Maryland's Who's who!

[pgcountyfisher]

Howdy folks! new to the forum, not new to fishing. Past couple of months i've been staying up in deep creek with family and did plenty of fishing. Most notable catches between myself and my neighbors.

Me: 18in LMB, two 10in bluegill and a 10in catfish (and a ton of small perch). All of these were caught on a 7 foot shakespeare on 50 pound line with a worm. 

 

For my neighbor and his son: 20in trout, a large walleye (these first two were spring fishing), 11in perch and a 18in pickerel (we caught that reeling in a 5in perch!). 

 

I am returning home to PG county in a few days and plan to fish a lot while i am home. Does anybody have a line on some good ponds/lakes where snakehead reside in the area? 

[newbiedmv]

The Maryland DNR news letter on fishing spots has a snakehead listing always. I think you'll have to register with them.

 

Possibly on the "click before you cast" section. you'll have to look around

[Nai]

Anyone been catching any smallies?

[Junger]

On 7/19/2020 at 11:21 AM, pgcountyfisher said:

I am returning home to PG county in a few days and plan to fish a lot while i am home. Does anybody have a line on some good ponds/lakes where snakehead reside in the area? 

Are you bank fishing? There's a good boardwalk area at the Piscataway Park off Bryan Point road. Be prepared for heavy cover this time of year, but that's where they'll be. https://goo.gl/maps/WTZ6DTUy5bAjvp8j6

Any creek off the Upper Pax and lower Potomac should hold snakehead, just check google maps for bank access near you. For ponds, I've seen some pictures of snakeheads being caught out of Lake Artemesia too.

 

Good luck!

 

[pgcountyfisher]

Thanks junger! yes, i am bank fishing, not quite ready to own a boat haha. Your tips are very appreciated, im hoping i can have some pictures ready for my neighbors at the lake

 

I have this bluegill/pumpkin seed lure i have been itching to try https://realismswimbaits.com/products/bluegill

 

But i do have a Deep Creek Lake report:

 

Trolling tonight with my neighbors, from the Dam to Stumpy Point netted us 4 fish (one escaped and bounced off the boat). We first caught a 15in walleye on a perch crankbait. Put on a great fight. More trolling resulted in a 6 or 7 in SMB getting hooked in the face, poor dude was probably crossing behind us, promptly released. Then, we caught a 12 inch SMB, what a porker this guy was! Straight in love. Finally, what we believe to be an LMB took a line, and promptly shook itself off before we could the net under it. 

We went 3 for 4 on the perch crank, it was really doing some work.

[patred]

On 7/19/2020 at 1:20 PM, Nai said:

Anyone been catching any smallies?

This year has been teh suck for me.  Best was having six smallmouth hooked overnight camping on the Potomac a month or so ago -- only landed one but caught a walleye.

 

Twelve smallmouth so far this year.   

 

I fish the Upper Potomac and other "rivers" in central Maryland.

 

Pat

[Nai]

18 hours ago, patred said:

This year has been teh suck for me.  Best was having six smallmouth hooked overnight camping on the Potomac a month or so ago -- only landed one but caught a walleye.

 

Twelve smallmouth so far this year.   

 

I fish the Upper Potomac and other "rivers" in central Maryland.

 

Pat

I hear ya, I saw a lot of stuff online saying that last year the Potomac was not doing so good (nor the Monocacy either). 

 

I went camping to Harper's Ferry last October and I was really shocked at how poor it was, but it could have been just that week, since the fall can be a tricky thing. I remember the best day I had on the Susquehanna the short time my family had our boat my dad lost 7 nice smallies in 3 hours and didn't land a single fish, talk about heartbreak. Have you fished Antietam creek or is that farther west from you? 

[fishwizzard]

On 7/19/2020 at 1:20 PM, Nai said:

Anyone been catching any smallies?

Very few, but I have also not really been chasing them.  I mostly go for them in the Patapsco, which is full of small ones, but the river has been too full of people swimming/wading to be reasonable to fish for most of the spring.  It's gotten better right in time for the summer thunderstorms.  I am going to give up until fall when the temps drop enough that me and my waders will be alone on the river.  

