Launch spot in upper Severn

[J.A. Veil]

Those of us who fish often in the Severn bemoan the lack of public water access. The most common launch spots (Tucker St, Jonas Green) both put you in the same segment of the river. I can paddle to the river mouth and most of the way upstream to Round Bay, but the entire upper end of the river is not available to anglers who do live in a water-privileged community.

I stopped this morning at Smith's Marina in Crownsville, which is a small commercial marina on Little Round Bay. They have a single boat ramp there and limited parking. I asked at the office about launching a kayak. I was told that kayaks can be launched after paying a $10 daily ramp fee (cash only) to the office. An annual pass for kayaks costs $145. As the boating season ends, more of the boats that are normally in the water get moved onto land, reducing the available parking. Those who trailer their kayaks may not be able to park, but cartoppers/truck bed haulers can probably do so.

We are moving out of the shallow water perch months and into the pickerel months. There are a lot of shorelines within a 2 mile radius of Smiths Marina that may hold pickerel. I plan to pay the fee several times later in the fall just to test out those waters.

[DanMarino]

Thanks for the information about the possible launch point at the marina. More launch sites are always welcome and I look forward to seeing how your trip reports pan out.

[rugbyfish]

I’ve fished for pickerel out of Smiths and had some good luck. Just keep in mind that they close for the season sometime in early to mid-November. Make sure to call ahead and make sure they are open when you plan to go.

[J.A. Veil]

I’ve fished for pickerel out of Smiths and had some good luck. Just keep in mind that they close for the season sometime in early to mid-November. Make sure to call ahead and make sure they are open when you plan to go.

Joe - I asked about launching there throughout the winter. There main concern is shortage of parking. There is a small parking lot near the office that will be available. Your suggestion to call first is a good idea.

BTW, I waved to you across the water on Wed morning about 11:00 am as you were heading out and I was heading back in. Five minutes later, I caught my only redfish of the day.

[rugbyfish]

I’m glad you had some success. My wife and I each fished about three hours, and fishing was slow. A handful or short trout, mid-teen stripers, and perch were all we could come up with. At least it was a gorgeous day.

[scorchy]

Thanks for the info, John. Looking forward to trying out another place to fish the Severn next season.

[dsaavedra]

John you got my hopes up with the title of this thread! I thought the county put in a new public access point.

I've made acquaintances with a coworker of mine who has offered me an open invitation to launch from his community launch in Sherwood Forest. I'm really grateful for that and plan to take him up on his offer once the water cools down and I start targeting pickerel. I have only fished that far up river on one other occasion and was shocked at the amount of submerged grass... it was like a totally different world from the downriver area accessible from Tucker St/Jonas Green. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the pickerel fishery is up there... I suspect it might be better than further downriver

[J.A. Veil]

John you got my hopes up with the title of this thread! I thought the county put in a new public access point.

I've made acquaintances with a coworker of mine who has offered me an open invitation to launch from his community launch in Sherwood Forest. I'm really grateful for that and plan to take him up on his offer once the water cools down and I start targeting pickerel. I have only fished that far up river on one other occasion and was shocked at the amount of submerged grass... it was like a totally different world from the downriver area accessible from Tucker St/Jonas Green. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the pickerel fishery is up there... I suspect it might be better than further downriver

The creeks and ponds near Sherwood Forest (regular boat launch on one creek, and a smaller kayak launch on another) are lovely waters. I have had a few invitations to fish in those areas over the years. I suspect they get less fishing pressure than the areas farther downstream. You should definitely accept your friend's invitation.

Pickerel fishing does vary from creek to creek and also from year to year. The early results I am having from a few spots does not look as strong as last year. Perhaps as the water cools down more, the pickerel will get more active. Also, pickerel prefer lower salinity. I am still seeing occasional jellyfish in the Severn creeks, which suggests that the salinity is higher than expected for this time of year.

[Mark]

Dave,

Definitely take the opportunity to launch from Sherwood Forest. As John says, there are beautiful waters within reach from there.

As for pickerel distribution, I readily admit I cannot figure them out. However, after some lean years toward the end of the last decade, they appear to be back in our tidal creeks in good numbers, in various sizes and well distributed. I say that because I caught more picks this this past summer while perch fishing in creeks of the Magothy, Patapsco and Severn than any year in my recent memory. Normally, they disappear (from me) in the summer in tidal creeks. That was not the case this year. I hope that bodes well for the remainder of this fall and winter.

[YakMonkey]

Launch spot in upper Severn

Those of us who fish often in the Severn bemoan the lack of public water access. The most common launch spots (Tucker St, Jonas Green) both put you in the same segment of the river. I can paddle to the river mouth and most of the way upstream to Round Bay, but the entire upper end of the river is not available to anglers who do live in a water-privileged community.

I stopped this morning at Smith's Marina in Crownsville, which is a small commercial marina on Little Round Bay. They have a single boat ramp there and limited parking. I asked at the office about launching a kayak. I was told that kayaks can be launched after paying a $10 daily ramp fee (cash only) to the office. An annual pass for kayaks costs $145. As the boating season ends, more of the boats that are normally in the water get moved onto land, reducing the available parking. Those who trailer their kayaks may not be able to park, but cartoppers/truck bed haulers can probably do so.

We are moving out of the shallow water perch months and into the pickerel months. There are a lot of shorelines within a 2 mile radius of Smiths Marina that may hold pickerel. I plan to pay the fee several times later in the fall just to test out those waters.

Does anyone know if Indian Landing Marina offers kayak launch? Daily/Monthly/Annual


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[J.A. Veil]

Does anyone know if Indian Landing Marina offers kayak launch? Daily/Monthly/Annual


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I stopped by there many years ago to investigate launching options. My recollection is that they do not have a launch ramp or any gradual slopes to the water. The boats there are either in the water or are moved in and out by a large fork lift. It would be worth a call to them to verify that my recollection is correct.