494 FORESTANDSTREAM November, 1921 . 
FISHING FOR THE PIKES IN AUTUMN 
A FEW DAYS SPENT AT THIS SEASON WITH THE PICKEREL, PIKE AND 
MUSKALLUNGE IS WORTH A WEEK DURING JULY AND AUGUST 
Y EARS ago I started an argument 
to the effect that muskallungc 
shed their teeth in the month of 
August and acquire a new set of 
fangs some time in the month of Sep- 
tember ; probably the new teeth coming 
in place by the tenth or the fifteenth of 
that month. I also held that while the 
pike and the pickerel do not shed their 
teeth as does the muskallunge, it is a fact 
that the gums become very highly in- 
flamed, in fact, swell up to such an ex- 
tent that the teeth are almost covered 
with the flesh. 
I had occasion to remark that this 
swelling of the gums was most pro- 
nounced during the last fifteen days of 
August, but that by the tenth of Septem- 
ber the swelling had gone down and the 
fangs stood out prominently, unhindered 
by flesh once more. 
I remember well the time I brought 
this up before a number of well-known 
fishermen. I had advanced the argument 
in theory, and in proof of my remarks 
I brought forth an August-caught mus- 
kallunge, in very thin and bedraggled 
condition, with its teeth hanging loose 
in their sockets. I also brought forth a 
pike with very swollen and raw gums. 
There was no more to be said on the 
question, as I had the specimens right 
there before their eyes. Later in Sep- 
tember we caught specimens of both 
these fish in excellent condition. They 
were then cured of their “dog-day” ail- 
ment. 
My published views on this subject 
brought the question up, and it has been 
going the rounds ever since. A present- 
day writer, Carroll Blaine Cook, writes: 
“About the middle of August the musky 
loses his teeth, and his mouth is in such 
shape that it takes something mighty 
aggravating to arouse enough anger to 
make him forget his sore molars and 
strike. There has been some argument 
among fishermen on this question ; how- 
ever, as late as September tenth of last 
season I examined three muskies caught 
on that day, and in the mouth of each 
w'as a new set of sharp-edged teeth, 
firmly set, while hanging loosely in the 
back of the mouth were still the remains 
of the old teeth which had not entirely 
parted company with their owners. This 
was later than usual for the old teeth 
to remain, as they are generally gone 
by the first week in September, and at 
times slightly earlier than that. No 
doubt this law of nature is the same one 
that governs the shedding of the skin 
By ROBERT PAGE LINCOLN 
of the snake and the renewing of the 
horns of the deer. 
“At the same time of the year, when the 
musky is changing his teeth, the pickerel 
or pike have a swelling of the gums that 
puts them out of the fighting game until 
the gums are again normal. The gums 
of the pike will often swell clear over 
the teeth, and they are very inflamed 
and sore, making eating, of course, very 
painful.” 
D ROPERLY speaking, the month of 
*■ August is a time of fasting with 
these three members of the pike family. 
They lie idle in their places of seclusion, 
abiding the time when nature will see 
A great northern pike 
to it that a new brace of teeth comes 
forth in place of the old. Thus the days 
of burning heat pass by, and the cool 
days of September tells of the new sea- 
son at hand. 
The days of fasting over, the vicious 
pikes sally forth and woe to the creatures 
that swim in the neighborhood of them, 
for they lay them low without compunc- 
tion. 
Autumn is the time for pike and musky 
fishing. Whatever may be said for fish- 
ing for these two great fresh - water 
fishes, certain it is that success in the 
taking of them during the summer can- 
not possibly approximate that of a trial 
for them when the first sign of frost is 
in the air. 
It may be taken almost as a rule that 
the bulk of the fishes named above, if 
caught in the late spring and summer, 
are small fellows, with an occasional 
large one thrown in for good measure, 
but in the autumn one catches the mighty 
big ones. They are then coursing up 
and down the shores, hovering around 
the inlets and outlets to a lake, always, 
apparently, on the lookout for their prey. 
'T’WO-THIRDS of the anglers who go 
^ out to catch these fish use tackle that i ; 
is far too heavy, the result being that 
much of the enjoyment is taken out of 
the sport. Commonly enough a handline 
is used; but handlining is speedily giving 
way to the more up-to-date method of { 
using the rod, the line and the reel — for 
it is now pretty generally realized that 
half of the enjoyment in fishing lies in 
having good tackle and playing the fish 
in his rushes and his dives. Given 
tackle that is of an agreeable kind, the 
result is sport of a very high order— 
and this is particularly true when one 
considers the pike family as likely indi- 
viduals for sport when they are hooked 
into in autumnal weather. 
While there are many anglers who are 
prone to scoff at the sporting virtues 
of the pikes, they choose, however, to 
approach the fish with heavy tackle, 
which is proof that they are not certain j 
but that the fish they are after are prone 
to get away. 
The reason for using more or less 
strong tackle in the autumn fishing for 
these pikes is that there is the liability 
of your hooking into the one big fish of 
your life, and light tackle would prob- 
ably lose the fish for you. The monster 
pikes and muskallunge are abroad at this 
season of the year. 
In the case of the muskallunge, there is 
the chance of hooking into a thirty-five 
or forty-pounder. If you should do so, 
and this event occurs during the au- 
tumnal season, any time from the tenth i 
or fifteenth of September on till the 
snow flies in November, you will know 
that you have a finny giant to contend 
with. 
For trolling, use a 20-pound test silk 
line of the so-called hard-braided type. 
The soft-braided line is fitted for cast- 
ing, but where no casting to speak of is 
