The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-05

the struggle.
Often. when it is lying SO. gentle trcmors
| come up the line from below, and that
! means that the prey Is rubbing its Jaws
| against the sand or pebbles cndeav0ring
| to get rid Of the hook in that way. There
| Is no telling how long a pickerel will remain
| inactive at the bottom any more than
whalers can tell how long whale VIII
| remain down when it has sounded. The
| fish may be motionlesS for minute or
| five minutes or half an hour. The fisher
! man keepsa tight line with n bent ROD,
and by and by the pull on the sore spot
| where the hook entered will have its effect
| The pickerel has but one way OF gaming
slack upon its adversary and that is by
shooting upward suddenly and with great
force. The man must be upon his guard
against this.
If the fish can get yard or so Of line
In this way, il will roll over it, wrapping
| the line about its body and opposing its
! broadside weight to the reel, frequently
| breaking the line. If it fails in this ex-
| pedient and can get two feet of slack, u
| may half circle upon the line and grasp it
| In it's teeth in the effort to cut it just above
| the hook, and this IL often done.
II Is better to have the hook snelled
| with gimp of piano wire of small size,
or with the d string Of guitar The
| finer sizes of silk line are too small for the
| pickere to cut, except by accident; but an
| fishing, since they lack the strength to hold
a big fish line of muskallonge size Is
required. and this the pickerel Will cut II
| 1t gets the chance.
The fish is worth the capture. for 1t is
very beautiful specimen of the fresh water
game species. with bright light spots,
| smooth skin and shapely body of from two
| to four feet in length II is distinctive OF
| the pckerel a. il is of the muskalIonSe'
that every line in its body shows breeding
and looks game. ,
longa, vet individuals get to be as large
ns muskalonge or the great northern pike
Many pickcrel of IS pounds have been
taken Not a season passes in the North
west that one of 80 pounds or over Is not
recorded.
Nagawicka. ia southern Wisconsin, which
weighed IS pounds The largest recorded
pickcrel was taken from the Chippewa
River, lust below Chippewa Falls, three
wears ago. 1t weighed - pounds, and
that is pretty near the muskallonge limit,
In general il may b" said that the pickerel
river of no great depth will not fight so
hard AS the muskallonge of equal weight
! Caught from the bottom of hole seventy
five feet deep, il will fight harder until
got near the surface,
Ii l. difficult to institute fair comparisons,
however. because Of the different methods
Of taking the two fish. The pickerel Is
fought fairly from a stationary boat. The
muskaIlonge Is hooked by trolling and Is
then dragged to death by a strong man at
the oars Probably If the muskallonge
had the pickerel's chance it would make
better showing. go
The man prepares for pickerel fishing with
! a stout steel rod. large rubber mounted
| double multiplying reel, $50 feet Of mus
| kallonge line, with a shocked hook of large
| size at its outer end. a bucket holding
half dozen fat clubs, a wide yellow UNI
brella with a green lining. and not TOO
exciting book of size which may be held
| conveniently In one hand.
! If he Is of luxurious tastes he may have
! placed In the boat small wooden box
! filed with sawdust, Ice and full bottles OF
| beer If of careful and exact mind, he " III
not have forgotten the corkscrew, 1t
need not he said that on n woodland lake
which shines like, a mirror at high noon
| of a July day cool beer l. not bad.
| Whatever his other preparations, the
man will have sounded the lake previously.
| he will know where the pickerel holes are
! and he will have In the bow small anchor,
with CROUCH light rope tied to 1t. II" viii
| not expect to get a strike as soon as ms
| chub gets far down and Will ca'culat" upon
| spending an hour at least above the hole:
| He rows out in a leisurely way. not strain
! ing himself, and when his marks on shore
! tell him that he is in the right place let's
| 90 his anchor. Then the man snubS the
| boat up until it floats with few feet of lee
| way and gets ready to fish
The club is cast out for fifty feet or so
| and permitted to sink, the good bit of
! lead above it carrying it down. When
| the line has come to perpendicular position
| not more than n yard from the boats edge
| it is paid out until the bend in il shows that
| it has touched bottom. Then it is reeled
-. nc - N
! swim about three feet above the bottom,
| and that IL the height at which the pickerel
| will be most likely TO find it.
If il is preferred n cork or float may be
attached to the line once it is paid out, and
| the rod fastened in the boat so that the
| dreaming angler may have both hands
| free TO smoke and hold the book. The
| crook of the umbrella can be jabbed back
| of the rib which runs along the gunwale
| and the occupant will have nothing to do
| bur squat and read, with an occasional
| SQuint al the cork.
At such a time the water is strangely
| ill and CLASSY. rejecting every nail in the
boat's, side and splinter Of the planking.
| Sounds which would be unheard on shore
| come over the lake with startling distinct
| ness note struck fOm the piano in the
| hotel n quarter of mile away seems close
at hand and the cry Of a child on the porch
! is near enough to disturb Along the lakes
!
! and every limb and branch to the topmost
| spray of the topmOst bough is outlined
against the sky beneath.
The reader may he reading of the last
| stand of the Crews in kukuanaland or of
| how the White Company came to be dis
| banded or Of Hereward's baresark cry as
| he dashed out his assassin's brains with
| his shield, or any other great fighting chap
| fer in literature but the slightest hobhle Of
| the float will attract his attention, because
| after all when a man is fishing be Is out to
fish and he cannot become lost to the line
| if he is a genuine angler, The book DROPS
| instantly as the cork moves away for yard,
| or he corkless line cuts through the water,
! then checks suddenly.
Then the umbrella is hastily shut and
| laid on the bottom, out Of harms way, Then
| tho thumb is placed carefully over the reel
and the right thumb and forefinRer grasp
| the crank with added firmness. Then an
| other run il made and another and thcn
| the hook is sent in with a mighty up
| ward Jerk of the wrist and Immediately
the butt il given until the rod tip is bent
| almost into circle.
That is to start the fish upward and if the
| move is succcssfula fight will follow that will
| seem only minute long, but may stretch
| out 10 half an hour. For the pickerel, lying
| far down in the ice-cold water, * vigor-
| orolls and high tempered and will battle
| for life until every strong muscle becomes
| faccid and refuses longer to do its bidding
The length Of time consumed in the fight
will depend upon the size and temper of
| the fish and the manner in which It is han
| died Some men have fashion Of killing