Why is there such a hate for pickerel?!?

[Ralph Nicholas Vito]

4 minutes ago, Gundog said:

I can't stand pickerel. Where I fish the lake has way too many and, as others have stated, they destroy lures if you don't just flat out lose a lure to them. That combined with the thrashing they do in the boat and the slime they leave on everything is enough for me to hate them. 

well i hope you don't kill them ...

[gim]

Up here in the Midwest, we don't have pickerel, but we sure do seem to have a lot of northern pike.  I'm in the boat with the haters on these things.  They ruin lures, lots of them.  They steal lures, lots of them.  Most of them are on the small side because there are no big ones left to eat the small ones.  The slime on those things stink to high heaven.  I know some people eat them, and I will admit they are decent if you want to pickle them.  But cleaning them royally sucks because of the slime.  Its like a really bad sinus infection.  They are so abundant in Minnesota that the DNR just made new regs and you can keep 10 of them per day now.  Every once in a while I'll catch a big one and that makes them more tolerable but they're so rare now its like trying to find big foot.

[haggard]

WHY such a hate for pickerel?

They have teeth and slime and wig out after getting landed and they somewhat resemble eels or snakes. But with fish grips and a net, I can't wait to catch the next one. Their chain pattern is just beautiful.

 

[Gundog]

1 hour ago, Ralph Nicholas Vito said:

well i hope you don't kill them ...

I don't....but my sister does when she uses them as fertilizer in her yard. Trust me there are plenty in the lake I fish. 

[J Francho]

Some waters could definitely benefit from some harvest.

[FryDog62]

1 hour ago, J Francho said:

Some waters could definitely benefit from some harvest.

Actually most waters could.  They eat all the other game fish and stunt size of fish.  Some of the best eating pike/pickerel are the 20-25 inch variety.  This selective harvest helps other fish thrive and actually yields larger pike in the lake over time. 

 

I spent a day with guide Billy Rosner who has a YouTube video on how to easily clean the Y bones out of pike.  Worth watching. The meat is excellent and helps the lake achieve a more healthy balance. 

[Ralph Nicholas Vito]

11 hours ago, gimruis said:

Up here in the Midwest, we don't have pickerel, but we sure do seem to have a lot of northern pike.  I'm in the boat with the haters on these things.  They ruin lures, lots of them.  They steal lures, lots of them.  Most of them are on the small side because there are no big ones left to eat the small ones.  The slime on those things stink to high heaven.  I know some people eat them, and I will admit they are decent if you want to pickle them.  But cleaning them royally sucks because of the slime.  Its like a really bad sinus infection.  They are so abundant in Minnesota that the DNR just made new regs and you can keep 10 of them per day now.  Every once in a while I'll catch a big one and that makes them more tolerable but they're so rare now its like trying to find big foot.

Because LMB are 10x more aggressive so if LMB and pickerel are in the same water source and the LMB in the water can get a good population going they will just eat all the pickerel until all you are getting is dinky pickerel

[Jar11591]

1 hour ago, Ralph Nicholas Vito said:

Because LMB are 10x more aggressive so if LMB and pickerel are in the same water source and the LMB in the water can get a good population going they will just eat all the pickerel until all you are getting is dinky pickerel

 

Largemouth are more aggressive than pickerel? That’s a new one on me! Around here, you can go out and catch 300 pickerel in a day if you’re targeting them. Like every cast. I wish bass were more aggressive! Pickerel are FAR MORE aggressive than largemouth bass, in fact I don’t know of any fish more aggressive and willing to strike a lure than pickerel. 

[Ralph Nicholas Vito]

11 minutes ago, Jar11591 said:

 

Largemouth are more aggressive than pickerel? That’s a new one on me! Around here, you can go out and catch 300 pickerel in a day if you’re targeting them. Like every cast. I wish bass were more aggressive! Pickerel are FAR MORE aggressive than largemouth bass, in fact I don’t know of any fish more aggressive and willing to strike a lure than pickerel. 

Been told by 2 tackle shop owners in Mass they aren't there anymore i was 18 when they told me so like 7 years ago ? but that's what i was told by them .... i'm not saying they are 100% correct but i will say the pond i use to fish at was all pickerel when i was little then someone introduced LMB into the pond and boom very little pickerel anymore

[Way north bass guy]

 No pickerel around my place but I’m smack dab in the middle of some of the best pike fishing anywhere. Most of the lakes here have pike in them, some are mainly smaller fish and some have true giants in them. Our bass season doesn’t start till near the end of June, so until then most bass guys here fish pike. When they’re shallow in the spring, it’s often much like spring bass fishing only they’re way bigger! 

As for eating, I’ll keep some in the 25-32” range in the cooler water seasons and they’re absolutely fantastic once you learn how to fillet them properly. 

I know I’m likely never ever going to get a double digit bass around here, but that’s fine when these girls are swimming all around my spots ?.

[Vilas15]

Everyone's saying they eat the 20-30" pike, but I prefer the 15-20". Above 20" and they start to be more fun to catch and have a better chance to make it to 40". Everyone complains about too many small ones then why not eat those? Unless your lake is overrun with 30" pike in which case I'd love to come visit.

