Maryland's Who's who!

[Munkin]

I have a 17' BassTracker with a 50 hp Suzuki prop motor. Is it safe to put this boat in above Dam 4? And how far will I be able to run up stream? Is there any other "safe" water above Dam 4 for a prop engine?

You can run for quite a ways as the water is deep. The furthest point I usually go is right past the Potomac Fish and Game Club. It is on the MD side and has its own dock and on the opposite side (WVA) there will be a big pumping station. Once you reach that point the water starts to get about 3' so you can run it just be careful.

As far as lures I would bring small tubes, finesse worms and especially hair jigs.

Allen

[MDbassinmike]

All this snow has put a hold on my plans to fish this week...I have a very long, narrow drive way to start off with and I have to back my boat all the way up.  It is now even thinner because of shovelling a path.  I am sure that I can get my boat out, but getting it back in is going to be a chore.  I don't know if it is worth it?

We really need a good rain to melt some of this stuff, but then again that will muddy up the Potomac and ruin the fishing!  What's a guy to do?

[Hellbenderman]

Seems things have slowed down a bit due to winter, but that only means spring is coming and I'm wondering what new techniques or lures you might be thinking about trying out. Last spring I discovered Evolution2 Jigs from MegaStrike. Not being a big jig fisherman, I decided to give one a try at Black Hills and was very very happy with the results. I fished it with a 4" Yum

Crawbug. After the fall or movement, the jig slowly rocks forward which raises the claws up into a defensive position and they wiggle, very slick. Be patient. I also used them in the lower Potomac and at Smith Mountain Lake with the same very very good results. No, I don't work for MegaStrike, but I highly recommend them to anyone who jigs. I set it aside when the weeds got up, but this year I'm going to keep using it into the summer and try ripping one through deep weeds in 15-20 feet like a trap. Something tells me a jig would be great used like that, but I have never...so, I'm going to. So, tell us what new thing you're going to try! Also if planning a spring trip, I highly recommend Smith Mountain Lake, 4.5 hours from Frederick. I have been four times in the last two years, from early April til the end of May and each time we had great success and if you get sick of LMs and SMs, you can fish for stripers. This is a lake you can show up at catch some great fish without a lot of prior lake knowledge. Great lake!

[basser89]

Mike, I feel your pain! No room in the driveway for my boat so it sits right out front on the street. Needless to say, mine's snowed in for a while til the 3' of snow piled up around it melts away.  :-/  Depending on the rain we get, it may not muddy up the Potomac too much. That last spike (5' up to 13.5') we had gave it some color but it was still fishable so there is hope!  ;D Still planning on getting out on foot a time or 3 yet before the year wraps up. Hoping to hit the warm water areas for smallies. I haven't made it out but a few times and have been striking out in December. So I'm looking forward to keeping my little monthly streek intact!

Hellbenderman, I've started prepping for the technique I want to work on next year. Drop shotting. I picked up a Quantum Energy spinning rod 7' MF and matched it up with a Quantum Tour spinning reel I bought off the flea market. I also got a few packs of Berkley hand pour worms, Maverick hand pours and Strike King 3X Elaztech finesse worms.  I'm mostly looking at bagging some smallies with it to start and we'll see what happens from there. Started messing around with the carolina rig as well back in the fall on the largemouth side too so I'll be boosting my confidence with it too.

Haven't made up my mind on any new destinations yet. Just mostly my local spots here in Maryland and a few up in PA as well. I will have my boat on Black Hills a few times in 2010 for sure!!!!

[wv]

Just want to wish all a Merry Christmas. I have really enjoyed being a member here. While my son and I are not the best of fishermen...we do enjoy it. As for new techniques, not sure what to try. We like the Yum Crawbugs. Not real up on the jig-type lures. We would really like to get our small(10 foot jon boat)in the water more. No motor other than a small(17lb-thrust Minn Kota)but think we can navigate the Shepherdstown, WV ramp area and the Williamsport, MD ramp area at least during the lower summer months. My favorite lure is the Jitterbug and have caught many largemouths in our local pond. I would like to hear how you guys keep from losing equipment on rocks in the Potomac...seems like we do a lot of that sort of thing. We're hoping to get out soon as the snow melts some and the weather isn't quite as chilly.

[Munkin]

Basser89= Drop Shot in the UP = Goggleyes, man they are all over that thing like stink on ****! The best place to use the DS is Black Hills or Rocky Gap.

WV = You should try fishing Cunnigham Falls, Greenbrier or Big Pool. They are all in Washington County, small electric only lakes that you can fish the entire lake in 8 hours.

