# what kind of fish is this.



## big buck down (Jan 12, 2009)

What kind of fish is this?

jpg.gif untitled..jpg (62.3 KB)


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## fishlipps1952 (Jan 12, 2009)

looks like a chain pickerel...a.k.a..."jackfish".....foul-tempered critters....toothy, too...


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## big buck down (Jan 12, 2009)

I thought it was a pike but it was caught in Coweta Co.  Where do jack fish live?


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## fishlipps1952 (Jan 12, 2009)

the first one i ever caught was in a pond in Adairsville about25 years ago.....and i know they're in Horton and Varner....and a ton of other places according to this article..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chain_Pickerel


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## shadow2 (Jan 12, 2009)

Yep that would be the chain pickeral or "jackfish".   They are some of the best eating fish if they are prepaired right.   I love them.


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## big buck down (Jan 12, 2009)

This fish was caught in B.T. Brown reservoir in Caweta Co.  Its about a 300-350ac water reservoir for the county.


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## Bowyer29 (Jan 12, 2009)

shadow2 said:


> Yep that would be the chain pickeral or "jackfish".   They are some of the best eating fish if they are prepaired right.   I love them.



Man, not many people eat em with all those bones, but they are good!


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## mach1351c (Jan 12, 2009)

i thought jackfish only had a few teeth


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## robbie the deer hunter (Jan 12, 2009)

Those are jacks or some people call them black fish.


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## Adirondacker (Jan 12, 2009)

See the line vertically through the eye? That identifies it as a chain pickerel. Have caught many of them. Caught a few in Hartwell and many when I lived in Upstate NY. Definitely don't want to lip those babies.  They are great fun to catch with a surface lure drawing them out of vegetative cover. The will hit savagely!


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## ugabowhunter (Jan 12, 2009)

Hands down, the best eating freshwater fish (I've never had walleye though). You got to "gash" the meat to break up the small bones so they crystalize when the hit the hot grease. Better eating that a sucker fish...now I'm hungry.

They are a blast to catch on topwater.


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## Shane B. (Jan 12, 2009)

big buck down said:


> I thought it was a pike but it was caught in Caweta Co.  Where do jack fish live?


Let's see varner ,griffin,horton,jw smith don't know about lucas


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## Shane B. (Jan 12, 2009)

Sometimes when you start catching alot of them ole toothy critters, them toads won't be far off.


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## big buck down (Jan 12, 2009)

I will have to try and catch one.  The pic is of my girlfriends brother after his wife caught it, she wouldn't touch it.  They came in the house saying they caught a pike and I said there was no way this far south but when I saw the pic I didn't know what to think.


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## fishlipps1952 (Jan 12, 2009)

catchin'  'em ain't hard...it's gettin' them unhooked that's the problem..lol

get a little white spinnerbait....3/8 oz or so...and some good needle nose pliers..


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## Old Dead River (Jan 14, 2009)

big buck down said:


> I will have to try and catch one.  The pic is of my girlfriends brother after his wife caught it, she wouldn't touch it.  They came in the house saying they caught a pike and I said there was no way this far south but when I saw the pic I didn't know what to think.



well essentially it is a pike. it's related to the northern pike though it doesn't grow as large. it's also called the "federation pike". morphologically it's very similar to the proper northern pike


central/south georgia mill ponds are eat up with jack


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## jinx1984 (Jan 14, 2009)

Rivers in the south havealot of them also. Around Nashville ga. and alapaha river. Use to catch them when I was a young lad. Good eating.


Oh yea it is a Jackfish!


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## Dixiesimpleman32 (Jan 14, 2009)

flintriver and griffin res have a load of them.


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## Hunter Haven (Jan 14, 2009)

They are in Lake Russell also... catch my fair share of them, although it has been a while since I boated one... seems like I catch them more during the fall???


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## Marks500 (Jan 14, 2009)

Supposedly They are in Jackson as well. John said he caught one at one of our Tournaments.


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## TheBishop (Jan 15, 2009)

Eufaula and Seminole are loaded with them.


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## dawg2 (Jan 15, 2009)

Yep chain pickerel.  Nice catch!


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## C Carter (Jan 15, 2009)

Jack fish


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## Badge 33 (Jan 16, 2009)

Chain Pickeral are stocked in alot of lake becaus the grow fast and are verry agressive.  They are a blast to chatch and put up a good fight.


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## shhfish (Jan 17, 2009)

*Pickeral*

Chain Pickeral


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## drenalin08 (Jan 18, 2009)

Where is Caweta county?I've heard of Coweta before but not Caweta. LOL


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## gnarlyone (Jan 18, 2009)

*jack/blackfish*

A jack and a blackfish are 2 different fish..not even close to the same...a blackfish is also called bowfin.....ole ugly prehistoric looking thing with a round tail.


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## letsemwalk (Jan 18, 2009)

chain pickeral for sure because we talked about this type of fish in my Natural Resources class.


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## scubanole (Jan 18, 2009)

A black fish is also called a mud fish.  Don't lip a black fish either


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## Lawnmowerman (Jan 19, 2009)

Shane B. said:


> Let's see varner ,griffin,horton,jw smith don't know about lucas



Haven't seen or caught any out of Lucas,, Yet, but the Gar in Lucas make up for em,,,,


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## ranger370 (Jan 19, 2009)

Caught one at Varner Sunday. Off the rip-rap at the bridge with a Bill Norman crankbait.


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## Chris S. (Jan 19, 2009)

shhfish said:


> Chain Pickeral



Thats a big ol' Jack right there.


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## oldfella1962 (Jan 21, 2009)

*Pike/pickerel/muskie*

Are all related. I've caught a lot of all three. There is also a "tiger muskie" which is a cross between a northern pike and a musky - beautiful fish.

