Pkfish49

I caught two of the Pickerel that I primarily target. The smaller one just met the New York State 15 inch minimum. The other was just under 16.5 inches. I caught the little one with a worm and bobber. The big one was caught while I was trolling with a Rebel Crickhopper. This was a fun catch. I had let out a lot of line (at least 75 feet) and the fish put up a big fight.

Yellow Perch. We grow our Panfish big in New York State! I caught it while trolling with a Rebel Crickhopper.

Appreciate all the advice about pre-cooling. I would not have considered this. Getting ready to go. I just put six 1.5L bottles of Evian in my freezer (made sure they fit in the cooler first) and will pre-cool the YETI with it before I travel on Saturday morning. I'll be adding 19.842‬ pounds to the 23 pound cooler, but I might as well get used to it, since at the end of the trip, the ice and fish will weight more. I hadn’t considered the hotel ice machine, but given the small amounts it puts out at once, will probably be too much of a pain to use. I’m lucky that there is a gas station/convenience store directly across the street that sells five-pound bagged ice.

Appreciate the advice, but there are a few issues: 1 - The room has a refrigerator, but no freezer compartment. 2 - I don't want to keep the refrigerator too cold, because I'm going to try and store Baby Nightcrawler Worms in it, and I've frozen and killed worms before with too cold refrigerator settings.

Correct - I'll write back after the vacation to report how it went. Not targeting too many Bass this trip, but I'll be sure to post a lot of pics in the Other Fish Species - Other Species Latest Catch thread. Thanks!

One day, it will get to 65, the rest of the days won't get past mid 50s. Cooler will be inside all the time though, and away from any direct sunlight. Only going to open it once a day, just long enough to add the day's catch. Plan is to keep it cold until I get back home and then put in a proper freezer. Not sure if I'll be able to get my hands on any dry ice, but can pre-cool with normal bag ice.

I hope this is the right forum for my question. I spent the money on a YETI Tundra 45 cooler. I'm about to escape the city and go on a four day fishing trip. At the end of the day, I clean and vacuum seal the fish. I like to have ice both under and over the bags, but if I fill the cooler with ice after the first day, I’m going to have to dig out some top ice every night and then repack it. I bought the YETI so I don’t have to do a lot of work. When I get back from the lake, the last thing I want to have to do is lift the thing into the bathtub, and take the time and effort to repack ice. Is it advisable to do the following? After the first day, line the bottom of the cooler with ice, put the fish in, and add enough ice to cover the bags. On subsequent nights, add a little more ice, put the fish on, and them cover it with more ice. Is my plan bad, because one needs to completely fill the empty space with ice, in order to achieve maximum cooling? If not, can I do something like fill the cooler halfway with ice the first night, put the fish on top, not caring about covering the top of the fish with ice, and just add more fish on top, at the end of the other days? Experienced campers and anglers please chime in. What is my best plan of action here? If it makes a difference for the answer, the cooler will be kept inside a hotel room.

Ty, I've lost some of these snaps (and the lure and the fish :)) due to big fighting runs, (most likely Smallmouth Bass) but not too many. What brand do you recommend?

To make sure I'm using the correct terminology, here is the setup. I have different sizes of these, but currently hooked up my rods with the size pictured. I did go ahead and cut off the tag end after I took the picture.

Thanks for all the replies. I'm going Fishing on Next Saturday. Not primarily targeting Bass, but keep your eyes out for lots of pictures in the "other fish species" - Other species latest catch thread. May not post until after the trip, around a week later.

For Bass fishing, as well as general Panfish targeting, I use an improved clinch knot (5-6 turns) with 10 lb mono to tie a barrel snap swivel on. This greatly speeds up lure changes, or changes from lures to hooks or vice versa. Part of my eyesight is getting worse, and it is a pain to tie knots with fishing line. I also love the system, as on cold, rainy days, it is even harder to get my hands working to tie knots. The last couple of groups of serious Bass fisherman that I ran into, told me that they tie on directly. What are the advantages to tying on directly, and the disadvantages to my barrel swivel setup?