Allen

[basser89]

Munkin, I know exactly what you're talking about! I was out this afternoon at the power plant at Williamsport and caught 3 of those little buggers while drop shotting! Can't even begin to guess how many hits I had.

wv, I'd say the majority of the baits I loose on the Potomac are while fishing from shore. In the boat, I don't loose quite as many. But a lure retriever has saved me a lot of money in crankbaits and jerkbaits! I'll second Munkin's suggestion on the lakes he listed. Big Pool is even one of my favorite little lakes to fish!

Speaking of washington county lakes, has anyone fished Blairs Valley lately? It's been over a year since I've fished there!

Merry Christmas to all the Maryland and surrounding area anglers! May Santa fill all your stocking with all the gear you need for the upcoming year!

[hjerk24]

Having fished the Potomac during the warmer months, I have never considered fishing it now, or in January.  First, is fishing the Potomac now, dooable, and 2nd, if it is, then where?  No hot spots needed, just general thoughts.  Would love to make a little road trip, should the weather balance out.

Thanks for any thoughts-

jamie

[BrianinMD]

hjerk24, the only places I know of on the upper potomac during the winter is two heated water discharge area's. There are other areas on the lower Potomac is you have a boat but I don't know anything about were they would be.

[hjerk24]

Thanks----sounds like guys get out , but just wondered, what/where kinda they might fish-being so cold and all.  Thanks for the reply.

[Hellbenderman]

Here's a little knowledge about Black Hills. My son graduated from The U. of Miami last spring and one of the things he learned while there and not studying school work, was spear fishing. So, last August, sun high over head, when no one was around or watching, we did a little underwater exploration. We went to the second cove on the left under the bridge. The one with standing trees from front to back. We started in the back of the cove. The first thing we noticed was that while the water looked crystal clear from the surface, it was not. Don't get me wrong, the water was clear, but it was filled with tiny dust and detritus specks that will never fall to sediment. If you were in the shade, this had little effect on visibility, however, when you crossed the boundary between the sun and shady areas, each one of those little particles reflected the sun light and the light became diffused and lowered visibility. How to explain this....I expected that because the water appeared to be so clear from the surface, that when I looked up while underwater, I would basically see the sun as a bright dot, but the reality was that while I could easily identify the sun, the light was much more diffused and bright and visibility was knocked way down. (NOTE: the wind was dead calm, not a ripple on the surface. How might the light have changed if there had been a 5 mph wind and a ripple on the surface?) There is a real boundary between sun and shade. It's like a line drawn in the water. It is definitely...structure! As for the fish, we started in the back of the cove in 4 feet or so and saw just a few little sunnys and some bass fry in the shady shore lined areas. We pushed around in the weeds to see if anything was hiding and found nothing, but some little stuff.

We started to work our way towards the mouth of the cove. Over the length of the cove, we didn't see any catch worthy bass until we hit an area 15 feet deep. There may have been some there, as we had limited visibility when in the sun, and even in the shade you only have about 15 feet clear sight, and below say 12 feet, it was kind of murky, so there may have been some we missed for sure. In general, it was more difficult to see than I expected. We spent most of the time in the shade straddling the sun but when we hit deeper water, about 15 feet in shade, on the right going out of the cove, we saw a couple groups of 3 or 4 two pounders that seemed to be focused on shad schools. I'm sure along the way, we probably scared some too...hahaha. We went out to the trees and saw a couple and one nice one about 3, hanging out in limbs about 10 feet down, and yes, it was cool water down there. Started to get cooler at about 5 feet down. I got two things out of this: one, there are no bass in the back of those coves at 2:00 pm in the middle of August, and more importantly, that the boundary between sun and shade is a real piece of structure, and that it is not just one side is sunny and the other shady, the nature of the light changes completely on the sunny side, the water almost glows and it becomes difficult to see, and I believe they must use this boundary as a place of safety and place of ambush, like they would use a log. Darting from the sun into the shade and back again. So, I'm going to suggest that next August, try fishing the boundary between the sun and shade in 10 foot plus. Any thoughts?

[basser89]

Nice write up Hellbenderman!

Like you before you took that dip, I thought BH was a clear lake for sure looking down in from the boat. I have ventured into the cove you're talking about a few times and only managed a couple dinks and 2 tiny musky out of there. The majority of my success up that area of the lake has come from deeper diving cranks (12-15' range). I definitely want to get my boat out there in 2010 to put the knowledge you've shared with us to the test!

There's another area of the lake that I've been very interested in scouting further as well. As you go back past the channel (there at the visitor's center), the lake obviously opens up. On the left hand side going back through, there is a large flat that drops into deep water . On the far side of that flat, the old creek channel comes over against that side of the flat (if I remember correctly). To me, that area seems to hold a lot of potential too. Especially since the flat itself gets choked out with hydrilla in the summer. Those outer weed edges seem like they should produce some quality bass! I just need to put the time on the water to test my theory out!

