418 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Sept, ii, 1909. 
on a platter, well buttered, and if he resembles 
“excelsior in packing,” leave it to those who 
look and eat. If he is a small one, fry him 
brown the same as you would brook trout, and 
if you do not get a bone stuck in your throat 
you will swear that he is fit eating for a king. 
Let me relate an incident that occurred not 
long ago in this city, when the Legislature was 
in session, and a bill was before the committee 
for the protection of pickerel in certain waters, 
and the committee had been listening to a tirade 
similar to that of this article of Mr. Spaulding’s 
by men who knew nothing of this fish. This 
committee was ignorant also of the value of this 
fish for food, and when the hearing was closed, 
in spite of the protests of those who plead for 
his protection, the committee adjourned and went 
to their dinner. It so happened that nearly all 
of this committee boarded at the same house. 
At dinner, fish was served and eaten with un¬ 
usual relish, so great being the enjoyment of 
the fish dinner that inquiry was made as to what 
kind of fish were provided; “Pickerel,” replied 
the landlord. That settled the fish question, and 
the committee reported favorably, and the bill 
protecting them became a law. It is needless 
to say that the petitioners, knowing the sweet¬ 
ness of the pickerel, furnished them for this 
particular occasion. The “proof of the pud¬ 
ding,” etc. 
I cannot understand how Mr. Spaulding, 
with the disgust he had for this fish, should 
have found pleasure in courting and continuing 
its acquaintance. My experience with the pick¬ 
erel covers a period of more than sixty years, 
and whether with the long fish pole of my boy¬ 
hood, or the light rod of laters years, I never 
found him “a quitter,” but the reverse, always 
putting up a valiant fight for his freedom. I 
had with me once a man who had had much 
experience in catching salmon and trout, and 
who never used anything but a light rod for 
any of his fishing, who was having lots of fun 
with small pickerel, but who finally had a strike 
that fairly made the water boil and took at once 
about all the line upon the reel. He, however, 
was able to get a little slack now and then until 
he had the fish well in hand. Such a fight with 
any fish, salmon or trout, I never saw. It was 
good, open water, free from pads or weeds, and 
he could no more check his runs than one might 
stop a tornado by the use of a lady’s fan. It 
was now under the boat, straight away and side- 
wise, until after almost an hour’s fight he was 
brought to net. He weighed when we got to 
camp five pounds and eight ounces. Which was 
the most exhausted when this fish was landed, 
the six-fot man or the big pickerel it would 
have been difficult to tell. I have parted com¬ 
pany with many a line in trying to land these 
big fellows. They possess the same intelligence 
as the salmon and bass in fouling a line about 
a root, rock or other obstruction in order to 
free themselves from the man with the rod. I 
may be his only defender, but nevertheless he 
has my highest regard as a fine food fish, a fighter 
—-“my friend the pickerel.” 
E. C. Farrington. 
All the fish laws of the United States and 
Canada, rezised to date and now in force, are 
given in the Game Laws in Brief. See adv. 
Observations on Bass Fishing. 
Minneapolis, Minn., Aug. 12. — Editor Forest 
and Stream: Bass, in common with all fishes, 
are actuated by two instincts, to eat and 
to preserve themselves from being eaten. 
When the water of a lake is not clear the bass 
cannot see its food and probably remains quiet. 
It is also secure from attack. Even when con¬ 
ditions apparently are right for the best kind 
of fishing, the bass may be kept from taking 
food through fear of some watery enemy, and 
will not start feeding until his mind is at peace 
again. Often when full of food bass will take 
the bait eagerly. This probably is due to the 
fact that the bass is a pugnacious fish and may 
attack anything it sees. This may explain why 
spinning minnows work so nicely at times. 
When you are losing strikes and think the 
bass are taking the bait lazily, it might not be 
a bad idea to look over your hooks. Many a 
fish has been lost because of dull or rusty 
points. Hooks should always be filed before a 
fishing trip, and success in this line is doubly 
assured. 
As is rarely known to the average angler 
who does not go into the art of fishing and 
the study of fishes, bass do not pay any atten¬ 
tion to common noises, such as talking, or 
whistling in a boat. A shock on the bottom of 
the boat, however, will do much to disturb 
them, and in fact any concussion on or in the 
water will drive them away from the vicinity. 
Early in the season bass are found in the 
shallows, and as summer days approach are apt 
to seek shady nooks, under overhanging trees. 
