a man will lose his frog each
time II is struck whether he hooks the fish or
not. but there Is nothing 10 be gained by II man
trying always to conserve his bait 50 az 10 max"
il do for more than one fish. II this were the
only object to be attained II would he n good
scheme 10 tie II 10 tn" hook with fine wire. wrap-
ming il round and round 20 that nothing short OF
n Ia. KNIFE would he able 10 dislodre II. In
Ferryville mall boys will gladly furnish frogs
M the rate Of ona copper penny for ten, red
sided channel minnows. at the same nrloe
There are Various WhNr OF ltNltnlIlk NV llllIllloN .
each Of which has its advocates. The best
met nod. however. md one that Is found 70 ba
killing for pickarel. Irescribcs that inc NOOK
shall he inserted through The mouth I've carried
back and and be brought out AZ the sid" ot the
littl~ nsh Just below the centre OF the dor;al m.
or the place whore the dorsal fin should he.
The mirnow in this way I, Instantly kiled but
its death ~ not rarCeivlble nv the fsh II II Dc
kent IN lively motion, and that i essential.
Some of the older fishermen here, those most
diSinclired 10 e~xsriion, use q rOat IN pursuing
uickerel with minnow bait. When this Is done
Tho minrow T. put upon the hook by sticking
lightly through the back. N will live for some
little time In this way and viii SWIM about IN
der the water. though, u Is not known e, be
more attractive upon this account. Anything
which approaches a plump drowned insect In
.,nearanc- Is good for pickerel, because the
fish gets its living mainly by ly lng near TO places
where such drowned bodies float down or are
| held in an eddy A grasshopper under water,
n NAV fy, y large horsefiy. even the bumhlebee
| NAV te used with effect. II Is nearly always
neoessarv, however that the insect appear TO be
drowned and travelling with the current, II Is
| q favorite trick with the bass fisher so TO cast
tha, hi end nv shall strike a small bush or shelf
upon the bank, and so tumble lightly into the
uotcr "a insects often do. but this l. not effac-
live With the pickerel, which Is not TO = grea.
extent n bank lurker and prefers that Its 1000
be brought down stream,
There Is no place where the difference be-
tween lake and stream fishes Is more strongly
accentueted than here, The reaches ot the
upper Mississippi are filed with water that Il
clear for the most part. apd IL is cold; In this
finned things. 1 river ash, bred and reared
In constantly moving cold water, will fight
twice ~ long as a lake fish of the same species
ssn nt % "f tSs p Ia | = 'rg rhs not CONSTANT Snik at w, msrf Fare
against the current makes them muscular and
the GOODNESS OF the element in which they live
keeps them l5eE .t s91ts e IN s9 con, . a th IeS
a silk line Of expert" size and a reasonably
small hook. will give its intending captor all
that he cares 70 do for twenty minutes. or some
times. a half hour. Almost always there are
submerged snags her and there, and the line
be wrapped around ons OF them, the fsh Is
| gone. There are drifting branches, too. under
rocks. against which the line may be frsyedi In
two. Most old fab display n marked ingenuity
In making for and finding these aids 10 escape
Furthermore. the flesh OF tho stream fish !. In
| variably better than that Of the Lake dwellers.
being drmer. whittier. OF smaller grain and apt TO
keep longer, with or without ice.
There Is a marked contrast too. bet ween
the outfit OF the city sportsrlah who visits Fer
ryvtls for q day with the piokera and the man
who lives upon the Mlsissippi's bank, The
| city man will bring to his aid a steel or lance
wood or split bamboo or greenheart rod. a
quadruple multiplying or automatic reel. spoons
Of many kinds. bait bucket. frog basket, land
Ing Lu r.. 4 e. 9 ,o The 4 4as. AZ us Mr q ca %sn poi L
sStsen feet long. He has no bait bucket or
frog basket or landing net. lie has one spoon
so old that most OF the red Is worn from one OF
what TO do With it IL he had one. his line u OF
common white linen. but strong. He leaves
enough Of IL free 10 reach from pole tip to butt
To its end he ties the spoon. generally with a
leaden sinker OF considerable heft, This, with
his arm length, gives him a reach Of some thirty
five feet and he thinks that enough water 70
cover. When ne hooks a fish there vs. no ar
tistlo play or endeavor to tire II out. Follow
Jag the rise" there Is the fast strong Jerk OF
the wrist, a half-swirl in the water and then
picker~l, whatever his weight, Ia yanked wildly
| from the water into the boat or on the bank
If the hook holds. Frequently II does not
the weigh OF the FISH and the crude mannel
| OF the lining to the inner side OF the mouth
| There Is some fun in this, particularly i The
| fish be striking freely, but not SO much As there
J ought TO be. Any how the Mississippi fisher
| man as a general thing Is not looking for fun
| lie wants meat weigh and II is his business Il
| get II as fast and a. long as possible.