Fishcraft 75 



narily known as a pickerel. The dis- 

 tinction of comparatively slight dif- 

 ference between the pike, pickerel and 

 mascalonge is given in the chapter 

 on the last named species, and for 

 ready reference it may be well to re- 

 peat that the pickerel has cheek and 

 gill cover fully grown with scales, 

 while the pike has only the cheek cov- 

 ering of scales. In size the pickerel 

 does not grow to the proportions of 

 the great northern pike, and the larger 

 members of the mascalonge species 

 are generally of much greater weight 

 than the biggest pickerel. Generally 

 speaking, nearly all species of the pike 

 family excepting tjie mascalonge 

 - are known as pickerel in New York 

 and the eastern as well as some of the 

 western states; in the middle states 

 they are called pike, and in Virginia 

 and southward they are usually 

 termed "jack-fish." 



Local names of profusion and lead- 

 ing to confusion, exist in various sec- 

 tions of the country. A number of the 

 best-known names are brook pickerel, 

 chain pickerel, channel pickerel, com- 



