Many people struggle with telling the difference between a northern pike and a chain pickerel. Some folks see a long, slender fish with a mouth full of teeth and automatically think it is a northern pike. Very often, they are wrong.
While a full-grown northern pike is much bigger than a chain pickerel, there are other ways to tell the difference. First, their body coloration and patterns are distinct, as northern pike have short, light dots on their side, whereas a pickerel’s side will have a large, chain-like pattern. Secondly, their fins are shaped differently, with the tail in particular shaped quite differently between the species. Finally, there are differences in their submandibular pores and gill plates that can help you correctly identify the species.
This article will help you correctly tell the difference between these awesome gamefish. Read on to learn more!
The Main Differences Between Northern Pike and Chain Pickerel
Some people struggling with telling northern pike (Esox Lucius) and chain pickerel (Esox Niger) apart. They are similar-looking fish, being of the same Esox genus within the wider pike family, Esocidae, and they’re even known to cross breed and hybridize! Despite these similarities, they are quite distinct fish. It’s important to properly identify your catch so you don’t accidentally keep a fish you shouldn’t. This article will help you determine how.
Size
The obvious difference between northern pike and pickerel is their size. Northern pike are substantially larger both in length and average weight. For example, a 10lb northern won’t turn any heads, while a chain pickerel would beat its current world record by nearly a pound! Pike average approximately 5 – 10lbs while chain pickerel are much, much smaller, averaging about 2-4lbs. Likewise, northern pike are substantially longer than chain pickerel. For example, the Vermont Master Angler Program recognizes a 36″ northern pike as a trophy, whereas a trophy chain pickerel can be a full foot shorter.
Coloration Differences Between Pike and Pickerel
One of the best ways to tell pike and pickerel apart is their color and spotting differences. Northern pike tend to be much paler than chain pickerel and have small white dots along their sides. Chain pickerel on the other hand are much darker and have green or yellow chains splotched across their sides. When viewed side by side, the difference is obvious as can be seen in the photo below.
Fin Shape
Another way to tell the difference between pike and pickerel is to look at their fins. A pike’s pectoral and pelvic fins are much rounder than a pickerel’s, which have a straight edge towards their rear. Likewise, a pike’s caudal (tail) fin has much more rounded ends. The pickerel’s is much sharper, though not as sharp as a muskie’s.
Submandibular Pores
A good way to tell a pike and pickerel apart is to flip it upside down and check its submandibular pores. These are little holes that are visible on what is essentially the fish’s chin, or the bottom of its mouth. Northern pike will usually, but not always, have two sets of five pores with one set on each side of the jaw. Chain pickerel, in contrast, have 7 or 8 submandibular pores.
Another way to tell the difference between these fish is to check their gill plate. The lower half of a pike’s gill plate lacks scales, while a chain pickerel’s gill plate is completely scaled. Frankly, if you’re astute enough to check the gill plate, you probably already can tell which fish you’re looking at, but we might as well be thorough.
Distribution Range of Northern Pike vs. Chain Pickerel
One of the surest ways to tell whether you’ve caught a northern pike or chain pickerel is to ask yourself what continent you’re on. While northern pike are a worldwide phenomena found across North America, Europe, and Asia, chain pickerel are only found in the eastern and southeastern United States and Canada. Thus, if you’re sitting in Europe and wondering what you’ve just caught, it’s a pike.
Behavioral Differences Between Northern Pike and Chain Pickerel
Anyone who has caught many of these fish can tell you that they act differently when you get them in the boat. Pike tend to be fairly calm once caught, at least compared to their smaller cousins. Pickerel thrash about wildly, often tearing their fins in nets, cutting fingers trying to hold braided line still, and smashing themselves to high heaven. While it’s certainly not the most “scientific” way to determine which species you have, it tends to work.
What About Hybrid Northern Pike and Chain Pickerel?
Northern pike and chain pickerel are known to hybridize, though their offspring are sterile. This is a somewhat rare phenomena, though it does happen with some regularity in northern Lake Champlain. Fishing guides on that lake routinely post evidence of catches. The hybrid has a distinct coloration. A pike-pickerel hybrid tends to be green like a chain pickerel but with the northern’s spots. They also have a few diagonal lines across them along their side.
Misidentifying gamefish can get you in quite a bit of trouble. The last thing you need is to keep what you think is a huge pickerel only to find out it is a pike that is below the length limit for your lake. Thus, it’s important to know the difference.
Other Good Resources
Now that you know how to tell the difference between these fish, you might want to learn how to catch them! I’ve written quite a bit about both species over the years. My kids used to call them both “boo boo fish” because of their sharp teeth, after all! Here are some articles that you might find interesting!
I hope this article helped you learn how to tell a pike and pickerel apart. If you have further questions, please feel free to drop a comment below or to send me an email. Otherwise, happy fishing!
Am I the only guy who likes fishing for chain pickerel, or is everyone else just having so much fun catching them that they have no time to write about the species? Granted, there are some articles and blog posts out there, but not much. Even dedicated multispecies publications like In-Fisherman and Field & Stream barely cover the fish. I flipped through 24 magazines of the former and couldn’t find a mention. When I did an internet search for “fishing for chain pickerel field and stream” I got a whopping two hits (though one was a cool video). It’s so bad that I thought, OK, I know how I’ll find some information. I’ll search for “The Rodney Dangerfield of fish,” but even that cliché just got me a bunch of links to Drum and Carp, with nary a word said about ol’ chainsides!
