November 4, 2023

[FishnDave]

Drove and towed my boat 3.25 hours each way (6.5 hrs total), just to fish for 1.5 hours! I was targeting Chain Pickerel. Target acquired!Caught 5 Chain Pickerel. These are the 3 best ones.Also caught this chunky 19" Largemouth Bass:

[lee s]

Dave, Grand pics. Are they as toothy as a regular pike? ....lee s.

[FishnDave]

Dave, Grand pics. Are they as toothy as a regular pike? ....lee s.

Great question, Lee! I've caught Northern Pike on flies, and I would say Yes, I believe Chain Pickerel are as toothy, but they are a smaller fish than Northern Pike, so their teeth are mostly smaller too, in my opinion. I used 12 lb Fluoro tippet, and ended the day with some nicks in the line, but no cut-offs. Did get a very minor finger wound while trying to carefully hold the mouth open while removing the fly from one fish. I used #4 and #2 streamers, which seemed big enough to hook the fish while usually partially sticking out of the mouth...so that the line wouldn't be in direct contact with those teeth. I read an article from somebody who targets Chain Pickerel on fly frequently, and they recommended using a steel leader, or expect some cut-offs.

[BadBug]

Nice catch Dave. Pickerel were one of my favorite fish to pursue when I was growing up in south Jersey. Dennis

[FishnDave]

Nice catch Dave. Pickerel were one of my favorite fish to pursue when I was growing up in south Jersey. Dennis

Awesome, Dennis! You'll know WAY more about them than I do. I caught my first ever, a little one, last year in a river. Saturday's 5 fish from a small spring-fed lake was only my 2nd time catching them.Got any useful tips or thoughts to share from what you learned and observed when you fished for them? Favorite flies?

[lee s]

Some use heavy flourocarbon successfully as a bite tippet. Our experience is that wire is more certain.....but then again, maybe our lack of "leader checking" is the real fault. ....lee s.

[FishnDave]

Some use heavy flourocarbon successfully as a bite tippet. Our experience is that wire is more certain.....but then again, maybe our lack of "leader checking" is the real fault. ....lee s.

Absolutely. Wire is definitely more tooth-proof. I've used it, but prefer not to if possible. Probably a better choice for Northern Pike and Muskies. Articles I read said Chain Pickerel were NOT leader shy.The water I was fishing was crystal clear. I did have one Pickerel that followed the fly quite a distance. They go bonkers for erratic movements, so I was trying different things to see how it would react. I let the fly drop to the bottom, ripped it up, then let it drop again, etc. It was really scrutinizing the fly, and eventually grabbed it off the bottom. A steel leader might have prevented that one from striking.