Places to stay pickerel fishing

[Esox fisherman]

Pickerel get a bad rap for eating only because of the fine bones, but if they could be turned into boneless fillets, many more people would be targeting them for table fare. I find them excellent eating and worth dealing with the bones. On many trips they were the only fish I managed to bring home, and they are always in the mood to bite, so the closest thing there is to gauranteed action.

They can get annoying when there is a school of small ones setting off 5 flags at once, but bigger bait can cull the smaller fish out of the action.

I will always appreciate the chance to catch some fine pickerel, a lot of fun to catch and delicious white flaky meat that many people would realize is a lot more enjoyable to eat than   what they are assuming

One of my friends knows someone who only eats pickerel
I think on my trip one of the other guys actually grinds the meat up

Best fighters minus st lawrence esox and smallmouth but they are built differently

[Esox fisherman]

I recommend rigging pike and pickerel tipups with circle hooks. Because these avoid gut hooks by design and let you release any fish that you catch basically unharmed and having a high survival rate, it is much easier to cull fish if you are getting a lot of flags and catching smaller fish that you would rather throw back.

First of all i have to actually get them to bite which for me seems to be the hard part

I may try circle hooks in the future

[lowaccord66]

First of all i have to actually get them to bite which for me seems to be the hard part

I may try circle hooks in the future

Its crazy to me how hooks designed for billfish trolling ended up marketed to all areas of fishing.  They have no place on my traps but I use them as required in the salt.

[WARRIOR_ON_ICE]

Its crazy to me how hooks designed for billfish trolling ended up marketed to all areas of fishing.  They have no place on my traps but I use them as required in the salt.

So, do you then do the ethical thing and keep a 19" pike that is gut hooked ? Please don't tell me you just shove the poor thing back down the hole with a treble hook buried in its stomach

[UofLCARDS]

One of my friends knows someone who only eats pickerel
I think on my trip one of the other guys actually grinds the meat up

Best fighters minus st lawrence esox and smallmouth but they are built differently

I'd put rainbow trout up against any fish I catch thru the ice from a fight perspective ........we usually get them anywhere from 15-23" and they just go berserk from the time you hook them till you get them thru the hole - IF you get them thru the hole - especially on  small jigging pole but even on flags .........smallies thru the ice don't impress me at all - actually all bass are pretty sluggish in the winter to me ....

[Esox fisherman]

I'd put rainbow trout up against any fish I catch thru the ice from a fight perspective ........we usually get them anywhere from 15-23" and they just go berserk from the time you hook them till you get them thru the hole - IF you get them thru the hole - especially on  small jigging pole but even on flags .........smallies thru the ice don't impress me at all - actually all bass are pretty sluggish in the winter to me ....

I just meant in the summer
In the winter bass are terrible fighters
Think they should do a study on which fish is stronger

[UofLCARDS]

So, do you then do the ethical thing and keep a 19" pike that is gut hooked ? Please don't tell me you just shove the poor thing back down the hole with a treble hook buried in its stomach

I respect your point of view but I've never once referred to a hooked fish as a "poor thing" ..... especially a pickerel ....its a fish, its not a puppy ..... ..... if I was worried about hurting them or killing them I wouldn't fish.... a lot of fish are just fine after they are released with a hook in them....I've got to believe if they could think they would take their chances with being let go with a hook in it rather than being killed......the stuff I've found in fish's stomachs would kill people eventually ....animals and fish aren't humans .....

[UofLCARDS]

I just meant in the summer
In the winter bass are terrible fighters
Think they should do a study on which fish is stronger

Ah - got it - yup I agree .....I can usually tell within 2 seconds when I have a trout on - they just freak in the winter - I probably lose about 1/2 of the ones I get on .....then the swearing starts - and it grows at least 6 inches almost immediately (the fish) ...hahahaha

[trapper2000]

i use small tribles...... i have had fish cut hooked  with circle hooks  too..... warrior i  posted a  video on how  to fillet a pickerel and  mentiond  fish cakes  i personally do  keep a legal limit of pickerel   every chance i  can!!!!   people have to understand  we are  not  mere fishermen  nor hunters  but a wildlife and fishery management tool .........KEEP A LEGAL  LIMIT OF PICKEREL!!!!!  make great  sushi

[Esox fisherman]

i use small tribles...... i have had fish cut hooked  with circle hooks  too..... warrior i  posted a  video on how  to fillet a pickerel and  mentiond  fish cakes  i personally do  keep a legal limit of pickerel   every chance i  can!!!!   people have to understand  we are  not  mere fishermen  nor hunters  but a wildlife and fishery management tool .........KEEP A LEGAL  LIMIT OF PICKEREL!!!!!  make great  sushi

And everything including pickerel have a place in that said fishery

[trapper2000]

no one said they didn't  did they?