 

I'll target pike in the summer when I can't catch anything else, or in the winter when my options are only panfish, walleye, or pike.

[DogBone_384]

I don’t target pickerel.  They’re a good fight when bass are quiet.  My best is just over four pounds.

[new2BC4bass]

I don't like the slim, but I do like catching both Pickerel and Pike.  I don't keep fish anymore (except when visiting relation in Florida as it is expected for a fish fry we have before heading back home), but in my youth we kept legal fish for food.  Pickerel are tasty.  We didn't keep any Pickerel below 20 inches or Pike below 30 inches because of the Y-bones.

 

I personally feel they put up a better fight than LMB.

[Munkin]

On 8/1/2018 at 11:31 AM, Jar11591 said:

 

Largemouth are more aggressive than pickerel? That’s a new one on me! Around here, you can go out and catch 300 pickerel in a day if you’re targeting them. Like every cast. I wish bass were more aggressive! Pickerel are FAR MORE aggressive than largemouth bass, in fact I don’t know of any fish more aggressive and willing to strike a lure than pickerel. 

Agreed, if I start catching these it is time to move to another spot.

 

If anyone wants to cull out some hit Deep Creek Lake in Maryland as they are way overpopulated.

 

Allen

[roadwarrior]

In the Mid South pickerel are not common, but we have other trash fish to cull.

I don't care a thing about spots, white bass, drum or gar. 

[MassBass]

1 hour ago, roadwarrior said:

In the Mid South pickerel are not common, but we have other trash fish to cull.

I don't care a thing about spots, white bass, drum or gar. 

Go far up north, where to the old trout guys, smallmouth bass is your trash fish. They infest the cool water streams, and big schools of juvenile brown fish eat all the flys and nymphs in the lakes.

[TnRiver46]

People enjoy them for dinner in Florida 

[Bird]

Pickerel scratch up Jerkbaits and they don't fight.

A beautiful fish though and no way would I kill one.

[Fallser]

I actually enjoy catching them.  Like bass I chase them with a fly rod.  My buddies and I fish a lot of lakes in the Poconos and there's chain pickerel in all of them.  They've caught a few in the 26 to 28 inch range I haven't caught one that large.  This is one I caught in a lake in South Jersey.  Not huge but fun on a fly rod.

Chain Pickerel are tasty, but they're a PITA to fillet.  Once in a while we'll keep one.   The only time I run into pike is on my trip to Northeast Ontario.  Since I don't have to fillet them, the folks at the lodge know how to do it, we usually bring a couple home.

  It was mentioned in an earlier post.  This is picture of a Grass Pickerel I caught in lake in Vermont.  I think they're the smallest member of the Esox family, seldom getting over 12 inches long.  It's a neat looking fish.

 

[MassBass]

4 hours ago, Fallser said:

I actually enjoy catching them.  

This is picture of a Grass Pickerel I caught in lake in Vermont.  I think they're the smallest member of the Esox family, seldom getting over 12 inches long.  It's a neat looking fish.

 

There is actually three species of pickerel, the chain pickerel is the biggest and most common. The little pickerels, the redfin and grass, have become very uncommon and are endangered in some of their range, like in Maine. There is still no bag limit on them, which is a relic of the old way of looking at pickerel, when whole ponds were poisoned and every fish was killed. It is a native fish and just as sporting as pike and musky.

[Scott804]

Because when they break you off it feels like someone just walked up and went snip with scissors on your line. Lose a couple megabass jerkbaits to them and you won't like them so much anymore

[gim]

3 hours ago, Scott804 said:

Lose a couple megabass jerkbaits to them and you won't like them so much anymore

I’ve never lost one to a pike but I’m very cautious about where I am using them. At some point it’s going to happen. It’s inevitable. I bought a couple limited color vision 110 versions this winter too. I might have a stroke if that scissors snip occurs with one tied on.

[Further North]

21 hours ago, Scott804 said:

Because when they break you off it feels like someone just walked up and went snip with scissors on your line. Lose a couple megabass jerkbaits to them and you won't like them so much anymore

 

17 hours ago, gimruis said:

I’ve never lost one to a pike but I’m very cautious about where I am using them. At some point it’s going to happen. It’s inevitable. I bought a couple limited color vision 110 versions this winter too. I might have a stroke if that scissors snip occurs with one tied on.

I'm at a point where when I hear about people losing lures in water they know has pike/pickerel/musky in it and they don't use wire leaders...I kinda shrug and think, "What did you expect?"

It's not the fish's fault... ?

[gim]

5 hours ago, Further North said:

wire leaders

Really can’t use a wire leader on a jerk bait. The front end would weigh down. A jerk bait is perfectly balanced the way it is and any kind of weight would ruin the action.

[Further North]

5 hours ago, gimruis said:

Really can’t use a wire leader on a jerk bait. The front end would weigh down. A jerk bait is perfectly balanced the way it is and any kind of weight would ruin the action.

I bet the 13# tieable wire I use on my 8 wt. fly rod with poppers would work.

 

If it works on a 1" popper, I doubt it's heavy enough to impact a jerk bait.