Yellow Perch fishing at Pickerel

In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring yellow perch. Best bite is early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.

Northern Pike fishing at Pickerel

Spring northern pike on Pickerel hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 15 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring northern pike. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage gets it done.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Pickerel

Spring largemouth bass on Pickerel hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.

Crappie fishing at Pickerel

Spring crappie on Pickerel hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.

Bluegill fishing at Pickerel

In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig gets it done.

Pumpkinseed fishing at Pickerel

Spring pumpkinseed on Pickerel hold shallow, usually 1 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 2 to 10 ft, and by winter most fish are in 6 to 18 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for pumpkinseed in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Summer baits: a micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) gets it done.

How deep is Pickerel?

Pickerel is about 50 ft at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.

What fish are in Pickerel?

Anglers target largemouth bass, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Pickerel.

Where is the best fishing spot on Pickerel?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Pickerel?

For yellow perch, the summer bite is best in early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.