freshwater struggles

[fishinggod]

so I'm new here from San Diego Cali..... nothing I'm using works or the fish are way too small down here in the slower lower. i live all the way down at point look out. my question is if i were to travel all the way to Rocky Gorge or Triadelphia, which one do you guys and gals recommend? i just want to catch fish bigger than 10 inches. i have hobie pro angler so the bigger lakes shouldn't be a problem. any advice on what i should be tossing there would be great as well. or if you know of any other freshwater spots closer to me you recommend even better. thanks again for the advice.

[lovett88]

Like all fishing there will be a ton of opinions and answers for your question. You can always troll a rattletrap around to help find fish. I do this at new lakes when I'm paddling around looking for "fishie" spots. 1/4 jigs thrown into cover during the summer works well for me. Also when the hydrilla grows in i will fish a 10" ribbon tail worm at the edges of the weeds. Also crank baits on these weed edges work well. A lot of the local lakes for me get A LOT of fishing pressure so sometimes when I cant manage a bite I will throw a 3-4" wacky rigged stick worm. Stick to mostly natural colors (greens with white, or even all white) I fish little Seneca and Clopper lakes most of the time and this is how I'm usually hooked up. There are some good fish out there.

[mikelreidd]

Fished Tridelphia last week. Used every bass lure I own fishing coves, logs, overhanging branches and every where I would go if I was Bass. Not even a hit for 2 hours. Then I noticed they were jumping out of the water in the middle of the lake. It looked like they were hitting cottonwood seeds as they hit the water. Switched to spinner bait and kept them just under the surface. Tore it up for the next hour with LMB. Go figure. The only thing I could figure was they were mistaking the cottonwood for insects and it was only falling in the middle of the lake where overhanging trees were not intercepting them.

[Cowpokey]

Rocky Gorge is narrow and deep, Tridelphia is wide and shallow(er). Both are good places to fish, just a little different in the way they drop off from shore.

[Big Mike]

I assume you are fishing St Mary's lake were unfortunately the bass run small. Have you considered the Potomac around Ft Smallwood or Matawoman Creek? A lot closer than the resivoirs and you don't need a permit.

[eyoung14]

Fished Tridelphia last week. Used every bass lure I own fishing coves, logs, overhanging branches and every where I would go if I was Bass. Not even a hit for 2 hours. Then I noticed they were jumping out of the water in the middle of the lake. It looked like they were hitting cottonwood seeds as they hit the water. Switched to spinner bait and kept them just under the surface. Tore it up for the next hour with LMB. Go figure. The only thing I could figure was they were mistaking the cottonwood for insects and it was only falling in the middle of the lake where overhanging trees were not intercepting them.

Which spinner bait were you using?

[mikelreidd]

White Booyah, Mepps Agila and Martin. The Mepps and Martin were trout lures I still had in my box. Had me scratching my head. I came home and did some research and I find that it is very common for bass to rise to about 5 feet in the spring when the water warms. Did not know that.

[Memory Maker]

First ....... Welcome aboard ........

Second ........ If you are around Pt Lookout, you have some of the best fishing around. There is the salt around the mouth of the Potomac and you have a lot of ponds with big bass in both Calvert and St Mary's counties which is much closer than Rocky Gorge and easier to fish. I would check out the local tackle shops and ask here if anyone's fishing done there

[Cowpokey]

I assume you are fishing St Mary's lake were unfortunately the bass run small. Have you considered the Potomac around Ft Smallwood or Matawoman Creek? A lot closer than the resivoirs and you don't need a permit.

Ft Smallwood is in the Patapsco river.

[Delicious Bass]

Mallows Bay is cool. Great for paddle kayaks. Scenic, and there are fish that don't get too much pressure due to the inaccessibility. I've caught LMB and Snakehead there. I caught a 21" LMB there a couple years ago. I put him back. Maybe you'll get him.

[JAR]

Ft Smallwood is in the Patapsco river.

I'm sure he meant Smallwood State Park. Excellent bass and snakehead fishing out of there.

http://dnr2.maryland.gov/publiclands...smallwood.aspx

[phoenixkeith]

you will do much better to fish the potomac . time your trips around the outgoing tide and bring your heavy flipping and frogging combos . 5-8 years ago the potomac was the best bass fishery in the region ( second to the upper bay now ) . it still takes 15-20 lbs to place well . smallwood will put you in one of the best creeks on the river with plenty of big bass within casting distance of the ramp . there is always new fish in mattawoman because of all the tournaments releasing their fish every weekend . weekends can be very busy and you may want to check the tournament scene for the day you plan to fish .

[fishinggod]

thanks for all the advice. im gonna hit up mattawoman tomorrow and see how that works out. ill post my success or failures.

[Mark]

thanks for all the advice. im gonna hit up mattawoman tomorrow and see how that works out. ill post my success or failures.

One reason I’ve enjoyed tidal fishing in the Bay in recent years is that the fish remain wiling to bite as the days get long and the sun gets high. A moving tide seems to be the main requirement for success.

We are approaching the time of year when LM bass get finicky. I admire anglers with the talent to catch them routinely throughout the day in summer. The bass remain agreeable in low light conditions but many local impoundments require you to be off the water when the bass bite would be optimal.

When I fished freshwater exclusively I would often switch to SM bass in the upper Potomac and Susquehanna in the summer because I found them easier to catch throughout the day by my preferred style of fishing -- shallow water presentations of flies and fast moving lures. I'm not proficient with jigs and/or soft plastics fished slowly nor do I enjoy that.

So my point is that catching LM bass is never easy to begin with and that some of your recent "freshwater struggles" may be driven as much by the calendar as by your skill.

Good luck at Mattawoman. The bass are often tucked deep in the vegetation there. I hope you catch some nice ones.

[MERhein]

What lures/baits are people finding effective at Mattawoman and in the lower Potomac?