Top Tactics For Chain Pickerel

Chain pickerels cover almost the entire Eastern half of Canada and the United States. You will be able to catch them year-round. It is a freshwater fish belonging to the pike family. It has a dark, distinct chain-like pattern on its greenish sides and has scaled cheeks and opercles.

The average size of this fish is 24in and 3lb. The lifespan of chain pickerels is around eight years. It is also known as gunny or gun fish, and it feeds on small fish. Its appetite is voracious, and you can compare it to a virtual killing machine. They also eat snakes, frogs, crayfish, worms, insects, mice, and other foods. One of its pleasing factors is that it is a popular sport fish and a brilliant fighter.

Let us go through some of the tactics you can use to catch this energetic fish.

1. Know about the better pickerel spots:

   During summers and winters, fishes usually congregate in deep waters. It is because, during summer, the deeper water is cooler and is oxygen-rich. Same way, during winters, the deeper water is warmer. Therefore you will find pickerels in deep waters during summers and winters. So use this knowledge to catch them next time.

   But, in spring and fall, chain pickerels move into shallow water. They do so to enjoy the early season weeds. And during late spring, chain pickerels spawn in shallow water. So if you are in the water during spring or fall, then fish shallower for good results.

2. Choose the best bait fishes:

   Chain pickerels prefer soft finner baitfishes. It is because they are easy to swallow. Some of the best bait for a chain pickerel are shiners, chubs, suckers, and trout. Avoid crappie and bluegills because they have sharp dorsal fins and deep bodies, making it challenging for a pickerel to eat. Some fishes with sharp fins are swallowable, for example, yellow perch. Remember that pickerels prefer the most leisurely meal present in the water.

3. Try a back hooked baitfish:

   Instead of hooking baitfish through the lips, hook it through the back because pickerels prefer eating the head of the food first. If you are hooking the minnow through the lips, then there are chances that you will be catching a dead pickerel because the hook will go deeper into the pickerel’s throat. If you want an alive chain pickerel, the best idea is to hook baitfish through the back.

4. Choice of lure color:

   Choose the color of the lure according to the clarity of the water. For instance, chrome or silver will shine better in clear water, whereas gold shines best in muddy water. While fishing in clear water, choose natural baitfish that resemble trout, perch, shad, or shiners. And if you are fishing in dirtier water, bold colors will work best, like orange, white, or chartreuse. Therefore the lure color must be according to the type of water in which you’re fishing.

5. Use reaction baits to trigger pickerels to bite:

   To get better results, you can also try using fish baits that evoke reaction strikes from the fish. Every predacious fish has some fundamental predator impulses, and therefore triggering those instincts will lead to the lashing out and striking by the pickerel. These instincts are deep core and are not under the control of pickerels. Some of the examples of such baits are jerk baits and umbrella A-rigs.

6. Frogs-the best summer baits:

   Chain pickerels love eating frogs. Therefore you can use frogs as the best baits during the summer months. You can try standard bass frogs or frog crankbaits as fishing baits. You will find better results along the borders of thick vegetation. Make sure you are using a heavy power rod while using a frog bait.

7. Choice of the best time of the day for fishing:

   You can catch pickerels any time of the day and all-around year. But according to most people, there are two best times for catching chain pickerels: early morning from daybreak till two hours after the first light and in the afternoon from two hours before nightfall. These times of the day are best because they are more relaxed and the light is low, which is the valuable time of these gamefishes over the prey items.

8. Lure tactics:

   You can catch pickerels with artificial lures at any depth. If you want to catch the Deepwater fish, you can try jigs tipped with pork dressings, diving crankbaits, etc. Shallow water fishing is quite exciting as you will see and feel the strike of the fish you are targeting. For thin water pickerel fishing, you can use topwater lures like prop lures, wobblers, etc. Choose the lures accordingly. Soft plastic jerk baits are also a good choice for fooling your target chain pickerels.

9. Try topwater flies:

   Fly fishing is also an excellent tactic for chain pickerels. And the months suitable for trying it are summers and early fall. For this purpose, you can use imitating frogs, giant insects or mice, spun deer hair, etc. You have to drop them gently next to brush piles, weed beds or points, fallen logs and wait till the ripples vanish, and then gently poke them. If it doesn’t work, wait for a while and then make a second attempt.

10. Use of live baits:

    If you wish to catch a pickerel on a fishing trip, bring live minnows of about two to four inches. Live minnow fishing is the best tactic you can use for chain pickerels. It is one of the reliable methods for the fishes in deep waters. You can use light to medium weight spin gears with around 5-7 foot rod, 7-10 pound line, and 1-2 sized fine wire hooks. Drifting is the perfect way of presenting minnows in light winds. But if the wind is calm, then drifting won’t work.