Chain pickerel

Decided to stick around the house this weekend to see if I could catch any crappie in my $1 jonboat. I have very little experience with crappie, but wore them out. The surprise catch was the chain pickerel, which is a first. Thanks to AC870 for the ID. I can also quantify the leak in my boat now, big enough for minners to live. Yes, I know...flexseal...apparently need another bottle.

We called them Jackfish in Fla. They fight like Hades.

Dang what body of water did the pickerel come from?

Yeah? I remember catching one on toledo bend when i was a kid.

Never seen one . Congratulations on the crappie.

I used to fish lake Ouachita in AR. For every one bass you caught. The next five were those toothy fish. All they do is tear up your baits.

Try lexel on the hole.

Just a 100+ acre lake in our neighborhood. East Tuscaloosa.

I know the one

Joe4 giving AC more credit than he deserves for ID. Word is AC had to “phone a friend.”

They are good to eat. But have to watch out for those pesky Y bones

In Baldwin County they are everywhere. Yep, we call them Jackfish down here. My Dad used to make fish cakes out of them. Fillet, grind, mix in bell pepper, onion, corn meal, raw egg and make a hush puppy looking thing and deep fry. Delicious!!! He did the same with red horse suckers.

That's a cool catch. I've only caught one in my lifetime.

That’s a Jack, we call them Jakes. My wife once hooked a big one and when it got close enough to see she started shouting “it’s a Jake, it’s a Jake” been Jakes ever since.

Another way to clean them is to scale them, then fillet but leave the skin on to hold it together. Then make a bunch of cuts across the fillet about 1/8" apart that go to the skin without going through it. Then fry it very crispy. The same method works on a Red Horse. Those are 2 of the best tasting fish in the state, but you gotta deal with the bones.

That's a nice Jack and he is plenty big to eat.

Nice catch!!

I’ve only caught the one and i released it. For those that eat’em, are they as slimy as a northern pike?

Caught one on G 30 years ago

I've never noticed them being slimy, but I've never caught a northern pike and couldn't compare them.

Pike stink

Million dollar filled with them “jacks”

Caught 'em. Threw them out on the bank of
the beaver ponds I was fishing. Continuous snatch
and jerk reeling them in. Then try to straighten
the spinnerbait out where it would run straight.
Caught one one day that was probably 1+or - the
state record. Forgot what the deal was. Grab 'em
on both eyeballs to get them off the hook.

Sure are fun to catch though

Sheeet i've caught a ton of them things, and y'all can eat 'em if ya want. But there's way too many good eating fish out there for me to go eating them things 😃

Used to catch them all the time at a old pond full of cypress trees in Packers Bend. We used to eat them and I remember them being very good if you watched out for the bones. They do have some toofusis so don't lip one like you do a bass. LOL!

I’ve been eating them for a very long time. They do not seem too slimy and they are delicious. We actually target them here in NW Florida in the winter time. Live shiners are best but any chrome colored bait works as well.

I caught one when I was a kid in a side of Hwy 11 pond down in Boligee some 45+ years ago. I had it mounted by Archie Phillips. If I recall it was about 16 inches long and full of teefies.

Yup. Catch them till your arms get tired. Never heard of folks eating them.

We tried them when i lived in colorado. My neighbor even took his son and I to a lake way east of colorado springs strictly to catch pike. Didn't care much for them. Have made 2 trips to the boundary waters in minnesota and the blasted things are a nuisance. First trip up there, one cost me my dad's ancient "100 percenter"...his prized creek chub darter.