This wasn’t always so. In the first half of the 20th century, there were several researchers who studied chain pickerel and produced a volume of work for the fish. Yet for some reason, chain pickerel seem to have been forgotten.
Just what gives exactly? Why is it that chain pickerel which are the perfect fish for beginners and kids to catch so ignored these days? Why is it that this species which is so eager to SLAM a spinnerbait on a grass flat, or FLY through the air after a topwater is considered so mundane? It’s a disservice to the species that I just can’t stomach any longer. So here you have it. The Ultimate Guide to Chain Pickerel, a species my children affectionately know as “The Boo Boo Fish.”
If northern pike are the “water wolf,” then chain pickerel are the coyote. Chain pickerel (Esox Niger) are third in line in the species behind the larger muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) and northern pike (Esox Lucius). They are very similar in shape, resembling a freshwater barracuda, but grow much smaller and inhabit a smaller range. Their appetite is often described as “voracious,” and they are frequently observed following lures straight to the boat, sometimes hitting them several times en route.
Sometimes called “the southern pike,” chain pickerel are the largest esocid available in many southern waters. Their range is lakes, ponds, and rivers across the entire eastern U.S. seaboard and much of the Gulf of Mexico. They’ll live just about anywhere that the water is nice and calm, even tolerating waters that are somewhat brackish. This makes them a popular fish in the Mid-Atlantic, with many renowned pickerel experts and bloggers coming from those parts.
Not to break the pattern, but I’m a New Englander. My infatuation with this species began as a young boy fishing the southern end of Lake Champlain, where they are numerous. Some of the first fish I caught “all by myself” were chain pickerel, which meant these were among the first fish to send that exciting jolt of energy through my arms when they bit my spinnerbait. It’s the sort of thing you don’t forget easily, so every time I’ve taken a new person fishing, I’ve tried to target ol’ chainsides.
What is the Difference Between Chain Pickerel and Northern Pike?
Chain pickerel (and especially large ones) are sometimes mistaken for northern pike. The species are quite distinct, however. Look at the photos below. On the left is the olive green chain pickerel. Note it has broad, “chain like” markings along its side. In contrast, the northern pike on the right is much paler, and has smaller, “dot shaped” spots.
Chain pickerel (left) have a much broader, chain-like pattern than the tiny spots of northern pike (right).
Chain Pickerel-Northern Pike Hybrids
It is known that Chain pickerel and northern pike hybridize. While rare, they are common enough that it’s not quite a “buy a lotto ticket tonight” kind of moment. A 1967 study found that hybridization between northern pike and chain pickerel produced some surviving fry, but there was no evidence that the survivors were fertile (source).
The photo below shows the beautiful coloration and pattern that a chain pickerel – northern pike hybrid produces. Note that there are the spots of the northerns however there are also some nice vertical bands that you don’t get with pike.
All of the hybrids I’ve seen caught have come from clear water, typically with access to deeper water nearby. It’s unknown to me if this is because these fish take more after their northern parents?
Note the beautiful coloration of this hybrid caught by my wife.
How to Catch Chain Pickerel
A prime reason I consider chain pickerel to be a great species to target while fishing with kids is the ease with which they’re caught. Pickerel have such an insatiable appetite that it’s weird to me when I can’t get bit in a lake where I know they exist. It’s a legitimate cause for concern, either for my own abilities that day, or for the health of the lake!
All the same, you do need to have an idea where to cast if you want to catch chain pickerel. It won’t do much good casting in an empty part of the lake. Further, some lures are easier to use than others, and seem to draw better strikes.
Where to Find Chain Pickerel?
The chain pickerel’s range extends across much of eastern seaboard of the United States as well as freshwater lakes and streams near the Gulf of Mexico. The best place to find chain pickerel are fairly shallow (10′ or less), weedy flats that have clear water. If that water is near the mouth of a creek or other prime baitfish location, all the better. While they are willing to chase down prey a short while, they are ambush predators and need cover to stalk their food. Thus, you’ll need to find cover if you want to find pickerel. I’ve caught most of mine in grass flats or lily pads, with some caught on laydowns and other debris.
Joe Bruce, an avid chain pickerel fisherman who wrote the book Fishing for Chain Pickerel, spends much of the book talking about how pickerel like “a roof over their heads.” I can’t say I disagree, as most pickerel I’ve caught have been near heavy cover. I usually pick them up by burning a spinnerbait through some alleys in the weeds.
It’s hard to find chain pickerel in murky areas, though the transition between muddy and clear water can be dynamite. Larger pickerel prefer deeper water, but remember that this means closer to that 10′ range. These are not true “cool water fish” like northern pike, so you’re unlikely to find many at great depths.
Where to Find Trophy Pickerel
While any sized chain pickerel is going to be a blast for kids, if you’re reading this, you’re probably itching to tie into a true trophy. While I’ve caught a few of these over the years, there’s no one in the northeast better to ask about this than Ed Guth, Jr. Known as “the pickerel whisperer,” Ed has been featured in several magazines as well as many YouTube clips about the fish. I asked him for some help and he was happy to oblige. He also has a way cooler name for chain pickerel than the “boo boo fish” that my kids and I came up with. He calls them “Green Tarpon” because of the way they go nuts when you “hook one in the nose on medium size tackle and lean on them!”
