Do you love big bluegill?

Panfish Bite Was Slow This Morning.....But some solid Chain Pickerels

This one was the largest of the six I caught on minnow tipped jigs......21.5 inches

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Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on December 21, 2013 at 6:03pm: They are primarily cold water fish, Jeffery. You'll find them in the shallows you normally frequent when the temperature drops, as it does this time of year. When it warms up, they vacate to depths where the temperature is more to their liking. This explains why you don't see them during the warm season.

There has been a persistent belief in the North that pike lose their teeth in summer, and so retreat to hidey places. Fewer are caught in the shallows and the techniques that worked before the warm up fail... so the notion was born that they hideout, to nurse their sore gums! The truth is, they go to deep structure where the temp is more to their liking and where they can escape humans with all their summertime clamor and bustle.

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on December 21, 2013 at 5:40pm: I have never caught any pickerel here except during winter......Water temperature was 43 to 44 today......fish hit at eight feet in a fourteen foot channel.......minnow tipped 1/32 ounce Electric Chicken Slab Slayr....

Comment by DAVID L EITUTIS on December 21, 2013 at 12:02pm: NICE ONE JEFFREY !!!!!!

Comment by jim cosgrove on December 21, 2013 at 10:38am: not a common fish around here but i have caught a few small ones,they are a beautiful fish.we do have pike tho.

Comment by dick tabbert on December 21, 2013 at 9:38am: Nice Pickerel Jeffrey almost took it for a northern but can see the bar ever so lightly going through the eye and we know the northern doesn't go that far south. Congrats

Comment by John Sheehan on December 21, 2013 at 9:04am: Ya know Jeff I've caught 22" pickerel on 10th oz spoons and 32nd oz jigs intended for Bluegills but I've also caught the same sized fish on spoons up to 5 and 1/2 inches and huge lipped fat cranks .They'll eat any and every thing! Love these fish! Full night crawlers work great on them as do Rubber worms fished fairly quickly .Sometimes I 'm Bass fishing and I reel in quick to make another cast and a Pickerel comes outta nowher and grabs it !