Maryland's Who's who!

[Steve826]

Re: warm water discharges- I've fished Dickerson a bunch of times from shore without much luck. IMHO, it's a long, muddy hike to a crowded stretch of river without many good spots to fish, not to mention the crowds. I can deal with rough access, but not 30 carp fisherman crowding a small area. Just my opinion.

Anyone ever fish the WWD in Williamsport?

[basser89]

Depends on your timing Steve.    Yeah, I've been there plenty of times where its been all but shoulder to shoulder but I've had other times where I've had to whole place to myself and did well. Mostly in numbers but I've seen larger smallies come out of there as well. If its crowded at the discharge and the canal isn't frozen, that area can be very rewarding too!

I live in Williamsport, so yeah, I've fished there for several years now as well. Unless levels are up, there's not many places to fish if the discharge itself is crowded. I've seen that small area pretty close to shoulder to shoulder too.

I actually think there's more spots to fish at Dickerson than Williamsport.

[Steve826]

Maybe this winter I'll give Dickerson another try, on a weekday if possible, to stay away from the crowds.

If I remember correctly, water temps are usually high 40's-low 50's in winter there? I bet a suspending jerk would be a good lure to throw there.

Most people I know who fish that stretch have told me to stay south of where most people fish, as the mixture of cold and warm water is what the better smallies relate to. Most (maybe all) the fish I caught there came on grubs. I've heard tubes and jigs work well there as well.

[basser89]

Steve, I wish I could comment on the water temps but I can't seem to ever remember to take my thermometer with me when I go.  :-[  Weekdays are usually alot better but I've also gone early in the morning before on the weekends and been lucky a few times as well. Tubes and cranks have probably produced the best for me but I'm planning on throwing some spider grubs in there this winter as well. There's a couple key spots I try to hit (if fishing pressure allows) and they're all along that stretch. If the whole stretch is covered. I do know 2-3 spots down south of there that I can hit as well. The one spot is a hike though so I don't usually go there unless its absolutely unavoidable.

[MtAiryEd]

Steve:

>>Anyone ever fish the WWD in Williamsport?

What is the WWD?? Is that the power plant?  I just got a new jet boat and will be on the river a lot.  ..hitting Williamsport on Tuesday.

Ed

[BrianinMD]

Hey Ed,

WWD = Warm Water Discharge.

so yeah they are referring to the power plant.

[basser89]

Nice looking "ski" you have there in your avatar Ed!

Speaking of the WWD, I hit PEPCO this morning. Made it to the discharge about 7am and had the entire stretch to myself until 12! Managed 16 smallies and a largemouth.

Missed a decent one at your spot on the canal Brian. 

[MtAiryEd]

>>Nice looking "ski" you have there in your avatar Ed!

I just caught that one two weeks ago on the Potomac.  I finally got my new jet boat (rockproofboats.com) and I'm getting out a bit.

..hitting the Potomac on Tuesday, and upstream from Fort Hunter on Thursday or Friday.

[MtAiryEd]

That musky was a memorable fish. It was the first fish caught in my new boat, and, netted by my 80 year old Dad that was visiting from PA. He doesn't fish. I used to drag him out when I was young, but he tried his best on that day. About 10 minutes before we got the musky, he said "Com'on, I want to see what a musky looks like."

He saw it....43" and 21 lbs.

[basser89]

Congrats! That's a good musky for the Potomac! The best I've managed is a 45" 25 pounder I caught 2 years ago. It's been a bad year for me with the muskies, but I haven't been out much for them this year. What did you catch her on?

Nice looking boat you have there too!

[MtAiryEd]

I caught that musky on a Mania Magic Maker, firetiger in color, walkin' the dog retrieve. It's a good lure.

[BrianinMD]

To funny Basser89, yeah I love that tree, never seems to fail me. No matter how slow it is usually can get at least one fish there, unless I mess it up.

Nice rig there Ed, hopefully in spring I can get into a "new" boat myself. But will have to see how things work out. Mostly fish electric only lakes, with a couple trips to the Potomac. Not sure what I want yet.

[Basser714]

i got a huge smallie today at lunch time just north of fletchers boathouse. 18 inches that came in just under 3 pounds, a personal best. On an Orange Senko in current. I didnt feel anything, just the classic hmm the line seems real heavy. I was expecting a log.

[basser89]

Congrats on the new PB Basser714!

Stick baits caught the majority of my smallies yesterday. purple/white swirl being my top color. Rapala Fat Rap and BPS XPS Static Shad had the crankbait duties and a 4" tube completed the arsenal on sunday. They really turn on right after they started discharging!

Yeah Brian, I'd say within 10-15 yards of that spot is where my 2 biggest for that area came from. The water was a little off color and there's still some duckweed on top.

[Basser714]

thanks 89. i just had to run and tell the internets! I am not sure how big the smallies get north of chain bridge, but that 2.8 pounder was easily the biggest I have pulled out of the potomac this year. If you dont mind sharing whats the biggest you have pulled out of the upper this year? I am just wondering how he ranks compared to others this season.

