[2] Like all pikes, the redfin pickerel is an ambush predator, lying amongst thick vegetation in wait for smaller, more agile prey to enter within its range of attack.

[4] Because the redfin pickerel is an ambush predator, the fish prefers freshwater habitats with high visibility and dense vegetation or decaying organic matter in which to hide itself.

The mouth of the fish is located at the terminal position anterior of the snout and is lined with a series of long, conical teeth that can be used to capture fast moving prey.

[7] The redfin pickerel engages in a polyandrous style of mating, in which one female scatters her eggs among the vegetation while multiple males will release their milt in the water surrounding it.

[5] The pickerel fills the role of apex predator in its small, shallow, aquatic environment, feeding on smaller fishes, crayfish, and insect larvae.

As it eats smaller fish and other animals that have been exposed to harmful substances, the chemicals, particularly environmental mercury, build up in the tissues of the pickerel.