Pickerel Lake

[eelpout#1]

Does anyone know if there are special regs on Pickerel Lake, the one over by Maine. Last year they were talking about special catch and release largemouth and smallmouth regs. Can't find in the D.N.R. reg if they did or not?

[island guy]

There is new regs on Pickerel regarding smallmouth. Don't have it in front of me. Should be in the manual otherwise posted at the access or call DNR.

[eelpout#1]

thanks island guy, fished there last night. all largemouth or smallmouth 12 inches or larger immediate release with one over 20 inches allowed to keep. I sat on a shore point within casting distance from shore and caught a smallmouth every cast for 15 minutes. what a blast. biggest was 15 inches, but what a load of fish. moved over 20 yards and it was largemouth as fast as you could pull them in. there is evidently no shortage of largemouth or smallmouth on that lake. kept one 17 inch walleye to eat.

[Hoffer]

eelpout #1 If you get a chance give me an e-mail at [email protected]

I grew up on pickeral and it has realy turned into a smallie fishery I guess. i wanted to pick your brain on what you used and where....My folks still liveout there and i will be there this weekend. When I grew up on the lake it was strictly walleyes, you could pick up a largemouth by accident - and some decent sunnies sometimes. There are also very nice crappies out there on the sunken islands - hard to find them but when you do they are all nice size - over 12 inches easy.

Thanks-

Hoffer

[Crankbait_Guy]

Maybe the moodiest lake I ever fished. I've had days when you could keep fish off the line, all species, and other days when it seemed as if there was no fish in the lake.

It's either really good or really bad.

I've killed smallies out there, but the last year it has been kind of tough, at least the few times I've been able to get out there.

[Pig_sticka]

I fished the lake a bunch of years ago. Fishing for sunfish in one of the smaller bay areas near a drop-off. Using waxies and small jigs all the sudden a school of walleyes came in and me, my dad, and my uncle ended up catching around 6-8 walleyes in about a minute, then they just dissapeared. Very weird but very welcome. I ended up for most the run grabbing the fish and putting them into the livewell and I ended up missing the very short time they bit, but thats how it goes I guess. I believe we ended up fishing around for bass and whatnot but I dont remember any smallies.

[tacklebox7FF]

We have a cabin on the north side. My grandparents have had it for over 50 years.. I've fished that lake ever since I was a kid. It used to be a pretty good walleye lake, but for no reproduction taking place its hard for it to sustain numbers... Good some years and other years not so great... Smallie action is pretty good.. there are some nice smallies in there.. I've caught a few that were 5 or bigger.. Largemouth just started to come back in some good numbers recently also. With the regulations the lake should be a good bass fishery or better one. The Pickerel Lake association agreed with the DNR to make the lake a bass fishery a couple years ago and it's a pretty good one for some catch and release..

[jcfishr]

Where could a person find a list of other C&R bass fisheries in the state?

[tacklebox7FF]

well your best bet is to find someone that's on the lake's association and ask them.. Some lakes don't have an association board and the DNR runs em.. but usually bigger lakes have an association where the people vote on what to do in order to inprove the lake, but still a majority decision is done by the dnr.. So you could stop by the DNR office they might tell ya... other than that I have no clue..

[Fish'n guy]

I remember fishing the lake as a youngster and the walleye fishing was fantastic. I caught my first walleye out of there and it turned out to be five pounds and although I have caught several bigger ones since that one went on the wall.

We always used to stay at Shady Nook resort and man was that fun. Big smallies and the cleanest water to relax in the lake in!!! Wish I could go back.

GOOD FISHIN!!!!!!!!!

[Hoffer]

Yup- shady nook is gone and so is Lolls at the other end. Lolls area just got anhiliated by the winds that came by a few weeks back - almost unrecognizable for all the trees that went down. The lake has always been pretty clear - when I grew up there you could seriously see bottom in 16 feet of water - not that clear now - but still pretty nice. We always caught walleye growing up around 1 to 2 hours before sundown. Sometime just still fishing with a leach - i remember coming in with a few stringers with my friend - we were maybe 11 or 12 and my folks let us take the old hand made pontoon out and fish till dark by ourselves - pretty cool growing up that way. I hope the smallie guys are releasing the fish they catch. Last weekend my neighbor caught a 29 inch walter out on the "island" and about the same time a year ago caught a 30. I went out the same night and caught 2 bullheads!