Too soon to tell for me. I still have plans to start my season on May 2nd, when Pickerel season starts. New York State hasn't closed the fishing season; in fact, they are encouraging angling as a healthy activity, as long as people maintain their 6 foot "social distance." For safety reasons, the state did just temporarily close a popular hiking trail and the viewing area, but it's a good hour and a half north of where I fish and completely unrelated to my situation. I shore-cast and boat fish all by myself in very isolated areas. When I'm on fishing trips, I normally don't interact with too many people anyway. I also haven't exhibited any Coronavirus symptoms. Assuming my hotel and the local lakes will be available to me, I think I can responsibly take the trip, Still twenty-seven days to go, so a lot can happen before then. I'll most likely contact a county official beforehand for advice, since I don't want to be irresponsible.

Thanks, I had been using #4 circle hooks with Senkos and various creature baits. I'll try them with live worms when I next hit the lake. Praying I'll be allowed to leave NYC on May 2nd, and my hotel and lake will be open and welcome me.

Often, I throw a worm and a bobber without targeting anything specific. In the lakes that I hit, this is what I could land with the setup: Bluegill Crappie Largemouth Bass Pickerel Pumpkinseed Sunfish Smallmouth Bass Yellow Perch I've had success with both #4 and #6 hooks, but there have been days when I've had a hard time setting the hook and am wondering if my setup and not my technique was to blame. In these situations, is it better to use a #4, or #6 hook?

Thank you so much for giving me something to do during this time of isolation. I had the opportunity to look at my fishing pictures and participate here. I've only been back to freshwater fishing sine 2017 and don't primarily target Bass, so my numbers are low. Total count 26: Largemouth - 22 Smallmouth - 4

What fancy/expensive crankbaits that cast farther are your referring to? Hoping to be able to escape the city on May 2nd for a fishing trip and am always looking for new lures. I have some Rapalas (I think around 4 inches) that are great for trolling. I've had both Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass go after them when I was going at slow and even medium speeds, but because of the light weight, they are also hard to cast far.

The ones I get are 4 x 4 x 1.5. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007R8UMGU/ I have some squarebills, but haven't caught anything with them. I just saw a video with somebody recommending using a squarebill to deflect and it showed the lure bouncing over rocks. Either my technique is lacking, or my terrain is different, but I can't fish like that. If I get too low, I usually either get one of the trebles stuck in a rock and may have to cut line off and lose it, or I end up getting snagged in weeds, which interferes with the diving action. When I throw a wally diver from shore, I sometimes add a little splitshot so I can throw it farther. I find a medium retrieve works best. Other times, I troll at a modest speed.

I called Yeti directly for advice on a model to fit my needs. I spoke to a guy named Ben who was very helpful. He spoke to me at length and was very knowledgeable. Once he knew my needs, he didn't try to upsell me a more expensive model. I normally buy stuff from Amazon these days, but purchased directly from Yeti for a few reasons: 1 - I wanted to support them more, (Amazon takes a cut of profits) since the sales rep was so helpful. 2 - Amazon's description of the product clearly stated that it was coming for a "Yeti Authorized" dealer - not Yeti itself. Since this is a little pricey, I wanted to be 100% certain this was coming directly from the source. I still prefer Amazon for almost everything. If something is defective, or if a third-party seller tries screwing me, I'll always get my money back. Since the Yeti sales representative was so professional, I'm not worried about the transaction at all. Not at all intended to make light of the current situation, as more important things are going on, but I am indeed praying that on May 2nd, Hertz, my hotel, and the upstate boat rental place will be open. If so, I'll have lots of beautiful fish pictures to share in the "Other Fish Species Latest Catch" forum.

Cotton Cordell Wally Diver - the green and yellow one with black stripes. I've had success with all colors, but the Bass seem to prefer this one. This is by far the most versatile lure that I've used. In addition to both Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, I've caught Pickerel, and all kinds of Panfish with it.

You are one of many people, (including the owner of my local bait and tackle shop) who gave this advice, so I have changed my mind and now intend on purchasing a Yeti. Any advice on a specific model? Many thanks!

I'm a bad butcher when it comes to filleting normal boned fish, so I don't even bother with Pickerel. I just cut the head off behind the gill and gut it.

