Eastern shore skunk trip

[dsaavedra]

Bad reports are helpful too, right?

Snakehead fishing SUCKED today! The launch was a zoo (that's weekend fishing for you), there were 10 kayaks on the water within sight of the launch when I got there at 8am, and several more trickled in throughout the morning. I personally talked to 7 different anglers and no one caught a single fish, me included. I decided to cut my losses and head home early (1pm) so I could at least have the afternoon to relax around the house.

I think a big part of the problem is that the carp have started spawning. They muddy up the shallows and make a big commotion with their constant splashing, it shuts the snakehead right off. In 5 hours of fishing I got 1 confirmed snakehead bite, 1 other bite that felt like a bass, and a couple taps that I'm pretty sure were just my lure bouncing off carp.

Highlights of the day included watching 3 bald eagles chase down an osprey that was carrying a fish, force the osprey to drop the fish, then one of the eagles snatched the fish right back out of the water. I saw many prothonotary warblers which was super cool, and to top it all off I found a $16 Jackhammer chatterbait snagged on a submerged stump while I was retrieving a snag of my own.

[J.A. Veil]

Too bad, Dave. Nobody likes a skunk trip, but for most of us, they do happen.

This late winter and spring has brought tough fishing for me. I have driven longer distances to visit launch spots I don't normally use, and my total catch numbers are disappointing. I look forward to fishing for stripers beginning next week and for the white perch arriving in the shoreline areas starting in a few more weeks. My one bright spot has been catching more shad than usual, and catching them in areas with very few other anglers around.

[dsaavedra]

Too bad, Dave. Nobody likes a skunk trip, but for most of us, they do happen.

This late winter and spring has brought tough fishing for me. I have driven longer distances to visit launch spots I don't normally use, and my total catch numbers are disappointing. I look forward to fishing for stripers beginning next week and for the white perch arriving in the shoreline areas starting in a few more weeks. My one bright spot has been catching more shad than usual, and catching them in areas with very few other anglers around.

I agree, it has been a challenging start to the year. I have been skunked on 3 out of 17 trips so far this year. I don't recall getting skunked so many times last year, but I also probably had not been on 17 trips before the end of April either. At any rate, I too am looking forward to the reopening of striper season... the recent tough fishing makes me appreciate the easy and reliable striper bites that much more.

[gliebig]

I got out locally for the 1st time yesterday. Only heard of one other person with a catch. I found a few deep in cover but it's all really tall reeds and hard to get a lure in the water. I managed to hook one but freed itself after getting tangled in the reeds.

[Mark]

Dave,

Your report is a good one because it highlights that there is much more to appreciate on our outings than the fish we are targeting. Nature provides excellent shows for us, and our kayaks provide us with ideal vantage points to observe them.

Plus, you have something in common with a founding father of our nation. Benjamin Franklin observed the same bald eagle tactics you described. In a letter to his daughter, Franklin said that the bald eagle was a "bird of bad moral character" because it steals its food from fish hawks. Obviously, eagles have not abstained from thievery over the centuries. They have perfected their craft.

Franklin was also known to be thrifty with his money. Finding a $16 lure would have pleased him too. Although I suspect he would have questioned the wisdom of those who use such an expensive lure when cheaper tried and proven alternatives exist.

Again, good report.

[dsaavedra]

Franklin was also known to be thrifty with his money. Finding a $16 lure would have pleased him too. Although I suspect he would have questioned the wisdom of those who use such an expensive lure when cheaper tried and proven alternatives exist.

I questioned their wisdom because they were throwing that $16 chatterbait on what felt like 12 or 15 pound mono with a light wire snap swivel! Everyone knows you need to use at least 30 pound braid for snakehead fishing in the heavy cover... Surprisingly the line broke several feet above the lure, so I collected all the line and put it in the trash at home.

[gliebig]

Dave,

Your report is a good one because it highlights that there is much more to appreciate on our outings than the fish we are targeting. Nature provides excellent shows for us, and our kayaks provide us with ideal vantage points to observe them.

