Pickerel?

[Mark]

Raptor and I explored Meredith Creek off of Whitehall Bay today. It was a chilly and breezy morning and the creek sheltered us from the winds. Our goal was pickerel and we didn’t meet it. In fact we excelled at catching nothing. However the ride was scenic and very comfortable – even in my “horrible” Hobie seat that evidently also “sucks” unbeknownst to me.

This sign on a sandbar stands at the entrance to the creek. Nice to see. I hope the terrapins used it this year.

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Here is Raptor working a shoreline with a red and white Dardevle spoon, his lure of choice today.

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I used a 1/8 oz. Blakemore Roadrunner jig with a 3 inch yellow curly tail grub. You can see it if you look closely in this shot below.

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There were many downed trees in the water and Raptor and I worked them hard. I bounced my jig through the submerged branches hoping for a hit but got nothing. I also tried the edges of the trees. The shoreline looked like this in many spots.

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This guy followed me for a while and finally stood still for a photo. I know he’s a better fisherman than me and I was hoping he would put me on some pickerel. He didn't.

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So…we need the help of non-avian pickerel experts.

I know pickerel hold in shallow water tight to structure. Meredith Creek looked like the ideal habitat.

Do they not not favor downed wood?

Do they prefer sun to shade at this time of year? (I tried both.)

How about retrieves – fast, slow, medium? (I tried them each.)

Wrong lures?

The tide was low.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thank you,

[J.A. Veil]

Mark -

I think today was not meant to be a good catching day for human pickerel anglers. I fished in the Magothy with my pickerel mentor, Virgil Poe. We fished for four hours and visited many of his preferred spots that normally hold lots of fish. We started fishing with artificials, then when things were slow, we switched to pickerel crack (live minnows). Despite fishing with a legendary angler in his well-proven spots and using optimal baits, we managed only 3 pickerel (2 for Virgil and 1 for me). I also caught a small yellow perch.

Don't be discouraged. It sounds like you fished in reasonable spots and presented decent lures. Either the fish had moved to other spots because of the low water or they were not feeding because of lack of a good moving current. If you go back to those spots again and use the same techniques (try for a day with higher water levels) you will almost certainly catch a few pickerel.

The Roadrunner jig is a good choice. I don't know about the Daredevil spoon -- I do not generally fish shallows with spoons (no good reason for that -- just personal choice).

[DanMarino]

Mark,

Give a Jackson or Native seat a try and you might understand why people think they are comfortable.

Keep after the pickerel and you'll find them. Hopefully, I'll get a few on Saturday.

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[HJS]

It does indeed sound like pickerel in the Magothy and Severn are having a bad week. But now I'm getting concerned that something terrible happened to some of the pickerel that were in the Magothy last fall and early winter. That river was absolutely loaded with pickerel this time last year.

I'll probably try the Magothy again in about a week when the tides are a little better.

[Mark]

John,

It’s good to know we were in the right neighborhood and knocking on the right doors for pickerel. I won’t give up. It’s very peaceful in the creeks as opposed to the big water of the Bay. That in itself is an enjoyable change. Plus I really like target fishing – casting to likely holding areas.

HJS,

Let's hope they are just having an off week. The low tide was very low again yesterday.

Dan,

I have a Jackson and the seat is appropriate for the boat just as the Hobie seat is integral to its design. Indeed the Hobie seat is low slung. But that is critical for the stability of the sleek-hulled Revolution and it aids in pedaling. It is lightweight, easy to install, remove, clean and store and has continuous as opposed to discrete settings for seatback angles. It has inflatable lumbar support and the best thing I can say about it is that I plop myself in it for 4 and 5 hours at a time as I did yesterday with no discomfort during or after the ride. There is no perfect boat or seat as others have mentioned here. But I hope my experience above is more helpful to readers making purchase choices than it’s “horrible” and it “sucks.”

Thanks for the well-wishes on the pickerel. I’ve caught them in warm water as accidental catches while bass fishing. I’ve never targeted them before. This is going to be fun.

[Raptor]

!@#$%#$ Pickerel are starting to give me a complex. We fished hard for 5 hours - zip, zero, nada. Not even a bump. Never really got a good flood tide, maybe that was it. I know there are Pickerel around as my neighbor says he has had them in his crab traps before. As Mark said this place looked like Pickerel heaven. Being mostly a fresh water fish, do you think the salinity of the water has something to do with it? I do hope there is nothing wrong with the population. Have to try again next calm day.

T.

[DanMarino]

That's great news Mark. Eventually I will get a pedal powered kayak and the Revo 11 and Slayer Propel are in the mix.
I enjoy the elevated Elite Seat in my Jackson Coosa. Having my hips elevated a few inches up makes a huge difference in comfort for me.
I can see how the Pro Angler is a wonderful craft to fish from. Just not sure I can handle the weight or cost of it. If I went the Pro Angler route, I'd probably convert a jet ski trailer so that I could dunk the kayak into the water at boat ramps.

Hopefully this cold snap doesn't mess up the pickerel fishing too much. I'm planning to head out on Saturday for them.

[Mark]

Dan,

When I decided on a pedal kayak my next consideration was weight. I wanted a boat that I could car-top by myself. At roughly 62 pounds the Revo met my criteria. However the tradeoff for lower weight is a narrower hull and less deck storage space than the PA or Outback or even the shorter Jackson Coosa I own.

No doubt the Revo is less stable than those wider boats but I have had no concerns or close calls in it and I have been in some very rough water. Yesterday was no picnic crossing Whitehall Bay to Meredith Creek. The wind was strong and the surf was high but within my comfort zone. Had it been a little rougher, I wouldn't have ventured out.

We need to remember we're in kayaks, not full-sized boats and adjust our expectations accordingly. The Revo slices through moderate waves and takes broadside hits well. Yes, I get a wet seat when that happens. Thank goodness for Kotatat in this weather. I am also exceedingly careful to keep my weight centered in the hull as safe kayaking techniques recommend when I reach for rods and tackle that I store behind my seat. Lastly, I always wear a PFD in case (or I should say for when) I do roll it.

As for Native, I think it's great that they have entered the pedal market. If I was a buyer now I would certainly look at a Slayer. The competition between Native and Hobie can only result in more choices and ultimately improved product offerings for kayak anglers. That's a good thing.

Good luck to you Saturday.

[J.A. Veil]

Pickerel remain challenging this week. I fished a Severn tributary for 2 hours this afternoon. I caught three pickerel up to 21-1/4". All three hit a 3" chartreuse Gulp on 1/16-oz jighead.

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In addition to those three caught fish, I had many gentle bumps but the fish did not take a good bite on the bait. I think if I had been fishing with live minnows, some of those bumps would have been hookups.

The common feature of my last three trips is low water level. I think the bite would be better on a medium or higher water level.

[Mark]

John,

Nice fish!