OiitiiUi Lid;- I-'islus 455 



of Pike I'erch aiul hatdies fry. These three hatchiric> rippcar ti. he the only ones 

 in New York State handling Pike Perch. 



Results nf jjlantings f.f Pike Perch are. as with other species, commonly 

 intangihle. hut the tishiiij,' for the si)ecies is extensive and since it is holding 

 its own so well, it is ])rohal)le that the efforts through culture and plantings are 

 giving imi)ortant results. Bean (13, p. -2O8) states that Pike Perch had increased 

 in the St. I-iwrence River trilnitaries ; that during the five years prior to 1912, 

 ii,i75,o<xi fry were planted in these streams. Natural .spawning prolwhly helps 

 considerahly to maintain the Pike Perch in Oneida Lake, hut the ahundance of 

 small fish that eat its eggs (FJean, '12. \i. joi ) suggests nuich uncertainty in the 

 natural process as comjjared with artificial methods. 



.Itufling Xotcs. Wall-eyed Pike Fishing in Oneida I-ake is considered good 

 by anglers. I^irge catches are made at the present time, according to information 

 given us hy Mr. C. K. Hunter. Game Protector, and others, although success is 

 somewhat sporadic. Cheney ("97. p. 205) notes the erratic nature of the s|)ccies, 

 hut this seems to he due to its moving in schools. We often saw on Onei<la Lake 

 numliers of fishing boats congregated, which we were informed contained anglers 

 who were seeking Wall-eyed Pike. The ])eople thus fishing watch each other; 

 and when a pike is seen to have been caught the presence of a school of the fish is 

 suspected and all those fishing in the vicinity now congregate near the sjx)t where 

 the catch was made. 



Mr. Hunter informs us that in June the fisli are in shallow water (4 to 8 

 feet), where fishing is usually carried on until the May-fly or "fish fly" flights 

 occur, which is usually in late June or early July, .\fter that, they are caught 

 only in deep water, the deeper the better, according to Mr. Hunter. 



In Oneida I^nke. Pike Perch are commonly sought hy anglers by still fishing 

 f)r by trolling. Hy the former method wf>rms. minnows, and dragon-fly nym|)hs or 

 "ha.ss tnigs" are used with success. In trolling. .spo<in hooks of a variety of 

 kinds, such as "kidney." "skinmier.s" and "Jime bug" are used. In deep water 

 fishing, a line witli a weight or sinker of alxiut four ounces is dragged at the end 

 of a line. To this is tied, several feet al)ove its sinker, another line a few fei-t in 

 length with the spiHin h<M>k attached. Mr. (ieorgc Friend informs us that a 

 numlKT 3 spoon hook is l>esf. 



The liter.ituri' iiertaining to angling for Pike Perch >.bows ih;it it is caught bv 

 many diverse metlnHls. Ilenshall (03. p. i6l ) notes the imiK>rt;iiue of using 

 gimj) snells instead of gut snells to withstand their sharp teeth. He considers the 

 hours after sunset till dark most favorable, anci that night fislting is successful 

 (I.e., p. i'^>J) on account of the nocttirnal habits of the fish. In some loralitirs, 

 especially in streams, fly fishing is very successful and attended with considerable 

 sport (I.e.. also Rhead. '07. p. -(>). Hensley ("15. p. 4(1) says they bite in early 

 morning aiul at sundown, in clear waters; but in dark inland waters they mav l>e 

 taken at any time of the <lay. although better when the light is not intense. Some 

 of the liaits recommendetl arc frogs (Nash. '08. p. «jO. strips <»f fish flesh. «s«l 

 in rapid waters ami guided near the lM>ttom (CnxMle. '03. p. K)) ; anil crawfish 



(Mean. "12. p. i<)5^ n*'-""' < '"-2. P 4«t" » "• '^ minnows that arc >.ilvcrv 



and mentions the Fallfish as a suitable Ku- 