Its funny on the cast before I landed him, i pulled in a branch. The fish felt the same, and then his mouth emerged at the surface, darn i was happy. I even let up at one point to see if I felt anything, but it just stayed heavy. I like the way the bigger fish are more mellow and laid back then their angry little brothers.

[BrianinMD]

714, congrats on the smallie!!!

18in is a real good fish for the upper potomac.

Hoping to get out myself next wednesday, its veterans day and working for the government I have the day off. I will be really happy to get an 18in smallie.

[basser89]

thanks 89. i just had to run and tell the internets! I am not sure how big the smallies get north of chain bridge, but that 2.8 pounder was easily the biggest I have pulled out of the potomac this year. If you dont mind sharing whats the biggest you have pulled out of the upper this year? I am just wondering how he ranks compared to others this season.

Its funny on the cast before I landed him, i pulled in a branch. The fish felt the same, and then his mouth emerged at the surface, darn i was happy. I even let up at one point to see if I felt anything, but it just stayed heavy. I like the way the bigger fish are more mellow and laid back then their angry little brothers.

Hey 714,

Sadly, it hasn't been a great year for me fishing the Potomac for smallies. I've only had the boat out (between Dam 3 and Dam 4) twice due to truck problems. So the majority of my smallie fishing has been done from shore. My best smallie so far this year is a 16" smallie. My "unofficial" best is one about 20". Can't truely count it because while I had her in my hand, she got away from me before I was able to get a tape on her and weigh her. :'(

Good luck if you make it out Brian! Unfortunately, I'll be working. :-/

[Basser714]

cool thanks for the feedback. The biggest ones me and my friends have pulled out this year look big... then you weigh them and to make a long story short, we havent even broken 2 pounds yet this year. So i was really happy to pull that fatty out, and even happier to hear he is one of the bigger out there this year.

of course, i snuck back there today on my lunch break and got shutout... like usual.

[wv]

Had Friday off and decided to try the power plant in Williamsport. Walked down shore line until I saw a sign that said restricted area...dam ahead...keep out. Turned around and headed down the towpath towards the dam area. Could hear guys working on the power plant. Walked down and saw a ditch from back of plant down to river. Saw a gate that was marked "Keep Out" basically. So I turned around and went on home. Was I any where near a spot to fish? Looked like I could go down a road for visitors but saw a fence and another gate. Any help? Thanks. Would have had the whole place to myself if I could have found a spot.

[basser89]

Had Friday off and decided to try the power plant in Williamsport. Walked down shore line until I saw a sign that said restricted area...dam ahead...keep out. Turned around and headed down the towpath towards the dam area. Could hear guys working on the power plant. Walked down and saw a ditch from back of plant down to river. Saw a gate that was marked "Keep Out" basically. So I turned around and went on home. Was I any where near a spot to fish? Looked like I could go down a road for visitors but saw a fence and another gate. Any help? Thanks. Would have had the whole place to myself if I could have found a spot.

Well shoot wv, you were there! All you needed to do was follow that path down around the plant and you were there! I usually park right there in the parking lot outside the plant and walk down around. The discharge is right there below the dam. The hole there isn't that big but if you have it to yourself and they're pumping, you can have a fair amount of action there.

[wv]

:-[ Thanks Basser. I guess I should have tried their parking lot. I take it the trench is where the warm water flows. I'll have to try another time...working six days next week.

[MskSlyr]

Basser714 that sounds like some nice smallies. There is a good area downstream from whites ferry for quality fall smallies. Basser89 and I have seen a few smallies over 5lbs out of the potomac so they are there just hard to find at times. 22 inches is my PB for the potomac and I have seen a few larger.

[Basser714]

thanks musky slayer. I have seen a few monsters from the boat, i'd guess they were 5 pounders. but seeing fish in water they always look bigger. The water magnification thing has always made me wonder what they really are. But i am very happy with my 2.8 pounder. But know there are bigger fish to be had.  Thanks for Whites Ferry tip.

[evanj]

hey guys i'm new to the forum. i fish in the upper potomac around rileys lock up to point of rocks, which is my personal favorite. the fishing there is really good and has been since the beginning of september with senkos. im pulling 20+ per 6 hour day, fishing from the shore, which a couple over 15 mixed in. my PB this year at point of rocks is a 21 inch 5.5 pound hog that kept ripping line off my reel in current (i tend to keep my drag semi-light). i fish from a kayak around the dickerson/monocacy river area, and from my dads boat around the rileys lock area up the the third island upstream and see good luck at the beginning of the third island. right now the water is moving really fast at point of rocks and i can't wait til it slows down a little so i can go!

[BrianinMD]

Welcome to the forums Evan!!!

I was at dickerson on sunday, got nothing out of the canal but did pretty well at the warm water discharge. No big ones, but got about 15 smallies in a couple hours, biggest was about 13inches.