One more species checked off

[bigirishllp]

Hello everyone, not new, but haven't posted in a good while... haven't done much fishing in a long while either for that matter.

I was pond hopping in the Appy Nat'l Forest this afternoon after work. Stopped at a bridge over a wide creek and was throwing a coneheaded wooley in black. Was hoping for big bream or small bass on the 4wt, and ended up with what I believe was a Redfin Pickerel. Didn't know they existed. First thought it was a chain pickerel which I've caught on spinning gear a couple of times, but this guy was all reddish brown, and red fins. Still not 100% though as he didn't have those "chain" markings on his sides. Anyone have any experience with them, or other ideas on what it could have been. Didn't have a camera with me to get a pick.... sorry.

[FHC]

good catch its a red fin pike and delicious

[CW2008]

I caught many redfin pike in the Alapaha River when I was a kid. Back before ATV's screwed up the serenity and you could get far enough away from folks to hardly be able to hear motors running. They are usually 8-10 inches - never measured but just guessing. Disinctive red fins. Pretty fish. I usually caught them in sloughs. I never ate any because my granddaddy always took those from me when he saw me wandering out of the swamp. I'd end up only keeping jack, "trout" (bass), stumpknockers and warmouth. He liked those butter cats too. (I let the ants and maggots keep the mud fish.) In the 80's the river dried up so badly that I wondered if any were still alive, but I caught one in a slough 15 or so years ago. My last trip back in there was disappointing, ATV tracks had created a relative freeway back to my "secret" spot. Anyway, nice catch.

[bigirishllp]

thanks Guys, this one went about 10 inches or so, but didn't weigh but maybe 1/4lb. Must take a stringer of them to make a meal!

[bman]

Sounds right--- My uncle used to fish some of the creeks for them.

[SS-342]

Yes Sir, you caught you something good to eat.

Years ago we hunted in the Forrest south of Tallahassee out of the Brown House Camp. I alway took a pole with me hunting and fished more that hunted. I caught most jiging on the surface with a white or pearl strip of bait.

Scale, gut and cut gashes about one half inches apart across the flesh down to the backbone. Meal and deep fry to a golden brown.