Try pickling pickerel yet? Research some fish pickling recipes. The vineger cures the meat, and dissolves the bones. I pickled northern pike a lot in Wisconsin - it takes about 8 weeks or so to cure, but the wait is worth it! 
I mean it's as good as the pickled herring you get in the grocery store!


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## Old Dead River (Apr 14, 2009)

yes they are all related. it's no coincidence that they look so much alike. 




oldfella1962 said:


> Are all related. I've caught a lot of all three. There is also a "tiger muskie" which is a cross between a northern pike and a musky - beautiful fish.
> 
> Try pickling pickerel yet? Research some fish pickling recipes. The vineger cures the meat, and dissolves the bones. I pickled northern pike a lot in Wisconsin - it takes about 8 weeks or so to cure, but the wait is worth it!
> I mean it's as good as the pickled herring you get in the grocery store!


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## Avery3 (Apr 14, 2009)

Most lakes around GA have jackfish/pickeral. West Point is loaded with them. Since someone brought up the bowfin, man those things are ugly. I caught one out of Jackson a few years ago up the river. I didn't know what the heck it was, I thought a catfish had got busy with an eel or something.


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## fburris (Apr 14, 2009)

LOL! I thought everyone has caught Jack's before. They are in alot of rivers and creeks. I don't know where they came from, but I do not believe they get stocked at all. They are very aggressive and put up a good fight. They are related to the Pike, but it isn't a Pike. I have caught them some every year on spinnerbaits for the past thirty years. I always catch alot more in the rivers and creeks I fish than in the lakes.


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## shortround1 (Apr 14, 2009)

big buck down said:


> What kind of fish is this?
> 
> jpg.gif untitled..jpg (62.3 KB)


chain pickerel


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## HacksawJimWagons (Apr 14, 2009)

robbie the deer hunter said:


> Those are jacks or some people call them black fish.



a blackfish is a totally different fish...


and its black..


what kind of Georgia Fisherman has never seen a Jack Fish?


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## dpoole (Apr 14, 2009)

best eating fish that swims!!!!  must gash him though.


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## Cameron197 (Apr 14, 2009)

I've never caught one, but have seen them. Had one chase a crank bait at Varner onetime but was able to get it back to the boat before he tore it up.


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## sbfowler (Apr 14, 2009)

I've started catching these regularly in the Bussey Point area of Clarks Hill on plastic worms, rattletraps and crankbaits. They're a blast!


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## Mlrtime (Apr 14, 2009)

They're right! It's a Jack. They love the same type areas as bass, especially grassy areas. They're fast and will hit anything fast and shiny! They will ruin a Rapala or any wooden similar wooden lure with their teeth. They are decent eating if you score the meat so the star bones cook up. Be careful of the gill plates! They will slice your hands up!


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## stev (Apr 14, 2009)

looks like a northern pike,but its a jack down here


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## Howard (Apr 14, 2009)

*Jack/Blackfish*

Jack and Blackfish    Yes they got plenty of teeth


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## Howard (Apr 14, 2009)

Thats what the look like here.... isnt there a such a thing as a redfin Pick. ?


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## Mlrtime (Apr 14, 2009)

Mudfish, Bowfin or Grennel, all the same thing. You do not want to reach down in among the pads and lip this fish. You might just lose that thumb. Have heard of grinding em up to make into fishcakes but I'm not ready for that just yet.


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## Mangler (Apr 15, 2009)

Been catching quite a few of them on Clark's Hill too. Very aggressive, fun fish. Just watch out for them teeth! My son almost "lipped" one a few years ago (he was 8). Luckily I was able to stop him before he did it!


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## mesocollins (Apr 17, 2009)

I love catching these on ultralight to medium action rods at my hunting club in Twiggs County. I use 6-8lb line with a 18-24" Red Cajun 12-14lb leader and a silver roostertail. They are so much fun to catch and taste so good!


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## deepwoods113 (Apr 17, 2009)

HacksawJimWagons said:


> what kind of Georgia Fisherman has never seen a Jack Fish?



been fishing my whole life in west ga./east alabama and never caught or seen one....didn't know they were so common


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## redneck83 (Apr 19, 2009)

we use to catch them in swamps around the house here in jackson county


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## fishtail (Apr 19, 2009)

Howard said:


> Thats what the look like here.... isnt there a such a thing as a redfin Pick. ?


Jack are the second best tasting freshwater fish.
Their little cousin the Redfin Pike (Pickerel) has much sweeter meat. Same bones and teeth, just smaller (usually not over 12") and dark bronze to black in color, their lower fins are tipped red in color. 
They are normally found in shallow running black water, sandy bottom creeks, covered with trees. Places where bullfrogs, stumpknockers and moccasins thrive.
The state record is only 2lbs 10ozs, but that is a huge one!


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## Davis31052 (Apr 19, 2009)

Houston Lake in Warner Robins is loaded with them too.


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## boohoo222 (Apr 19, 2009)

Chain Pickerel (Jackfish)
Elongated body with
chain-like markings
Sharp needle-
like teeth


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## bigtruck_bigtrouble (Apr 19, 2009)

Makes you think twice before going skinny dipping...


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## t.walls93 (Apr 19, 2009)

Mangler said:


> Been catching quite a few of them on Clark's Hill too. Very aggressive, fun fish. Just watch out for them teeth! My son almost "lipped" one a few years ago (he was 8). Luckily I was able to stop him before he did it!



I remember the first one i caught, i was about 7 or so, we were fishin off the bank, i ran ahead, found a good clay bottom point, started rippin a rooster tail, ended up with one of these on the line, and i DID lip it, i had band-aids on my thumb for a few days!


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