[Esox fisherman]

no one said they didn't  did they?

Not in this subject yet

[trapper2000]

And everything including pickerel have a place in that said fishery

this  is  not a  true statement  snakeheads and  jumping carp have  no place in our  fishery

[Esox fisherman]

this  is  not a  true statement  snakeheads and  jumping carp have  no place in our  fishery

True but pickerel are a native species snakhead and jumping carp arent

[WARRIOR_ON_ICE]

I respect your point of view but I've never once referred to a hooked fish as a "poor thing" ..... especially a pickerel ....its a fish, its not a puppy ..... ..... if I was worried about hurting them or killing them I wouldn't fish.... a lot of fish are just fine after they are released with a hook in them....I've got to believe if they could think they would take their chances with being let go with a hook in it rather than being killed......the stuff I've found in fish's stomachs would kill people eventually ....animals and fish aren't humans .....

My reply was not intended for you, rather it was for lowaccord due to his aversion to using circle hooks on pike / pickerel tipups. But, I am offended if someone does not respect life of all kinds. If I hook a fish that is of legal length to keep, and it is hooked deeply and I ascertain that it is not likely to survive if it is released, then I keep it as part of my creel limit for the day. I believe everyone should be doing the same in order to have the resources of this great state being respected as they should be.

Do the right thing for the fish and wildlife - even if you know that nobody is watching you.

[trapper2000]

 i can  say this  for fact and  many  on here that have  met  lowaccord .   lowaccord is  one  of the  most  ethical  sportsmen  i know  of  ...just  because  someone  disagrees with you on how to rig  does  not  mean they are  not   ethical  or that they are  less of a  sportsmen then you  .....   i agree  with him i thing circle hooks are  over rated and  i have had many  fish  swallow them   i have  gut hooked  very  few   pike  using small  tribles  and  i  been  chasing flags  for  bout  60 years  now  ....this is a good thread  no  hostility  lets  put on big  boy  pants and  keep it that way ....

simple  fish cake  recipes  work  great  serve  with  cocktail sauce  and  tarter  mmmmmmmmmmmmm

[trapper2000]

  sorry  heres a  good recipe and  you can use  any  white  fish. pickerel works great

3lbs of freshly ground pickerel fillets-just ground all those bones right up

3 large onions

3 or 4 cups mashed potatoes

2 celery stalks

salt

pepper

evoo

added bread crumbs to get the right feel to form the patties

 

fried til they were just over a golden brown since i like them crunchy

 

[trapper2000]

True but pickerel are a native species snakhead and jumping carp arent

brown trout arn't native 

[trapper2000]

True but pickerel are a native species snakhead and jumping carp arent

brown trout are  not  native

[reddog11]

Moreau lake and Brent lake have good pickerel fishing. They hit hard and put up a good fight. I have no use for them.

[lowaccord66]

So, do you then do the ethical thing and keep a 19" pike that is gut hooked ? Please don't tell me you just shove the poor thing back down the hole with a treble hook buried in its stomach

I dont fish at all, its too stressful on the fish.

[Esox fisherman]

brown trout are  not  native

Also true

Moreau lake and Brent lake have good pickerel fishing. They hit hard and put up a good fight. I have no use for them.

I will check them out

[trapper2000]

EAT MORE PICKEREL !!!!!!!

[filetandrelease]

Morning trapp
 I’ve eaten them and northern ground to make fish cakes not bad

[UofLCARDS]

So, do you then do the ethical thing and keep a 19" pike that is gut hooked ? Please don't tell me you just shove the poor thing back down the hole with a treble hook buried in its stomach

I looked back at the posts - you are the same person that fishes with 6" suckers ......I didn't think you would use live bait at all based on this comment.....so you think its OK to intentionally hook a 6" fish and "shove the poor thing down the hole" with the sole intent to have it get attacked and eaten - but its not OK to put a 19" fish you don't want back trying to save its life ?  Huh ??  I wouldn't think 13" of fish would make that much of a difference to ethics ..........

[WARRIOR_ON_ICE]

Everyone should just keep doing what works for them 

[62&done]

OK two things:
NO. 1   Are the bones really tolerable after going thru a processer?  I've never tried it that way but heard it many times.

NO. 2  Depending on the results from question NO. 1 ,  I may try Trapp's recipe.  I will have to substitute a little paprika and parsley for the onions.  Just not an onion guy.

[trapper2000]

now i slab  yhem   get  rid of  back bones and rib bones then  grind the y bones .usually  do it  twice  .....when i  do  northerens i  simply  fillet them   i  posted a  video on  fileting  pickerel it works  well.........  the  fish cakes are  really  pretty  good

[62&done]

Neat....guess I'll have to try it.  Lord knows, we catch enough of them.

[trapper2000]

used them in chowder before too but that wasn't so  good  a  few bones and ruin it