Pickerel Lake

How big is Pickerel Lake?

How deep is Pickerel Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Pickerel Lake?

What are the closest cities to Pickerel Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Pickerel Lake?

Pickerel Lake is managed for Northern Pike, with a long range goal of maintaining a minimum gill net catch of 3.5 fish/set, with some fish over 25 inches present. This was the first of two assessments scheduled in the 2013 lake management plan as part of extended evaluation of a special regulation covering Northern Pike in Little Cascade Lake, in Cook County.

Northern Pike were fairly abundant in Pickerel Lake in 2017, and some fish up to 25 inches in length were present. Management goals for Northern Pike in this lake were met. The 2017 gill net catch was similar to catches seen in 2010 and 2012, and was within the normal range for this type of lake. The mean weight for Northern Pike taken in gill nets was similar to means observed in Pickerel Lake since 1998, and fish over 25 inches in length were collected in gill nets and trap nets. Eight naturally-produced year classes contributed to the 2017 catch, although a strong 2012 year class accounted for most of the fish taken. Growth had apparently been slow; fish reached a mean length of 22.0 inches at the end of their fifth year, compared to an area average of 24.6 inches.

Pickerel Lake was chosen to serve as a control in the evaluation of a special regulation applied to Little Cascade Lake in 2003, because it (like Little Cascade) had a reputation for producing some larger pike, and because fish communities in the two lakes were similar. The regulation was intended to improve Northern Pike population size structure in Little Cascade Lake, and was part of a larger statewide effort to test a variety of regulations. Standards for success of the Little Cascade regulation were an increase in the proportion of larger fish in Little Cascade, or a stable proportion of large fish in Little Cascade if the proportion of large fish in Pickerel Lake declined. So far neither standard has been met. Assessment results in Little Cascade Lake through 2017 have shown at best a minimal increase in the proportion of larger fish present in gill net catches, but no increase in spring trap net catches. Over the same period we have seen no decline (and perhaps a small increase) in the proportion of larger Northern Pike in gill net catches in Pickerel Lake.

As has been the case in the past, forage for Northern Pike in 2017 was provided by Yellow Perch and White Sucker. Gill net catches for both species were within normal ranges for the lake class, and for this lake historically. All Yellow Perch taken in 2017 were small, and would have provided little angling opportunity. All the White Sucker collected in 2017 were fairly large; all would have been too large to have been taken by any but (perhaps) the largest Northern Pike in the lake.

Are there any state parks near Pickerel Lake?