NANFA-- Re: Feeding pickerell, laws and enforcement

IndyEsox_at_aol.com
Fri, 15 Dec 2000 12:11:15 EST

My last Grass Pickerel would not eat worms even after not having been fed for
several days. Because they were moving, they would grabe them and nose them
around but not eat them. In the past, I have had others them take them
immediately.

A theory I have had some success with when getting some native fish to take
dry food: take a worm and drop it in a small amount of flake food. I think
the flake food starts absorbing the slime coat on the worm, because the worms
immediately become very agitated. Then toss the entire contents in to the
aquarium. I've had most natives immediately start eating the dry food as
well as the worms. After a few feedings like this, they start taking dry
food without the extra worm flavoring. Diced fresh worms would probably work
even better. I have not tried it with food pellets.

Here in Indiana, I finally got a DNR enforcement officer to tell me that
Grass Pickerel are not considered game fish but Chain Pickerel are. This was
a verbal statement and wouldn't stand up in court of course. I have yet to
find where this is actually written down.

I've also been told by people who are generally accurate that a lot of it
depends on the individual enforcement officer and their superiors what they
check you for. In one nearby county, the resident enforcement officer seems
to focus primarily on deer poachers and could care less about what someone
has in their minnow bucket as long as they have a fishing license. Two
counties away, that gentleman will ticket you for the most minor infraction
and will confiscate everything he can, every time he catches someone.

Also I remind everyone that federal property has a different set of laws than
state or private property. I found that out the hard way a couple of years
ago.

Chuck Church
Indianapolis, Indiana USA

In a message dated 12/15/00 9:42:38 AM US Central Standard Time,
mbinkley_at_columbus.rr.com writes:

<< I had a pickerell once that learned to take stick food. The one I have now
only eats live or sometimes dead fish if they are floating around. I got
him to strike at a soft food stick, but it apparently didn't taste or feel
right, 'cause he let it go. I think this one is a chain pickerell. The
other one was a grass pickerell. >>

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