Freshwater
Chain Pickerel
Where to find them, how to catch them and the tackle to use.
01Introduction
The chain pickerel is the smallest of the pike family commonly caught by anglers: a slim, olive-to-bronze ambush predator with a pattern of dark, interlocking bands like a chain-link fence. It's native to the East Coast and the Gulf states, lives in almost any weedy lake, pond or slow river in its range, and bites all year, including through the ice. Most are under 2 pounds, but specialists catch 3- and 4-pounders, and the world record is 9 pounds 6 ounces.
02Where to Catch
Range: chain pickerel are native along the Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia to Florida and in Gulf and Mississippi River drainages west to Texas and north to Illinois and Indiana. They're most abundant in the Mid-Atlantic and New England.
Habitat: pickerel and weeds go together. They lie in or just above milfoil, cabbage, lily pads and other vegetation, usually facing open water or an opening in the weeds where prey will pass. Where weeds are scarce, they use fallen timber, rocks and drop-offs. They tolerate acidic, tea-colored water that few other gamefish can handle, though fish there tend to stay small.
Where the big ones are: in summer, small pickerel stay shallow around pads and grass, while the biggest fish move to the deep outside edge of the weedline, the same edge that holds big largemouth bass. In lakes with alewives or smelt, some big pickerel suspend in open water near the baitfish.
03How to Catch
Winter and ice fishing
Pickerel stay active in cold water. Through the ice, a live 4- to 5-inch shiner under a tip-up is the classic bait, and late winter can be the best time for a trophy as big females move into 2 to 3 feet of weedy water before spawning. In open water, work a suspending jerkbait slowly along sun-warmed shallow coves and weed edges.
Spring and early summer
In New England, pickerel can be hard to find right after ice-out and return to the shallow weeds as the water reaches the high 50s. By the time weeds reach the surface, it's topwater time: buzzbaits, spinnerbaits waked just under the surface, walking baits and floating minnow plugs draw explosive strikes. Crankbaits, spoons, inline spinners, jigs and soft-plastic jerkbaits all work too. Pickerel often follow a lure and strike right at the end of the retrieve.
Summer
Pickerel keep feeding in the heat when other fish slow down. Work weedless spoons and soft-plastic grubs through the weeds, drag a hollow frog over the pad mats, or run a floating minnow plug along the edges with a stop-and-go retrieve. For the biggest fish, go deep: troll spoons, spinners or crankbaits 12 to 15 feet down along the outside weedline, or cast heavy spinnerbaits, jigs with big trailers, deep crankbaits and long plastic worms. In-Fisherman rates late August through September as prime time for big pickerel.
Fall
As the water cools, big pickerel move back into shallow weeds near deep water, wherever baitfish and panfish gather. A spinnerbait through the bait works early in the fall; in colder water, twitch a floating minnowbait slowly.
Live bait
A shiner or other minnow under a float along a weed edge is simple and reliable all year. On a slow day, In-Fisherman suggests tipping a jig with a live shiner or a strip of panfish.
04Tackle
A medium spinning or baitcasting outfit covers most pickerel fishing. Pickerel teeth cut line and shred soft plastics, so use a short steel leader or a length of 30- to 40-pound monofilament, or in heavy weeds tie heavy braid straight to a weedless lure. Choose tough, stretchy soft plastics, and consider clipping a point or two off treble hooks for easier unhooking. Big pickerel are delicate: unhook them in the water and release them quickly, especially in warm weather. Check your state's regulations for size and bag limits.
05Questions anglers ask
How do I tell a chain pickerel from a pike?
Chain pickerel have a pattern of dark, interlocking bands on the sides that looks like a chain-link fence, and they're much smaller. Pike have light spots on a dark body.
Do I need a leader for pickerel?
Their teeth cut line and shred soft plastics. In-Fisherman recommends a short steel leader or a strand of 30- to 40-pound monofilament; many anglers fishing thick weeds use heavy braid tied straight to the lure.
Are pickerel good to eat?
Yes, though bony. Texas Parks and Wildlife and In-Fisherman both describe them as tasty. Big ones don't handle well, so release them quickly if you aren't keeping them.