Here’s a few words of wisdom of how he targets trophy chain pickerel:
Places I go for trophy pickerel aka GATOR class size, which is 20+ inches, one that is 24 ” and 4lbs. is a very good fish, that is a size system I came up with myself, places with a good bass population is one, it helps to keep the number of smaller fish down, but a lot of lakes can have trophy pickerel because they are really a targeted species for many anglers, if the lake has good depth and a good population of shad it could in turn have a good amount of healthy pickerel in it, on the other hand, I have also found that lakes with no shad at all are also good pickerel spots, where the bass are not as competitive with the pickerel and in turn are more abundant because the food bass of tougher fish like yellow perch.
One big thing I have found over the years is that I believe that big pickerel can be territorial, I have caught a big ones in the same spot more then once, and I have had friends catch one I have already caught, in the same spot months later or even longer, we have compared chain patterns to verify that yes it was the same fish, so if you have gotten a big one in that area once you my come across it again later.
Ed Guth, Jr.
Ed Guth, Jr. knows what he’s talking about when it comes to monster chain pickerel!Photo credit of Ed Guth, Jr.
Chain Pickerel Holding Locations
I’ve spent much time chasing these fish on Lake Champlain. One thing I’ve noticed is that certain bays or coves tend to be “pickerel bays” while others tend to hold northerns. While I occasionally will catch both in the same area, it isn’t that common. I’ve found that northerns are much more prevalent near deep drop offs while chain pickerel are very comfortable going in the back of bays.
Careful map study has revealed that the bays that hold more chain pickerel have one thing in common: they tend to be expansive. What I mean by that is the flat will extend a great distance. If given the choice between a narrow flat and a wide one, pickerel will take the former. In my experience, northerns sometimes act much different and are perfectly comfortable stacking on a shorter flat.
A Few Cases Studies
Take a look at the chart below. This is a famous fishing spot near Fort Ticonderoga that I’ve fished countless times. While you must never say never, you’re much more likely to catch a chain pickerel in the red area than the blue. I can’t ever recall catching a pickerel in catfish bay, and I attribute this to their desire to have a larger flat to work with.
Chart provided by NOAA Office of Coast Survey, nauticalcharts.noaa.gov
Further north, in Bulwagga Bay, I’ve observed the same phenomena. Note how both areas have roughly the same depth yet the flat is much wider and expansive where the pickerel tend to stack. Again, you could find both types of fish in both areas but I’m just talking typical catch rates here. When you find a large flat with room for these fish to spread out, you seem to get into more of them. Another commonality is both maps feature 18th century fortresses, though I don’t suppose that’ll be a factor in most places.
Chart provided by NOAA Office of Coast Survey, nauticalcharts.noaa.gov
Likewise, there is silver lake in Connecticut. While I’m not sure if I can reproduce the imagine on this website, you can find it here. I catch way more chain pickerel in the southern end than I ever do in the north. They just seem to like having room to roam.
Is There a Seasonal Pattern to Chain Pickerel Location?
Chain pickerel will stay in the same shallow bays all summer long, though the bigger ones will be closer to the drop off. This is in direct contrast to northern pike that typically seek deeper, cooler water during the hot summer months. A 1942 study by Edward Rainey confirmed as much. He observed chain pickerel in a New York pond with a maximum depth of about 11 feet. He reported that pickerel could be found throughout it, both very shallow and in deeper portions during night and day. There wasn’t any true rhyme or reason to it. The only constant was that the youngest, smallest fish spent most of their time in the shallows (source). Granted, it’s a small pond, but you’d expect the larger fish to stay deeper if this what they truly wanted.
This confirms my own observations. Chain pickerel have been one of the more prevalent species I’ve targeted on Lake Champlain. There’s a particular bay that doesn’t reach a depth much more than 4′ in most places. Despite this, large fish are taken there throughout the year. Indeed, the hotter months of July and August often provide great action, as long as you have a clear path through the water to fish.
The Best Time of Year to Catch Chain Pickerel
Chain pickerel can be caught year round, but like their older cousins, it can be easier to catch them when the water is cooler. It’s not that pickerel go inactive or disappear during the hotter months, but much of their habitat becomes very difficult to fish with lures that a pickerel won’t bite off. Those that can be worked in these areas tend to have their action ruined by heavy leaders.
Spring
In New York/New England, spring is really divided into two parts. First, you have the early spring of March and April, when these fish are spawning and the water remains cold. Then, around May, things heat up for the bass spawn and pickerel become more active.
In the early part of spring I prefer to use jerkbaits to catch pickerel, mainly because they tend to bite off lipless cranks, and it’s hard to get a fish to strike a spinnerbait before the water warms a bit. It’s a shame however as it is a pain to catch these fish with treble hooks given their propensity for thrashing about in the net.
Once the water hits around 60 degrees or so, the spinnerbait comes out and stays out for the rest of the year. I like to burn them across the edge of weedlines and over submerged vegetation – basically the same spots that you’d look for bass or northern pike. I find a fast retrieve works much better – it seems to trigger their predatory instincts. Also, it seems like I get less bite offs with a fast retrieve. I attribute this to the fish not quite getting the whole lure in their mouth. That’s good for avoiding bite offs, but a stinger hook comes in handy to actually land them.
