What would you say is the best bait for pickerel is, right after ice out?

I always catch them by accident on jerkbaits and sluggos/flukes.

Pickerel will readily hit any lure in your arsenal. If I had to pick one, it would be a spinnerbait by a small margin.

However, I have no experience with them in water as cold as you're asking about.

Rapala Subwalk fished eratically.

Small Spinnerbaits.

Whatever walks by it, they tend to hide out in the weeds and wait for food to cross their path. I use to catch them on cranks, jigs, and 5" senkos

inline spinner

chatterbait with a fluke on it

Seems like anything I'm trying to catch a bass with at my local lake. Bright colored spinnerbaits seem to catch them well, though I never target them.

Like most have said, fish your bass lures and they'll hit it. They do like bright lures, no doubt about it. Then again, an empty soda can with hooks on it would work for them. Try mountain dew. J/K