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So I'm making this thread as more of an informative piece for any kayak angler who wishes to fish throughout the year, and who hopefully has the right cold weather/water safety gear to do so. I myself am by no means an expert on cold water fishing, I just thought I would throw out a couple ideas to those who might want to get out on the water in these colder months. Please critique my recommendations, and add your own. I would really like to see a bunch of options, especially those new to snaggedline, and to those of us who have been on the forum for a little while, for some good coldwater options, within a few hours drive for most of us in MD. Just throw in a species, some decent areas to find them, and maybe a tip or 2 about how to catch them (bait, tactics, etc). And as always, the safest way to fish in the colder months is with a fellow fisherman, and if you do go alone, let several people know where you're going, and what timeframe you expect to be on the water. Make sure to check-in when you're back on shore.
1) Striped Bass - tend to hold deeper in the colder months, usually, so look for launches that put you in water deeper than 30 ft (even deeper is better)....Ft. Armistead, maybe Beverly Triton, Jonas Green (main channel). Jigging them seems to be the preferred method during this time, or even trolling deeper lures like deep diving plugs (crystal minnows, x-rap magnums, etc).
2) Blue Catfish- still active in the colder months.....Marshall Hall, many stretches of the Potomac actually. Sit and wait fishing usually pays off, fishing the bottom with either double bottom rigs, fishfinder rigs, etc. using nightcrawlers, shrimp, chicken breast or livers, gizzard shad, etc
3) Yellow Perch - tougher to find than white perch IMO, but I found them in the Magothy last year in the upper reaches. Minnows, nightcrawlers, blood worms, bottom fishing seems to produce them, but casting small spinners and other lures seems to as well
4) Stocker rainbow trout - South branch Patapsco River. These are usually picked clean within a month or so of stocking, so it's important to hit areas away from the beaten path, at the right time. I like nightcrawlers, but spinners work well also. I don't know of good locations to target them with a kayak, I've only ever fished from shore for them, and caught them as bycatch while floating around in Piney Run lake.
1) Striped Bass - tend to hold deeper in the colder months, usually, so look for launches that put you in water deeper than 30 ft (even deeper is better)....Ft. Armistead, maybe Beverly Triton, Jonas Green (main channel). Jigging them seems to be the preferred method during this time, or even trolling deeper lures like deep diving plugs (crystal minnows, x-rap magnums, etc).
2) Blue Catfish- still active in the colder months.....Marshall Hall, many stretches of the Potomac actually. Sit and wait fishing usually pays off, fishing the bottom with either double bottom rigs, fishfinder rigs, etc. using nightcrawlers, shrimp, chicken breast or livers, gizzard shad, etc
3) Yellow Perch - tougher to find than white perch IMO, but I found them in the Magothy last year in the upper reaches. Minnows, nightcrawlers, blood worms, bottom fishing seems to produce them, but casting small spinners and other lures seems to as well
4) Stocker rainbow trout - South branch Patapsco River. These are usually picked clean within a month or so of stocking, so it's important to hit areas away from the beaten path, at the right time. I like nightcrawlers, but spinners work well also. I don't know of good locations to target them with a kayak, I've only ever fished from shore for them, and caught them as bycatch while floating around in Piney Run lake.
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