You can tell this fish was caught early in the year given Dad’s clothing and the grey color of Lake Champlain.
Chain Pickerel and Sunfish Cooperation
An interesting even appears to happen in the spring. I found an absolutely fascinating journal entry by Hurst H. Shoemaker where he described observing pickerel and sunfish working together to keep golden shiners at bay from the sunfish’s nest. Over the course of several occasions, he observed the pickerel basically guarding the sunfish nest and taking advantage of the egg-robbing golden shiners as a distracted food source. It seems the sunfish mostly tolerated this behavior, and there were advantages for both species. The pickerel obviously got a snack, and the nest was better guarded (source).
While I can’t claim to have ever observed this myself, I’ve never really looked for it either. Who spends any amount of time staring at sunfish beds? It is worth noting that the pickerel Shoemaker observed in this study were smaller (the largest fish he references was 12″). I suppose much larger than that and the sunfish might have been less accepting.
All the same, it is an interesting study and perhaps a good way to catch a chain pickerel in the spring would be to toss a shiner-shaped drop shot near a pumpkinseed bed?
Summer
I’ve never had an issue catching monster chain pickerel in the same weedy flats that they inhabited in the spring, though I can confirm that they seem to be holding a bit deeper out than they are in the spring. Some authors claim that summer is the time when large chains head to the deep drop offs near the weedline (source). While I’m sure that’s their experience, I’d just add that I don’t think it’s as hard and fast of a rule as it sometimes seems with pike.
I know I’ve managed plenty of pickerel in the summer months while fishing for bass deep in weeds. The only challenge is that much of the spring areas are completely overgrown with weeds by this time, so by default I suppose I’m fishing a bit deeper. Nonetheless, frogs thrown deep into the gunk have produced the tell tale pickerel “dolphin lunge,” so there are certainly fish available in cover.
There’s one particular bay in Lake Champlain that I’ve been fishing as a kid that routinely holds huge chain pickerel in summer. The bay itself is only 1-4′ deep in most areas, but it is near a large creek that has a good hole near its mouth that runs maybe 6′ – 10′ deep. I had a day once where I “beached” my boat into the reeds facing this channel and just caught chain after chain for hours. However, this same bay also has one clear channel in in with a whole bunch of “exits” or “cuts” of maybe 6″ – 18″ that connect into the creek. I routinely catch pickerel around this channel and these cuts despite the water being so shallow.
This experience places me firmly place me in the “you can catch pickerel very shallow all summer long” camp.
Fall
As with most species, fall is a great time to fish for chain pickerel. The issue simply becomes finding them, because many of their summertime haunts are completely drawn down by late August. I’ve found the fish concentrated in deeper pockets near the mouths of creeks, as well as the deeper weed lines that still have vegetation.
Many of my favorite pickerel spots are too choked up with weeds or dried out by the fall, so I asked Ed Guth, Jr. his thoughts:
In the fall I go to lakes that have a good shad population as the main forage base, where open flats that are near deep water or wind blown coves that could stack up the warmer surface water, if you can find bass I bet there are a few pickerel in there too.
Ed Guth, Jr.
Spinnerbaits continue to work well (they’re a great fall lure) until the water gets too cold for them to be effective (about October to November in the Northeast). Then, I like to go back to jerkbaits mimicking baitfish. I’ve heard it’s better to upsize lures later in the year, since the entire year class is grown, so that’s what I try and do.
Winter
I’ll admit I’m not much of an ice fisherman. I’d much rather head own south and continue to fish open water. With that said, I know northern pike are routinely taken through the ice so I always wondered if pickerel were too. I did some research and found a few articles that were useful.
Rudow’s FishTalk had a good article about fishing for chain pickerel in the winter. In it, the author mentions that a marabou jig tipped with a minnow makes an enticing bait while fished under a — shudder — bobber. If you have some time, check out the link and read up on this tactic. They pulled some nice fish in for the article.
Ice Fishing for Chain Pickerel
It is worth noting that this is a Maryland “winter” and all the photos are on open, albeit frigid, waters. If you’re further north, you’re going to have to consider ice fishing. The action can be spectacular as this study in Maine concluded:
Winter catch rates of pickerel are routinely amongst the highest recorded for any Maine sportfish. A statewide ice fishing census conducted by Maine wardens in the late 1950’s revealed that the average catch per hour of all coldwater species combined (salmon, togue, and brook trout) was only 0.08 versus 0.42 for pickerel. Thus, fishing for pickerel was about five times faster than that offered by the coldwater sportfish.
The study went on to find that the higher catch rates usually came from eutrophic or mesotrophic (read: older, more nutrient-filled, and shallower) lakes than oligotrophic ones. Or, to put it more plainly, “ya gotta find a lake with weeds.”
When fishing through the ice, the consensus does seem to support using live bait and specifically minnows or shiners, usually tipping a small jig head of some sort. Bring your leaders!
Ice Out Pickerel
I asked Ed Guth, Jr. for his take on this time of year. Here is what he had to say:
I start after pickerel right after the ice opens up if we have a hard winter, when a lot of the lakes are very clear, I go to the deepest water or main lake points.
Ed Guth, Jr.
What is the Best Time of Day to Fish for Pickerel?
