Pickerel O’ Pickerel, Where Art Thou? Wednesday 1-13-2021

[Tim Elliott]

I took advantage of this week’s fine weather and light winds, having fished Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I will make a report for each day, as they each have their place in terms of how well the fishing was.

I launched at 2 pm in a local Pasadena tidal creek to fish the middle of the incoming tide, with the peak high occurring at 7:12 pm. As I paddled towards the headwaters, I discovered the majority of the creek to covered in skim ice that was not worth breaking through. I do not fret because the ice forces me to fish areas that I normally skip over, allowing me to add future spots to the fishing data that resides in my brain.

I spent a good 35 minutes working a cove that should hold fish, but of course, the fish were either not present or unwilling to eat. Oh well.

I made a move to the edge of the skim ice to fish a section that was ice free and a spot that I have not fished. It paid off as I was rewarded with a spunky 19” pickerel. I moved on and fished another cove where I landed another sub 20” pickerel. I then scooted across the creek to fish a series of docks that again I have not targeted for picks. This time, I was unrewarded for my effort.

To another cove I went where I met skim ice once again, but managed to pick up 2-3 pickerel before moving along. An hour before sunset, I made it to another cove where I do fairly well catching picks. I managed 5 fish and alas, right at 4:58 pm sharp, I had a large specimen follow my offering before diving back down. I worked the area for another 5-10 minutes in hopes that they would pop back up, but no luck.

I headed back to the launch, leaving behind what was another challenging day on the water. The next day however, would be my best day yet. Stay tuned!

Offering of choice was again minnow tipped on a RoadRunner jig. Slowly retrieved along the bottom, but just fast enough to avoid getting bunked up.

[Big Mike]

Nice to read a fishing report in dead of winter. Thanks.

[J.A. Veil]

Tim -

Pickerel provide a welcome species for many of us during the cold winter. I have encountered ice cover on several of the Severn tributaries during this past week. You appear to have done some exploring out of your usual areas. That is a good way to learn some new spots.

During Oct and Nov, I had my most productive pickerel catching ever. As the water cooled in Dec, the bite dropped off, but still was decent. Over the past week, it has dropped off even more. Twice in the past three days, I fished at the same spots I had fished during the previous week (one tidal waters and one freshwater). In both cases, the catch was only about half as successful as in the previous week for the same amount of fishing time.

[Memory Lapse]

It's been ok for numbers and really good for size in SoMD. Yesterday got 4 bass and no pickerel, that was weird, Friday got 9, 3 of which would get me a CCA Koozie. a smattering of small crappie mixed in.

[Tim Elliott]

Mike- It is my pleasure. They reports have been lackluster recently so I thought that I’d chime in after a few days of decent fishing.

John- You are certainly correct. The pickerel fishery has gained a lot of attention thanks to the CCA Pickerel tournament. A record number of over 70 participants have been going to local rivers and the ES ponds in droves.

I find it interesting how each tidal river and its tributaries are different. In Oct and Nov, I experienced a mediocre Fall pickerel season. I caught some nice fish in Nov, but not as many as the year prior. This winter, I’ve had a different experience compared to last year as well. Last winter, I recall catching less than 20 fish total between the months of Dec and Feb. This winter season so far, (and in my next report that will be up tonight), I caught close to two dozen fish in one outing last week. Typically, I can squeeze in 5 catches on slow days, with 10 fish in an outing being considered a good day this time of year.

Memory Lapse- Congratulations on the CCA koozie! Pickerel’s moods can change in an instant. It’s up to us to figure out what they want and how they respond. Some days, the bite is light as can be, and you will only feel a slight tic or may see your line begin to move before you feel a bite. Other times, they’ll smash your offering with such aggression. And then there those days where they humble you by playing hide and seek.

[dsaavedra]

How does one get a CCA koozie?

[Memory Lapse]

First post spawn female. Time to get the spring time bass lures ready.