Tritonvt, Wish I could give you some advice on how to catch them. Other than a couple of nice ones caught on minnows at Santee-Cooper a few yrs. ago, I haven't caught any since I was a kid. I caught those on bass lures while fishing a state owned 3-4 acre pond.
I do have a theory as to why they might be so spooky. I'm probably all wet on this but I have given it some thought. I belive that fish, particulary late in the season, get conditioned to certain stimuli(baits, smells,sounds etc.) I believe this is especially true in small, heavily fished areas where there is catch and release. If a fish is caught and released, basic animal psychology says they will try to avoid similar situations. I notice this in my pond with the channel cats. They've been caught enough to know the smell of steel(hooks) and other "baits". As a result, they are hard to catch.
With pickerel, they are visual and sound hunters. They could associate fishing "sights" and "sounds" with a previous unpleasant experience.
Again, my theory could be totally wrong. In the great North, I've seen pickerel's cousin, the pike, take bait after bait.(sometimes the same fish) Of course that has been early in the season when they are extra aggressive.
Also, the large amonut of young YOY bass, sunfish might explain their refusal to attack.
