First Trip out

[paulg]

Greetings all, long-time lurker, but I finally got out on my kayak. I was looking for pickerel for the CCA championship. Only hooked up once, and it was a 24'' striper. I launched from Beachwood Park and stayed in the area. Have you guys had any luck with pickerel in that area?

Paul

[dsaavedra]

Congrats on a successful first kayak fishing trip. A 24" striper is a nice fish - most people would take that over a pickerel any day haha.

The section of the Magothy where Beachwood Park is located is known to have good pickerel fishing and good yellow perch fishing later in the winter/early spring. I have never fished there personally so I don't have any advice specific to that area, but it is always mentioned in the fishing reports as a good pickerel spot during the winter. The pickerel like to hide in cover and ambush prey so look for them around fallen timber and underneath docks.

[Mark]

Paul,

Very nice striper catch.

The upper Magothy indeed is a good pickerel area.

I have fished from Beachwood heading both north and south from the launch. I've always done better heading south of the bridge over Magothy Bridge Road.

Target the docks and natural shorelines for pickerels. As the water cools, do not overlook shaded areas. They will lurk in shaded water even throughout the winter.

If you continue south a realtively short paddle from Beachwood, you will find Cattail Creek, Cockey Creek, Old Man Creek and Tar Hill Cove. Each of those areas offer prime pickerel habitat. Again, structure and shade will yield fish. As the water gets cooler in late fall and winter, present your lures a little deeper.

Good luck.

[paulg]

Congrats on a successful first kayak fishing trip. A 24" striper is a nice fish - most people would take that over a pickerel any day haha.

The section of the Magothy where Beachwood Park is located is known to have good pickerel fishing and good yellow perch fishing later in the winter/early spring. I have never fished there personally so I don't have any advice specific to that area, but it is always mentioned in the fishing reports as a good pickerel spot during the winter. The pickerel like to hide in cover and ambush prey so look for them around fallen timber and underneath docks.

Thank you for the advice!! Haha and you are right, I was pretty happy I was able to catch that striper.

[paulg]

Paul,

Very nice striper catch.

The upper Magothy indeed is a good pickerel area.

I have fished from Beachwood heading both north and south from the launch. I've always done better heading south of the bridge over Magothy Bridge Road.

Target the docks and natural shorelines for pickerels. As the water cools, do not overlook shaded areas. They will lurk in shaded water even throughout the winter.

If you continue south a realtively short paddle from Beachwood, you will find Cattail Creek, Cockey Creek, Old Man Creek and Tar Hill Cove. Each of those areas offer prime pickerel habitat. Again, structure and shade will yield fish. As the water gets cooler in late fall and winter, present your lures a little deeper.

Good luck.

Thank you!

I was there today and didn't have any luck. The wind was awful. I will try Old Man Creek on my next trip out. I didn't realize I was about five minutes from that creek today!

[Mark]

Paul,

You're welcome.

Indeed it was windy today.

Wind poses two problems when kayak fishing for pickerels.

The first is for us in our kayaks paddling against the wind and/or holding our casting positions in it. Anchoring will help to maintain position but I try to anchor as infrequently as possible on outings. I dislike the hassle of dropping and retriving an anchor. I prefer to drift freely so that I can cast and move on to visit more areas in less time.

The second problem posed by wind is for the fish themselves. Picks don't like the surface of the water rippled by wind. They prefer areas where the water surface is calm. Coves protected from wind and leeside shorelines are the best target areas on windy days.

If the wind direction prevents you from casting to calm areas, fish a little deeper in the water column. It's not that pickerels vacate their usual areas in choppy water. But if the water is rippled, they'll lay a little lower and will be less likely to chase a lure or fly closer to the surface as you retrieve it.

I like to fly fish for pickerels from my kayak. When I cast to windblown water, I use intermediate (slow sinking) fly line or sink tips to keep my fly offerings deeper in the water. In calm water I use floating fly line for surface flies or to allow streamers to swim closer to the surface. I find that depending on surface conditions, only a few inches difference in the depth of presentation makes a difference in a pickerel's willingness to bite.

Good luck,

[paulg]

Paul,

You're welcome.

Indeed it was windy today.

Wind poses two problems when kayak fishing for pickerels.

The first is for us in our kayaks paddling against the wind and/or holding our casting positions in it. Anchoring will help to maintain position but I try to anchor as infrequently as possible on outings. I dislike the hassle of dropping and retriving an anchor. I prefer to drift freely so that I can cast and move on to visit more areas in less time.

The second problem posed by wind is for the fish themselves. Picks don't like the surface of the water rippled by wind. They prefer areas where the water surface is calm. Coves protected from wind and leeside shorelines are the best target areas on windy days.

If the wind direction prevents you from casting to calm areas, fish a little deeper in the water column. It's not that pickerels vacate their usual areas in choppy water. But if the water is rippled, they'll lay a little lower and will be less likely to chase a lure or fly closer to the surface as you retrieve it.

I like to fly fish for pickerels from my kayak. When I cast to windblown water, I use intermediate (slow sinking) fly line or sink tips to keep my fly offerings deeper in the water. In calm water I use floating fly line for surface flies or to allow streamers to swim closer to the surface. I find that depending on surface conditions, only a few inches difference in the depth of presentation makes a difference in a pickerel's willingness to bite.

Good luck,

Thank you! That is excellent information. I was not fishing very deep today.