Despite spending hundreds of evenings in one of the best pickerel-producing bays on all of Lake Champlain over the years, I’ve found that the bites really die down as the sun starts to set. From what I’ve read online, I might just be giving up a little too soon, as many report that pickerel bite just fine at night, but I do think dusk is a poor time to target them, at least with fast moving baits.
In contrast, chain pickerel seem to bite very well in the morning and continue to do so for much of the day. This makes them a consistent fish to target, meaning a good one to fish for with kids! The morning bite is usually going to be better than noon, but I’ve had plenty of lunchtime trolling runs where we’ve loaded the boat. You just need to cover more water.
As with most fish, you’ll find its easier to catch chain pickerel on a cloudy day. The low light conditions enable them to come out and roam a bit more than they would under a hot full sun. If you have to go out with the sun blazing, try to use lures that you can work through heavy vegetation and other cover, as that’s probably where you’ll find most fish hiding.
Kids aren’t always the best at waking up early. Luckily, the pickerel don’t care as they’ll bite all day.
What is the Best Bait for Chain Pickerel?
To best understand what bait and lures are going to work well for chain pickerel, we should first understand what chain pickerel eat. In 1939, George W. Hunter III and John S. Rankin, Jr. studied what foods these fish eat. They took over 30 fish from Lake Pocotopaug in East Hampton, Connecticut, and examined their stomach contents. They examined two broad groups of pickerel. Those under 6″ and those over 6″ and found that they had very different diets. The larger fish primarily fed on other fish (62.4% of their diet) with 21.8% of that coming from the family Cyprinidae, or minnows. The next highest percentage was Percidae, which is the family that includes yellow perch (source).
Another study that researched chain pickerel feeding habits in a brackish river found that much of its diet comprised of white perch, especially those that were quite young, which would indicate they too were about the size of minnows (source). The bottom line is, something small and fishy is a tasty treat for Esox Niger.
Thus, the best live bait to use for chain pickerel will be minnows or shiners in the 4-5″ range as they make up the majority of their diet. I’ve also had great luck using an inline spinner topped with a nightcrawler as well. Just remember to use a leader when fishing with live bait so you aren’t broken off.
Productive Fishing Lures for Chain Pickerel
As we saw above, the majority of a pickerel’s diet (at least up north) is composed of minnows and perch. It stands to reason that you ought to use lures that try and mimic these foods to maximize your chances. Here are several that I’ve found work very well.
Spinnerbaits
I’ve caught more chain pickerel on spinnerbaits than any other lure. Specifically, chartreuse or white ones while reeled in quickly near grass flats. Much like pike, pickerel seem to prefer these baits moving fast through the top of the water column over submerged vegetation. Burning these in works wonders for calling up the pickerel and they tend to slam them anywhere along the retrieve, including right next to the boat.
I prefer to use spinnerbaits with a willow leave blade when fishing for pickerel or pike as the flash seems to draw them in better. I haven’t had as much luck when fishing more turbulent Colorado blades, even though I often fish for the species in the siltier sections of Lake Champlain south of the Crown Point Bridge.
Spinnerbaits routinely catch large chain pickerel like this fine specimen.
Swimbaits
Swimbaits are another good search lure for pickerel. Basically anything that you can cast out and work back quickly is going to produce, and these fit that bill. The only caution with these is that you could run into an issue with breakoffs if you don’t use a leader. Swimbaits (especially soft plastic ones) don’t have much to protect the line, so you really should consider a leader if toothy predators are your main target.
One nice plus about soft-bodied swimbaits is you can often Texas Rig the hook right into them, which makes them essentially weedless. This allows them to get into some areas that spinnerbaits will pick up too many weeds and might help you catch some fish that are hiding deeper in the gunk.
Jerkbaits
Like northerns, chain pickerel have a hard time resisting a jerkbait. The only downside to these lures is that they often are an early-year lure, not so much because pickerel stop biting them (no fish stop biting a jerkbait, a jerkbait is awesome), but because the weed flats that make up so much of a pickerel’s habitat make working anything with treble hooks challenging quite early in the year.
To the extent that you can find clean water to throw them, jerkbaits will produce pickerel consistently. I do prefer a more rapid tempo than I use for bass as I like to trigger their predatory instincts. I find that fast moving retrieves and cadences do a better job of triggering these fish than something slow.
Topwater Action
I strongly suspect that many of the “bass” frog fishermen are missing are actually chain pickerel. They will repeatedly strike at these topwater plastics, and it is very hard, though not impossible, to hook them. The next time you catch a pickerel, take a careful look at its mouth. All those teeth might as well be pieces of chain mail keeping a frog hook from sticking.
If you want to go after pickerel with topwater lures, I would recommend a stick bait with treble hooks like a Devil’s Horse. First, it looks much like a dying minnow or perch. Secondly, I’ve found that the trebles do a much better job of hooking the fish and getting them in the boat for you than the frogs do. Also, a Devil’s Horse is going to stand up to the onslaught much better than a plastic frog. Usually, if a pickerel attacks the latter, all you’re getting for your trouble is a leaky, torn up lure.
One thing I’ve found interesting is that you can usually tell if a pickerel made the topwater attack vs. a bass, even if you didn’t get a good look at it. Pickerel almost jump out of the water like a dolphin swimming fast. It’s a very horizontal attack. In my experience, bass typically smash lures from the bottom and create a large boil in one spot. So, if you’re missing many strikes while fishing a frog, this might help you determine if they’re bass or pickerel.
