Chain pickerel Esox niger

How they feed

• Water45–80°F, best near 60°
• TideEither, as long as it moves
• MoonEither
• DepthUsually 3–15 ft

Scored against their own temperature range and tide preference first, then wind, weather and warnings. Solunar periods only break ties. How the score works

Season by state

• MarylandOct–Apr
• PennsylvaniaOct–May
• VirginiaOct–Apr
• DelawareOct–Apr
• New YorkOct–May

The Maryland, Delaware and Virginia months are the Chesapeake-region season. Everywhere else it is carried over by water temperature: a month counts at a spot when its usual water is in the range that marks the mid-Atlantic season (66°F and cooler), from the spot’s own gauge where it has one and an estimate from air temperature where it doesn’t. Each state lists the months that hold at half or more of its spots. Where the water temperatures come from.

Keep or release

• Delaware tidalno daily limitDelaware gamefish with no assigned size or creel limit; default rule applies — no closed season, no size limit, no possession limit.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Maryland non-tidal14" minimum · 5 a dayMaryland nontidal waters: 14" minimum, 5 a day (10 in possession), open all year. May not be used as bait.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Maryland tidal14" minimum · 10 a dayTidal waters: 14" minimum, 10/day. Open May 1–March 14 (closed to harvest mid-March through April during spawning).Tidal bay waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• New York15" minimum · 5 a dayNew York statewide: 15" minimum, 5 pickerel a day, May 1–Mar 15; closed Mar 16–Apr 30. Lake Champlain: any size, 10 a day, all year.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Pennsylvania18" minimum · 4 a dayPennsylvania inland: 18" minimum, 4/day, open year-round. Certain fish-culture lakes are catch-and-release Apr 1–May 31.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• Virginia non-tidal (VDWR)5 a dayVirginia statewide: 5 a day (chain pickerel and northern pike), no length limit. No daily limit on Lake Gaston and Kerr Reservoir.Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source
• West Virginia1 a dayWest Virginia: no minimum size, 1 a day (2 in possession).Non tidal waters · verified Oct 23, 2026 · source

Rules change, and they differ by state and often by water. Each spot page shows the limits for its own water. Chain pickerel are fished at spots in 5 states: Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia.