It’s [one of] the most wonderful times of the year! With holiday celebrations, a new year on the horizon, and temperatures plummeting across the Chesapeake Bay region, a couple of our coveted local species remain active and are prime targets for winter fishing. Yellow perch and chain pickerel go hand-in-hand, from tributary creeks to freshwater mill ponds, when fishing December through early-March. If you, as an angler, have the determination to fish during the coldest time of year, you can be rewarded with excellent catches of winter perch ‘n pickerel!
We’ve culled our archives for past seasons’ reports that specifically targeted chain pickerel and yellow perch. Many techniques and lures where used across the spectrum of conditions and locations fished. We believe that these reports can be helpul to you, when planning your next winter outing.
Reports, Tips & Tactics
Several exciting fish species zip through Chesapeake tributaries each Spring and we tried to intercept a few
Weekly Creel : Angling & Conservation News
March 11, 2023 7:00 amAngling, outdoors, and conservation news recap for the week ending March 11th
When there’s 100 percent cloud cover and a chance of rain, the only logical choice is to go fishing, and we’re glad we did!
Weekly Creel : Angling & Conservation News
February 18, 2023 6:00 amAngling, outdoors, and conservation news recap for the week ending February 18th
A wonky week of weather created a challenging fishery, but we found a few pickerel willing to play
Weekly Creel : Angling & Conservation News
February 4, 2023 5:00 amAngling, outdoors, and conservation news recap for the week ending February 4th
Howling winds and mid-winter temps almost got the better of us, but then a particularly hot lure got the party started
Despite tough conditions, we catch a wind drift that produces a good bag of yellow perch and pickerel
Angling for pickerel and yellow perch, we worked hard to find the pattern, then hammered ’em when we did!
As Christmas approaches, winter patterns for cold-weather species heat up in the middle Chesapeake region
Early season pickerel fishing has been difficult, but we caught a few during a week’s worth of trips, plus a couple bonus species
Challenging conditions make tournament day a grind, but we found a few fish
Pre-front weather, a moving tide, and careful planning make for a successful morning targeting striped bass and pickerel
Halloween Week: Are the Fish Scared?
November 4, 2022 1:49 pmWe target pickerel, panfish, striped bass, and snakehead, and the results were…uh…something
Pickerel Tournament Kicks Off 11/1
October 27, 2022 4:20 pmCoastal Conservation Association Maryland’s four-month Pickerel Championship begins
Spring weather stirs up local fisheries and the frisky, little perch, crappie, and bass that live within