[BrianinMD]

I would not have guessed some of those findings. Water always seems so clear, not what I expected at all. Has me rethinking my approach to BH.

Hoping to get out at Dickerson mid-day on Wednesday, will be my only shot at getting a December fish to keep my streak going. Not sure what the river will be like but may get lucky on the canal

[basser89]

I'll see if I can save ya a spot Brian! I'm hoping to get to Dickerson tomorrow morning! 

[BrianinMD]

Well my attempt at fishing tomorrow is over, I have to take care of some appointments.   :'(

oh well, hopefully my orders from bps and tackle warehouse will show up and I can clean up things to get ready to start a new streak in january.

[basser89]

Well shoot! Sorry to hear that Brian! I'll post a report on how I do. Levels are up but they're on the falling side. We'll see how that affects them. I think with the temps, they should be discharging so I'm hoping for some decent activity.

[basser89]

What's up MD? Anyone been out lately. Most of the lakes and ponds around me are still iced over but I've managed to hit the warm waters near me just once so far this year. No takers besides bluegills and rock bass thinkin they're going to eat baits over half their size. LOL!

I'm actually thinkin about headin out shortly before this front moves in to see if there's any takers. 

[Hellbenderman]

Went to Black Hills last Saturday to count ducks and eagles and such, and of course, I had to take a rod. Did you know you can cast a DT10 about a hundred yards on the ice....it goes on forever. Never-the -less, a 7 lb. bass did not crash through the ice and slam my plug...or a muskie for that matter. Go figure. That said, a seagull was mildly interested and I got him to follow it for about 50 feet before he tried to nab it and I had to jerk it away as seagull season doesn't start until after Festivus. Hate winter.

[basser89]

Yeah, I know what you mean. I was over there on wednesday to see how things were. What part of the park are you seeing eagles? I've seen ospreys over there (they've scared the snot out of me diving in the water before) but not eagles.

[Hellbenderman]

On the south side of the bridge there is a parking lot above a cove, and on the other side of that cove is a big dead tree. There is often two eagles sitting in that tree. Last year we watched them hunting for ducks. It was right out of Walt Disney. The chase went on for about two minutes with most of it no more than a hundred yards away. We could hear the eagle's wing beats. The duck, a bufflehead, got away by flying under the bridge. There has been a nesting pair of eagles out there for a decade or so. Very cool to watch them fish. Talk about sight fishing. Anyway, they sit in that tree quite a bit.

[basser89]

Cool deal! I'll have to keep an eye out for them and I'll have to bring the camera along too. Thanks for the heads up!

I was out yesterday here in Williamsport at the warm water discharge area. You would've thought it was the first day of trout season. The anglers were lined up about 5' apart across the wall. Needless to say, I didn't fish there. Went down stream a little ways to a couple spots I've caught before. Sadly, no takers. At least I was able to get out. 

[Hellbenderman]

Everyone in Maryland is hibernating. Keeps us safe from the polar bears, much less the man eating muskies. I wonder what effect all this snow will have on fishing? Not much I guess, it's just water, but when all this melts...

[basser89]

Everyone in Maryland is hibernating. Keeps us safe from the polar bears, much less the man eating muskies. I wonder what effect all this snow will have on fishing? Not much I guess, it's just water, but when all this melts...

Yeah, no kidding! I've wanted to get out a couple times now but it just isn't in the cards. No chance of getting the boat out for a while! I have to park the boat on the street and the blows have it blocked in for a while now. I really wanted to hit PEPCO at Dickerson the last sunday in January but the area was closed.  :-?  Not sure what was going on there. I know with that last melt we had, the gauge I follow went from somewhere around 7-8' to over 21'. Let's hope for a VERY slow thaw this time!!! I'd hate to see what the river levels would do if it melts like it did that last time. 

[Hellbenderman]

Hard to imagine what those little fishies do when the water rises 20 feet and is filled with muck. Must be very uncomfortable for them, but after it's over, they are still there! The Monocacy will surely flood, as usual.

[wv]

You can add West Virginia to your hibernating list. I have wanted to get out and try to find the warm-water deal in Williamsport. Last time there I couldn't seem to locate it. I would guess the river would really flood if the melt came fast. Fish probably get washed down or "hide" in little creeks etc, that run into the river. On a side note, good to see Bass Pro Shops got a Daytona 500 win Sunday. Too bad none in our area...they may be having some kind of specials to celebrate win. Trout stocking began in early January here...a little too cold for me and my son to get out yet. Also need license. Take care.