Dave - reference fishing for pickerel, I'm talking mid 1950s to mid 1960s. Primarily fished ultra light spinning gear with 4lb. test line. I didn't get into fly fishing until about 1960. Mostly sight fishing for smallish sized pickerel. Most seemed to prefer fast retrieve with silver colored or red & white lures. The ones I did manage to catch on flys I used 3' to 3 1/2" red & white streamers with a silver body (silver tinsel body/white saddle hackle wings/red wet fly style collar). Then came 6 years in the Navy and after that remained on the opposite coast. Dennis