The hot weather drives them to deep water, 
where it is generally cool. In lakes fed by 
springs that come up from the bottom, the 
bass are always full of fight, and many a gamey 
one is hooked in the hottest weather. 
The best time for bass fishing cannot be 
rightly determined, as the fish are peculiar in 
their habits. The evening hours appear to be 
the best, for after a day in deep water fish 
naturally come to the shallows in search of 
food. It is certain that the evening is best for 
fly-fishing. 
In regard to the weight of bass in this sec¬ 
tion, I will say that usually they do not run 
over six pounds, but it must be admitted that 
larger ones have been caught. In Florida, the 
large-mouth bass rim to twenty pounds. The 
sight of fishes has been the topic of some little 
discussion, and I will say that it is probable 
that the sight of a bass in its native element is 
very keen. Probably it can see in the air about 
as well as a man can see in the water, which 
is not very good. 
For casting purposes the frog makes by far 
the best live bait for bass; for still-fishing, craw¬ 
fish and helgramites are the natural food. In 
some cases the fish will take any line offered, 
and at other times they cannot be induced to 
take anything. The crawfish is said to be the 
natural food of the black bass, and the angler 
will find that a trial or two with this bait will 
not be regretted. The soft-shell one will bring 
up the bass, and the crawfish is generally good 
when it is throwing its shell. The helgramite 
is known by various names, and although it is 
a very repulsive-looking worm, is at times a 
very effective bait. It has numerous pincers 
and is able to cling to various objects in the 
water, being found on driftwood, logs and rocks 
in both still and running water. This bait is 
hooked under the shell on the back of the 
head and neck and is especially good for bass 
along the ripraps of the river. 
It is not a bad idea to open the stomach of 
the first fish you catch and see what he has 
been eating, then bait your hook accordingly. 
It is a mistaken idea to believe that only small 
bass can be taken in shallow waters. The 
biggest ones abandon the deep when they are 
feeding. 
In trolling, the boatsman should not exceed 
three miles an hour. The general tendency is 
to row too fast. Extremely long casting is not 
an earmark of a successful bass fisherman. It 
is the one who works the waters well, who can 
throw where he wants to and who keeps busy 
that gets the-fish. 
' As to the effect of thunder and lightning on 
the biting of bass, I believe that at this time the 
subject is not thoroughly understood by any 
angler. Unquestionably heavy thunder and 
severe electrical storms frighten fish just as 
they do many persons, and bass are probably 
driven to deep water at such times. Generally, 
however, it does not seem to scare them out. 
I have often watched bass lying practically 
motionless in the water and no change could be 
observed in their attitudes or actions during 
or just after a fairly loud electrical explosion. , 
It is a fairly well settled fact, however, that 
severe electrical storms do not improve the 
fishing, and many anglers consider it foolish to 
go on a lake directly after a storm. However, 
for still fishing then is just the time to be out. 
Anglers who use worms, as in still fishing, . 
should not keep them in a tin can, but in a 
small porous earthen jar. This should not be 
filled with dirt, for worms are often drowned 
in mud. If put on clean, wet moss and fed 
with a little hard-boiled egg, or cream, worms 
will assume a pinkish color and are much .more 
attractive than the ordinary ones stuffed with 
mud. They will also be tougher and do much 
better service in the water. 
Minnows must be handled very carefully, and 
unless the water is changed on them frequently, 
they die quickly. A small piece of ice in the f 
pail with the minnows will keep them lively, 
and a pinch or two of salt will also be found , 
effective. When out for the day it is not a bad 
idea to have two minnow pails, one with the 
big supply kept over the side of the boat in the 
lake and the other containing a few minnows 
for immediate use in the boat. When it is im¬ 
possible to change water on the minnows often, 
any method of getting fresh air into the min¬ 
nows’ water will help; in fact, some minnow 
pails are provided with small pumps for forcing 
air into the water, and this addition of fresh 
oxygen will do wonders in preserving this bait. 
Robert Page Lincoln. 
Dioden at Raleigh. 
A few days ago a fish, the dioden, or great 
porcupine fish, was taken a few miles from 
Beaufort and brought to Stephen G. Worth, of 
the United States Fish Commission, who said it 
was the first on record taken anywhere north 
of Florida. It is a large specimen and has 
been sent to the State Museum at Raleigh. 
