Maryland's Who's who!

[fishwizzard]

I fish from the Mill up to the first set of falls a few times a year.  There are smallies in there in decent numbers, but I have never really gotten one of any real size.  Above the fall is nice as well, but takes more scrambling to fish well.  

 

The patapsco river is also full of smallies and has a ton of spots to access it from.  

[GOOCHY]

Thanks for the insight, guys. If anybody else has any other recommendations around Crofton/Odenton/Bowie/Annapolis I'm all ears.

[fishwizzard]

So I have been giving swimbaits a bit of a go and on Friday got my first hit on a Hudd Gill.  Sadly the fish shook off right as I was reaching for her.  While I was standing there looking at where my bass disappeared I saw my line moving off, grabbing the rod again I hooked and began to land the same bass, who had grabbed the lure sitting on the bottom.  But again she shook off.  

 

I am trying to be more fearless about throwing swimbaits, but I don't think I am ready for an exposed hook yet, but man losing that fish twice was really annoying.  

 

It less annoying news I am learning to really love chatterbaits.  Now that I have a heavy rod I can fish them on without shaking my wrist off, I am really getting into them.  Got this guy yesterday on one yesterday morning. 

 

I switched ponds and picked up six around this size;

Which is not impressive in and of itself, but what is impressive is that they all came from the same wacky rigged senko!

Sadly the senko went flying off on the next cast and resulted in a nasty backlash.  I have been fishing wacky rig senkos on a casting combo for a few months now but this is the fist time that happened.  I called it a day and went to try a new bbq place in Brandywine.  It's called Texas 202 and oh man it is good.  Maybe the best texas-style sausage I have found around here and the brisket was great as well.  It's a bit out there but well worth the drive.  

 

9 hours ago, GOOCHY said:

Thanks for the insight, guys. If anybody else has any other recommendations around Crofton/Odenton/Bowie/Annapolis I'm all ears.

 

This is the area I fish, send me a PM to remind me and I will send you some spots tonight.  I have never found a great spot, but have a few decent ones I can share. But in general around here, google maps is your friend.  Most every pond in a park has some bass in it and there are a few private but unposted spots as well.  

[patred]

15 hours ago, GOOCHY said:

Do you guys have any input on fishing for smallmouth in the Little Patuxent? I read somewhere that there's a pretty good pool up near the Old Savage Mill. Really trying to stake out a few spots that I can fish from land until I can find room for a kayak.

It's a good pool but there is always someone fishing there.  I went during lunch on a Wednesday afternoon last November.  About 45 degrees out and there were three people fishing there!  So I usually try and fish anywhere but there.

I've gotten three or four 15" smallmouth in the Little Patuxent.  On the Maryland DNR Angler's Log a couple years ago, someone said they caught one that was 17".

Pat

[BigTerp]

For those of you that fish the Conococheague, what would you consider a safe level to wade? Planning on wading it Saturday morning with a buddy. Forecasted to be over 3' Saturday morning. Don't know what to expect with the water levels like I do on the river.

[fishwizzard]

On 7/16/2017 at 5:11 PM, MountainMan83 said:

 During the summer when the grass is tall, it's tick city. My buddy and I had over 20 ticks a piece on us last year during this time. 

 

That describes every good spot I know of around here. 

 

Observed an odd thing the other day.  I decided to hit the North Track of Pax Refuge and at one of the ponds I observed 3 different pairs of large bass sitting in very shallow open water right up at the bank in different spots around the pond.  It was like 90 out and cloudless.  I assume the spawn is long over and I was consistently catching other bass throwing lures way up under shaded cover and under pads, which is what I expected.  When I noticed the shallow bass I would cast to them and they would hit the lure violently, but I was unable to hook any of them.  Any idea what was going on? 

 

 

[Steveo-1969]

1 hour ago, Bunnielab said:

 

That describes every good spot I know of around here. 

 

Observed an odd thing the other day.  I decided to hit the North Track of Pax Refuge and at one of the ponds I observed 3 different pairs of large bass sitting in very shallow open water right up at the bank in different spots around the pond.  It was like 90 out and cloudless.  I assume the spawn is long over and I was consistently catching other bass throwing lures way up under shaded cover and under pads, which is what I expected.  When I noticed the shallow bass I would cast to them and they would hit the lure violently, but I was unable to hook any of them.  Any idea what was going on? 

