So I gave up on the Catalpa worms and switched to a silver rattle trap. I Landed a few nice crappie and much to my surprise a pickerel! Are these common in east Texas? I've caught many of these up in Pennsylvania, but never knew them to be in the south. Forgive me if this is a dumb question, Im from Georgetown, but have fished all over the state and this is the first one I've ran into down here.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/cpk/

Noticed this by one of our posters
http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/warmwater-articles/211-fly-fishing-chain-pickerel-rob-woodruff.html

[This message has been edited by ursusguy (edited 4/29/2012 10:48p).]

I've caught a couple when I was a kid in lakes and ponds in east TX. Chain pickerel. They like cooler weather.

The meat should be really white like a crappie so enjoy!

Caddo and Lake O' the Pines have them. DaingerfIeld State Park is also supposed to have some. I also caught some in the Okefenokee Swamp. The locals there called them Jack fish.

Funny ... reading this thread made me remember seeing them at Lake O' the Pines when I was a kid.

I'd forgotten about that.

More Pickerel in East Texas and North Louisiana than most people know. Just about any water in the Red River, Sulphur River and Caddo Lake/Cypress Bayou system has them. Plus, they have been carried into other nearby places by bait bucket biologists. Daingerfield State Park is loaded and Lake Hawkins, Lake O'pines and Pat Mayse have some big ones. I guide about a dozen trips a year in Jan. & Feb. for people wanting to catch Pickerel on a fly rod.

I didn't know you were Woodruff's guide service.. my dad keeps a trailer at Fork and spends about 3 days a week there. I have seen your ads and had no idea that was you, cool.

I use to catch them at Toledo Bend back in the 70's. IIRC they were stocked shortly after the lake filled in the late 60's.