Lots of options

[J.A. Veil]

I returned home from vacation on July 17. In the 27 days since then, I have fished 20 of those days. On 14 of the days, I fished from my kayaks (once in my pedal drive and 13 in my paddle kayak). Most of those trips are 2-3 hours and represent my workout for the day. Many of the kayak trips were done in the Severn. After launching at various spots in Annapolis, I fished and caught perch in 10 different Severn tidal creeks and ponds. I often caught a few stripers trolling while moving between spots. I also launched at several eastern shore locations (Goodhands Creek, Corsica River, Wye Landing, Wye Mill Pond). I found the same species there plus yellow perch, largemouth bass, crappie, and bluegill. I made single trips to Bodkin Creek (new Downs Park launch), Rhode River (Carrs Wharf launch), and South River (updated Homeport Farms launch).

This morning's trip was relaxing and scenic. I launched my paddle kayak from Truxtun Park into upper Spa Creek. I caught about a dozen perch and one 15" striper casting a Bignose spinner to shaded shorelines. I trolled to Ego Alley and back without any striper bites, but I had two plastic tails bitten off suggesting bluefish in the area. I saw lots of the usual birds (great blue heron, green heron, osprey, kingfisher, mallard, Canada Geese, several kinds of gulls, etc), and many lovely waterfront homes and expensive boats and yachts. I finished in 2 hours.

I fished 5 times from my own center console in Eastern Bay and the Chester River, launching at Shipping Creek, Little Creek, and Kent Narrows, and once in a friend's boat coming out of the South River. Those trips, typically for 4-5 hours, produced plenty of stripers, a few perch, catfish, and small bluefish.

Despite the heavy rains we had a few weeks ago and the debris fields in the bay, there have been plenty of options for fishing within 45 minutes of my home in Annapolis. Normally I would fish a lot out of Sandy Point during this time of year. Given the debris recently, I have not been there. We are fortunate living in this region to have so many options for fishing. Being retired and able to fish during the week is a blessing too.

[Mark]

Time on the water.

There's no substitute for it to increase our enjoyment of the hobby and our angling skills.

We're very fortunate indeed to have so many options so close.

[Erupert66]

I returned home from vacation on July 17. In the 27 days since then, I have fished 20 of those days. On 14 of the days, I fished from my kayaks (once in my pedal drive and 13 in my paddle kayak). Most of those trips are 2-3 hours and represent my workout for the day.
...
Being retired and able to fish during the week is a blessing too.

Glad you added that clarification at the end cause I was thinking “when does he have the time to do all that” [emoji2]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Zeke]

John,

First, I cannot wait for my retirement, most likely on 4 years!! Second, my schedule changes and I have off most Mondays and Tuesdays right now if your interested in having a fishing partner and showing me a newbie to Kayak fishing on the bay some pointers. I have been launching out of Lowes Wharf since the meet and greet because it is the only place I know. I have found were decent Stripers are plentiful between the 15"-19" range with the occasional 24" fish along with Perch ranging 10"-13".

With that said, I see all the launch points you posted, I here people talk about going here and there, problem is for us newbies I have no idea what you are talking about or where they are actually located. Is there anyway you can post a list of launch/fishing names with what county they are in or more specifics on getting there??

I live in Frederick, MD and Lowes Wharf is 2 hours away. I like it, but wouldn't mind a few places closer. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

[Mark]

Zeke,

John can give you specifics but many (not all) of the sites he referenced are in Anne Arundel County and Queen Anne's County (Kent Island).

You can find them on these two links, respectively:

https://www.aacounty.org/services-an...op-boat-launch

http://dnr.maryland.gov/boating/Page...landinset.aspx

A couple of things to note:

1. Trailers are not welcome at some of the Anne Arundel County cartop sites.
2. A $10 daily or $35 annual permit is required for the Queen Anne's County sites.

Both of those links will give you numerous launches closer to Frederick than Lowes Wharf.

Lastly, beware of the dreaded "obligations creep" in retirement. You'll be surprised how busy retirement can be.

[BarefootPetr]

John, I couldn't agree more. One of the few good things about my recent "temporary retirement" was getting out on the water whenever I saw fit and exploring some different places. However, I once again need to rely on short evening trips and weekends to get my fishing fix, as I started a new job last week as Managing Editor for American Fisheries Society's magazine.

Tight Lines!

[J.A. Veil]

John, I couldn't agree more. One of the few good things about my recent "temporary retirement" was getting out on the water whenever I saw fit and exploring some different places. However, I once again need to rely on short evening trips and weekends to get my fishing fix, as I started a new job last week as Managing Editor for American Fisheries Society's magazine.

