Help please. I live in California and want to travel to the east Coast this summer to catch pickeral which I did as a kid. Where are some good spots for a tourist to go? I am looking for easy to get to lakes or ponds that would be fun and offer a variety of fishing locations.

"Most" lakes and ponds in the east have them but it's not like there is a certain lake/pond that is known for better pickerel fishing.

Thank you for the response. I appreciate it.

Just a suggestion, if you want to come east for a toothy critter, how about Pike?

Sounds good to me. I never have fished for Pike. As a kid I lived in the Catskill NY area and I caught a few Pickeral. They were fun to catch and a good fighter. Look fierce. I thought I would start with something I knew a little about and work up. But ... I can move right up to the big leagues and go for Pike. I will start researching them on the net. So, any suggestions on where to go? Are they hard to catch? I have basically been skunked on bass fishing because I never seem to have the right gear or techniques. I do very well with trout in California but want to expand my fishing experience.

Thank you for any help. I love this website because it is cool that people who really love fishing are willing to share their time and experiences.

Deep creek lake in Western Maryland is full of them, anything from 10-26 inches. Theres plenty of hotel, motels and campgrounds around.

There are some great pickerel spots in my neck of the woods. My friend and I where fishing in Oakford Lake (central NJ) two days ago and he cought a 23"er. I also cought a 4lb bass a little later on.

A 3lb (23") pickerel fights much harder than a 3lb LMB IMHO. In this lake we have cought a whole mess of 20"+ pickerel, the biggest 24". Black/Chart spinnerbaits and jerkbaits work the best.