Macon beacon., 1917-04-20
JUST ORDINARY OIL PIcKEREL

tnat We remember from the knea.
pants and bent-pin stage of the fishing
game, 1t sure must be OF Judge Pick,
erei and the young picks" It Ger.
'ainly made your heart do a double
quick and started the cold Greens up
your spine, the first time you hooked
a plckerel, after kindergarten course
On cnups and sunnies. You probably
had a long cane pole or a young san.
ing cut from the nearby wooded shore
anyway, from that time on you real.
lzed that there was some sport" to
tne game. Since then, Of course, the
oi plckerel has beon sorta dropped
into the discard, and It takes front
pass or muskie, perhaps, to start the
Joy trlps up along your vertebrae. But
iet me tip you off straight, Buck.
tneres many good fighter left in the
plckerel outfit, regardless of the many
siurs cast upon his fighting qualities
Dy some of the ultra-exclusive high.
Drows In the angling derby.
Find PIckereI Most Anywhere.
Ihe pickerel Is one Of the fish that
you can hsh for nearly anywhere, and
you oont have to make a five hundred
to one thousand mile trip to his "boma
grounds" He is common, ordinary
cuss that can pick up living on next
TO nothing, and at the same time raise
mighty big family. In nearby "ciyi.
nzed' waters he will even make a
sure-enough professional fisherman sit
up and take notice at his ability to
eVade the bait and make said fisher
man use all his skill and wits 70 IN.
duce him to take the lure. The more
ne IS hshed for the wiser he gets, and
to land q few fair-sized pickerel in
much-fished waters takes keen work
more so than for the gamer fish in the
usual fish haunts of the North woods.
AS a rule the pickerel found in local
waters does not grow to excess size.
say an average Of two or three mounds
Some are larger, of course, but not the
general run.
Where the PickereI Hangs Out
The pickerel from the running
streams, like all other fish, puts up
the best fight, while those from the
warmer waters Of the lakes and slug
gi3h streams are dull and slow fight
ers. The pickerel is found in nearly
all rivers and lakes or ponds, his pref
erence being for shallow, grassy lakes.
His main hunting grounds are along
the edge of lily and weed beds and on
the outskirts OF the grassy growth
that Is often called "pickerel grass"
Here he turks, waiting for the smaller
nsh to swim past, often striking his
prey with a snap Of the jaws that cuts
the victim in twain. He is a sure
enough barbarian, and is a DESTROYER
Of the weaker fishes, all of which
points to the fact that he will be with
us for many day. He Is vicious to
the core, and at times will strike a
trolling spoon with force enough to
bend 1t double. In springfield lakes he
S often found around the spring.holes,
md deep fishing here will bring him
'ut. You can feel reasonably sure of
anding him any time from the first
If the season to the windup, and then
AXE rap at him through the ice in
winter.
Needs Dentist In August.
August is about the poorest month
or pickerel fishing, caused, no doubt,
y the soreness of the gums, as
laimed by many Of the old-timers.
he "muskie," cousin of the pick.
rel, loses his teeth in August, while
ne pickerel itself has a swelling Of
ne gums during dogdays that does
ot put him in humor to bite on any.
hing. Late September and early Oc.
ober is about the best all-round pick
rel season, at which time he Is found
the shadows, at the mouth of out
'ts or inlets, where the feed is good.
Troll and Cast for Him. i
Although trolling is the surest meth Y
OF landing the pickerel, much {
port can be had by casting for him, O
sing light bass tackle. A weedless n
ook with small frog, sinner or min &
DIV Tor bait, and single spinner is Il
! you need. Row along the weed
eds. about seventy.five feet out and Y
Ist in toward the edge, landing your lc
lit about five feet from the edge. X
I've the pickerel little time before in
riking as he grabs the live bait and al
Irts back to his lair, there to turn st
around in his mouth and swallow It oil
'ad first. Strike sharply and row W
Vay from the weeds. Bear this in fo
Ind: he may come up to the boat 81
tn ease, but he makes his big -
'ort for liberty after you bring him
to the boat.
The usual way to get him is by
'iiing with spoon or spinner. Take
No. Az tandem spinner with
bile hook bucktailed or feathered, or
No. 4 spoon and you have an ex.
lent trolling rig. A chunk of pork
q adds 70 the attractiveness OF the
o. .
DIXIE. :