Pike Opener on the St. Lawrence

[MrSimon]

This was our first pike opener on the River. In fact, we are pretty new to the River and are having a blast learning it. It's so big though that things can get overwhelming.

We launched out of Cape Vincent and I was shocked to see 40'F water. We found some steep breaks leading up into what I figured were spawning flats. Only caught 1 fish.

Then we moved into a shallow weedy bay and found temps in the mid 50s. It took a while, but we finally starting hitting them in the middle of the day. Just about everything came on a Mepps spinner. Nothing huge, but we had a blast catching them.

We tried Eel Bay the next day and laid a goose egg. I don't know why, but oh well. I really look forward to learning the River better as time goes on.

Finding walleye is the next challenge!

[BillM]

I see some pike and some chain pickerel. Pretty cool!

[manitoubass2]

I was just gonna say the same bill.

 

Very nice colours!

 

Looks like fun!

[Roy]

Yup, 2 chains. Looks like a good time.

[Joeytier]

Had no idea the Larry had chains...cool!

[NAW]

Nice outting!

[mike rousseau]

Never seen a chain before... Very cool

 

Way to figure em out

[MrSimon]

We were curious about the pickerel as well. At first we wondered if they were actually pike with odd colors, but decided they look too much like a pickerel to be anything else. I read that pike and pickerel do breed ... so maybe these are hybrids? Either way, it's always fun to catch something you weren't expecting.

[dave524]

We were curious about the pickerel as well. At first we wondered if they were actually pike with odd colors, but decided they look too much like a pickerel to be anything else. I read that pike and pickerel do breed ... so maybe these are hybrids? Either way, it's always fun to catch something you weren't expecting.

 

Hybrids would be my guess , they are pretty big for pure pickerel.

[craigdritchie]

Very common to catch chain pickerel that size, and up to about 5 pounds. World record is a little under 10 pounds.

 

Redfin and grass pickerel are much, much smaller.

Edited May 12, 2015 by Craig_Ritchie

[chris.brock]

That's a species I haven't caught, cool to see.

 

Gotta love pontoon party fishing.

[dave524]

Very common to catch chain pickerel that size, and up to about 5 pounds. World record is a little under 10 pounds.

 

Redfin and grass pickerel are much, much smaller.

 

My memories are of a much smaller fish as a youth, little research tells me the ones I was familiar with were the Grass Pickerel, we'd get the odd one as a kid in the Chippewa Creek/ Welland River up near Wellandport.

[Roy]

Pike and pickerel (walleye) have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

[kenzy31]

Nice report! New waters are always rewarding to figure out

 

Pike and pickerel (walleye) have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

The pickerel you speak of is a nickname given to walleye. Chain, grass and redfin pickerel are of the esox family. Sometimes also referred to as Southern pike. When we go pickerel fishing down home in N.B., it's grass/chain pickerel we're after Edited May 13, 2015 by kenzy31

[Roy]

Nice report! New waters are always rewarding to figure out

 

The pickerel you speak of is a nickname given to walleye. Chain, grass and redfin pickerel are of the esox family. Sometimes also referred to as Southern pike. When we go pickerel fishing down home in N.B., it's grass/chain pickerel we're after

 

That's exactly correct.

[dave524]

Previous to the 30's the fish we today call Walleye was known by many names including Yellow Pickerel, Dore and usually Yellow Pike stateside. At a conference a group of biologists in the 30's were not happy about this situation as the fish was clearly not a pike or pickerel and they came up with the name " Walleye " as a common name. I still call Northern Orioles, Baltimore Orioles and Longtailed Ducks, Oldsquaws and probably the generation below me is still more comfortable with the old names, same situation.

[Moosebunk]

The pike are cool, but the pickerel... yeah, that's really neat to see.