 

 

 You fell asleep on the pond bank and dreamed it? You overindulged in hallucinogenics?

[fishwizzard]

Neither of those options are out of the question, but my friend saw them too!  

 

 

[Deleted account]

6 hours ago, Bunnielab said:

 

That describes every good spot I know of around here. 

 

Observed an odd thing the other day.  I decided to hit the North Track of Pax Refuge and at one of the ponds I observed 3 different pairs of large bass sitting in very shallow open water right up at the bank in different spots around the pond.  It was like 90 out and cloudless.  I assume the spawn is long over and I was consistently catching other bass throwing lures way up under shaded cover and under pads, which is what I expected.  When I noticed the shallow bass I would cast to them and they would hit the lure violently, but I was unable to hook any of them.  Any idea what was going on? 

 

 

 

I know it doesn't seem to make sense, but they are spawning (or at least think they are). I see this regularly in ponds and small lakes in this general area. I have a theory, but who knows.

[BrianinMD]

Spawn is way over....there are just some fish that stay shallower than others. If they have cover close by, food, and dissolved oxygen some will stay there

[bartsimpson]

Hi guys,

 

Not only new to this thread but completely new to fishing. And when I say new I mean brand new just bought my first fishing pole and everything yesterday. Have a few questions if you guys don't mind!

 

I went to Lake Needwood today, have also heard good things about Clopper Lake and Little seneca. I'm assuming the best times to go are early morning and early evening? I know the Potomac River is good but is there such thing as places for beginners on the river? I feel sort of intimidated going there not knowing what to do at all.

 

Are there any other spots to go to around the Gaithersburg area? Has anyone ever fished Lake Inspiration/Nirvana up near Kentlands?

 

Thanks in advance guys and I'm excited to start fishing!

[fishwizzard]

11 hours ago, bartsimpson said:

I know the Potomac River is good but is there such thing as places for beginners on the river? I feel sort of intimidated going there not knowing what to do at all.

 

 

I got into bass fishing on the C&O canal around Potomac MD.  It is a great bass fishery when the water is high and clear.  It is so-so when it is high and stained and pretty awful when it is low.  The canal is great as there is a huge amount of cover and structure to cast to, parts of it look like they were designed as largemouth habitat.

The part from Swain's Lock up to Riley's Lock is a great place to start.  The water level issue is a pain for me as I am like an hour plus away, but if you are close it is worth it to stop by to check.  The recent rains will have it very muddy from runoff but in a day or so it should be good to go.  

[RockvilleMDAngler]

On 7/22/2017 at 11:01 PM, bartsimpson said:

Hi guys,

 

Not only new to this thread but completely new to fishing. And when I say new I mean brand new just bought my first fishing pole and everything yesterday. Have a few questions if you guys don't mind!

 

I went to Lake Needwood today, have also heard good things about Clopper Lake and Little seneca. I'm assuming the best times to go are early morning and early evening? I know the Potomac River is good but is there such thing as places for beginners on the river? I feel sort of intimidated going there not knowing what to do at all.

 

Are there any other spots to go to around the Gaithersburg area? Has anyone ever fished Lake Inspiration/Nirvana up near Kentlands?

 

Thanks in advance guys and I'm excited to start fishing!

 

Needwood, Clopper, and Little Seneca are all good but really fish better from a boat. If you are fishing exclusively from shore then the kentlands ponds are your best bet. Throw a senko and a popper and you will catch plenty of fish. The big kentlands pond next to the office building is technically off-limits but if you stay off the shoreline where the office and parking is then you should not be bothered. 

[fishwizzard]

Got another early morning bass on a chatterbait.  

 

I am really getting some confidence with them now, they are really taking the place on spinnerbaits for me.  

 

I also saw this sign at Allen Pond.

If they nuke the pond I am gonna be pretty ticked.  I spent a little time casting around the shallow pads but didn't get a hit.  

[Winniethemu]

Thanks so much for the help BunnieLab and RockvilleMDAngler!