Plus, you have something in common with a founding father of our nation. Benjamin Franklin observed the same bald eagle tactics you described. In a letter to his daughter, Franklin said that the bald eagle was a "bird of bad moral character" because it steals its food from fish hawks. Obviously, eagles have not abstained from thievery over the centuries. They have perfected their craft.

Franklin was also known to be thrifty with his money. Finding a $16 lure would have pleased him too. Although I suspect he would have questioned the wisdom of those who use such an expensive lure when cheaper tried and proven alternatives exist.

Again, good report.

I didn't see any bald eagles yesterday, but there were a couple cuties in bikinis on paddleboards.

[Red_Beard]

I had several skunks earlier in the season, but that's the nature of early season fishing. When it's good, it's good. When it's bad, it's real bad. I've noticed my carp fishing friends have started to post some good fish pics, including ones caught on the fly, so the next time I hit the river I will probably bring my carp gear just in case. Best way to avoid a skunk is to be adaptive!

[Mark]

Early spring is a transition period for those of us who kayak fish locally. Aside from stocked trout and the shad runs, neither of which are usually targeted by kayakers, our pickings for reliable catches are limited. My anticipation usually exceeds my results on my early spring outings.

That’s especially true for tidal waters here in the Mid-Bay. White perch have not arrived in large numbers in our creeks. Stripers are under regulation. Snakeheads are just awakening -- and they are not easy to catch at any time. And while pickerels remain present in our tidal creeks, they can be moody, possibly in the throes of a post spawn malaise. Or maybe their attention shifts from lures and flies to other forms of aquatic protein as it reemerges from winter.

Even pond fishing can be frustrating at this time of year. Bass may be starting to queue up for their spawn and some may have staked out nests, but not in great numbers. Bluegills will spawn later. The larger ones have yet to move to the shallows in schools where they are easy to catch on consecutive casts. The pickerel bite also slows as water temps rise. I always catch fewer in April than I do in heart of winter. Crappies are fairly active now, but I don’t target them. The ones I catch hit larger flies and lures that I intended for bass and picks.

This will change substantially in May. Fewer chilly nights, longer days and more stable weather generally take much of the unpredictability out of our fishing. Until then, we may get blanked on occasion.

I had a respectable Eastern Shore Pond outing on Friday with a chunky 13-inch bass, a 20-inch pick, several crappies and bluegills and even a 10-inch golden shiner – all on flies. But I fished hard (in sustained wind) to catch 10 fish total. Next month I would expect the same pond on a single outing to produce 20 or more bluegills plus at least a few decent bass. And better yet, most of my catches will be on topwater.

Yesterday afternoon, I fished in two creeks of the Magothy with nary a bite. It was nice paddle, although a bit breezy. I never even saw a fish flash at my offerings in water that was still winter clear. It happens. It's April.

Cliff – Carp on the fly. Now that’s a blast. My only experience with that was last year’s Brood X Cicada hatch. It’s a good bet I won’t be casting flies in 2038 during the next Brood X cycle. I need to learn how and where to catch them on the fly in a non-cicada year.

[Red_Beard]

Mark, I've met a few people that have been fly fishing for carp for years. The key seems to be to sight fish for them, and to target individuals that appear to be actively feeding. Put something that looks like an aquatic insect or crustacean in front of them, and there's a decent chance they'll hoover it up. I've been told that dragonfly larvae, hellgrammite, and crawfish patterns work particularly well. I'm going to give it a try this summer. When the water is up, the shallow flats around Brown's Bridge on Rocky Gorge seem to be a good spot.

[Mark]

Cliff,

Thank you very much.

I was actually sight fishing for them last year in Triadelphia. The beauty of the cicada hatch was that when I cast to a fish I could see cruising for a meal, one or two others would appear and try to take the fly from my target. It was amazing. And I assume that was because the reservoir water was so clear that the carp could easily see the flies.

I also fished the Severn during the cicada hatch and never saw a carp come up to hit a fluttering bug even though the surface was covered with the insects. Perhaps I saw no surface feeding in the Severn because of the turbidity of the water.

Anyway, I can see that a subsurface pattern in clean reservoir water on the flats placed on the nose of a foraging carp would work. I have my WSSC permit for the year. Thanks for the Rocky Gorge location info.