PICKEREL FISHING. 21 



though the usual fish is from three to twelve pounds. 

 Rennie tells of a pickerel that was placed in a pond 

 "with an abundance of other fish," and in one year 

 it devoured the 'whole of them except a carp weigh- 

 ing nine pounds, and it had bitten a piece out ofhim ! 



Pickerel are fond of shady places, and in summer 

 they frequent the parts of the stream nearly where 

 the pickerel weed grows. They generally spawn in 

 March or April, and earlier in some southern streams. 

 In winter they get under rocks, or stumps, or into 

 convenient deep holes, and they can be taken then 

 with small live fish for bait. In rivers you can gene- 

 rally catch pickerel near the mouth of some small 

 stream emptying into the river ; the fall of the year 

 is the best time for catching them. In the hot sum- 

 mer months they will seldom bite at all, except per- 

 haps in a very windy day. In the fall, too, they are 

 in better condition. Pickerel fishing in the spring is 

 sometimes very successful, however, though the fish 

 are not so good when breeding. It is a singular fact 

 that small fish seem to be perfectly aware of the 

 harmlessness of the pickerel in the summer, as they 

 may often be seen sporting near where their deadly 

 enemy lies still in the water, as if in a dreamy torpor. 

 At this period their usual beautiful green color and 

 bright yellow spots are dull and leaden. In the more 

 northern waters they are sometimes taken as early as 

 August in good condition. 



The tackle used for pickerel is a pretty stiff 10 

 foot rod, with a reel, and some 50 or 60 yards of flax 



