Appalachian/Mid Atlantic suggestions

[Nai]

I live in Northeastern Md and usually go a few times a year to places I love anywhere in a 9 hour radius of me. I usually go down into WV or western MD, on the Greenbrier river, Harpers Ferry, and any of the lakes in G county on camping trips in spring and fall, as my dad doesn't care much for the snakes and skeeters, even though he has to deal with them anyway. Kinda weird since arguably other than fall the best time to go camping is the summer. Anyways, Is there any good lakes/rivers that I should hit? Ive looked at a lot, and have done a lot of online lurking. I could go southern or Northern, but NY tends to be pricier and colder in the cooler seasons. I know the new is really good, as are the others Ive fished, but Spring I tend to not be able to find the bigger fish out there. Im open to anything, just other than salt. Merry Christmas all, please bestow great advice upon me

[TnRiver46]

Winter is my favorite season for camping. As far as fishing, your possibilities are endless! I like multi day canoe float trips myself. Several tributaries of the Tennessee River offer good fishing and seclusion

[Nai]

21 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Winter is my favorite season for camping. As far as fishing, your possibilities are endless! I like multi day canoe float trips myself. Several tributaries of the Tennessee River offer good fishing and seclusion

Your crazy dude. I guess its different in TN but I dont think you'd catch one sane person (except maybe hunting trips) going camping in the winter in or near MD. Thank you for your suggestion, Ill have to see how far it is. Good ol Tenn is a little further than my family would like to go, but Ill still check it out for sure. I love drift trips, and kinda the whole reason of this question was to get some more ideas to add as over the past couple years I've clocked in over 50 hours in researching and lurking for cool spots and good places. Merry Christmas, hoped you got some fishin goodies

[TnRiver46]

4 minutes ago, Nai said:

Your crazy dude. I guess its different in TN but I dont think you'd catch one sane person (except maybe hunting trips) going camping in the winter in or near MD. Thank you for your suggestion, Ill have to see how far it is. Good ol Tenn is a little further than my family would like to go, but Ill still check it out for sure. I love drift trips, and kinda the whole reason of this question was to get some more ideas to add as over the past couple years I've clocked in over 50 hours in researching and lurking for cool spots and good places. Merry Christmas, hoped you got some fishin goodies

Haha yeah it’s usually 40 or 50 degrees all winter. Summer camping you wake up in a puddle of your own sweat. How far away is a giant smallmouth destination like maybe Erie, PA? 

[Nai]

7 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Haha yeah it’s usually 40 or 50 degrees all winter. Summer camping you wake up in a puddle of your own sweat. How far away is a giant smallmouth destination like maybe Erie, PA? 

Eries a little closer, and I fish the lower susky and PA so a license isn't a issue. I just dont know, deep smallmouth are not something I really do or am really any good at. I might not bring my boat anyway and just a yak so idk if I could even do it. Theres tons of good lakes and good rivers in western MD, VA, WV, and PA. Its just going in the spring (especially in may) is such a hail mary that its like a role of the dice if the fish are not super difficult to locate. Ive had success on a couple rivers, but I just dont really like hyping myself up anymore because in the mountains (especially in May) the fish are just so weird to what Im used to. NY is an option to, but ive never even really fished there so idek what would be a good place since NY will be colder usually. Ive done so much online snooping too but its just a crap shoot. Ill end up somewhere in WV or VA probably so idk. Id definitely like to fish Tennessee one day. Theres a lot of good small largie lakes in southern WV but most arent too close to lodging or a campground. Theres just so many options that the fishing part of my head just overheats thinking of all the different things I could do and where would be the best place to end up. Enough rambling, Thanks again

[TnRiver46]

You remind me of my buddy David! He doesn’t sleep a wink the night before he goes fishing. I love the passion!!! Going in May can be tricky, middle of summer and middle of winter are much more predictable. You don’t like fishing deep for smallies? Oh man that’s my favorite....... I could go on and on about it for days, hopefully I will be catching deep smallies tomorrow 

[Nai]

50 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

You remind me of my buddy David! He doesn’t sleep a wink the night before he goes fishing. I love the passion!!! Going in May can be tricky, middle of summer and middle of winter are much more predictable. You don’t like fishing deep for smallies? Oh man that’s my favorite....... I could go on and on about it for days, hopefully I will be catching deep smallies tomorrow 

Its not that I dont like it, its that Ive never done it so I dont know how. Ive attempted for deep smallies on the susky and other rivers but usually catch my brown fish shallow (unless its a creek or something). Yeah dude, I love fishing alot, and I try to cherish good trips and possibilities a lot because I love smallies and I usually fish small lakes for lmbs so other than little creeks I dont get after em all that much (which Im trying to change this year).  Mays a good month for fishing, I usually dont get the best luck when going on these trips. I went to the Yough in western MD this year for a couple days and fished juice and caught one decent smallie. I went to the Greenbrier in WV last year for a week and only caught dinks. Spawning season and spring is good for small river smallies, I guess Im just stupid or always hit it at a bad time. Maybe I should just hit a lake                     

 

Sry for rambling, gn

[newbiedmv]

If your up for a 2 to three day drive. Guntersville Lake in AL. it's massive 72 miles long, boat ramps every mile. A freind lives down there and the winter fishing is great compared to MD. It MIGHT get down to 40 deg in Feb. Prices are very good around Huntsville and scottsbourgh. The park rents out John through pontoon boats ( but closed in winter). Very very little development, coves everywhere.

 

They have tournaments  there all the time and a lot of suicide power boat races. I'd be there now except for COVID