Newbie in Harford County

[belairfishing]

Hey guys, I'm new to yak fishing and loving the little bit of it I have done so far. First, I would like to compliment everyone here for being so willing to share information. There is LOTS of it here, and I am spending many evenings on the patio with some whiskey and a cigar soaking up the information like a sponge.

I have a Wilderness Systems Ride 115, so no pedaling for me yet...maybe down the road. My first question is a general one - some of the fishing I see a lot of you guys doing on the the Severn and the South Rivers - can a guy like me with paddle power only fish some of these areas? My sister/brother in law live on Church Creek off of the South River.

I have fished the low flows below the Conowingo recently and caught my first white perch, channel cat and rockfish from a kayak. The Rockfish was only about 8 inches, but it still goes on the species list!

Thanks,

Steve
Bel Air, MD

[Yakmac]

Hey guys, I'm new to yak fishing and loving the little bit of it I have done so far. First, I would like to compliment everyone here for being so willing to share information. There is LOTS of it here, and I am spending many evenings on the patio with some whiskey and a cigar soaking up the information like a sponge.

I have a Wilderness Systems Ride 115, so no pedaling for me yet...maybe down the road. My first question is a general one - some of the fishing I see a lot of you guys doing on the the Severn and the South Rivers - can a guy like me with paddle power only fish some of these areas? My sister/brother in law live on Church Creek off of the South River.

I have fished the low flows below the Conowingo recently and caught my first white perch, channel cat and rockfish from a kayak. The Rockfish was only about 8 inches, but it still goes on the species list!

Thanks,

Steve
Bel Air, MD

Welcome Steve,
you absolutely can fish the Severn and South rivers in a paddle kayak. I did it for 2 years before I bought my pedal yak. You can get to the Severn from Jonas park and work your way north or south and catch perch or stripers. You can also launch from Tucker st into the Weems and catch the same or venture into the Severn from there you can look on Google Maps to identify the areas. If you have access to Church Creek you have access to the South river but just so you know the creek itself was hot around this time last year with stripers. As always be aware of boat traffic on either river, if you remain aware you should be fine.

[Mark]

Welcome to the forum, Steve. Keith has given you excellent launch sites. Each will provide access to scenic, fish-filled waters

Those areas are very amenable to kayak fishing and I would venture to say that most kayak anglers who visit them are in paddle kayaks. I have a paddle and a pedal boat and when I go to Church Creek or the Severn or Weems my boat of choice is usually my paddle boat.

Right now white perch are prevalent in their summer pattern along shoreline structure and under piers. As the water cools, stripers will become more frequent catches either by casting or trolling in those locations.

I fish the above sites mostly on the edges. I do that because that's where I catch most of my fish. I also do it to avoid boat traffic, especially in the Severn. If you can fish those sites during weekdays, you'll find less boat traffic to contend with. Boats won't be in the shallows on the edges of course, but their wakes will reach you there. Between their bow waves and the wind, the Severn can get dicey. You'll find more protection from the wind and less boat traffic in Weems and Church creeks.

Again, welcome and good luck.