Tight Lines!

Glad to hear that you are employed again. It is no fun to want to work and not be able to do so.

When I retired 7 years ago from a busy full time job with a miserable commute to L'Enfant Plaza, I founded a small energy and water consulting practice in my home to ease my transition from full time work to full time retirement. It went well but has pretty much run its course. I work less than 10% of the time and have plenty of spare time for fishing.

[J.A. Veil]

John,

First, I cannot wait for my retirement, most likely on 4 years!! Second, my schedule changes and I have off most Mondays and Tuesdays right now if your interested in having a fishing partner and showing me a newbie to Kayak fishing on the bay some pointers. I have been launching out of Lowes Wharf since the meet and greet because it is the only place I know. I have found were decent Stripers are plentiful between the 15"-19" range with the occasional 24" fish along with Perch ranging 10"-13".

With that said, I see all the launch points you posted, I here people talk about going here and there, problem is for us newbies I have no idea what you are talking about or where they are actually located. Is there anyway you can post a list of launch/fishing names with what county they are in or more specifics on getting there??

I live in Frederick, MD and Lowes Wharf is 2 hours away. I like it, but wouldn't mind a few places closer. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Each of us has personal criteria about where we fish, how we fish, and what types of equipment we use to fish. My book, "Fishing in the Comfort Zone", describes examples of each of those three factors. I also talk about my own preferences and why I chose them. One of the most important factors for me is not having to make a long drive to get to where I want to fish. As I noted in my original post, all of the spots where I fished during those 20 days are within a 45-minute drive from my home. The Annapolis launch points are all within 15 mins of home. If I lived far to the west, as you do, I would look for river and lake fishing spots close to home. If you want tidal water instead of freshwater, figure how where you can get to the water most easily and quickly.

I like the fishing near Lowe's Wharf and often fish there from my boat. But I have never driven all the way there to fish from a kayak - from Annapolis it is at least 75 mins drive. I can find similar habitats and similar fishing opportunities much closer to home. When I trailer my boat, I rarely go farther than 30 mins to a launch. Once there, I can visit many spots by water. When I fish in the Lowe's Wharf area, I launch 7-8 miles away at Shipping Creek launch on Kent Island. That launch is only 30 mins from my home.

In the boat, I rarely go to one spot and stay there all the time. I follow routes with numerous stops at destinations I discovered over the years. Not all spots produce on each trip, but usually a few of them produce. For example, I launched my boat from Sandy Pt this morning and covered 24 miles, fishing at 12 different locations using a combination of casting to structure, bouncing lures on an oyster bottom, light tackle trolling in areas with sitting birds, and jigging deeper structure. The bite was not fast and furious, but we were able to fish at different spots and in different ways -- we each caught 15-20 stripers. I could not have made that trip in a kayak. I am fortunate to have choices in fishing vessels in addition to my other options.

At the risk of sounding selfish, most of the spots where I fish from the kayak and from my boat are places I found fishing on my own and by lots of trial and error and visiting multiple times under different conditions. When visiting new locations (two of the places I fished recently (Rhode River from Carrs Wharf, and Wye River from Wye Landing) were exploratory trips in unfamiliar water) I follow an organized pattern of exploring to see what habitats are there and what I can find. I have certain patterns and techniques that I follow in familiar places. I try to carry these over to less familiar spots. As an example, as soon as I reached water of at least 4 ft depth, I set out several rods with paddletails and troll along shorelines. I want water deep enough so the lures do not hit bottom, but close enough to shore that I may find fish lurking near fallen wood or grass beds. I caught stripers in both locations. I try to remember where I caught those fish and return later in the trip or on another trip. Also remember what those areas are like (what was special about them such that they held fish. Once you develop those ideas, you can transfer them to another location. I also brought along an ultralight rod for casting to perch. I stopped trolling, put away the three medium spinning rods I used for trolling, and began casting to shaded shorelines for perch.

Without telling you exactly where to go, I can offer these suggestions:

1) Try to decide what type of fish you would like to catch on a trip. At many spots, you have the opportunity to fish for several species but may need different tackle. (e.g., trolling for stripers vs. cast small spinnerbaits for perch). Are you interested in catching only large fish, or would you prefer steady action on smaller fish?
2) Do you want to fish in large, open waters (e.g., Beverly Triton, Ft. Smallwood) or would you prefer sheltered tidal creeks (Severn launches -- Tucker St, Jonas Green, Truxtun Park; Homeport Farms; Goodhands Creek).
3) Do you need a permit to use the launch? (Mark noted that Queen Anne's Co requires a permit just to park your vehicle at their launches.)
4) If you use a trailer, are trailers allowed in the parking area at the launch? If so, is a permit required for a trailered kayak? Talbot Co (Wye Landing launch) requires a permit for trailers, but none for cartopped boats.
5) Consider timing: a) how long must you drive to get to the launch point? b) how long must you paddle/pedal to get to the place where you want to fish?
6) Consider the wind speed and direction, and how it may change during the day. Some launch spots work well on a west wind but are messy on an east wind. Some spots are not good choices for a windy day, but other sheltered locations can be fished under a wider range of conditions.


