Chain Pickerel on Rayburn?

I’m a little behind posting this since my partner caught, what appears to be a Chain pickerel, about this time last year while we were fishing Rayburn. Has anyone else caught one of these out there?

Yes. Most folks in east Texas call them jackfish.

Wow I have never caught one or heard of anyone catching them at Rayburn.

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Used to hear of them being caught more often. Definitely more rare nowadays

Cool catch never knew they were in Texas

How did you catch it?

Three Lakes I know they are caught quite often are Caddo, Hawkins an Pines. They really like spinner baits.

About 6-7 years ago, on Rayburn, I caught several of them throwing a wacky Senko. Hadn't caught one before or since. I called them Minnie Texas Muskies & most thought I was crazy because they'd never see one.

If I remember, it was caught on a Chatterbait

My fishing partner caught 1 last year when we were fishing Rayburn. I had no idea what it was but he called it a Jackfish.

Caught them on Lake Tyler, Toledo, Rayburn, and horseshoe lake on Neches River

They tend to be more prevalent up north in the rivers and in the sloughs. Also in the back of the major creek/coves where there is lots of pads and grass. They LOVE fast moving baits! The current lake record is .55 lb for the Redfin Pickerel. So if anybody gets a decent sized one remember to weigh it and check it for a record!

I have caught several in southern Louisiana, none in Texas though. Cool catch thanks for sharing

Yeah, I miss those fish.

I caught one near San Augustine park that was 18-1/2" long on a spinner bait.

I've ran a lot of perch traps through the years for bait as well as seigning ditches and creeks.
There is hardly a body of water in SE Texas that does not have jackfish. Most are small like three inches are less.
They aren't as common as they used to be though either.

caught them in the creeks that feed the Neches and Angelina rivers before Rayburn was built.JACKFISH they will hit a small inline spinner and I have seen them up to 12inches long

You can catch them on Hawkins still......it feeds into Sabine so really any lakes on that chain doesn't surprise me

My dad caught one back in the mid 80's in a barrow pit in N. La. It was quite large, too. 14-16 inches and well over a pound.

I caught this beast of a pickerel on Caddo around a year ago or so. they love chatterbaits/spinnerbaits fished around hydrilla. I am not sure I have seen one bigger than this in Texas anyways. It was on the feed.

That's a pretty big one. Caught a few on Caney lake in Louisiana a few years ago. Cool fish!

Never caught one in Texas but get a lot in PA.

Mikey6345 has a nice one! If you think large mouth top water fishing is fun these things absolutely smoke buzz baits!

I have caught several in the Angelina and Neches river below rayburn in the old lakes above Dam B, that's the first I have seen in the lake itself though.

I caught a huge one on a weightless fluke several years ago on the north end of Pines. I saw a wake coming through the shallow water and grass and when I felt the thump I thought I had one of the bass I needed that day. Alas, just a jackfish...