Freshwater Fishing News

Chain pickerel are relatively small members of the pike family. Although they do not reach monstrous sizes like their larger cousins (musky and northern pike), they are formidable gamefish. Anglers distinguish chain pickerel from other pike species by a conspicuous dark bar beneath each eye and fully scaled cheeks and gill covers.

These slender predators hunt primarily by stealth, suspending motionless among vegetation or orienting to objects such as submerged stumps. When forage species stray near, they strike with lightning speed, holding on to prey with their sharp teeth. After a meal is immobilized, the pickerel may spit it out momentarily before swallowing it whole, head first.

Pickerel are found in small ponds, lakes, rivers, and creeks throughout central and eastern North America. In addition to their natural range, they have been introduced extensively in other areas where they sometimes establish strong populations. They tolerate a higher level of salinity than most other freshwater species and are often found in brackish creeks near saltwater estuaries.

Chain pickerel are caught with conventional lures, flies, and live baits. Throughout much of their range, chain pickerel are primarily a cool weather species. Although they can be caught at any time of year, anglers are much more likely to encounter these specialized hunters when vegetation is minimal and forage species are most abundant in open areas.

Chain pickerel readily strike many of the same lures that are used for largemouth bass. When targeting these fish specifically, anglers often select lures that offer at least some protection against their razor sharp teeth. These include inline spinners, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, spoons, and other lures that provide some distance between the hook and the running line.

Plastic worms and other soft bodies catch pickerel, although many are lost due to cut offs above the hook. Some anglers fish soft plastics or other vulnerable rigs on braided lines which offer some resistance to being cut by the pickerel’s razor sharp teeth.

Pickerel, pike, and musky are occasionally seen following a lure right up to boatside. A popular technique to counter this is called the “figure 8″. When a lure nears the angler, the rod tip is moved so as to guide the lure in the shape of the number 8. This erratic lure action sometimes results in a vicious attack by pickerel. A loose drag is imperative as is alertness by the angler, otherwise the fish may miss the hook or break the line.

Chain pickerel frequently attack sunfish or other panfish that are being reeled up by anglers. A few anglers exploit this behavior by fishing relatively large baits under a float or on a Carolina rig. Small sunfish, perch, suckers, or other species are used, all of which are food sources for pickerel. In some areas, frogs, crayfish, and other live baits are known to be effective.

During the fall season, anglers that have been busy with other species often switch back to crappie fishing. Targeting these hard fighting fish during the fall can be rewarding, although they fishing can be red hot one minute and shut down the next.

Simple jigs are often the most effective lures for catching late season crappie. These usually include marabou crappie jigs or basic ball jigs rigged with curly tailed grubs or other soft plastic bodies. Tube lures are another popular choice, usually rigged with special jig hooks. Lure bodies are also available in scented versions, which produce well in some situations.

Experimentation with jigs can be an important practice when targeting fall crappie. Many experienced anglers pay close attention to jig selection as crappie often bite certain colors or patterns while ignoring other offerings. Other important factors include the depth at which jigs travel and the action that is induced by working the rod.

Small metal jigs can also be effective during the fall. These lures are well suited for situations where crappie have staged along channel edges, gravel bottoms, or other deep areas where few obstructions are present. They work best when casted away from the boat and allowed to flutter towards the bottom using a slow jigging action. When fish are located at a given depth, the angler can often catch several fish from a school by repeating the same technique over and over.

Although plastic worms are usually associated with catching largemouth bass, they can also be effective on fall crappie. They work well when crappie are found together with bass or other gamefish. When using soft plastic worms for crappie, short, heavy bodies are a good choice, especially when rigged with smaller hooks. Some anglers prefer to fish these lures without any weight, while others employ Texas rigs, Carolina rigs, dropshot leaders, or other setups.

In large impoundments, crankbaits are sometimes used for catching crappie. Although crankbaits are not suitable for all conditions, these lures offer a few advantages over other lures. Crankbaits typically feature a specialized lip or other design element which causes them to dive to a given depth when retrieved or trolled. Most crankbaits are equipped with multiple treble hooks. These lures can be trolled or casted and are well suited to fast paced fishing styles. Since crankbaits mimic baitfish, they are a good choice for fishing open lakes or reservoirs where anglers are likely to encounter several species of gamefish.

In some areas, live minnows are preferred over artificial lures when fishing for crappie. They can be fished under a bobber or rigged with a live bait or circle hook and casted to structure. In areas that are free of obstructions, the same techniques that work with artificial lures can be applied when fishing live minnows. Some anglers drift live minnows using a Carolina rig, using techniques nearly identical to fishing soft plastic worms.

As weather systems alternate across North America, fish cycle thru periods of inactivity mixed with aggressive feeding. Many experienced fishermen watch the barometer and other indicators to predict the best fishing times. Some anglers also scout a number or habitats, hoping to unlock weather-related secrets of crappie behavior.

