The herald., 1917-05-03
JUST ORDINARY OF PICKEREL.
Ny Loar nuCk.

II there is one Of the FISH family
that we remember from the knee
pants and 5cHt-pin stage Of the fishing
game. it sure must be or Judge Pick.
erel and the young picks It GER
taIniy made your heart do n double
quick and started the cold creeps up
your spine, the first time you hooked
DICkerel, after kindergarten course
on clubs and sunnies. You probably
had long cane pole or a young sap
ling cut from the nearby wooded shore;
anyway, from that time on you real
lied that there was some sport" to
the game. Since then, Of course. the
OF piCkerel has been sorta dropped
into the discard, and II takes trout,
bass or muskie. perhaps, to start the
joy trips up along your vertebrae But
let me tip You of straight, Buck.
there's many a good fighter left in the
p!ckerel outfit. regardless of the many
sl1rs cast upon his lighting qualities
by some Of the ultra-cXclusiye high.
brows in the angling derby.
Find PickereI Most Anywhere.
The piCkerel is one Of the fish that
you can fish for nearly anywhere, and
you don't have to make five hundred
10 one thousand mile trip to his home
grounds" He is q common, ordinary
cuss that can pick up a living on next
10 nothing. and at the same time raise
4 mighty big family. In nearby civil
lied" waters he will even make
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 to in
duce him to take the lure. The more
he is tished for the wiser he gets. and
to land a 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 pounds.
Some are larger, OF course, but not the
general run.
Where the Pickerel Hangs Out.
The pickcrel from the running
streams. like all other fish. puts up
the best fight. while those from the
warmer waters Of the lakes and slug
gish streams are dull and slow fight
ers. The pickerel is found in nearly
ali rivers and lakes or ponds, his pref
ereECe being for shallow, grassy lakes.
His main hunting grounds are along
the edge of lily ard weed beds and on
the outskirts Of the grassy growth
that is often called 'pickerel grass"
Here he turks. waiting for the smaller
fish 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 a day. He is vicious to
trolling spoon with force enough to
bend it double. In springfield lakes he
is often found around the spring holes,
and deep fishing here will bring him
out. You can feel reasonably sure Of
landing him any time from the first
OF the season to the windup, and then
take rap at him through the ice in
winter.
Needs Dentist In August.
August is about the poorest month
for pickerel fishing, caused, no doubt,
by the soreness Of the gums, as
claimed by many of the old-timers.
The 'muskie," a cousin Of the pick
erel, loses his teeth in August, while
the pickerel itself has a swelling of
the gums during dogdays that does
not put him in humor to bite on any,
thing. Late September and early Oc-
tober is about the best all-round pick !
erel season, at which time he is found |
in the shadows, at the mouth Of out
lets or inlets, where the feed is good. |
Troll and Cast for Him.
Although trolling is the surest meth !
Cd of landing the pickerel, much !
sport can be had by casting for him, |
using light bass tackle. A NEEDLESS |
hook with a small frog, sinner or min !
now for bait, and single spinner is |
all you need. Row along the weed |
beds. about seventy-fve feet cut and |
cast in toward the edge, landing your /
bait about five feet from the edge. |
Give the pickerel a little time before /
as he grabs the live bait and |
darts back to his lair, there to turn !
it around in his mouth and swallow it
head first. Strike sharply and row |
away from the weeds. Bear this in |
mind: he may come up to the boat
with ease, but he makes his big
effort for liberty after you bring him
up to the boat.
The usual way to get him IL by
trolling with spoon or spinner. Take |
I No. Az tandem spinner with a
-reble hook bucktalled or feathered, or
No. 4 spoon and you have an ex-
cellent trolling rig. A chunk of pork
rind adds to the attractiveness of the
lure.
DIXIE.