Muskies are known as “the fish of 10,000 casts” for a reason and those tricky, finnicky freshwater monsters can be difficult to catch even in the best of times. Even if your Figure 8 is on point. Because of that you want to make sure you are focusing your time an energy on the water …
While the pickerel side of the Esox family might not get as much attention or love as the northern pike or muskellunge, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have anything to offer sports anglers. Well, some of them, anyway. The truth is that although the term “pickerel” is often used to refer to four or …
One of the top predators in any system throughout their range, northern pike are known to be ferocious hunters and incredibly hard fighters. They’re usually under-targeted by anglers, which is another reason why pike fishing is one of the most exciting and action-packed activities you can do on a northern lake. In this article, we’re …
Redfin pickerel, often referred to as redfin pike in the Southern state where they are most commonly found, are one of the smallest members of the pike family. Although they are aggressive pound for, um, well ounce for ounce, these fish don’t have a reputation for becoming monsters. Because of that they are often overlooked …
The similar looking but smaller cousin to the northern pike is known in areas for being a fierce fighter and offering some tasty fillets for anglers who know how to work around the bones to get some clean boneless cuts. One of two sub-species often grouped together as “American Pickerel,” the chain pickerel can offer …
Northern pike have a well-earned reputation as a hard fighting freshwater sports fish that are extremely popular with anglers. Obviously we’re big fans as my brother and I have enjoyed fishing for them for nearly three decades now. But not every angler has had that enjoyable experience. So what happens if an angler can’t find …
Chain pickerel, cousin to the northern pike and the other Esox most likely to get mistaken for their larger pike cousin, is a fairly popular game fish that is found in some of the same waters as pike and muskies but also has an extensive Southern range that makes it far more common than pike …
Grass pickerel aren’t mentioned often by anglers and there’s a pretty obvious reason for this. The smaller of the two “American Pickerel,” the grass pickerel is the runt of the pike family and the smallest member by quite a bit. Adult grass pickerel rarely get longer than 11.8 to 12.0 inches in length, and will …
