THE LITTLE PICKERELS 



far side of the stream. A little experience will soon 

 instruct the observing where to shoot the lure. Over- 

 hanging banks, grassy shores, snags, and piles of drift 

 may all shelter fish, though pickerel are not so much 

 given to lairs as are bass, preferring the shady side of 

 a shallow pool. I have already pointed out that the 

 fish is inclined to gregariousness, one strike being but 

 the precursor of others, if the angler handle his lures 

 with skill and wisdom. Do not over-cast. If the fish 

 follows the lure in, wait a bit before casting a second 

 time, or cast in some other direction. Do not reel in 

 too swiftly; for, while the pickerel can swim at a rapid 

 rate, he is quite apt to regard a swiftly moving lure 

 with suspicion. I am inclined to believe that the lure 

 should strike the water without much commotion; 

 for, unlike the bass again, this fish seldom strikes the 

 lure at the instant of its impact upon the water. Let 

 the ripples chase themselves shoreward before you 

 begin to reel. There is something about the splash of 

 the lure which seems to awaken the suspicions of the 

 fish, and they will often follow the lure some distance, 

 just a few inches behind the rear hook, without striking ; 

 indeed, it is not uncommon for them to follow right 

 up to the angler's feet without manifesting any tend- 

 ency to strike. Reeling by "fits and starts" will 

 sometimes induce a reluctant pickerel to strike if at 

 all in the mood. 



We all remember Walton's apothegm regarding "no 

 bad horse of a good color," as applied to weather. And, 

 with all due respect and consideration for that wise 

 saying, let me say that the weather and time of day 

 have considerable influence with pickerel and his larger 

 relatives. In warm weather the early morning is far 



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