Most of the lakes in the Pocono Mountains where I fish for pickerel are very shallow. Peck's Pond for instance is about 4 to 6 feet at the deepest. What better hunting grounds for raptors such as eagles and osprey, both of which apparently have a booming population? There aren't too many days up there where I don't see at least one of either species. At Shahola Falls, one of the more premier pickerel lakes in that area, they have large portions of the lake cordoned off to accommodate the eagles for nesting purposes. Many fishermen I talk to at Shahola have a big problem with that. Seems they feel that they are being cheated out of good fishing areas because of the prime locations that are put off limits. As a matter of fact, one disgruntled fisherman actually climbed up and destroyed an eagle nest. He was caught doing it and paid handsomely for it, and rightfully so. The way I see it, these propagation areas only help the fisheries by taking some pressure off the fish and help to let some achieve trophy size, not to mention helping the proliferation of the raptors. (Let the arguments begin!).
Regardless, the raptors are there, and they do, I believe, affect the behavior of the fish. I'd be willing to state that a good 25% of the fish that I catch in those two lakes have talon marks on their sides, clearly indicating a near miss by either an eagle or an osprey. I'm sure that any pickerel that has been lucky enough to escape his brush with "Death from Above" has to be a little leery about that sort of thing.
To watch these lofty fishermen at work is quite a treat. It actually seems almost violent the way they hit the water at a fairly high rate of speed… sure makes for a loud splash anyway. Osprey tend to be the more aggressive fishermen and it's been documented where osprey have actually broken wings in their high-speed dives (sometimes approaching 80 miles an hour). As a matter of fact, as majestic a bird as the American bald eagle is, they apparently have no problem with letting the osprey do the work of catching the fish. They then very un-majestically, will bully the osprey into dropping its catch and steal it, all in mid-air too, I might add. Quite the "purse snatchers" our national birds can be. Watching these birds work for a day, it's evident to see that their success rate is surprisingly low. Even when they do connect, I often see where the raptors will drop the fish. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that that's one "schooled" (and lucky) fish. Nothing like good old "negative reinforcement" to drive home a point! Can't say as I blame the fish for being a little skittish when my lures, or myself for that matter, cast a shadow across them and the fish scramble for cover.
That being said, I think that the fish get to feeling very exposed under certain conditions. In the spring, when the typical lily pad cover and weed growth is at its' minimum, and the raptors are not only feeding themselves, but their insatiable offspring, the pickerel will not be in any great numbers back in the shallow waters where, a month later, when the vegetation cover sets in, it'll be the hot spot. Also, even when you fish in the deeper waters (I'm talking all of 4 to 6 feet), unless there is some wind generated waves, the fish are much less aggressive. I think that the surface chop gives them a little better sense of security. Bright sun also has the same effect. I've been fishing on "partly cloudy" days and have seen the bite turn on and off as the clouds would temporarily obscure the sun, all within minutes. Couple a calm high noon spring day with a cloudless sky and you might as well sit back and work on your tan.
I'd be a little intimidated too… So, in the early spring, I'll stick to the deeper waters of the lakes and save those backwater "Hog Pens" as we call them, for when the cover is there.
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