Crane Creek Grass Pickerel

[timsfly]

I have fished crane for over 20 years, and have never caught grass pickerel before, I caught one on wednesday and one on thursday, anybody else ever catch one over there. I have caught several on flat creek, but never on crane, they fight pretty good for there size and their teeth are sharp. I caught one in the lower conservation area and the other one further down. Here are a couple of pics.

http://s171.photobucket.com/albums/u294/ti...nt=goodpick.jpg

http://s171.photobucket.com/albums/u294/ti...2ndpickerel.jpg

[brownieman]

Grasses are the smallest member of the pike family and fairly well distributed throughout the state as opposed to other pikes. Our native species are fortunate that graasses don't get very big for they are very efficient feeders.

Muskie is the larget member and the only non-native species to Mo.

Hatchery efforts have introduced muskie to a few impoundments in the state, Pomme de Terre being the most successful by mosts standards.

Their feeding habits are a little different than most species...this is what makes muskie hard to catch, they feed big instead of often.

bm

[BrianK]

interesting.

I bet those toothy critters can put away some wild rainbow fingerlings.

Seems strange that after 20 yrs you just now catch em.

Maybe coming up from the James for the colder water?

Introduced by someone?

Been there all along? I'll bet the Crane MDC Biologist would know from shocking surveys.

by the way, how are the rainbows doing? how's the water?

been about 10 yrs since i've been to Crane. need to get back.

b

[timsfly]

I've been in touch with a Dept. of conservation biologist I know, and ask him just that question, if they had been seeing pickerel when they do there surveys.

Water is a little low right now, not as bad as the past few years, the temps are staying in the low 60's except in a few spots where I have recorded temps in the high 60's but that was on those 100 degree days in the late afternoon, I wasn't fishing just taking temps and walking the stream bank. Fishing has been good.

[mhall02]

I took ichthyology at College of the Ozarks in '89 and we went to a slough in Crane Creek and and netted some. Haven't fished the creek in years, but caught an 16" rainbow back then, screamed line off my ultralight like you wouldn't believe.

[Thom]

If that is the fish that I think it is in Illinois it is called a dogfish. I broke a flyrod once landing one of them in Rend Lake. I was told that they were full of bones and weren't good to eat. It looked to weight near 4 # and was about 20 inches. I landed it hand over hand on the line. I thought I had a big Bass or catfish until I saw him. Luckly enough I had a net and could avoid those devious teeth. I was fishing for crappie with minnows.

[brownieman]

Thom,

i've heard of Bowfin refered to as Dogfish, they are native to the bootheel region in Mo.

Grasses are almost identical to a muski, just much smaller and have different markings.

A 4 lber would be a big grass...that size sounds more like a chain...it's hard telling.

bm

[timsfly]

I think that must have been a chain pickerel. I don't think grass pickerel ever get that big, but that must have been some fun, I've caught a few chain pickerel and they are fun, but I've caught a bunch of these grass pickerel out of flat creek when were young, they love beetle spins.

[PSUWill]

I have fished crane for over 20 years, and have never caught grass pickerel before, I caught one on wednesday and one on thursday, anybody else ever catch one over there. I have caught several on flat creek, but never on crane, they fight pretty good for there size and their teeth are sharp. I caught one in the lower conservation area and the other one further down. Here are a couple of pics.

http://s171.photobucket.com/albums/u294/ti...nt=goodpick.jpg

http://s171.photobucket.com/albums/u294/ti...2ndpickerel.jpg

A friend took me to Crane Creek for a few hours. We fished near the dairy farm and then in town. I ended up catching 2 grass pickerel and had 2 others at the bank trying to eat my jig. That was my first time on Crane, guess I will see what happens next time. That was Dec. 13.

[timsfly]

I caught another pickerel a few weeks ago, about 12" long, just below the dairy farm.

First one I've caught in a while.

What time of the year do they spawn ? I wonder if they move up to the riffles to

eat the rainbow eggs during the spawn ?

The one I caught was in great shape.

Caught it on a olive woolybugger.