First time catching a…

[Justbass11]

So there I was bass fishing Sunday, and what do you think I caught? Not a bass which I at first thought I caught. But a Pike, at first I thought “oh great a mud fish” (that would have sucked big time) but as I was getting the “mud fish” out I noticed wow what big teeth this “mud fish” has.
    Being that I’m from Florida  I Had to look up what kind of fish it was on google, never seen one before. And sure enough it was a Pike, my first one. Anyway enjoy your day and happy fishing. 

[casts_by_fly]

I didn't know you had pike as far south as south carolina.  Sure it wasn't a big pickeral?

[you]

Congrats on a new species! No pike here, but we have plenty of pickerel. Not as big but the hit hard and put up an acrobatic fight. Any of the Esox species are a blast to catch.

[Justbass11]

I feel bad that I took these pictures with the hook still in but I literally just landed him. 

[casts_by_fly]

Chain pickerel. 

[gim]

7 hours ago, you said:

Any of the Esox species are a blast to catch.

95% of the northern pike here are an annoyance, not a blast to catch. The small ones are lure wreckers. The big ones, which are rare, bite you off completely.

[Further North]

17 minutes ago, gimruis said:

95% of the northern pike here are an annoyance, not a blast to catch. The small ones are lure wreckers. The big ones, which are rare, bite you off completely.

...you know what I'm gonna say...so I won't say it, this time... ?

[GreenPig]

Nice. I enjoy catching those feisty mean jokers.

[you]

12 hours ago, gimruis said:

95% of the northern pike here are an annoyance, not a blast to catch. The small ones are lure wreckers. The big ones, which are rare, bite you off completely.

 

Fair point if you're fishing hardbaits, wirebaits, or chatterbaits. I mostly throw soft plastics, so at worst, I'll lose a $2 jighead. The excitement is worth it!

[Seaworthy81]

Pretty sure its a Pickerel 

 

https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/freshwater/chain-pickerel/

[casts_by_fly]

I'm with @you on this one.  I don't target them specifically, but all of the skinnyfish are fun to catch as bycatch.  What I don't prefer is bait stealing.  Whether its tails off swim jig trailers, crankbaits from northerns, or (a first for me this year) a musky rocketing across the top of the water like a tuna to take a hollow body frog clean on 50 lb braid. I'll lose a couple lures a year to them- some witnessed, some just a bare line when you set the hook (musky and jigs are good for that).  But if ever you're having a tough day on the bass and just need to get the skunk off, throw something baitfishy around the weeds and the pickerel are around.

[einscodek]

Wire leaders anyone?

[gim]

19 minutes ago, einscodek said:

Wire leaders anyone?

 

The issue with using a wire leader on some lures is that it affects their action.  A jerkbait's neutral buoyancy would come to mind as a specific example.

 

I mostly use 25 pound fluro Seaguar Blue Label leaders on some of my moving lures (spinnerbaits, chattberbaits, crankbaits, etc) to mitigate bite offs now.  It works pretty good too, but you still have to inspect it regularly for nicks and cuts, and then replace as necessary.

[flyfisher]

I lost five howitzer flies to chain pickerel on Monday.  They were super aggressive and had bad aim.  I even switched up to 20lb mono to keep them from biting me off but didn't help.

[Further North]

3 hours ago, einscodek said:

Wire leaders anyone?

That's the answer.

Use tieable wire, tie it into the main line instead of using the commercial leaders with swivels at the top, and go to town. 

I catch hundreds of bass all year 'round on rods set up like this, I don't lose any baits or lures to toothy fish, and I catch bunches of pike and musky...

 

3 hours ago, gimruis said:

The issue with using a wire leader on some lures is that it affects their action.

In my experience, using lighter (nothing more than 25#) multi-strand tieable wire (it's very flexible) I don't see any impact on action.

 

3 hours ago, gimruis said:

A jerkbait's neutral buoyancy would come to mind as a specific example.

I'm using 13# coated multi-strand on bass poppers and small flies like Ol' Mr. Wiggly and the wires isn't heavy enough to sink these small flies...I doubt it'd impact the neutral buoyancy of a jerkbait.  I'll test it if I think about it next time I'm out and have gear in the boat.

 

3 hours ago, flyfisher said:

I lost five howitzer flies to chain pickerel on Monday.  They were super aggressive and had bad aim.  I even switched up to 20lb mono to keep them from biting me off but didn't help.

Try tieable wire.