[Nai]

On 7/21/2020 at 8:11 PM, fishwizzard said:

Very few, but I have also not really been chasing them.  I mostly go for them in the Patapsco, which is full of small ones, but the river has been too full of people swimming/wading to be reasonable to fish for most of the spring.  It's gotten better right in time for the summer thunderstorms.  I am going to give up until fall when the temps drop enough that me and my waders will be alone on the river.  

If they are biting, river/creek fishing for smallies in the fall is truly amazing. I hope that you get on em, heres to a 16 incher ?

[fishwizzard]

5 hours ago, Nai said:

If they are biting, river/creek fishing for smallies in the fall is truly amazing. I hope that you get on em, heres to a 16 incher ?

Hah, thanks!

 

I’ve caught maybe one fish in the 15 to 16 inch range out of the Patapsco and I still remember it vividly two or three years later.  Mostly because I pulled my phone out prematurely to try to get a picture of it and ended up dropping my phone into a 4 foot deep pool so I could put both hands back on the rod on the fish made an unexpected last-minute run.

[Nai]

18 hours ago, fishwizzard said:

Hah, thanks!

 

I’ve caught maybe one fish in the 15 to 16 inch range out of the Patapsco and I still remember it vividly two or three years later.  Mostly because I pulled my phone out prematurely to try to get a picture of it and ended up dropping my phone into a 4 foot deep pool so I could put both hands back on the rod on the fish made an unexpected last-minute run.

Ive caught maybe 4 or 5 ever that have been 15+ range. Hopefully I can go tomorrow if the creek isn't too high. Did you get your phone back?

[MountainMan83]

Got out with @fishwizzard earlier today for some snakehead wrangling. We each caught one and I learned more about Sumo wrestling than I ever thought possible. Nice meeting him, cool guy.

[pgcountyfisher]

Now that is a big fish! Where did you go fishing for them?

I havent had the opportunity to fish central Maryland since I've been home, but Saturday is when i will be heading out! I will probably go to several local ponds in Bowie and Anne Arundel. Fishing Deep Creek is rather different than fishing small ponds and rivers, so I'll need practice. 

 

Looking forward to trying out a large swimbait, hopefully its enticing for larger fish. 

[fishwizzard]

9 hours ago, pgcountyfisher said:

Now that is a big fish! Where did you go fishing for them?

I havent had the opportunity to fish central Maryland since I've been home, but Saturday is when i will be heading out! I will probably go to several local ponds in Bowie and Anne Arundel. Fishing Deep Creek is rather different than fishing small ponds and rivers, so I'll need practice. 

 

Looking forward to trying out a large swimbait, hopefully its enticing for larger fish. 

There are a lot of ponds in the greater Bowie area, some good, some not so good, none of them really great.  I have been fishing them for a few years now, let me know if you have any specific questions.  

[pgcountyfisher]

I grew up in the Bowie/Crofton Region but always fished worms, and now at 24 i have just started to use lures!

 

I have a lot of stuff, so ill spare a lot of details. But i have a 5 foot rod that ill run 4-6 pound braid, a 5 foot 6 jawbone with 10 pound braid, a 6 foot ugly stik that has nothing on it (any thoughts on the size i should run?) and finally, a 7 foot shakespeare with 50 pound saltwater line (this hasnt failed me, caught my PB largemouth at 18 inches) but this one needs to be easier to cast, so itll probably get 50-60 pound braid. So, I have options on what to run based on size. i have a lot of lures to many to list. 

This weekend, i hit up the typical Bowie Spots; Foxhill Lake (some tiny bluegill), Allen Pond (one good strike), Centennial Park (behind Bowie City Hall and maybe 15 little blue gill), Melford (got skunked) and finally, Governors Bridge Park which had A LOT of activity, especially from the larger fish. I'd like to fish GBP more often given that level of activity, but i am unsure what to use. I started off by using a few rapalas (mini floater, mini fat rap) and then switched to a texas rigged crawfish. Nothing, only caught a little sunfish on a fly lure. 

