Page 49 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2021

Water Wolves
Toothy, Aggressive Predators Can Provide Great Sport
Most Mississippi anglers consider chain pickerel just a nuisance to avoid when trying to catch more desirable species, but the toothy, elongated predators can provide extremely exciting, hard-hitting sport on light tackle.
Chain pickerel share many traits with other family members such as northern pike or muskellunge, but don’t grow nearly as large. Chain pickerel can
exceed nine pounds, but rarely break three pounds. Ronnie Boren caught the Mississippi record, a 6.25-pound fish. Like pike and muskellunge, pickerel prefer colder water so Mississippi anglers usually find the most success from late fall through early spring, but they can tolerate warmer water. Pickerel range from eastern Canada through the Great Lakes states and down to Florida.
Pickerel occur throughout the Magnolia State where they see very little fishing pressure. Most Mississippians ignore them, but anglers commonly catch pickerel by accident while targeting bass. Crappie anglers also catch pickerel when fishing with minnows, shiners or other live bait.
Sight feeders, chain pickerel love clear water with abundant weeds where
they primarily feed upon fish including threadfin shad, bream, shiners, minnows and other finny morsels. Using their excellent camouflaged coloration, they hide in thick vegetation. When they
see something tempting, the predators slash out from their lairs with amazing quickness.
story and photos by John N. Felsher While they mostly eat fish, these
opportunistic freshwater barracudas might attack anything they can grab with their sharp teeth. Pickerel devour crawfish, lizards, snakes, amphibians and even mice or small birds that venture too close to the water. Sometimes, they grab dragonflies perched on grass stems or even leap from the water to snatch low- flying insects from the air.
Almost any lure or bait that might entice a largemouth bass could provoke a vicious strike from these highly aggressive predators. Pickerel hit spinnerbaits, spoons, shallow-diving crankbaits and similar lures. They occasionally smack topwater temptations and relentlessly pursue weedless frogs buzzed across matted grass. The toothy creatures particularly like bright colors, such as combinations of gold, red, orange and chartreuse or anything that resembles a baitfish.
When hooked, pickerel put up a spirited fight with fast runs and powerful lunges. They sometimes even leap from the water like bass. People intentionally fishing for these water wolves should use short steel leaders to prevent their razor-like teeth from slicing through fishing line.
Large chain pickerel make excellent eating, but the long, skinny snake-like
fish don’t yield much meat. Most people release them because of their numerous small “Y” bones, but the white, flaky flesh tastes delicious with a mild flavor and no oily taste.
Mississippi anglers might also encounter
two other pickerels. True to its name, a redfin pickerel looks similar to a chain pickerel, but with distinctive red fins. Particularly common in the Pascagoula River system, redfins rarely surpass one pound, but can exceed two pounds. A grass pickerel tops out at about a pound. Redfins and grass pickerel favor sluggish ponds and lakes with extensive grass coverage.
Handle all pickerel with care. When grabbed, the incredibly agile, toothy beasts often bend their bodies and
shake their heads violently looking for something to bite. If they don’t bite a person, they might drive a hook into
a finger. Also pay attention to the very sharp gill plates that can slice flesh. Use pliers to remove the hooks to keep fingers away from those teeth.
Cliff Mundinger.