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Chain Pickerel?

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  • #1

    Chain Pickerel?

    A week and a half ago I enjoyed another solo overnighter at my local state park (Chicot) before heading back offshore. Coffee under my rain fly in the morning before another day of fishing in the big boat. Only thing biting was the chain pickerel. We call them Jackfish but I don’t know why. Has anyone eaten one of these before and if so, how do you prepare it? I hear they have a lot of small bones.

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  • #2
    Re: Chain Pickerel?

    They definitely do have a lot of bones, which is why I've never heard of anyone actually taking the time to prepare one. They've become such a nuisance fish around here, tearing up the beds for other game fish, most everybody I know just kills them immediately after catching 'em. But, if you're intent on trying to fix one up, I imagine someone on YouTube has done it.

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    • #3
      Re: Chain Pickerel?

      Looks a lot like a Northern Pike and I hear that many folks get them confused...the spots are different and likely other things.
      When I used to fish we would not keep the little ones (less than around 30 inches) because the bones were too small; like many needles.

      Used to filet them and then either freeze immediately or cut in 3" to 4" long steaks then bread (dip in egg white, flop in cracker crumbs) and go into the pan of hot grease (be careful it will splatter)...Be careful of the bones; use a fork to separate the meat working along the bones and start a bone pile. The meat is quite good.

      Enjoy!
      Last edited by Happy Joe; 12-11-2018, 08:04 AM.
      2006 Jeep Rubicon, TJ; 4.11 gears, 31" tires, 4:1 transfer case, lockers in both axles
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      • #4
        Re: Chain Pickerel?

        Thanks Happy Joe. I followed MacGyver's advice and checked out youtube. And as you said the bigger fish are easier to filet and remove the bones. I am now pretty certain that I will be eating one of those jokers the next time I pull one in.

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        • #5
          Re: Chain Pickerel?

          I'm curious what baits you're throwing. I'm pretty much all about hard baits. Shallow running Rapalas and deep diving Storm lures. The smallest pickerels sure seem to know how to snag all three prongs on a treble hook. Almost impossible to get out without tearing the mouth up. And the large ones swallow 'em deep - even worse to remove.
          Last edited by MacGyver; 12-13-2018, 03:42 PM.

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          • #6
            Re: Chain Pickerel?

            Update...

            I recently caught a 24 incher....yup, I filleted him, bone free fillets. Man! That was actually good eating. fried them up and they were white and flaky, not very fishy...more of a clean taste. Definitely will be eating them in the future, if over 19 inches.

            MacGyver, I've caught them on spinner baits, shallow crank baits, and even swimming a soft plastic creature bait.

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            • #7
              Re: Chain Pickerel?

              good eating
              yes lots of pin bones
              also if you get decent sized one there good chunck of meat right off the back, on top of the spine head to tail

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