Time of day can be critical during fall crappie fishing. Crappie are notorious for being shy during bright sunlight. Unlike summer fishing, fall crappie may be slow to bite during the early morning. As daytime temperatures rise, activity often increases. The best fishing often occurs during the late afternoon, when sunlight levels are lower. During these feeding periods, crappie often seem to appear out of nowhere, taking lures on nearly every cast.

Tree stumps are among the most common structures encountered when fishing in freshwater. These obstructions provide important cover for a number of freshwater fish species. Tree stumps occur in a variety of habitats, with each situation supporting a unique combination of fish and forage species.

In most areas, stumps occur as a result of man made flooding. Small mill ponds and other impoundments are often lined with stumps. Many of these ponds were built by damming small creeks or streams. Before flooding the pond, landowners often cut timber from the original stream banks. As water level rose, fields of stumps were covered by water and silt, which often preserved them for centuries.

Other impoundments such as water reservoirs and man-made lakes were created on a much larger scale. Many of these containments cover hundreds of acres and contain a wide range of structural habitats. These larger lakes often feature extensive stump beds. Some lakes contain entire tree trunks, still standing below the surface or partially exposed.

Another situation where stumps are found occurs along tidal rivers and swamps. Many of these areas once contained enormous cypress trees, oaks, pines, cedar and other valuable timber. Loggers cut many of the prime trees that grew along the river banks. Although centuries have passed, these massive structures remain, preserved by the tannic water found in these habitats.

When fishing stumps, it is important to understand which species are found locally as well as the forage foods that fish are targeting. In many areas, stumps will support an entire ecosystem of aquatic life. Tiny fish, aquatic insects, crayfish and other invertebrates often live among stumps. These attract panfish such as crappie, sunfish, rock bass, perch or other species.

In areas where current flows are substantial, stumps provide important refuge. The eddies that form around stumps attract forage species such as shad, herring, shiners and other baitfish. As the variety of fish and other forage species becomes more and more diverse, top predators become more common.

Some species, such as largemouth bass will take up residence, claiming and defending a single stump or group of stumps. Others, such as musky and northern pike may patrol a large area, moving from stump to stump in search of prey.

When fishing stumps for largemouth, smallmouth or other top level gamefish, anglers often carry an arsenal of rods, each equipped with a specialized lure. Some rigs may represent local baits, such as frogs, crawfish or forage fish. Other lures may not look at all like natural forage species, but are known to incite strikes from territorial fish.

For deeper stumps, anglers often select lures that are less likely to be lost among the maze of structure. These include Texas rigged worms, un-weighted senko type worms, weedless jig and pigs or other selections.

Another important option for fishing over stumps is the dropshot rig. This variation utilizes a small weight at the bottom with a lure rigged several inches above. Dropshot rigs can be an effective way to present soft plastics or other lures in areas where hangs are a problem. Anglers that specialize in fishing stumps or other bottom debris soon learn to tie the weight on with a weak knot. This allows the lure, hook and leader to be recovered if the weight gets caught on the structure.

In some situations, anglers do not fish right on top of submerged stumps. Instead they drift or manuver the boat across debris, casting mid depth lures. Crankbaits, jigs and other lures can be effective if the retrieval keeps them well above the hangup zone.

In the Mid Atlantic and many southern areas, stumps occur in tidal zones where they are constantly submerged and exposed. These shallow stumps often have hollow centers, surrounded by razor sharp outer shells. This structure presents a variety of challenges to anglers. During high tides, most or all of the structure is hidden, making fishing difficult. At low tides, these ancient stumps appear above the waterline, allowing anglers to target them more precisely.

In these habitats, anglers use slightly different techniques. Soft plastics are still important, but the shallow locations of these stumps allow anglers more opportunities to sight cast lures precisely. In addition to plastic worms, frogs, buzz baits, spinnerbaits, small crank baits and other suitable lures can be utilized.

In northern lakes and streams, stumps can be important structure. In moving water, smallmouth are quick to take up position in the eddies that form behind stumps. These primary diet of these fish is often crayfish and lures that resemble these crustaceans often produce well when fished near tree stumps.

Stumps are also important areas for catching panfish. Sunfish, crappie, rock bass, yellow perch, white perch and other panfish all favor stumps and downed timber. As with bass fishing, anglers must often resort to specialized tackle in order to fish these areas effectively.

Specialized snag-resistant jigs, small spinnerbaits, weedless tube lures, and live minnows are among the most effective options when targeting panfish around stumps and downed timber.  When stumps and other wood occurs in deep water, deep jigging above the these structures can be an excellent technique for catching crappie, sunfish, perch and other panfish.