If you are planning a trip to a particular launch and would like some suggestions on how and where to fish from that spot, you are welcome to write pmails to me and other Snaggedline members. Few of us want to publish those details (in anything other than a generic sense) on a public chatboard. But we often will share information on a one-to-one basis.

Good luck. Get out there and try new spots and enjoy the exploration.

[BarefootPetr]

Zeke, the best advice I can give is to go on Google Maps and search your local area for bodies of water. Most public lakes, rivers, and streams are labelled and a quick search will bring up all kinds of information on what fish are there and how to fish for them. One thing usually leads to another and you've got a list of new places to try. At a fast glance you are relatively close to the upper Potomac, which has a number of gamefish you can target. Give it a try

[mchottie]

Zeke,

I'll do you one better than google maps (when I was a newbie I used GoogleEarth extensively)

Here is an interactive map put together by Ralph Heimlich of the Chesapeake Paddlers Association... All kudos and thumbs up go directly to him..


http://www.cpakayaker.com/chesapeake...-campsite-map/

[belairfishing]

Zeke,

I'll do you one better than google maps (when I was a newbie I used GoogleEarth extensively)

Here is an interactive map put together by Ralph Heimlich of the Chesapeake Paddlers Association... All kudos and thumbs up go directly to him..


http://www.cpakayaker.com/chesapeake...-campsite-map/

Now THAT is impressive! Thanks for posting it.

[J. Rentch]

John,
Certainly agree with your comments about this area and the ability to use them when you want!

[J.A. Veil]

When visiting new locations (two of the places I fished recently (Rhode River from Carrs Wharf, and Wye River from Wye Landing) were exploratory trips in unfamiliar water) I follow an organized pattern of exploring to see what habitats are there and what I can find. I have certain patterns and techniques that I follow in familiar places. I try to carry these over to less familiar spots. As an example, as soon as I reached water of at least 4 ft depth, I set out several rods with paddletails and troll along shorelines. I want water deep enough so the lures do not hit bottom, but close enough to shore that I may find fish lurking near fallen wood or grass beds.

I wanted to follow up on this point and give an example of how I fished this morning in the Wye River. I fished only one previous time in the general portion of the river where l fished today. Last week I trolled along a shoreline close to shore and found most of my fish near one particular point. This morning, I was using my Native Slayer Propel 10 pedal kayak which is outfitted with FF/GPS. A minute after I left the launch, I deployed one medium-light, two medium, and 1 medium heavy spinning rods with paddletails on 1/2-oz jigheads. I trolled along shorelines in 4-8 ft depth.

Initially I worked the same areas that produced last time -- they were not productive today. I spent over 1.5 hours trolling along shorelines that looked fishy to me, but the fish were not interested. I was getting discouraged and turned to head back toward the launch, but on the opposite shore of the river. Eventually I found an area with brown-colored water that was loaded with stripers. They were not splashing at the surface or chasing bait -- but they were biting aggressively. For the next 1.5 hours, I trolled back and forth over the same 1/4-mile stretch in 5' to 7' depth and got a fish on almost every pass. The GPS screen with waypoints marked where I caught many of the fish is shown below.

2003-08-01 02-32-55.JPG


In that small section of the river, I caught 17 stripers in 90 mins. Most were 16-18", and I got a 20", two 21", and a 24" fish. To my eye, there was nothing different or remarkable about that stretch of shoreline. Outside the cluster of my waypoints, I got no more bites, nor did I get any bites on the long ride back to the launch.

2003-08-01 02-51-06.jpg 2003-08-01 02-41-50.jpg

I visited unfamiliar waters and followed my plan. The plan did not produce for a long time, but I stuck with it and eventually had a great day.

[Zeke]

I want to thank everyone for there input and assistance.! I have read all the posts an will follow what you preach. I really appreciate the information. Tom Brown whom I met at Bass Pro buying some gear told me about this group and invited me to the meet & greet. Everything he said about the group and the people are 100% true!!

Thank you for allowing me to be part of this circle. Hopefully I will have the opportunity to fish with some of you again in the near future!!

Regards,
Zeke