THE BOOK OF THE PIKE 



was startled by what I took to be a stone striking the 

 water just beyond the tip of my rod, followed imme- 

 diately by a second and third. Thinking that my 

 chum was playing tricks, I turned to the brush back 

 of me and admonished him to "cut it out." Still 

 stones and more stones fell. A severe thump on top 

 of my head brought me to a realization of the situa- 

 tion. Thor was not only letting fly his thunderbolts, 

 he was also pelting me with hailstones as large as 

 hickory nuts. It was a terrific storm while it lasted, 

 and effectually ended our pickerel fishing for the day. 

 It was a wet and bedraggled party, nursing innumerable 

 "sore spots," which made its way back to town. 



Fly-fishing for Pickerel 



The man who has not learned to angle for incon- 

 sequential fish with fly-rod and click-reel has neglected 

 a very pleasurable sport indeed. There is no game or 

 near-game fish that will not rise to a properly offered 

 fly. I speak after years of experimentation. Else- 

 where I have told of the attractivity of fly-fishing for 

 sunfish, and later on in this volume I shall tell of fly- 

 fishing for great pike, a sport for kings, whether from 

 boat, bank, or knee-deep in the sedge. Fishing for 

 river pickerel, as the little pike is often called, is truly 

 enjoyable if the angler possesses requisite tackle, does 

 not demand too much strength from the fish, or ex- 

 pect too much from the flesh when it is in the pan. 



A three-and-one-half- or four-ounce rod is none too 

 light for the little pickerel, and even should one of the 

 the larger great pike happen to take the fuzzy-wuzzy 

 lure, if the angler be expert enough, he can net it with- 

 out trouble. I would advise a single-action reel, which 



52 