Deep jigging can be a highly effective technique for catching bluegill and other species of sunfish. Deep jigging is usually done on lakes, reservoirs or along channel edges in rivers. Anglers use a variety of lures while deep jigging, including metal jigs, spoons, traditional panfish jigs, tandem jigs and other offerings. Lures used for deep jigging are often tipped with morsels of bait to increase strikes.

A quality fish finder can be extremely useful when deep jigging for panfish. Scouting areas with electronic fish finding equipment often allows anglers to detect schools of bluegill, shellcrackers, crappie or other panfish. Fish finders not only indicate the presence of fish, but they also give anglers an idea of what depths the fish are suspended at. In some cases, electronics may also detect rocky bottoms, submerged trees or other habitat that may be holding fish.

When using spoons, the countdown technique is popular for deep jigging. Anglers cast away from the boat and count as the lure sinks. A popular rule of thumb is that most small spoons or metal jigs sink about 1 foot per second. When the lure sinks to the depth where fish are believed to be, the angler begins slowly jigging the lure back towards the boat.

Deep jigging is known to be effective in late summer thru fall, when big bluegill and other species have left their spawning areas and taken up feeding positions in deeper water. This technique not only works in the warm season but also in winter when bluegill and other panfish stage in open areas.

Tube lures are a favorite choice for catching crappie, sunfish, bass, pickerel and other species. These highly effective lures are often fished on jig heads, but when weeds are thick in productive fishing areas, weedless tube rigs can make the difference between success and a disappointing trip. The effectiveness of these rigs is partly due to their near-neutral buoyancy.

Rigging tube bodies is very easy. To rig a small tube lure for panfish, all that is required is a selection of bodies, few hooks and if desired, a supply of toothpicks. For panfish, an ultralight spinning outfit is essential when fishing weedless tube lures. Line choices should be limited to 6 pound test or smaller, in order to achieve reasonable casting distances. The rig can be fished in a variety of situations, although it is designed for fishing areas of dense vegetation.

When choosing hooks, several styles can be adapted. Regardless of the hook shape, non-offset hooks should be used in order to reduce spinning. Circle hooks work well for this rig as their barbs are naturally turned inward, further reducing snags. For anglers that are not comfortable using circle hooks, kahle hooks or other light wire, non-offset styles can be modified. The important thing is to be able to bend the hook shank and bend into the correct shapes.

The basic weedless-weightless tube lure design can be improved upon by pinning the body to the hook. Pinning helps prevent fish from pulling the body down the hook during the strike. Pinning a tube body can be accomplished by passing a toothpick thru the lure body, into the hook eye and back out the other side of the body. The toothpick is then broken off, leaving little to no material protruding out of the body. If desired, a small swivel can be added about 18 inches above the hook to reduce line twist.

Panfish anglers may also choose to add a short section of nightcrawler or other natural bait on the hook. When rigged correctly, there is just enough room on the hook shank for a morsel of bait. Adding bait should be done carefully as any non-symmetrical shaped pieces will cause the lure to spin during retrieval or otherwise hinder the motion of the rig. When rigged correctly, baits actually act as a keel to help stabilize the rig and improve its action when moved thru the water.

For smallmouth or largemouth bass, the same technique can be used with larger tubes and standard offset shank worm hooks. Depending on angler preferences and local conditions, bass anglers usually select tube bodies in the 3-6 inch range. Like most soft plastics, these designs come in a myriad of colors, shapes, tentacle styles and other attributes. Tube bodies are even available in scented versions.

Fishing the weedless tube lure requires a slightly different technique than standard jigs or Texas rigged worms. Tube bodies can be casted into openings in weed beds and allowed to sink a foot or 2 before slowly being worked back towards the boat. The natural action of the tentacles creates interest from fish without additional movement.

Another effective technique is to cast the lure and immediately jig it sharply across the surface. This method usually works best around sunrise and sunset. Larger tube rigs will float initially and work especially well for catching largemouth bass among heavy surface weeds.

When fishing for smallmouth bass in areas where crayfish are found, choosing the correct color and allowing the lure to sink deeper can improve fishing success.

How to Rig A Weedless Tube Lure

Step 1. Pass the barb down the body and back out the side. Slide the body up the hook until the eye is covered.

Step 2. Tuck the hook point up inside the tentacles of the body.

Step 3 (optional). Pass a toothpick thru the body, into the hook eye and back out the body.

Step 4 (optional). Break off the toothpick flush with the lure body.

Other Tube Rigs

The weedless tube rig can be combined with other rigs to increase its effectiveness. For example, it can be used as the top lure for tandem rigs. Because of their near neutral buoyancy, they work well when rigged in tandem with a jig or other weighted lure. Weedless tubes can also be rigged using the popular dropshot configuration. These can be highly effective when slowly jigged along drop offs, bottom structure or other areas where fish are congregated. When vegetation does not reach the surface, tube bodies can be effective rigged on weedless jig heads. These special jig designs incorporate a bristle in front of the hook point to deflect snags.