I'm seeking advice from experienced anglers who are good at landing Pickerel. It's my favorite fish to catch and eat, but I'm not doing a great job of catching them. There are tons of Pickerel in one of my main lakes. Most of the other guys who fish there are sport Bass folks, so they consider the Escoids junk fish and always throw them back. More for me! In New York State, Pickerel season opens the first Saturday in May, so I'll be on the water early on May 2nd. I'd like to avoid my usual pattern that time of year, which involves throwing shiny meeps and having to throw back a number of non-keepers, and possibly not getting any keepers all weekend. 15 inch is the minimum size for New York, but even late in the season, my keepers are just over the limit. In early may, I usually toss back lots of 13-14 inch ones. I realize that many may have just been bred, but there should be lots left over from past seasons, as nobody else wants them. I've caught a few keepers with worms and Cotton Cordell Wally Diver lures, but it's hard and sometimes impossible to use anything with a treble hook, as the lake is very weedy. I was able to hack the meeps and replace the treble hooks with single weedless hooks, but unfortunately, haven't had as much success as I thought I would. What are the good Pickerel fisherman using to catch my prized fish?

Got it - Appreciate the heads up as I didn't notice the finer points. I don't have to worry about brook trout, lake trout, Walleye, or Atlantic Salmon, as none of the waters I hit have those species. Come Bass season though, (3rd Saturday in June) it looks like if I want to follow the letter of the law, I'd have to keep the Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass heads intact until I got home (not too worried about DEC officers invading my city apartment to inspect my freezer .) I scale, but don't remove skin, so everything else about the species is clearly identifiable. While we are off topic, how stupid is the Fish Carcass Disposal law? "It is illegal to discard any fish carcass, or parts thereof, into the freshwaters of the state within 100 feet of shore or upon any public or private lands contiguous to and within 100 feet of such water, except:..." IMHO, it makes much more sense to throw fish waste back into the body of water that it came from. Catfish and other parts of nature will do their job. Does it really make more sense to put the guts and other waste into a shoreline garbage can that will attract wasps and other insects, as well as cause the surrounding area to smell badly. Then later, the waste will have to be transported somewhere else, and cause the same problems.

Appreciate the warning. I am a very law-abiding angler. The critical passage for New York state reads as follows: No more than two days’ legal take of nonsalable fish may be transported unless a permit is obtained from a DEC Regional Office, or the fish are frozen, processed and packaged for storage. My stored catch will meet the definition of "frozen, processed and packed for storage," so I'm good. This regulation can be found here: http://www.eregulations.com/newyork/fishing/general-regulations/

This unit (and different sizes of the model) come with both AC and DC plugs, so I can run it in my hotel, as well as my car. According to the manufacturer: "The refrigerator actually works under DC power. But we provide an AC adapter so that it can work on the 110v AC power source. So the portable fridge can work on 12/24V DC and 110V AC power source." I originally spent a lot less money on a Coleman cooler which did the job. This system however, required a lot of extra work on my part. I had to haul 8 bags of ice from the store to my room, then break it up. On subsequent end-of days, I then had to dig out a few top layers, as I didn't want to put new fish on top of the ice; I wanted it completely covered. I'm really dead at the end of the day and want the least amount of work and responsibilities when I return. Dealing with having to pack and repack ice, is also a little time-consuming. When I got back to the room, I want to shower, eat dinner, and then go on Facebook to show off my catch. I want to deal with the least bit of other stuff that will delay the rest of my night. In addition, I bought the cooler at the end of last season, and the days weren't hot, yet at the end of each day, I was always able to drain some water. As I'll by fishing in hotter weather, I'm more worried about ice in coolers melting. As I'm on the lake, dealing with life on my own terms, I don't want to have to worry previous day's bounty potentially spoiling. I appreciate your warning, but when I drive home, there are no stops along the way, so there shouldn't be any problems with the freezer doing its job. I know I can keep fish in the refrigerator for a few days, but I think my schedule will be pushing it. Let's say I put some fish in the refrigerator Saturday night, but will not be driving home until Wednesday morning. Not sure how comfortable I'm with leaving the fish in the refrigerator for 3.5 days, then driving home with it in a styrofoam cooler packed with ice, before putting it in my home freezer. At this point, I'm most likely going to go ahead and order a portable freezer, but am still deciding on a size. I fantasize about dream trips, but realistically, I think this 30-Quart unit should have enough space for me needs. Whatever I decide to do, I'll review the unit after my first trip with it.