The Pike Family 151 



years his idol has been thrown from its pedestal, 

 and he, too, has learned to look askance at the 

 friend of his youth. But while the pickerel is not 

 a game-fish of high degree, it is capable of furnish- 

 ing a fair amount of sport with light black-bass 

 tackle in waters not too weedy. 



Ordinary black-bass rods and tackle are quite 

 suitable for pickerel fishing, either with bait or 

 fly, though the hooks should be larger, about i-o 

 to 2-0, on gimp snells or heavy silkworm fibre. 

 Where the weeds are too thick to admit of play- 

 ing the fish a reel can be dispensed with, and a 

 plain, light bamboo or cane rod, in its natural 

 state, can be substituted for the jointed rod. It 

 should be long enough to furnish considerable 

 elasticity, say twelve feet, as its flexibility must 

 subserve, somewhat, the purposes of a reel. 



The pickerel will take a sunken fly in shallow 

 water, after it has been fluttei'ed on the surface 

 awhile. The red ibis, soldier, Abbey, polka, 

 Montreal, and coachman are all good pickerel 

 flies, if cast toward the dusk of evening. 



Skittering is a favorite method of fishing for 

 the pickerel in weedy ponds. It is practised with 

 a long cane rod, and line of about the same length 

 as the rod, with or without a reel. A spoon bait, 



