MUSKALLUNGE, PIKE, PICKEREL, PIKE PERCH 65 



decidedly a game fish, being hard, lusty fighters 

 when hooked. Feeding almost entirely on other 

 live fish, and being generally caught on marl, sand, 

 or gravel bottom, they are unquestionably a clean 

 fish, and a highly prized one for the table, ranking 

 about equal with the whitefish and lake trout. 



It is a very difiicult matter to locate these fish 

 when angling for them, as they are very migratory, 

 constantly moving about^one day in shallow water 

 6 to 10 feet deep, and the next in water 40 to 60 

 feet deep. They vary considerably in weight. In 

 the smaller lakes and rivers they average from 2 to 

 6 pounds, with an occasional one of 8 or 10 pounds. 

 In the large lakes 10 to 20 pounds, and even 25 

 pounds, are common. They are caught all through 

 the open season, biting seemingly as well at one 

 time as another. Large numbers are taken through 

 the ice, and they will take live bait on a set line 

 better at night than during the day — in fact, they 

 can be caught by anghng after dark long after all 

 other game fish have ceased biting. 



Some of the State Fish Commissions, notably that 



of New York, long since recognized the value of the 



pike perch both as a game and a food fish, and have 



been artificially hatching them. For several years 



they did not have the success met with in other 



fish, but many difiieulties have been overcome, and 

 6 



