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Chain Pickerel

Chain Pickerel

Chain Pickerel are a native South Carolina species and popular sport fish that are perfectly adapted ambush predators.

Scientific Name: Esox niger

Physical Characteristics:
  • These narrowly elongated fish feature olive green coloration with distinctive chainlike patterns along their sides and a black bar streaming straight down from the eye.
  • They average 14-15 inches and 12-14 ounces.
  • They have duckbill snouts and razor-sharp teeth.

What to know

Habitat Distribution

  • Found statewide except for the Broad River system.
  • They inhabit heavily vegetated areas of sluggish or slow-moving rivers, streams, swamps, and lakes throughout South Carolina's coastal plain backwaters.

Key Locations

  • Lake Moultrie near Charleston, various rivers like the Savannah, Salkehatchie, and Coosawhatchie, plus hundreds of lakes, streams, and reservoirs distributed across the state.
  • Lake Moultrie's weedy flats and backwater canals, plus various state management areas and coastal plain waters throughout the state.

Specific Spots

  • Fish shallow areas (shoreline to 10 feet) in spring, fall, and winter, but target deeper weedlines (10-20 feet) during summer heat.

Chain Pickerel FAQ

Answers from onWater's species guide.

What are the best lures and bait for Chain Pickerel in South Carolina?

Weedless silver spoons with pork rind, slim-minnow plugs, spinners, jigs, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits (especially effective in summer), topwater lures like poppers and buzzbaits, and soft plastic swimbaits. Live minnows (2-4 inches) under bobbers are highly effective, as are live frogs hooked through the back leg.

What flies work for Chain Pickerel in South Carolina?

Streamers in white, chartreuse, silver, black, olive, or purple - wooly buggers with orange coneheads can be particularly effective.

When is the best time to fish for Chain Pickerel in South Carolina?

Chain pickerel can be caught year-round in South Carolina, with winter and early spring being particularly productive when they move into shallow areas. They spawn when water temperatures approach 45°F during March and April, though they may also spawn in fall in the coastal plain.

How do you catch Chain Pickerel in South Carolina?

Retrieve with steady, moderate speed parallel to cover, or use twitch-and-stop presentations with topwaters. In thick weeds, try 'skittering' with a long pole, jerking pork frogs across weed openings.

What do Chain Pickerel eat?

These popular sport fish primarily feed on other fish, capable of attempting to consume fish equal to their own size.

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