right, beause pickerel are such an invasive species.
Mainiacs think the same about "PIKE"
in maine I don't believe they are native. which is why you are supposed to remove the head when you catch them.
edit: they aren't native to massachusetts either, but alot of fish aren't either. The Pickerel is native though.
Pike are not native to Maine they are very invasive and can cause havoc with other species. I am usually asked by the locals to kill them. I can't bring myself to do that.But i do harvest one or two a year to eat. They taste great!
right, beause pickerel are such an invasive species.
Mainiacs think the same about "PIKE"
in maine I don't believe they are native. which is why you are supposed to remove the head when you catch them.
edit: they aren't native to massachusetts either, but alot of fish aren't either. The Pickerel is native though.
Pike are not native to Maine they are very invasive and can cause havoc with other species. I am usually asked by the locals to kill them. I can't bring myself to do that.But i do harvest one or two a year to eat. They taste great!
yup, I think a pike's favorite prey is trout!
Here you go guys, opening up a can of worms, lol. Maybe we should start killing largemouth bass too, because they are technically not native to massachusetts per the following mass wildlife quote:
"The earliest reference to largemouth bass populations in Massachusetts occurred in 1879 when they were introduced from northern New York State into numerous ponds of Essex County. During this early period, management consisted of transplanting adult bass from pond to pond. Beginning in the early 1900's, hatchery culture, and stocking programs for black bass (largemouth and smallmouth bass collectively) began, which allowed widespread stocking of fingerlings."
lets only kill snakeheads...ok?
"The earliest reference to largemouth bass populations in Massachusetts occurred in 1879 when they were introduced from northern New York State into numerous ponds of Essex County. During this early period, management consisted of transplanting adult bass from pond to pond. Beginning in the early 1900's, hatchery culture, and stocking programs for black bass (largemouth and smallmouth bass collectively) began, which allowed widespread stocking of fingerlings."
lets only kill snakeheads...ok?
I was joking with my post about throwing them in the woods. I have never done that. Anyone who fishes for bass knows what I mean. IMO it is not whether they are native or not. To me they are a nussance fish. I never target them. When I see one on the end of my line it is dissapointing because I am hoping for bass. They fight like crap because of thier long narrow shape. They are hard to remove with all the slime and teeth and you can lose some expensive lures to them. They are in direct compitition with bass for a ponds forage base and if a pond is LOADED with picks it's usually just a fair bass fishery. There might be numbers but no size. All in all just a PITA. I remove my hook and let the fish go but I sure wish there were less of them. You guys that ice fish should have a pick pass and punt compitition this winter. 
I second what Heron25 has stated: Love the fight, the thrashing, the aggressive hit.
Any Pickerel over 2lbs is a hard fighting fish. Under that weight not so much.
Pickerels don't spit, they swallow, which why they are such a PITA to unhook, especially from lures with trebles.
If they die on you, you should eat them. They have a sweet flavor.
You can clean them like a trout, Gut them, then cut just behind the head and crack the spine to pull off the skin. Then you can either fillet them or cook them with the bones in.
Any Pickerel over 2lbs is a hard fighting fish. Under that weight not so much.
Pickerels don't spit, they swallow, which why they are such a PITA to unhook, especially from lures with trebles.
If they die on you, you should eat them. They have a sweet flavor.
You can clean them like a trout, Gut them, then cut just behind the head and crack the spine to pull off the skin. Then you can either fillet them or cook them with the bones in.
I second what Heron25 has stated: Love the fight, the thrashing, the aggressive hit.
Any Pickerel over 2lbs is a hard fighting fish. Under that weight not so much.
Pickerels don't spit, they swallow, which why they are such a PITA to unhook, especially from lures with trebles.
If they die on you, you should eat them. They have a sweet flavor.
You can clean them like a trout, Gut them, then cut just behind the head and crack the spine to pull off the skin. Then you can either fillet them or cook them with the bones in.
How do you recommend cooking them? and what would be the cut off weight? Today I pulled one out at about 1lb and once thrown back he did not seem to have handled the catch so well (eventually after some persuasion I got him moving but if i knew he was tasty I may have just rehooked and cooked)
thanks welding hank. i really can get into them on the concord and i love their aggressiveness. i only hit the merrimack once this year in my little tinny and that was in the lowell/chelmsford area.
thanks for the info and pm me if i can help you out with info on the concord.
charlie
thanks for the info and pm me if i can help you out with info on the concord.
charlie
@largemouthsmalldingy
How do you recommend cooking them? and what would be the cut off weight? Today I pulled one out at about 1lb and once thrown back he did not seem to have handled the catch so well (eventually after some persuasion I got him moving but if i knew he was tasty I may have just rehooked and cooked)
The legal length for Pickerel is 15" and the daily creel is 3.
However, if the fish is mortally wounded or dies in spite of all your efforts to safely release it...its better to take it home then to just leave the fish floating dead in the water.
As for preparation: I skin and fillet them. Then I soak the fillets in lemon juice for about two hours. The lemon juice softens the bones and removes any off flavors in the fish. Then I put them in an egg wash and coat them with corn meal before frying them up in oil. Remove the fried fish to drain on a paper towel and serve hot.
How do you recommend cooking them? and what would be the cut off weight? Today I pulled one out at about 1lb and once thrown back he did not seem to have handled the catch so well (eventually after some persuasion I got him moving but if i knew he was tasty I may have just rehooked and cooked)
The legal length for Pickerel is 15" and the daily creel is 3.
However, if the fish is mortally wounded or dies in spite of all your efforts to safely release it...its better to take it home then to just leave the fish floating dead in the water.
As for preparation: I skin and fillet them. Then I soak the fillets in lemon juice for about two hours. The lemon juice softens the bones and removes any off flavors in the fish. Then I put them in an egg wash and coat them with corn meal before frying them up in oil. Remove the fried fish to drain on a paper towel and serve hot.