[Fried Lemons]

Various fish I caught over the past month. All caught along the C&O canal or the Potomac parallel to the canal. It's been tough overall.

 

 

[fishwizzard]

Nice dude.  

 

My nephew is visiting next week and I had wanted to take him to the canal.  He is becoming quite the little catfisherman so I wanted to give him a shot at the Potomac while also letting him try going for a bass.  Sadly I think the rain is going to rule that out, hopefully somewhere around here will be fishable by midweek.   

[Fried Lemons]

4 hours ago, Bunnielab said:

Nice dude.  

 

My nephew is visiting next week and I had wanted to take him to the canal.  He is becoming quite the little catfisherman so I wanted to give him a shot at the Potomac while also letting him try going for a bass.  Sadly I think the rain is going to rule that out, hopefully somewhere around here will be fishable by midweek.   

Flood stage is actually a good time to target large cats. The river gets kinda dead where I fish when the water gets too low and hot. I plan on getting out there this Sunday.

[Fried Lemons]

Got out on the river looking for flatheads around flooded cover. Got 2 big bites for the day.

17lber

Just barely failed to break 30lbs. Beat my old pb by about 8 pounds. Just glad I beefed up my tackle, there was a submerged boulder that the fish tried its best to break the line on.

[fishwizzard]

Dude that is amazing. What kind of tackle did you get them on?  

 

 It looks like I am going to take my nephew out there tomorrow, but the water looks a little high to have him scrambling around the rocks, so I think we are going to try for bass in the canal and if that isnt working try for cats from shore.  

[Fried Lemons]

65lb braid and 80lb leader on a conventional setup. May seem like overkill but even smaller fish can quickly fray through lighter line on all the submerged rocks.

[fishwizzard]

Interesting, I have a 5'6" boat rod rated to like 1.5oz that I have used for a little catfishing, but have maybe caught a cat half the size of your small one there on it.  I guess a frog rod should work good enough, assuming I can get away with a light enough sinker.  

 

More chatterbait fish.  I have gone from skunking at that spot 9/10 times to always getting at least one bass per trip.    My record is only three in one day and that was an all day grind, but it's nice to be able to consistently catch my one.  

 

I also fished a new spot today and like a lot of the small park ponds around here, it looks like a shallow featureless bowl with a soft muck bottom.  My usual approach is to walk the bank and fish the shoreline about 3-8' out, stopping to cast to any structure I can see or suspect is there.  I have tried bottom contact lures cast out to the center but even with a hopping retrieve I find that my jig/worm gets loaded with muck about half way through the retrieve and then I can't feel anything.  I will catch the occasional fish by running a chatterbait/spinnerbait/swimjig/etc right off the bottom, but it has a very low rate of return and isnt much fun.  Anyone have a favorite way to fish this water? 

[Fried Lemons]

Took a quick trip after work to a wade spot on the potomac. Water was very stained and about a foot above normal for the summer. I didn't go far as there was a threatening thunderstorm a couple miles to the west. Caught a 12" then missed the next two bites from the front eddy on a ledge. Third time I managed to connect to a chunky 17.5" fish.

 

 

I got rained on soon after and the bite died down.

[Joshua Vandamm]

On 7/15/2016 at 11:33 AM, JeepFisher said:

Been fishing Lake Elkhorn mostly the last couple weeks.  Best has been a 2.3lber Elkhorn bass but I know there are some bigger ones in there.  Thinking about trying a pond /Lake to put my yak in this weekend.  Anyone have any recommendations?  Thinking about trying Lake Roland as its been a few years since the drainage. 

Hypothetical scenario For anyone familiar w Elkhorn specifically:

...it's a mild (high 70s-80) sunny August afternoon (4-7 pm). Waters normal level maybe a little more stained than typically. You can only choose 2 lures...what 2 lures would you choose, what part(s) of the lake would you target?

 

Then repeat same question, but changed to evening (7-9pm)?

 

Thanks!!!

[fishangdood]

Dropshot and a slow crawled craw jig.  The association has been mowing the hydrilla so punching is pretty much at a minimal. 

Later on, I'd run a spinnerbait or Chatterbait along with a topwater like a torpedoe.