Vol XCII 
AUGUST, 1922 
No. 8 
THE PICKEREL THROUGH THE YEAR 
WHILE IT DOES NOT BOAST OF SUCH ARISTOCRATIC LINEAGE AS THE 
TROUT OR BASS IT PROVIDES THE ANGLER A LONGER PERIOD OF SPORT 
A mong the fresh water game fish 
of this country the pickerel holds 
a doubtful position. Some an- 
glers, in their pride as fly-fishers 
or tackle-purists, will never deviate from 
their pursuit of the recognized game 
species to cast their spoons in a patch 
of open water fringed with pond lilies 
I in the attempt to hook a pickerel ; while 
others, less serious in their intentions, 
give this fish great credit and often de- 
pend upon it for a day’s sport. 
Although the pickerel is deficient in 
I those qualities which have made the 
i trout and bass so popular with the an- 
, glers, it is entitled to more consideration 
' than many fishermen are willing to con- 
: cede. Not everyone is able to make an 
i extended trip to the regions of tumbling 
I brooks and thick underbrush, nor are 
. the bass at present so extensively dis- 
tributed in portions of the country that 
i it is an easy matter to fish for them. 
^ The lakes and ponds in the local regions, 
however, are very apt to be filled with 
pickerel, and over the week-end there 
is a chance for most of us to seek out 
such a body of water, and after spend- 
I ing a pleasant afternoon, arrive home 
with some fine specimens. No special 
outfit needs to be purchased for catching 
this fish ; it is not an aristocratic biter, 
but a gorger, ready to strike at a min- 
now or a plug, and if a large pickerel 
is hooked, the tussle that follows will 
gladden the heart of any but a con- 
I firmed trout or bass fisher. 
While the pickerel is extensively dis- 
tributed over one-third of the states and 
, is known by many names, it always 
seems to me to be distinctly associated 
with New England. The North boasts 
of its trout, the West glories in the 
lordly salmon, the South has the gamy 
bass_ and the huge catfish, but the East, 
particularly the northern part of the 
East, claims the pickerel. To many a 
Yankee lad pickerel fishing is the high- 
est form of angling, and it is not until 
he travels and catches other and mightier 
fish that this boyhood idol is dethroned. 
By ARTHUR G. DUNN 
M r. DUNN presents the case of 
the pickerel in a particularly 
striking way and shows how the idol 
of the small boy may also furnish 
sport for the more fastidious angler. 
He treats of methods and equipment 
in such a practical manner that our 
readers will recognize at once the 
voice of authority . — [Editors.] 
T he pickerel is a member of the pike 
family and resembles its larger cou- 
sins, the muskallonge and pike in every- 
thing but size. The fish is subject to 
some variation in color, the environ- 
ment making the difference, but the back 
is a mottled green and black, gradually 
shading off to a lighter green, until the 
. \ 
A satisfactory moment 
belly is reached and here the color is 
light yellow. 
The general shape is long and slender 
and suggests both speed and conceal- 
ment. In its mouth is a startling array 
of teeth, so arranged that no prey once 
in its grip can make an escape. The 
pickerel feeds upon any small fish and is 
so aggressive that it will dash at any- 
thing moving along in the water, whether 
it resembles a fish or not. 
Although the pickerel has a preference 
for shallow, grassy ponds, it is found 
under many conditions. Good catches 
are often made in apparently clear- 
bottom lakes and swiftly-flowing rivers. 
As might be supposed, those taken from 
running water are superior to their pond 
brethren ; they give a lively tussle before 
giving in and have not the insipid taste 
so common to the others. 
Although catches of five and six- 
pound pickerel are occasionally made, 
these fish seldom exceed four pounds in 
weight. The fifteen and twenty-pound 
pickerel that are landed after a long 
struggle arc really pike, but in many lo- 
calities are called pickerel. 
Despite the astonishing number of 
bones, this fish is not at all bad for the 
table, as the meat is very palatable, 
though inclined to be dry. A large one 
of three pounds, when baked and sea- 
soned to a nicety and laid before the 
angler for his supper, makes a savory 
dish. 
N OW let us go a-fishing. The sun has 
been up but a few hours when two 
boys, not yet in long pants, climb over 
the pasture bars and walk hurriedly 
through the fields. In a few minutes the 
pasture gives way to woodlands, and the 
millpond comes in sight. The pair con- 
tinue their tramp until a long, narrow 
peninsula is reached, and here, a little 
to one side of its point, they make ready 
their tackle. Past experience, no doubt, 
has much to do with their selection ; 
was it not near this spot a few weeks 
