The common denominator, wherever you find pickerel, is shallow, weedy water. Look for them along any weed edges in lakes, ponds, or slow-moving rivers. They'll lurk in beds of lily pads, for example, or in patches of aptly named pickerel weed. Woody cover such as downed timber or shoreline stumps will also hold fish.

What do you use to catch pickerel?

Jig heads with rubber tails, diving stick-baits, small spoons and spinner baits are all effective at different times. Minnows, night crawlers, and leeches fished with a jig, spinner bait or bottom bouncer are the most popular live bait choices for catching pickerel.

Where do pickerel like to live?

Pickerel live in a wide variety of water bodies, from small streams and boggy swamps to giant lakes. They are most prevalent though in acidic and stained water with a lot of vegetation so the best places to find them are in ponds and the backwater sloughs of larger rivers.