Since you seem to be the go to person for the area, what tips do you have for GBP? It seems like there is a lot of untapped potential back there, especially along that stretch of the patuxent. Lot of lily pads and it seems like there is some underwater structures (rocks and branches). 

[fishwizzard]

6 hours ago, pgcountyfisher said:

Since you seem to be the go to person for the area, what tips do you have for GBP? It seems like there is a lot of untapped potential back there, especially along that stretch of the patuxent. Lot of lily pads and it seems like there is some underwater structures (rocks and branches). 

Governor's Bridge is one of the most infuriating places I fish regularly.  I get mad at it and avoid it for months but always come back as it's so close and rarely crowded.  

 

I break it down into two spots, I almost never fish the river there.

1. The "lower ponds".  These are the little ponds/marshes by the parking lot.  They are all connected via metal pipes and all have bass.  I have never managed to catch anything big out of them but they hold a lot of small bass and warm up quickly in the winter if we get a few sunny days in a row.  I only have luck fishing them from the more inaccessible spots, unless your feet are in the water or you had to use pruning shears to open up a casting hole, it's never very productive most of the year.  There is a sweet spot in the spring and fall when the entire lower pond area is really good, but once all the SAV comes in it's really hard to fish non-topwater.  
2. The upper pond.  This one is why I get mad at the place.  I catch a single 3lb-class bass out of it every year but that's about it.  I can go there a dozen times and never even get a bite.  I know there are good bass in there, but the terrain makes it impossible to access the best looking water and obey the "no wading" signs.  The pond is an old gravel pit so the underwater topography isn't normal and apparently there is a way to wade out almost to the middle and stay knee-deep, but I have never been bold enough to try it.  Due to 'rona I had a lot more time then normal this spring and had a few good days there where I could get catch a few bass each time, but it took hours of pitching a t-rigged jig all around the many many pad fields to do it.  It's maddening as there are some really good spots you can fish but I have tried almost every lure/presentation in the book and never had much luck.  This fall I am going to give it a another good try with glidebaits and other big stuff.  It is a really nice place to walk around though and that keeps me comming back.  

[pgcountyfisher]

Thanks for the tips! Im going to go back this weekend (provided the weather isnt bad) and fish a new frog to see how it does. I like to think a good frog lure will work well with the lily pads. 

 

I went ahead and put the frog on a 30 pound braid that i hope works. and if it doesnt, push comes to shove i catch some small fish and use it as bait, sometimes thats all that can work ?‍♂️

[pgcountyfisher]

Oh, i do have one more question since i am still a relative Bass noob and yall seem to be maryland experts:
 

If i say, i catch sunfish at GBP, can i use them as bait in that same pond? Provided they are legally caught via hook fishing and not cast netting.  

If it is legal, that is one thing ill try at GBP if my frog doesnt work. 

[Junger]

On 8/4/2020 at 11:38 AM, pgcountyfisher said:

If i say, i catch sunfish at GBP, can i use them as bait in that same pond? Provided they are legally caught via hook fishing and not cast netting.

Yes, that's legal.

 

It was really nice out today, so I decided to smoke a stogie and hike around Widewater after lunch. I got there around 1PM, and it was busy with on the trail. I was determined to uses a jig on my G1 EMTF, with a new Ito 103m that I procured over the winter. I fished the jig all around the towpath from Anglers to the lock with only a nibble from aggressive green sunfish. Once I got to the lock pool area, I saw the schools of shad circling like they did in the winter in the same area. I tied on a zoom super fluke and proceeded to cast it around and ended up getting one inside the lock. My first dangle fish! I casted to the opposite lock wall but it snagged on a vine but I just kept letting the line out and dangled the superfluke into the water. I saw my line go left and I set the hook and got a 2lber.

 

Also, the water is up a couple feet from last time I was here. The rock piles on the towpath wall side are fully submerged. Based on the old water line, it's down about 1.5feet from the max level. I'm not sure if the water is up due to all the rain, or if they finally fixed all the locks down stream, but the water looks good.

