Chain Pickerel Fishing In Delaware
Feelfree Fishes the 50 with Greg Swift
It’s 10 minutes to 8 as I pull into the parking lot on this chilly February morning. My dashboard reads a brisk 34°F, with water temperatures in the upper 30s. Local radar shows overcast skies, clearing as the day progresses, with a light west wind. Perfect conditions for today’s mission.
The ramp and surrounding shallows are covered in light surface ice as I back in to unload my Feelfree Kayaks Moken 10 PDL, aka Mighty Mouse, from my truck bed and gather my gear. I park in the nearest spot and wait for my fishing partner to show up while I regain feeling in my fingertips.
So, what would make two experienced, avid anglers brave these cold, frigid conditions? Everyone knows the bass bite is slow, snakehead are dormant until spring, and crappie can be caught at most local spillways during an incoming tide. But there is one predator that thrives in these cold water conditions: the chain pickerel. Like its bigger cousin, the northern pike, the chain pickerel is a slim, fast predator that thrives on the slower, dying baitfish once the frost has settled in, and most anglers have tucked their kayaks away for the year.
The majority of fishermen consider pickerel a bycatch: an undesirable nuisance fish that gets in the way of bass feeding. But there’s a small group of us extreme anglers who push the limits every year to chase these “slime darts” through the coldest, slowest, and most dangerous months of the year. From Black Friday until the end of February, we battle it out in the River Runnerz Open Pickerel Tournament—a 5-fish, Catch, Photo, Release competition hosted by the River Runnerz Kayak Bass Club. This event is open to anyone and runs through the TourneyX app, with eligible waters in Delaware and Maryland.
Finally, I hear the rumble of my buddy’s truck. Rick Wojcik, one of my best friends and fishing partners, pulls up, a top contender in the tournament. We exchange greetings and the usual jests about who’s going to come out on top for the day, but we’re both ready to go. The conditions are perfect, and the fish should be moving, searching, and hunting for their next meal.
We settle onto the water and move straight to our target areas—find the grass, find the fish. These predators blend into the grass, ambushing any fish small enough to fit into their slim, tooth-filled mouths. My weapons of choice today are jerkbaits, swimbaits, and gliders that mimic the lethargic, doomed prey. There’s a certain peace to be found on the water in the winter, the complete silence only occasionally broken by the rustle of a squirrel through frosty leaves or the shrill squawk of a bald eagle from the treetops.
We anchor down on either side of a deeper, grass-filled drop-off and settle into the grind. Low and slow is the motto for the day, and the bites are few and far between. The subtle tap of an occasional trailing fish is encouragement enough to keep us going through the morning. We patiently wait, content in our current skunks, knowing the morning bite is coming.
Cast after cast, twitch after twitch, and then—BAM! The hard, violent strike that can only be a chain pickerel on a day like this. I set the hook, and within three seconds, I knew this little guy wasn’t the monster I was searching for. I net him, remove my jerkbait, and snap a few selfies before placing him on my Ketch board—17 inches. Not quite the 18.5 inches I needed to upgrade my top five, but a bite is a bite, and that means the fish are feeding.
Another 45 minutes pass, and we’ve both landed multiple fish, but nothing of substantial size. We decide to move off our initial spot and search for another feeding ground. The clouds are clearing, and the wind is calming by the minute, so we look for an area with more ambush points for hiding monsters. We settle on a point with laydown structure leading into a large, deep bed of grass and water just slightly warmer than the rest of the pond. Tons of potential for a big fish to hide and feed.
I switch to a #5 Mepps in-line in Firetiger and begin to roll it just over the grass. “Slimers,” as my kids like to call them, love fleeing yellow perch, and I love using spinners when the bite is on, so I get to work. About ten casts in, my lure stops, and my rod bends as I set the hook—but nothing. Just as I’m adjusting my rod to pedal over and remove my hooks from the log, I feel a sudden surge, and the fish nearly rips my rod out of my hand with its spasmodic sideways dart. The fight is on as the beast darts back and forth, trying to shake free of my silver-plated hooks while I keep tension on the line, pedaling my Rapid Drive in reverse.
After several heart-thumping moments, I see the silvery flash of the beast and realize I’ve hooked a major upgrade. Once I get her to the surface, it’s an easy reach over my shoulder and a quick scoop with my EGO S1 deep net—and I’ve got her! But these fish are slimy, spastic, and temperamental, with a mouthful of needle-like teeth, and netting them is only half the battle. My lip grippers and jaw spreaders are essential, especially when handling larger fish. They make it easier on me and my fingers when I need to slide my needle-nosed pliers down her throat to remove the treble hook with minimal damage.
I finally get to hold her up and admire my catch. She’s long and fat from gorging into the winter, and without a doubt, I’ve just beaten my PB! Grippers tight in her mouth, I check the bump board—25.5 inches! Woohoo! I’ve found myself a pond monster!
No, I didn’t win the tournament that day—the back-to-back defending champion averaged about the same size as my biggest fish—but with the help of that catch, I had my best showing yet.
When the temps drop and the windshields frost up in the mornings, most people winterize their gear, and the closest they get to a hookset is watching a YouTube video. But I’m blessed to live in a part of the country where, with the right precautions and preparations, fishing can be a year-round passion.
Safety on the water should always be your first priority when cold-water fishing. We’ve got a great blog about that here. A good PFD, a dry suit or cold-water wetsuit, and a quality platform to fish from are must-haves if you choose to battle Old Man Winter. My Moken 10 PDL is a comfortable and stable rig that has stood up to every challenge I’ve put it through—and it’s a ton of fun too.
Always fish with a friend. Both Rick’s girlfriend and mine are a lot more comfortable with our outings, knowing that we have another experienced angler on the water with us.
Know your limits. January and February are not the time to test your skills and limitations on the water—save that for a beautiful summer day when getting wet can make your whole day. But the most important thing to remember, whether you’re a pro angler, a recreational fisherman, or just a dad out with your kids… HAVE FUN!
Tight lines, everybody!
Written by Greg Swift, Delaware resident, and Moken 10 PDL owner
Edited by Bobby Ulrich, Feelfree US Pro Staff Team Member
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