The lowly slime dart finally gets the credit it deserves!
In 2020, right as lockdown began, I got a call from my longtime friend and fishing partner, Dave Daluz. He wanted to invite me to for an early spring run aboard his Bass Tracker. The plan was to fish Snipatuit Pond in Lakeville, MA.
March 2020 was a strange time to be alive, even just being in the same vehicle with a person who didn’t live in the same house was thought of as not okay, but we did it anyway. As you might imagine, the conversation was all about COVID and what it might mean for life as we knew it.
As we puttered away from the rocky ramp, I began casting a MegaBass Vision 110 jerkbait and within just a few casts I felt a sharp take and landed a large pickerel. After hooking a few more, we motored off for other parts of the lake to get away from the ‘slime darts’ and found the fishing to be quite slow everywhere else. We did manage a few decent largemouth bass, but they were few and far between. We stuck it out for the entire day, and as the sun began to sink low to the west, we found ourselves drifting along a deep weed line, the sun, having bathed that area for the entire day, had brought the water temp up two degrees since morning.
Cast after cast was met with a thunderous strike and pickerel after pickerel slid over the side of the boat. The lowly ‘slime dart’ was providing some incredible action, and quite a few of these fish were in the mid 20-inch range! A fish we had made effort to get away from was now saving the day!
Anything But Lowly
In actuality, it was the pickerel that reignited my freshwater fishing obsession back in 2011. It had been a warm winter and none of the coves on the Connecticut River froze that year. Capt. Eric Covino was still running charters at the time, so I was calling him for reports and he was giving me these insane numbers, regularly logging pickerel numbers in the 90s! He invited me out, saying, “you have to see it for yourself!” In that seven-hour session, we caught 106 pickerel between Eric, his son and myself. We also caught a few striped bass, perch, crappie and I caught a high-20-inch pike. Eric caught the biggest pickerel at a whopping 6-1/2 pounds!
I will admit, that pickerel aren’t exactly bullish fighters, they tend to come in like a wet sock. Pickerel fishing is all about the hit, hoping for a big one and logging big numbers. And the very end of February and all of March is the time to take full advantage of these cold water killers as they prepare for their early spring spawn. At this time, these fish tend to stack up in shallow coves or along weed edges where dark bottom warms the water and encourages small baitfish to emerge from cover, perhaps to feel the sunlight. When this recipe comes together, the bite can be unforgettable.
Pickerel Places
In New England, most lakes have pickerel, but certainly not all. Some of the best pickerel fishing we have in the Northeast centers around the Connecticut River or the hundreds of ponds from Plymouth, MA out onto Cape Cod. Obviously, their presence in a lake or pond is the most important variable, but it doesn’t have to be a place that’s known for its pickerel fishing to produce great fishing. In fact, because so many bass fishermen look at them with such disdain, you won’t often hear about ponds that produce great results.
If you want to find big ones, there are few variables that seem to produce giants. The two that really stand out are that the pond is hard to get to (or private and requiring permission to fish) and another is that it has a herring run. A place with light fishing pressure and a supply of large, high-calorie baitfish has a high likelihood of producing some pike-sized pickerel. In the absence of a herring run, a strong perch population will also support some colossal slime darts. I checked in with master multi-species angler Rowan Lytle and he said, “Two other variables that seem to put out big pickerel are ponds that are stocked with trout and places where the largemouth bass population is small or non-existent.” And he’s right, regular introductions of hatchery-dulled trout make for easy prey and fast growth, and with little competition from bass, they are free to dine and grow as they please.
Hooking Up
Pickerel, just like their larger cousins, pike and musky, are known to stalk their prey for long distances, often following right to the boat or shoreline. Taking that into account with what I assume is taking place under water during this time (baitfish emerging in sun-warmed winter waters) we want to present a lure that gives them a good look at the bait, while also triggering that instinct to strike ‘before it gets away.’ For me, that bait has proven itself to be a 110 size jerkbait.
The issue with jerkbaits is that they have become so high-tech that we’re paying over $20 per bait! And the term ‘getting pickereled’ exists because bite-offs are common, thanks to their rows of unforgiving teeth. There’s no good reason to knowingly toss your $25 MegaBass jerkbaits into water that’s teeming with pickerel. This is why I suggest you pack a box of Strike King KVD 100 and 200 jerkbaits. There’s a lot to like about these baits, they’re durable enough to stand up their teeth, they suspend well, come in great colors and cost under $10 apiece. They also feature two sets of trebles instead of three, making them easier to remove from the toothy maw of an angry pickerel. It is true that pickerel will eat almost anything, I’ve caught them on jigs and I’ve even caught them on 10-inch swimbaits that I paid over $100 for, talk about holding your breath! And I’ve caught them on just about everything else I’ve thrown in freshwater, but the jerkbait is the king of early spring.
If you can get yourself in on one of these prespawn bites, the action can be fast and furious, making this a great opportunity to introduce kids to working lures. Pickerel tend to be less, well, picky, when it comes to presentation and will forgive many presentation mistakes made by youngsters. They also tend to respond better to faster retrieves, which is a common issue for excited (or bored) kids. A good pickerel ‘blitz’ can be a great confidence booster.
Everyone Has A Story
For a fish that is often cast aside as a nuisance or afterthought, they certainly do create memorable moments. Ask any fisherman if they have a pickerel story and you’re bound to get some wild ones. My craziest pickerel story came while fishing a 10-inch glidebait for largemouth bass. For multiple casts in a row, this titanic pickerel was following my bait all the way to the boat. I finally got it to hit by luring it close and then making the bait ‘freak out’ and working it hard and fast.
| THE OG PREDATOR |
| The pickerel has long been a part of the freshwater fisheries of the Northeast, they stand as the original apex predator of our ponds and lakes. Bass and trout (with the exception of the brook trout) were introduced by Europeans. If you’re from central Massachusetts than you likely know of Lake Quinsigamond, the long skinny lake that bisects the city of Worcester. Quinsigamond is a Nipmuc word that translates to “a pickerel fishing place” – dating back to before recorded history. I think that’s pretty cool. |
As the fish neared the boat, it was easy to see that this fish was probably close to 30 inches. As I leaned over the side, the pickerel leapt – shaking it’s gills like a tarpon – the bait shook free and sling-shotted right past my face, so close I felt a light kiss on my eyebrow! I don’t even want to THINK about what would have happened if that bait had made a direct hit on my eye, we were an hour into the woods on dirt trails and at least another hour from the nearest hospital. I’ve always said, ‘fishing is a blood sport’ and I almost proved it that day!
As the ice recedes this month, consider targeting some pickerel on a warmer, sunny afternoon. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much fun these maligned mini pike can be. Just take my advice and pack a six slow Plano box with those KVD’s and just tuck away for that day when the pickerel come out to play.
