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Pickerel are the lake's top fish predator. They are very aggressive
eaters, and will strike at anything that looks tasty. They can range in
size from tiny babies of one or two inches long, to more than 2 feet
long. Back in the early 70's, my brother Chris caught a 27 inch long pickerel in Upper
Mimosa Lake. We were small boys, and we could not reel it in.
We had to yell for our Dad to help! It took a while, but we finally
landed it.
The US record Chain Pickerel was caught in Georgia, and weighed 9 pounds, 6 ounces, measuring 31 inches long! Chain Pickerel are smaller cousins of the Northern Pike, or Muskellunge, which grow much bigger! They are larger, however than the Red Pickerel, or the Grass Pickerel.
Pickerel are a tasty fish to eat, but they have two rows of small bones - hundreds of them! If you aren't going to eat them, put them back so they can finish growing up! Catch and Release these freshwater barracuda!
Some Pickerel Links
Mimosa Lakes are privately owned. Lake Privileges are reserved exclusively for members in good standing of the Mimosa Lakes Homeowner's Association. Trespassers will be prosecuted.
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Copyright 2004 Mimosa Lakes, Medford NJ |
My
favorite lure for pickerel is the Dardevle spoon, a simple red striped spoon
lure. These always come with a treble hook, but I recommend using no more
than 2-hooked lures (snip off the third hook on a treble lure). You should
also crimp the barbs on the hooks (smash them down a bit with pliers).
Pickerel tend to swallow the hook, and they will be killed if you take too long
to remove the hook, or cause too much damage in the process. Keep your
line tight when you get a bite, and you won't lose the fish. If there is
slack in the line, they will spit a barb-less hook out. A pair of
needle-nosed pliers is a must! The longer the nose, the better.
Another
irresistible lure is a Mister Twister wiggly-tailed grub. These have a
single hook coming out of the bottom, and if you crimp the barb, they are very
simple to take out of the fish's mouth (you still may need pliers if it is in
deep). They are nicely weighted, so they are good for casting. 