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Smoke on the Water

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  • Smoke on the Water

    During the rockfish closure I’ve been hitting St Mary’s Lake almost daily. Get to the gate around 15 minutes early, get rigged up, pull through gate at 6 and launch immediately. This gives me about an hour of topwater before the sun gets too high and the fish move deeper. The last two days I’ve noticed a white looking film on the water in leeward spots.

    Sorry about picture quality but you can see the white. When I looked closer I think it’s ash from the fires out west mixing in with usual lake crud to give it that white hue.

    Today was a typical day, 8 topwater fish by casting over 4-6’ of water 30-50 yards from the bank. Right now I don’t get many bites super shallow and everyone who fishes pounds the banks, these fish have seen it all. By moving off the bank I’m in much less pressured water.


    Once the sun gets up I switch over to my Yamamoto grubs and tube baits. This gave me another 5 bass and another very nice pickerel.




    I’ll take these over a perch everyday of the week. Generally I’m off by 8:30-9:00, beat the heat is my mantra.


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
    Mike
    Pro Angler 14 "The Grand Wazoo"

  • #2
    Nice work, Mike. We are fortunate to have both freshwater and tidal water options nearby in this area. You seem to have the lake dialed in.
    John Veil
    Annapolis
    Native Watercraft Manta Ray 11, Falcon 11

    Author - "Fishing in the Comfort Zone" , "Fishing Road Trip - 2019", "My Fishing Life: Two Years to Remember", and "The Way I Like to Fish -- A Kayak Angler's Guide to Shallow Water, Light Tackle Fishing"

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    • #3
      Nice pickerel! I'm looking forward to targeting them some more once the weather gets cold. Last winter was my first time actively targeting them in the cold months and it was a fun way to keep me busy over the winter.
      Dave

      2021 Hobie Outback Camo
      2013 Native Slayer Hidden Oak

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      • #4
        Mike,

        That looks like a smallmouth. I didn't know they were in St. Mary's Lake.

        What a terrific fishing resource you have nearby. I really want to get down there.

        I recall last year we had an odd haze in the sky that meteorologists attributed to the wildfires out west. It's amazing how far smoke can travel in the wind. Similarly, I saw a documentary about the "Dust Bowl" in the 1930s when a severe drought and excessive plowing caused the topsoil to literally blow way in the wind. Dust from the southern plains states reached all the way to Washington, D.C.
        Mark
        Pasadena, MD


        Slate Hobie Revolution 13
        Hidden Oak Native Ultimate 12
        Lizard Lick Native Ultimate FX Pro

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Mark View Post
          Mike,

          That looks like a smallmouth. I didn't know they were in St. Mary's Lake.
          Oh,I wish we had smallies, nope that’s a largemouth.
          Mike
          Pro Angler 14 "The Grand Wazoo"

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          • #6
            Fooled me Mike. I didn't see a lateral line and the mouth looked small from the angle of the photo.

            Smallies are fun to catch for sure. But so are Largemouth.

            I'm doing a guided float trip for Smallmouth on the Juniata in almost a month to the day. I'm looking forward to that, of course.
            Mark
            Pasadena, MD


            Slate Hobie Revolution 13
            Hidden Oak Native Ultimate 12
            Lizard Lick Native Ultimate FX Pro

            Comment

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