Anybody finding pickerel?

[WeCallEmRockfish]

Wondering if anybody has had any luck finding chainsiders...tidal or non-tidal.

I have tried Beechwood park on the Magothy a few times. It's produced in the past, but nothing so far.

Have seen reports from folks hitting their usual pickerel spots in the Severn and finding nothing but...Largemouth Bass?! Yup.

[Mark]

Tidal pickerel remain elusive.

John Rentch and I tried the Bodkin on Sunday and got skunked.

The water was extremely low as you can see from the waterline on this piling:

P1030662.jpg

in my experience, low water never bodes well for tidal pickerel.

The tide continued to fall even after I took the above picture.

A few of my Free State friends have done well for pickerel in Eastern Shore ponds in recent weeks. But tidal waters on this side of the bridge are producing nothing more than nice boat ride for most kayak pickerel anglers.

[YakMan1731]

I went searching for snot rockets last weekend and had great luck in the Eastern Shore ponds throwing a XRap and a Perch Pounder. Landed 4, one close to citation size, and missed another 2 that came unpinned. Bite was consistent from just after sunrise until noon when I left. I got the biggest near shore, but the other 3, as well as my other bites, came in the middle of the pond. Clarity was slightly off due to the die-off of vegetation but I imagine it will clear up as winter continues its push.

[WeCallEmRockfish]

I went searching for snot rockets last weekend and had great luck in the Eastern Shore ponds throwing a XRap and a Perch Pounder. Landed 4, one close to citation size, and missed another 2 that came unpinned. Bite was consistent from just after sunrise until noon when I left. I got the biggest near shore, but the other 3, as well as my other bites, came in the middle of the pond. Clarity was slightly off due to the die-off of vegetation but I imagine it will clear up as winter continues its push.

Yeah, a buddy of mine just got a kayak and he lives on Kent Island. Need to go explore some ponds with him at some point...

[Mark]

...but the other 3, as well as my other bites, came in the middle of the pond...

Good job Matt.

Your results are similar to what I've heard from others fishing the ponds. The picks more likely to be found in deeper water than tight to shore.

[WeCallEmRockfish]

Tidal pickerel remain elusive.

John Rentch and I tried the Bodkin on Sunday and got skunked.

The water was extremely low as you can see from the waterline on this piling:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]24365[/ATTACH]

in my experience, low water never bodes well for tidal pickerel.

The tide continued to fall even after I took the above picture.

A few of my Free State friends have done well for pickerel in Eastern Shore ponds in recent weeks. But tidal waters on this side of the bridge are producing nothing more than nice boat ride for most kayak pickerel anglers.

Interesting you say that, only because one of the times I was at Beechwood, the water was the HIGHEST I'd ever seen it.

[YakMan1731]

The picks more likely to be found in deeper water than tight to shore.

I agree. Last winter I went to the Eastern Shore ponds for the first time, and it took me a while to realize that even in a pond where the max depth is only 4-5' the pickerel were hanging in those areas way more than by shoreline cover.

[Mark]

Interesting you say that, only because one of the times I was at Beechwood, the water was the HIGHEST I'd ever seen it.

I was very surprised at the low water because the rain on Saturday had been heavy and there were flood alerts for Anne Arundel county. But I think the wind must have moved much of the water from the creeks.

[YakMan1731]

Yeah, a buddy of mine just got a kayak and he lives on Kent Island. Need to go explore some ponds with him at some point...

Yeah definitely do some quick searching and you'll find a variety of good articles on the ponds over there. They are small, but you can have a heck of a fun day bouncing between a few of them, especially since the ones I've gone to are free to launch. Pickerel are a sneaky contender for most fun winter fish. I tend to go for blue cats and the holdover rockfish in the winter, but on days when the bigger waters will be too windy for the yak, you can't beat pickerel hunting in the ponds.