I've been tipped off on grass pickerel locations, but have yet to find one. I don't want to buy one because its not nearly as satisfying that way. Do these fish leave the small drainage ditches in the summer? People have told me to look in a couple ditches and I've looked only to find a couple inches of water, if not none. Its almost to the point where i'm going to pay someone from around here to come and show me a grass pickerel in the wild. HELP ME!
Grass Pickerel HELP ME!
Started by
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, Aug 02 2010 06:42 PM
25 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_Uland_*
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Posted 02 August 2010 - 06:54 PM
Yes they do live in small drainage ditches and if they had legs, they might leave in the summer but they don't and stay put.
I'll bet they are doing just fine in a couple inches of water but I might head a bit further downstream and look for deeper water.
How are you trying to catch them?
I'll bet they are doing just fine in a couple inches of water but I might head a bit further downstream and look for deeper water.
How are you trying to catch them?
#3
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Posted 02 August 2010 - 07:07 PM
we have a seine but haven't seen water that we could logically seine, Nate Tessler gave me an exact location near my home, we went out and looked over a bridge to see a tiny bit of water in a huge bed of weeds, maybe i'm just underestimating the small amount of water they can live in. I'm told its not practical to catch them on hook and line, and we're kinda noobs with the seine, so idk.
#4
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Posted 02 August 2010 - 07:10 PM
This ditch he lead me to dumps into a stream, so we figured walking down that stream and finding the base of the ditch would work out. So we found it and walked a little ways up it and it was completely dry, so there couldn't be much water farther ahead, almost like it could dry up completely at some point in the summer. So they don't leave these ditches then? I'll take any help I can get at this point, seining methods, a re-assurance that they actually live in ditches 2-4 feet wide and 3-6 inches deep, anything!
#5
Guest_ashtonmj_*
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Posted 02 August 2010 - 07:13 PM
That sounds like perfectly normal grass pickerel habitat to me. I've found them in tiny standing pools as long as there is a bit of oxygen left in the water. I think you're probably passing over some good spots because they don't look good to you but they look fine to an ambush predator.
#6
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Posted 02 August 2010 - 07:23 PM
Its almost like I can't believe there are even any type of minnows in these ditches much less a fish that grows to a foot long. I just can't believe I've never caught one fishing in a creek much less even seen one at all.
#10
Guest_gzeiger_*
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Posted 02 August 2010 - 09:13 PM
My impression is that you'll tend to find the bigger ones down in the stream while they lay eggs in shallower water where predation will be less. I would actually recommend you use a dipnet rather than a seine if you're looking for small ones. They are absurdly fast when startled so a quick scoop is best. The heavy weeds you described does sound like ideal habitat.
My experience has been that they are most abundant early in the spring and get harder to find as summer goes on.
My experience has been that they are most abundant early in the spring and get harder to find as summer goes on.
#11
Guest_Skipjack_*
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Posted 02 August 2010 - 09:24 PM
One thing you might not have considered in small ditch seining is to seine crossways, perpendicular to the water flow. Stretch the seine out on one side of the bank and pull it across the stream into the opposite(preferably weedy)bank. Pin the poles up close to the bank, and disturb the vegetation, chasing the pickerel into the net, then lift the net.
I have to agree with Uland, if Nate said there are GP's there, they are in there.
I have to agree with Uland, if Nate said there are GP's there, they are in there.
#12
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Posted 02 August 2010 - 09:30 PM
I think mostly i've been underestimating their ability to thrive in a very small amount of water, I'll see what fishman has got for me, then i'll go back, because I believe Nate also, just couldn't imagine them being in there. Plus I'm unsure which direction he told me to go from the road, haven't been able to get ahold of him to ask.
#15
Guest_Uland_*
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Posted 03 August 2010 - 08:56 AM
Blake and I sampled Pickerel (not our target) over the weekend in a ditch. Basically, we use the seine to block shoreline vegetation and then stomp the vegetation from shoreline to the net. We then quickly lift and examine our catch.
Sure a dip net will work well in vegetated areas but a seine gets the job done with greater efficiency. Also adult Pickerel are rather skittish and tend to dart away long before you're within dip net range.
Once we sampled enough in this style, we actually used a 12' bag seine and carefully seined the "channel" downstream to find monster Golden Shiners....We would never have caught the below with dip nets.
Sure a dip net will work well in vegetated areas but a seine gets the job done with greater efficiency. Also adult Pickerel are rather skittish and tend to dart away long before you're within dip net range.
Once we sampled enough in this style, we actually used a 12' bag seine and carefully seined the "channel" downstream to find monster Golden Shiners....We would never have caught the below with dip nets.
#16
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Posted 03 August 2010 - 09:19 AM
I'm certainly no expert on seining, but I would never have thought to do it the other way in a ditch...
Ha! I have seen it all. Two weeks ago, I witnessed two guys with a cast net, netting a riffle.Six inches deep max. All they caught was rocks. I had a six foot seine. I felt bad for them, so I filled their bucket with bait.
I can remember myself at 12 years old pulling a seine by the strings only, no poles through a culvert pipe under the road. That was when I realized that green sunfish could have stunted breeding populations no longer than 2 inches.
My point was that until you have netted fish for a while, there are many techniques that might not occur to you. Tweaking your technique can make a world of difference.
Uland, that is an impressive GS, I have caught some nice ones on a flyrod, that were actually quite sporty.
Sorry for the derail. Best of luck on the pickerel pursuit.
#17
Guest_andyavram_*
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Posted 03 August 2010 - 09:39 AM
Not that you will catch them this way (unless you are good with a dip net) but as others alluded to, stomp along the vegetation right at the shoreline. Pickerel tend to hold up right by the bank. If they are there you will see green lightning shoot out from the bank into deeper water and you have confirmed the presence of pickerel. Most I see this way are between 3-8" long. Just because it says they can get to a foot long doesn't mean most will be very close to that big.
If you are good with a dip net and they are smaller watch for them to stop and try and scoop them quickly. The larger ones typically won't let you get close enough.
Andy
If you are good with a dip net and they are smaller watch for them to stop and try and scoop them quickly. The larger ones typically won't let you get close enough.
Andy
#19
Guest_gzeiger_*
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Posted 03 August 2010 - 10:06 PM
I bet the bank has more to do with vegetation being there than the bank itself. I've found them more out in the middle, but my personal ditch is small (5 ft across) and choked with val throughout, so maybe they are just associated with the plants.
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