The sun., 1902-12-21
PICKEREL THROIGH THE ICE.
The sport Fast Growing In Popularity
In the Western states.

The difference between the pickerel and
certain detective agencies is that while
they occasionally sleep. it never does. At
least II l. sleeps II has never been caught
at il and there is no hour of the day or
night, or any day Of the year. when II may
not be taken with proper bait and patience.
In the chill months. when the lakes have
a roofing of ice foot thick. with twelve
inches of SHOW on top Of that, otler fshes
90 into retirement. Either they become
dormant. as some au horities say Il the
bass, or they go into the deepest unfrozen
holes and refuse 20 be comforted.
They will not take any lure and reap
pear to human gaze only when spring has
warmed the waters The bass, the trout,
the mnskal.onge all do this. hut the pickcrel
is swimming around looking for something q
to "a, long after they have hibernated.
Fishing for pickerel through the ice is a
sport extensively practised in the West -
~ extensively. in fact. that some OF the
States have passed laws regulating the
number Of holes a man may cut and how
many lines he may usc and during what
hours he may fish.
The taking Of the pickerel in the month
December. January, March and even in
April. If the spring he late. is simple
enough, bu, lots Of fun The ang Ter
wants TO be thoroughly clothed from top
20 heel and on his feet must be three pairs
of heavy woollen stockings and rubber
| shoes, llcing half way up his calf, two
sizes too large for him. With this kind
of fotcovering he may stand on the ice
for hours without i'll effect or discomfort
If he knows the deepest part Of the lake
he goes to i with an axe and chops five or
six holes eighteen inches square and ten
yards apart. Through these he drops
his lines, each bearing a big hook and
| sinker and baitcd with fresh meat
In the warm months the pickerel is occa-
| sonally a choice feeder. disdainng any
| thing less tempting than a fat club or sill
| ver-sded minnow, alive, active and juicy
| but in winter il is hungry and willing TO
ioregather with anything it can digest
| The best bait then il chicken entrails, or a
| part Of chicken breast, or a similar portion
| of bird.
Probably the smaller fishes upon which
| il II accustomed to dine in prosperous
| days are In places where il cannot reach
| them, and, like the hobo who in summer
| is autocratic and in winter is democratic,
| II Is willing TO compromise.
| The mann, in which The pickerel takes the
bait too, is evidence of the strait to which II
Is brought, In July or August it trif,s with
the live mnnow. taking hold Of il gingerly
running with IL little way, then dropping
II to return to il, playing with it a. a cat
with a mouse. Minnows are plentiful
| and the pickerel does not much care whet her
| 1t obtains the particular minnow or not
The best pickerel fishermen do not think
| of making the jerk for full minute after
| the line begins to move through the water
| But in the winter the pickerel wants the
meat sees it, smells II when within foot
and gulps it down wholesomely, taking
| no chances. Immediately the big hook
| pricks as 1t starts away il gives dash
| Of yard. securely hooks itself and there
| after makes such play a. it can
The line is fast ened to a big stake driven
| into the ice and the angler, shuffiing from
| hole to hole, siapping himself to keep warm
and occasionally taking an observation
| of the sun through the Bottom OF a bottle
darkly, sees the agitation and joins in
The pickcrel IL normally big fish In
! some OF the lakes II gets up to thirty pounds
weight II is not 10 game az the muskal-
longe, but II has strength and one of the
| tribe weighing fifteen pounds in winter water
will make great struggle
There Is, Of course, no opportunity for
reel and rod work. The angler hangs
| on with both hands and hauls in az he gets
the chance. Sometimes the hook holds
| and sometimes II does not The line may
| bc frayed through against the edge Of TIE
| ice-hole before the fight ends: when near
the surface the fish may leap against the
| side Of the hole and knock itself on: he fact
| that the man Can obtain no sure foothold
| and slips and slides about. being a. anxious
to keep ont Of the water As to get the pick
| ere out, works against him. Altogether
| he has "A time that he will remember.
Pickerel will bite on almost any winter
| day IL their lurking places can be found
and there are worse ways Of putting in an
idle afternoon, though there is a good deal
OF work about 1t as well rs a good deal OF
exposure.