The big pickerel that got away.

[BassAssassin8]

I went over to Parvin Lake tonight since I had nothing to do here at home & fished by the dam. I was throwin' a Storm Wildeye with my baitcaster & hooked up on a really nice fish. I actually thought I snagged a carp being of the way it was stripping like but then I saw it surface & I thought it was a long, light green 4+ pound bass. It fought like hell & when I got it closer to me, I thought what I had looked like a northern pike on ( that was my 1st thought but I know there are none of those around here haha ) but it was actually a huge pickeral. It ran again when I tried to grab it & the 2nd time I got it to me to get it out of the water, it just came off & went off on its way. I couldn't believe what I just had on. This pickerel was atleast 3.5-4 pounds, honest to God, 26"+ and had a head the size of both my fists together. I know that it's seldom & a rare occurance for pickeral like that to be caught around here so it was a real treat. I was & still am real bummed & a little fustrated it came off but it was one of the greatest fights I've had. I guess nevertime, I'll set the hook twice to make sure it's on good. But oh well, you can't catch them all. That's why it's called fishing & not catching. There's ALWAYS nextime. :)

[stripaholic]

He's still out there then! Maybe waiting for a live shiner at dusk;)

[Fly Ty R]

There are some pike in the Maurice River. They swim upstream from Union Lake. It is not out of the question to find one at the spillway at Parvin, since Muddy Run is a trib of the Maurice and it's a free run up from the River now that Rainbow Lake is no more.

But yes, odds are it was probably a big pick, though. Nice! :D

[BassAssassin8]

Yeah, I actually might try to catch some shad one night below the dam or some little sunnies & see what happens up there by the dam. I've seen some nice bass below the dam caught as well as seen a handful swimming around. So maybe one night I'll throw a small shad or somethin. & yeah, I've also heard of pike caught in Millville & further south on the Maurice.

Regardless, this was a pickerel & an absolutely awesome one at that. I'll meet him again. :D

[little anth]

yea pickerell are fun to catch when bass fishing i just hate gettin em off and that they eat small bass and the same things bass eat. most bass fishermen ive met hate them and hate catchin em. i like it they usually fall off when you pick em up but i hate seeing them floating because a bass fishermen killed them:(

[Fly Ty R]

On the flipside, pickerel anglers in NJ should be killing largemouth. Black bass are an introduced invasive to the Northeast and compete with picks. Pickerel are the native species to the original stream. Same goes for brook and rainbow trout. Kill all the trout, picks and/or char (brookies) were there first.

Put in that light, it really makes no sense, now does it? Needlessly killing one fish because you like another is pretty stupid. :rolleyes:

[little anth]

that was what i am saying.its stupid

[BassAssassin8]

yeah I NEVER kill pickerel, bass or any fish for that matter. I'm all about catch & release. A picture is perfectly fine with me. I really don't even keep trout anymore even if they're legal. I just get a picture, hold them in the current for a minute or two & let them go on their way. I don't think any of us would really be fishermen if we only targeted one specific fish, right? I mean, yes, I really like to catch bass, they are my favorite, but I really like targeting pickerel sometimes throwing assassins or jointed rapalas for them.. They are fun to catch & it sucks when people kill them.. I like variety when it comes to fishing. LIke I said, I normally target bass but sometimes I like to go for pickerel too.. I consider myself a bass fisherman but I really do think if that's what I always solely targeted, I'd get pretty bored.

[little anth]

yes a picture is worth a thowsand words i always catch and release.

[BassAssassin8]

yeah, exactly.. i could refer to that picture & tell that story a thousand times. sometimes a crappy picture doesn't do you much good so you just gotta make sure its legit & everything

[stripaholic]

yea pickerell are fun to catch when bass fishing i just hate gettin em off and that they eat small bass and the same things bass eat. most bass fishermen ive met hate them and hate catchin em. i like it they usually fall off when you pick em up but i hate seeing them floating because a bass fishermen killed them:(They fall off because they are foul hooked! A Piick will usually smack its prey first sideways to disable it then come around to feed! When I get my first strike I dont try to sink the hook, Yet leave it lay as if it was maimed or crippled..Got to love the pounced the second time;) Never had any over 20" though :(

[little anth]

i know sometimes they might be but i mostly hook em in the mouth get them to the yak and when i go to lift em in they fall off or when i hold em up and can see the hook in there mouth they thrash and pop throw the hook

[BassAssassin8]

yeah, i've had those situations where they haven't been hooked great & have come off right at the shore & at the boat. but ii've never foul hooked any..9 times out of 10, i'll have a solid hook set in their mouths ..i don't lose them too often..this one i lost at parvins, it was hooked in the top of the mouth but i guess not as good as it should've been..i mean he must've just chased it down & inhaled it.. i learned after taht to give two tugs from now on to make sure i had a solid hookset.. liek i said, i'm not gonna get all mad over it, its just one of those thigns.. its just fishing.