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Chain Pickerel

Chain Pickerel

Chain Pickerel are native throughout most of Virginia's Albemarle and Chesapeake Bay watersheds, thriving in the piedmont and coastal plain regions.

These torpedo-shaped predators are top-level ambush predators that serve an important ecological role controlling small sunfish populations.

Scientific Name: Esox niger

Physical Characteristics:
  • These torpedo-shaped predators can exceed 20 inches in length and are distinguished by their distinctive chain-like pattern on greenish sides and a vertical black bar underneath the eye.
  • They have sharp teeth.

What to know

Habitat Distribution

  • Native throughout most of Virginia's Albemarle and Chesapeake Bay watersheds, thriving in the piedmont and coastal plain regions.
  • They inhabit small stream pools, abandoned channels, backwaters, floodplain wetlands, vegetated lakes, ponds, swamps, and other wetlands.

Key Locations

  • Little Creek in James City County.

Specific Spots

  • Areas with cover adjacent to open water, concealing themselves in undercut banks, downed logs, or submerged aquatic vegetation to ambush unsuspecting prey.
  • On reservoirs focus on the 15-20 foot depth range and hydrilla flats in coves.

Chain Pickerel FAQ

Answers from onWater's species guide.

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

Lipless crankbaits, crankbaits with flash, spinnerbaits (especially red and white), inline spinners like Mepps Aglia #2-4, spoons, soft plastic flukes on quarter-ounce jig heads, twitch baits that dive about a foot subsurface, topwater frogs, buzz baits, jerkbaits like Smithwick Rattlin' Rogues, and live minnows...

What flies work for Chain Pickerel in Virginia?

Flashy Clouser Minnows, multi-section Game-Changers (Blane Chocklett pattern), Woolly Buggers, streamers with tinsel, poppers, and patterns tied with feather or bucktail material.

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

October through March is the best time to fish for Chain Pickerel in Virginia. Chain Pickerel remain active during cooler months and can be found in shallow water from late fall through early spring.

How do you catch Chain Pickerel in Virginia?

Retrieve lures with moderate to fast, steady motion, though sometimes erratic, jerky retrieves trigger strikes. Work lures through weeds in shallow water with side-to-side jerking to simulate injured prey. Use flashy presentations.

What do Chain Pickerel eat?

Feed primarily on fish, but also consume amphibians, reptiles, small mammals, crayfish, frogs, mice, worms, and snakes.

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