This stuff, in 11#, or even 17# will work.   I'm fishing smaller flies than howitzers on it and and the float just fine.

https://www.afwfishing.com/products/parent_Surflon_Micro_Ultra_Nylon_Coated_1x19_Stainless_Steel_Leader_Wire.asp?childskumatch=

...or this in 13# or 26#:  https://www.afwfishing.com/products/parent_Surflon_Micro_Supreme_Nylon_Coated_7x7_Stainless_Steel_Leader_Wire.asp?childskumatch=

 

I'm using the 13# a lot on Surface Seaducer medium sized heads, and even #6 Boogle bugs with no useful loss of floating, or action.

[Woody B]

I've never caught a Pike, Pickerel, or Musky.   I caught a Walleye once.   I've caught a few Bowfin, but it's been years.  I had a bowfin get off right at the boat Sunday.    I occasionally hook a Longnose Gar but I've never got one in the boat.   I don't think my bass hooks are getting set good in their boney snouts.    

[casts_by_fly]

On 9/27/2023 at 1:14 PM, einscodek said:

Wire leaders anyone?

 

I'm not that bothered about it.  Pickerel are the most common for me and they just tear up the baits, not so much cut them off.  Musky are the next frequent for me and they get one or two a year.  Not enough that its worth dealing with wire leaders or heavy fluoro.  

[thediscochef]

I'm really glad that I don't have to deal with the pike family and walleye on top of the gar family. One type of toothy is enough for me. 

[casts_by_fly]

9 hours ago, thediscochef said:

I'm really glad that I don't have to deal with the pike family and walleye on top of the gar family. One type of toothy is enough for me. 

 

walleye and sauger aren't bad.  They don't inhale lures the same way the bigger ones do and don't seem to tear up lures the same way a pickerel does.  We have walleye in a couple of the lakes around and when I was fishing those lakes I'd catch a couple a year.  I caught two in 4 casts one dark morning on a choppo of all things.  I caught a big one rolling a big spinnerbait through standing timber at another.  Like the other skinny fish, fun as bycatch.

[you]

I feel like there's a species comparison sub-thread materializing here, so I have a question:

 

Have y'all noticed that bowfin are far less likely to bite you off than pike or pickerel? I regularly land them on ultralight gear with 4-6lb leaders. With pickerel, more than half bite me off, at least.

 

The difference can't be from a lack of size, strength, or teeth.

[gim]

4 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

walleye and sauger aren't bad.  They don't inhale lures the same way the bigger ones do and don't seem to tear up lures the same way a pickerel does. 

Walleyes are predacious predators just like pike are, but they aren't nearly as aggressive.  And they don't go on those "missile-type" runs like the esox family does either.  In fact, they are the worst fighting fish I catch with any regularity.  Its like hooking into a wet sock.   Almost completely dead weight like there's a big glob of weeds on the end and sure enough, its a walleye.

[Dwight Hottle]

@thediscochef

@you

i have caught hundreds of walleye & never have I had one bite me off. Just pike, musky & pickerel. Mud fish bite offs are also rare. It’s all about the spacing of the teeth that determine if your likely to get bit off not that some fish have teeth. 

[thediscochef]

1 hour ago, Dwight Hottle said:

@thediscochef

@you

i have caught hundreds of walleye & never have I had one bite me off. Just pike, musky & pickerel. Mud fish bite offs are also rare. It’s all about the spacing of the teeth that determine if your likely to get bit off not that some fish have teeth. 

It's not so much the bite offs for me but the bites if you out your hand in the wrong place ? my digits get cut up enough as it is LOL

[casts_by_fly]

On 10/6/2023 at 7:03 AM, Dwight Hottle said:

@thediscochef

@you

i have caught hundreds of walleye & never have I had one bite me off. Just pike, musky & pickerel. Mud fish bite offs are also rare. It’s all about the spacing of the teeth that determine if your likely to get bit off not that some fish have teeth. 

same. And pickerel are pretty rare too depending what you’re fishing. This was 10 lb fluoro. 

 

 

[flyfisher]

On 10/5/2023 at 11:24 AM, you said:

I feel like there's a species comparison sub-thread materializing here, so I have a question:

 

Have y'all noticed that bowfin are far less likely to bite you off than pike or pickerel? I regularly land them on ultralight gear with 4-6lb leaders. With pickerel, more than half bite me off, at least.

 

The difference can't be from a lack of size, strength, or teeth.

look at the structure of their mouths and their teeth, combine that with how they strike and you will see why the pickerel are more likely to bite you off.  I now when pickerel are active they seem to slash a bait and come back at them to finish the job.  This is when a lot of the biteoffs I experience occur.  Bowfin I have had bite me off probably once or twice.