 

 

Here is the point on Berma road, I used to be able to walk from the rock on the left to the huge laydown on the right without issue. The bank walkway is now submerged and there are some really good laydowns there.

 

[pgcountyfisher]

Thanks Junger and nice catch! Been thinking about going to Great Falls and do some canal fishing, just havent had the time to drive a hour over that way!

[Junger]

On 8/7/2020 at 9:50 AM, pgcountyfisher said:

Thanks Junger and nice catch! Been thinking about going to Great Falls and do some canal fishing, just havent had the time to drive a hour over that way!

It's a really nice scenic area, I enjoy hiking it even if I don't catch fish.

 

Yesterday, I went to Swains Lock, and walked up the C&O to Pennyfield. The water was up, but really muddy and flow was really high. I threw a frog, popper and chatterbait and only got nibbles from bluegills on the popper feathered treble. I saw a pair of 6" bass and that's it. I think this stretch was really hurt during the draw down that lasted a couple years. Swains down to the Greatfalls lot is a way better stretch of the canal.

[Bigbarge50]

On 8/8/2020 at 11:54 AM, Junger said:

It's a really nice scenic area, I enjoy hiking it even if I don't catch fish.

 

Yesterday, I went to Swains Lock, and walked up the C&O to Pennyfield. The water was up, but really muddy and flow was really high. I threw a frog, popper and chatterbait and only got nibbles from bluegills on the popper feathered treble. I saw a pair of 6" bass and that's it. I think this stretch was really hurt during the draw down that lasted a couple years. Swains down to the Greatfalls lot is a way better stretch of the canal.

That was my go to stretch for a while when I was land locked.  It was a great area and could produce some nice bass.  That draw down was brutal.

 

I always wondered how much access the fish have to different areas of the canal.  The area above swains did not seem to have any river access anywhere close so was not sure after the draw down if fish would be repopulating that area easily, if at all. 

[Junger]

I rolled the dice yesterday and headed out to Mattawoman, luckily the storms went around Indian Head and I didn't see a drop of rain. Got to the lot at 4:45PM and I was the only boat, didn't see any kayaker's either. The plan was to fish the hydrilla edges with a popper on the outgoing tide. I brought my senko rod just in case because it's been tough there recently for me. But I never had to use it and it ended up being a banner day, two snakeheads (4 and 7 lbs) and 4 largies, 2.5lb being the best one, and several fiesty sunfish, including a big redbreast which was making a lot of commotion in the shallows, he fooled me into thinking it was a snakehead at first.

Near the end of the evening, I was at the mouth of a feeder creek and the tide was still rushing out, so I casted to a small eddy along the hydrilla edge and it got smashed. It torpedoed out of the water and I knew it was a good SH. It fought hard all the way to the boat and then I thought I had it, but it saw me and I saw him and it went into overdrive and dove under the boat. I had to take my hand off the reel and go for a double grip on the rod like I was deep sea fishing! It pulled the hook and my Rico floated to the top of the water...I think it was a double digit SH, and that was definitely the best fight from one I've ever had, but I couldn't land it.

 

Winds picked up at 7:30PM and I could feel the cold coming in. The bite shut down immediately so I headed in. Beautiful night on the creek, along with a nice Perdomo 12 sungrown.

 

[pgcountyfisher]

Wooooo some big fish there. I havent had much luck in the Bowie/Crofton Area. Probably because the ponds here are overfished lol. 

I fished a section of the patuxent right along GBP, quite a few fish flailing about near some under water structure, but nothing wanted the frog, plopper or crankbait i threw. I'm hoping i can catch something soon to show you guys i actually know how to fish!! 

Im really enjoying your photos and tips folks!

[Team_Robbins_Fishing]

Hey everyone! new to the forums and wanted to say hello. 

 

I fish mainly the potomac but want to try to fish the upper bay because I keep hearing good things. Was wondering if anyone had any tips/hints to get started. not sure how similar it is to the potomac beyond it being tidal