Slower Lures (Jigs and Worms)
Chain pickerel will hit slower lures like jigs and worms but the issue becomes these lures have very little protection from sharp teeth. While the wire of a spinnerbait can help protect against at least some bite offs, a jig has no such guard and is susceptible to being lost if a pickerel takes the lure. All the same, given how well spinnerbaits typically work for chains, I suspect most that you’ll take while working a jig will be a bycatch while searching for bass.
This chain pickerel bit a marabou jig when I was a young boy, but I got very lucky that it didn’t bite the line clear off!
Ed Guth Jr.’s Take on the Best Lures for Trophy Pickerel
Believe it or not, but many of my biggest pickerels aka GATORS , have came on only two types of lures, one being a jig and the other a jerkbait, little jigs 1/16 oz plan ballhead jigs tipped with a 2” curlytail grub, MisterTwisters are the ones I use or, a 2” boottail swimbait ,like a Zoom, in black back/pearl, tipped on the same style jig, for the jerkbaits, I like a suspending one , but I modify mine into slow sinks , Rapala huskyjerks in a 4” size, in gold, but if the water is a little dirty I have used brighter colors.
With the jigs I have used line from 6 to 10 test, but with the jerkbaits, 10 or 12 lb test, and I make my own 6” wire leaders for the jerkbaits, I don’t get cut off to often, but it happens .
Ed Guth, Jr.
This pickerel wasn’t kidding when it bit this bait! Photo courtesy of Ed Guth, Jr.
Techniques for Catching Chain Pickerel
Any technique you use to catch bass will apply well to pickerel. There’s a reason that bass tournament anglers get so fed up with these fish and it’s because they readily go after all the bass presentations! I suppose if money was on the line and my heart started skipping, it would be deflating to see a 6lb chain pickerel at the end of my spinnerbait! Even so, at least you can catch chains with the same techniques you already know!
Power Fishing
My favorite technique to catch chain pickerel is simply to power fish spinnerbaits across a grass flat. I’ll make multiple casts as far as I can and burn the bait back in. This quickly gives me an idea if there are fish in the area as I’ll at least see a “follow” even if the fish aren’t that hungry.
This is also a fun way to fish with kids and other beginners. Casting gives people something to do. You can make a game of seeing who can cast more accurately to the different pockets in the weeds while you’re waiting for a fish to bite. The added benefit is the winner usually has a pretty good chance of catching a fish, as this is where they hang out.
Shallow Water Trolling
In recent years (read: while my son was little, and couldn’t cast well) I started experimenting in shallow water. Trolling can be a great way to spend lunch with your children on the water. There’s nothing better than to let the boat do all the work while you kick up your feet and have a snack. I’ll tell you, while learning this technique, I found that chain pickerel were one of the main fish we’d catch.
Easy presentation for fishing with kids + great fish for kids to catch = awesome time on the water. You should try it.
Chain pickerel are easy enough fish to troll for as they stay in shallow water with weeds growing a bit beneath the surface most of the summer. Anywhere that you can cast a spinnerbait without getting fouled, you can drag one behind your boat. You also don’t need any fancy equipment like downriggers, or even rod holders. You can simply hold the rod and wait for a strike, which will come routinely. If you want to learn more, check out my article about trolling for chain pickerel.
Live Bait
I don’t fish much live bait for chain pickerel. If I have shiners on, I’m usually going for bowfin. All the same, it’s hard to argue with the ice fishermen who bring so many chains in each year on 4-5″ shiners. There’s no reason that the same techniques so many ice anglers use wouldn’t also work in the warmer months. The only trick will be placing the bait near a chain pickerel in the first place, as you aren’t covering much water with live bait.
Fly Fishing for Chain Pickerel
I’ll admit I’ve never fly fished for chain pickerel, but as you’ll see a bit later in this article, a gentleman named Joe Bruce has written a book, Fishing for Chain Pickerel, with a huge section all about this. If you’re interested in fly fishing for chain pickerel, I highly recommend picking up his book. It is available at Amazon and does a far better job of explaining the concept than I ever could. I’d estimate that a good third of the book is dedicated to the topic. Not only does this book talk about what types of flies to throw, but it also shows you exactly how to tie them. It’s definitely a good read and a worthy addition to your library.
However, if you’re looking for some basic tips, here are a few concepts his book pushes:
Pickerel are not line shy, so go ahead and use a 40lb bite tippet to keep them from cutting you off.
Consider using an articulated fly as it presents a larger target and pickerel seem to prefer the action.
Streamer style flies work very well for the species (buy the book for step by step instructions on how to tie them).
What Type of Tackle Should Be Used for Chain Pickerel?
Any bass tackle that you have lying around will be just fine for catching chain pickerel. Match the types of lures to the types of rods you’d use them on for largemouth and you’ll do well. Remember, most pickerel that you’ll catch will be 1-3 lbs with a few pushing 5-6 lb on average. Bass tackle is perfectly adequate.
Some folks even like fishing for chain pickerel on ultralight rods. While I’m sure that this makes for one heck of a fight, I’ve found pickerel to be fairly vulnerable fish that don’t have the best survivability rates if they’re stressed. I’d recommend leaving the ultralight equipment at home and landing the pickerel quickly.
