Chain pickerel facts for kids
The chain pickerel (scientific name Esox niger) is a type of freshwater game fish. It's known by other names too, like Grass pickerel or Jack. This fish is the smallest member of the Esox family, which also includes bigger fish like pike.
Chain pickerel are originally from rivers and streams along the Atlantic and Gulf Coast of the United States. They have also been moved to other places, including the Great Lakes like Erie and Ontario. You can usually find them in shallow, weedy parts of lakes, streams, and rivers. They are "ambush predators," meaning they hide and then quickly attack anything that swims close by. They mostly hunt during the day.
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What Does a Chain Pickerel Look Like?
The chain pickerel has a body shape like a torpedo, similar to its relatives, the Muskellunge and Northern pike. However, it has special markings that make it easy to tell apart. Its body is usually yellowish or greenish, covered with a dark, chain-like pattern. This pattern is how it got its name!
Like other pike, it has a forked tail fin and a long, pointed head. Chain pickerel also have a dark bar right under each eye. Their eyes are yellow or yellowish. These fish can live for up to 10 years.
Where Do They Live and What Do They Eat?
In places where there are no Northern pike or Muskies, you might find many chain pickerel. They really like shallow areas with lots of weeds or sunken trees and branches. They also like man-made structures like dock pilings or rocky areas.
Pickerel hide and then surprise their food. They eat other fish, frogs, crayfish, and even small mammals. Younger pickerel eat aquatic insects and small Crustacea. When winter comes, adult pickerel move to deeper water where it's warmer.
Chain pickerel start to lay their eggs when the water gets to about 50 degrees F. Unlike other fish in the pike family, their eggs are sticky. They stick together in long ribbons onto underwater plants. A female pickerel can lay up to 50,000 eggs! After laying their eggs, the adult fish do not stay to guard their young fry.
Fishing for Chain Pickerel
Chain pickerel are not as famous as some other game fish. Many people catch them by accident while trying to catch other fish. But they are quite popular with ice fishermen during the winter.
Chain pickerel are known for being strong fighters. If you hook one, you're in for an exciting battle! They will attack a live minnow or any lure that looks like a small fish. In Canada, a fish called 'walleye' is sometimes called 'pickerel', which can be confusing. But a walleye and a pike look very different.
The biggest chain pickerel ever caught weighed 9 pounds and 6 ounces. It was caught in Georgia in 1961. Most chain pickerel don't grow longer than 36 inches.
Images for kids
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The roof of a chain pickerel's mouth, showing several rows of angled, sharp teeth.
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A chain pickerel caught from Dyer Pond in Cranston, Rhode Island
See also
In Spanish: Esox niger para niños
