Let's talk chain pickerel

[alterchristopher]

Ok growing up I loved it when I catch one but I would now like to target them all I ever caught them on was rooster tails so what lures and tech should I use to catch some big chains

[Plasticpirogue]

Go to Caddo Lake and throw a small black and yellow H&H spinnerbait (any small frame "finesse" bait will do) and hang on....closest thing I know to a guaranty fishing around here.

[HookUp]

Anything school bus colored will attract pickeral.

I had great luck on them w/ white flukes too.

Find lilly pads and fish the snot out of them.

[flyfisher]

I have also learned that the faster you work the bait the more likely you will get a pickerel. I have caught them in late november on buzz baits and even in the past few weeks i have caught a few and the water temps are still in the 40's. I believe they are spring spawners when the water gets to be about 50 or so and theyget real aggresive and hit pretty much anything thrown near them.

Just make sure you aren't throwing braid tied directly to the lure because their teeth will go right through it as soon as they shake their heads.

I caught my largest pickerel last year that went 25" around this time of year and as i lifted him into the yak he cut my braid

[WhiteWolf]

buzz baits fished fast and a jerk bait. It's odd I went to braided because the mono was being cut by the pickerel and gar. 2.7lb has been my biggest so far. I love watching them case a bait, if you call it that. They more so fast.

[Giant607]

I've had luck with swimmin' jigs around dense grass.

[flflash]

Pickerel seem to like a lil more acidic and stained water than bass they can handle less oxygen in the water also.
I always find them around cypress trees, lillypads or subsurface grass beds in 2-4ft of water, swimming small white or chartreus spinnerbaits or light colored weightless flukes around them gets bites!
Their also fun to catch on a flyrod but they will destroy your bugs and streamers.

I see your at Barksdale, airman?

[alterchristopher]

Funny now that you guys menchin it the ones I remember catching were on very bright color roster tails might tie me some yellow flies see if I get lucky

[watertime]

Last time I was out, I got multiple strikes from pickerel on a swimmin fluke. usually they would just slam it and not hold on. I never hooked even one for more that a second. One fish held the bait and I set the hook, felt him for a split second and he came off. Five seconds later, he free jumps a foot over the lily pads.

[flyfisher]

Last time I was out, I got multiple strikes from pickerel on a swimmin fluke. usually they would just slam it and not hold on. I never hooked even one for more that a second. One fish held the bait and I set the hook, felt him for a split second and he came off. Five seconds later, he free jumps a foot over the lily pads.

I have noticed that if you watch them hit they rarely engulf a bait. They usually hit it straight from the side when it comes to flukes or swimming flukes. I have actually landed a pickerel that was never hooked but he grabbed perpindicular to my fluke and was to stubborn to let go. AS soon as i got him in the yak he let go and went ballistic