Two tools that I do think you should have on hand if you’re fishing for chain pickerel are fishing mouth spreaders and long needle nose pliers. The mouth spreaders alone are worth their weight in gold when a pickerel takes a hook deep. These allow you to work on the fish quickly and without risk of injury to your hand. The only issue is that pickerel tend to thrash around like crazy, so work quickly and maybe have a second set on hand!
The Book About Chain Pickerel
I am only aware of one book that is completely dedicated to this species, Fishing for Chain Pickerel by Joe Bruce. It is a self-published work by a Maryland fisherman who has filled it chalk full of every secret. While 112 pages might seem short, by self-published standards it is decent in an age where many people self-published folks sell “books” shorter than some of my kids’ bedtime stories.
The book is all inclusive and discusses where to find pickerel, what lures to use, and what techniques will bring them to the boat. As Mr. Bruce is the owner of Joe Bruce’s Custom Flies, he does devote a significant portion of the book to fly fishing for chain pickerel. It is the resource on this subject.
You never know how long these self-published books will be around. You can buy it by clicking on its picture below. As this is currently the only book devoted to this species, I highly recommend that you pick up a copy. I will tell you, when you go to the link you’re going to see a price that seems a bit high for a 112 page book, but the reason for this is it was printed in full color. I’d agree that was the right choice by the author since he spends so much time in the book showing you the best flies to fish, and that needs to be in color.
Other Resources
As stated above (and as of writing), Joe Bruce’s Fishing for Chain Pickerel is the only book I know of devoted to the species, but it gets worse. There aren’t even that many books that mention them in passing. Even The Complete Freshwater Fisherman, which is a ten-pound (and very good) book has exactly one page–one–where pickerel are even mentioned. Why are they mentioned? Simply to remind readers that they’re smaller than pike.
Even my book, Fishing with Kids: A Parent’s Guide only devotes 4.5 pages to the species, though that might as well be a novella compared to most of what’s out there, aside from Mr. Bruce’s excellent offering.
Your main bet for other resources about chain pickerel is Field & Stream author Joe Cermele. Joe is one of the few authors left who spends considerable time fishing for (and writing about) chain pickerel. He also has a video series called Hook Shots where he posted this video all about fishing for the species with “the pickerel whisperer,” New Jersey angler Ed Guth, Jr. who contributed to this article. There’s some great information here so definitely check it out.
This is one of the more informative videos out there about chain pickerel. The star of the show, Joe Cermele, is a writer for Field & Stream who has published several articles on the species.
Chain Pickerel FAQ
I noticed that there’s a number of frequently asked questions out there about chain pickerel. It’s hard to have an “ultimate guide” to the fish without answering them!
How Big Can Chain Pickerel Get?
While chain pickerel are much smaller than northern pike or muskie, they still grow big enough to be memorable. While you’ll get your share of juvenile fish less than 12″ or so, it’s very common to catch them in the 1-3lb range. A fish over 4lb is memorable. Worth noting, the Vermont Master Angler program considers any chain pickerel 24″ or longer to be a trophy (source).
This was a good-sized pickerel caught by my father on a small pond. Many of these smaller ponds don’t get the same fishing pressure so you can land a true trophy.
According to the IGFA, the world record (all tackle, by weight) chain pickerel was 9lb 6 oz and caught by Baxley McQuaig, Jr. in Homerville, GA in 1961. The all tackle record by length was a 65 cm fish caught by Burnie Haney in 2019 on Lake Ontario, NY.
Frankly, one of the more interesting aspects of the chain pickerel is how consistent its size can be throughout its range. Unlike largemouth bass (which tend to grow larger in warmer climes), here we have two record setting fish at considerably different latitudes. Indeed, the prior record holder, a 9lb, 5 oz fish, was caught by Mrs. James E. Martin in Massachusetts. Thus, no matter where you live, there’s the potential that the next chain pickerel you hook could be a world record.
How Long Do Chain Pickerel Live?
According to several studies cited by the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, the average life span of chain pickerel in the wild is 3-4 years with at least some being observed to have lived for 9 years (source). A study by A.H. Underhill observed fish seven years old and suggested that “the bulk of the spawning population was made up of four and five-year-old fish,” though pickerel as young as two-years-old also spawned (source).
How Do You Handle Chain Pickerel?
Given their sharp teeth, chain pickerel need to be handled with the same care as northern pike. You should never grab them by the mouth and should instead either grab them by the back of the head (for smaller fish) or by the gill plate (larger fish). Note: gill plate NOT the gills.
As mentioned, I’ve found pickerel to be quite delicate fish. Or, perhaps they’re sturdy fish that don’t know their own strength. They beat the living daylights of themselves by wildly thrashing boat side and in the net. If you leave them in the net on the bottom of the boat, they will brutalize themselves against any hard object including the floor. This makes chains a very good fish to subdue and release while netted in the water. Unfortunately, mortality rates do seem to be higher for caught pickerel than other species (most fish I find floating on any given fishing trip are chain pickerel, sad to say).
Can You Eat Chain Pickerel?
If you catch a chain pickerel that gets too beat up to safely release, you might as well eat it (where legal). They are quite a tasty meal, even if they smell awful while raw. Unfortunately, like pike, chain pickerel have “y-bones” which are a pain to deal with, and might make you want to think twice about serving them to kids. There is a technique to get rid of y-bones that you can find in this excellent post from Cornell University. Use it and enjoy!
