Some call them a nuisance, I call them alot of fun!

[Fred E. Goose]

Beats getting the skunk, like I did today. Actually, I like 'em. They're a voracious predator. I grew up camping in the pine barrens and it's a big fishery down there. What I DON'T get is how the same people who consider them a nuisance all year go and consider them trophies on the ice?

[xDirty]

Originally Posted by Fred E. Goose

Beats getting the skunk, like I did today. Actually, I like 'em. They're a voracious predator. I grew up camping in the pine barrens and it's a big fishery down there. What I DON'T get is how the same people who consider them a nuisance all year go and consider them trophies on the ice?

lol I have never heard of that, but i also have never been ice fishing. Its one of those things i'll never understand either.

I love the pine barrens as well. I didn't grow up going there, i went there as an adult but there's something special about it that captivates and earns a place in your heart.

[Lard Almighty]

Pickerel are a fine game fish, very underrated. They can save a slow day of fishing.

[thomaskgrosvenor]

Yes, the pickerel is our friend and we should treat them nicely because while yes they are quite predatory, they are not as tough as they look. (Unless of course we are going to eat them.)

I had communicated with a DEP guy about them and he told me that they are the most abundant predatory fish in NJ. (Fishing a lot in the northern half of NJ over this past summer and fall, I saw a lot more bass than pickerel.)

When bass fishing, it is good to know if they are around, in advance. It is not hard to fashion some very light knottable wire leads that won't have too much affect on the performance of the senko and probably other soft plastics as well. (the pickerel will chase after the senko just like the bass).

In areas where I was unsure, I used light knottable wire leads and still caught bass. I also effectively caught pickerel. Plus, if trying to fish a senko in windy conditions, the wire lead helps give a little weight to the soft plastic and make it more manageable so it drifts and drops a little better in the wind and current. If you are good with your knots you can make the optimum sized lead to meet your need. (I am not good with knots but there are plenty of instructables on the Internet and You Tube.)

While I am not a master fisherman, I did do a lot of fishing for bass this past summer and fall. I had two or three bite offs before I figured out what was going on and what to do about it.

[Chrisper4694]

Just remember, you won't ever know what fish you're missing if you use tooth leader in certain situations. Same goes for using 15 flouro vs 10 it's easy to say well I still caught fish using 15 but you'll never know how many fish also got spooked by the thicker line. It's a give and take but something to think about.

[Fred E. Goose]

Originally Posted by Chrisper4694

Just remember, you won't ever know what fish you're missing if you use tooth leader in certain situations. Same goes for using 15 flouro vs 10 it's easy to say well I still caught fish using 15 but you'll never know how many fish also got spooked by the thicker line. It's a give and take but something to think about.

I bought wire leads for when I jig striper but bluefish are present. Someone smarter than me convinced me that the wire is good if all you want to catch is bluefish. It really deters the striped bass. He would use a heavy mono leader instead. I'm sure the same applies to freshwater with the wire leader. The question is, would you rather risk getting bit off or risk getting no bites? Tough one.

[Fishinfire]

I guess I should have named this thread " What kind of leaders does everyone use?"

[Chrisper4694]

It doesn't happen often maybe but I had an experience once while fishing for bluefish where we had 30mono leaders out as well in case of stripers near by. None of our steel leaders would get hit by the blues but they would keep hitting our mono rigs and cutting us off most of the time so we dug out some really thick tough clear leader and switched all the rods from steel leader to this. Our hit rate went way up and the leader was tough enough to withstand a bluefish or two before it had to be changed or cut back.

Point is, if bluefish can shy away from a steel leader it can happen with any fish. Don't believe that you'll catch the same amount of fish most days with a steel leader, it's just easy to think that because you don't notice the fish that never hit you.

Rather than using a steel leader a lot of the time if you're worried about pickerel try a #15-20 clear leader. It will withstand at least a few swipes of pickerel teeth most of the time. You can use a good loop knot rather than a knot that closes up against the lure or hook so you don't loose as much natural action from the thicker line.