You can find some good recipes online but bear in mind that sometimes when people say “pickerel” they really mean “walleye” as the former is the latter’s nickname in some parts.
Do Pickerel Bite Humans?
I recently researched an article about whether or not northern pike attack humans. While doing so, I came across plenty of stories of muskies attacking swimmers, but not a single one about chain pickerel taking a chomp out of a human. As a result, I’m completely comfortable saying chain pickerel don’t attack humans.
On the other hand, chain pickerel are quite capable of biting humans. They have sharp teeth and plenty of them and will certainly claim down if you give them the chance. You do run the risk of being bit while unhooking them, so needle nose pliers and perhaps a set of fishing forceps can be quite handy to prevent injury.
In my experience, chain pickerel tend to fight a lot more in the boat than northern pike do. I don’t know if their smaller size makes them more spritely or what, but chains tend to flop every which way when landed. In my opinion, this makes them more dangerous to handle which is why they’re called “the boo boo fish” in my household. In fairness, however, I’ve yet to be bitten by a chain pickerel. Most of my injuries came from being cut by braided line I was holding onto when the fish decided to violently thrash.
Do Pickerel Eat Bass?
You sometimes hear people complain about chain pickerel, worrying that they will eat too many bass and spoil the fishery. A 1978 study by Frank M. Panek for the Florida Scientist suggests quite the opposite. In it, chain pickerel were introduced into a small pond loaded with bass and blue gill. While the pickerel heavily targeted the bluegill and smaller bass and brought their numbers in check, this had the effect of increasing the the total number and size of largemouth bass (source).
So yes, chain pickerel do eat smaller bass, however they also eat the bluegill that are so damaging to bass beds. In doing so, this predator keeps the more voracious panfish in check and allows America’s favorite gamefish a better chance to survive and grow.
Conclusions
I write a lot about fishing with kids on this blog. While I often advocate the need to get a fish–any fish–in the livewell as fast as possible, once that is achieved, my next target is the chain pickerel. While they aren’t true monsters compared to northern pike, they grow large enough and fight hard enough to delight any novice angler or child the first, second, and thousandth time they fight one.
This is a fish of substantial enough proportion that the beginning angler knows they have something memorable on the other line. Their rod will bend with authority, line will be stripped, perhaps a giant breach and splash will occur. When kids or rookies first lift it from the net and see its menacing teeth and piercing eyes, their breath will stop just for a second. I’ve seen this happen repeatedly with different kids I’ve taken fishing, and there’s nothing better.
Even if you’re no novice, a large chain pickerel is nothing to sneeze at. Once they get over about 20″ they put up a good fight and you’ll wonder if you’ve hooked a northern. It’s also one of those fish that are unique trophies not everyone concentrates on, but which you also don’t have to go to some out of the way stream in the middle of nowhere to catch. All good stuff!
I’ve tried to make this guide live up to the “ultimate” boast in its title, but if you’re aware of some resources I’m missing or other things I should consider, please send me an email so I can update the post in the future!
Thanks,
John Paxton
My wife with a chain pickerel she caught on one of our first fishing dates.
Other References and Citations
Interested in reading the primary sources I used to research this article? In addition to the links to my sources sprinkled in the article, the following all made for very interesting reading and research. I’m looking forward to putting what I learned to the test in the next few weeks as I try and put some more chain pickerel in the fishing boat!
Buss, Keen, and Miller, Jake. “Interspecific Hybridization of Esocids. Hatching Success, Pattern Development, and Fertility of Some F1 Hybrids.” Technical Papers of the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, April 1967. https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=XRIfgxeVrTEC&hl=en&pg=GBS.PP1. Accessed April 3, 2021.
Hunter, George W., and John S. Rankin. “The Food of Pickerel.” Copeia, vol. 1939, no. 4, 1939, pp. 194–199. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1436878. Accessed 3 Apr. 2021.
Meyers, C. D., and R. J. Muncy. “Summer Food and Growth of Chain Pickerel, Esox Niger, in Brackish Waters of the Severn River, Maryland.” Chesapeake Science, vol. 3, no. 2, 1962, pp. 125–128. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1351225. Accessed 3 Apr. 2021.
Panek, Frank M. “EFFECTS OF PREDATOR STOCKING ON A LARGEMOUTH BASS-BLUEGILL POND FISHERY.” Florida Scientist, vol. 41, no. 4, 1978, pp. 252–255. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24319577. Accessed 3 Apr. 2021.
Raney, Edward C. “The Summer Food and Habits of the Chain Pickerel (Esox Niger) of a Small New York Pond.” The Journal of Wildlife Management, vol. 6, no. 1, 1942, pp. 58–66. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3795522. Accessed 3 Apr. 2021.
Shoemaker, Hurst H. “Pickerel and Pumpkinseed Coaction over the Sunfish Nest.” Copeia, vol. 1947, no. 3, 1947, pp. 195–196. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1438853. Accessed 3 Apr. 2021.
Underhill, A. H. “Studies on the Development, Growth and Maturity of the Chain Pickerel, Esox Niger Lesueur.” The Journal of Wildlife Management, vol. 13, no. 4, 1949, pp. 377–391. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3795630. Accessed 3 Apr. 2021.
