Goodhands Creek Sunday 8/25

[belairfishing]

Planning on launching at Goodhands Creek early on Sunday 8/15. This will be my wife's second fishing trip with me on our kayaks - I think she's getting the bug! When I asked her if she wants to go fishing with me this weekend she said "Can we go somewhere where there is more fish?"

If anyone wants to join us, the more the merrier. I have a lot of good info from guys like Mark and John already, so I am looking forward to it.

Early forecast looks good so far, with temps dropping to the low 80s.

[tarponguy]

I'm retired and normally spend weekends with the grandkids and fish thru the week but think I'll be free on Sunday and if so, I'll plan on joining you. I only live about 15 minutes from Goodhands. Will let you know for sure by end of the week. What time are you planning to launch?
.

[belairfishing]

I'm retired and normally spend weekends with the grandkids and fish thru the week but think I'll be free on Sunday and if so, I'll plan on joining you. I only live about 15 minutes from Goodhands. Will let you know for sure by end of the week. What time are you planning to launch?
.

Hoping to be arrive around 7, launch as soon as we get geared up.

[J.A. Veil]

I don't want to sound discouraging, but Goodhands often does not fish easily in a wind (particularly from the east or south, and typically fishes better at higher water levels. I checked out Windfinder for the Prospect Bay/Grasonville station for Sun morning. They show (this far out is always somewhat questionable) winds from the E and NE at 10-12 mph. Low tide is at 8:43 am. If those wind conditions hold true, you are likely to have some waves as soon as you leave the creek.

The waters outside of Goodhands Creek have much thicker and wider spread SAVs this year than in other recent years. It makes trolling or casting to shorelines tough. If you are dealing with heavy SAVs, wind, and low water, you are setting yourself up for some likely disappointment.

Another QA County launch point (no ramp but easy access through some marsh grass) that is more protected from an easterly wind is Cabin Creek. I have not been there this year and have no knowledge of SAV growth there. But given the projected wind speed and direction, it might be a better choice. The Little Creek and Thompson Creek launch ramps put you into more sheltered waters. I think Thompson Creek has SAV issues this year too, but Little Creek may not.

There are several spots to launch into the scenic Wye River too. There is a landing (no ramp, but fairly easy access for a moderate weight kayak) at Bennett Point landing near the Wye mouth. The Talbot county launch at Wye Landing is a good one and gives you several directions to travel -- at least one of which will have some wind protection. You can launch cartop boats there without a permit, but if you use a trailer you will need a ramp permit for Talbot.

[belairfishing]

Thanks for the Intel John, I always appreciate it. Launched at Little Creek last week and the vegetation was pretty pervasive, way more than last year.

I'll keep an eye on the wind over the next couple of days.

[tarponguy]

Thanks, John. I recall fishing with you and Mark last summer in July at Shipping Creek and we had a pretty good day on that occasion.

[rob-kayak]

While.. not an expert... but is it not that the "Submerged Aquatic Vegetation" is what keeps the oxygen in the water ???
We have long been worried about it dieing off....
Or am I confused between "grasses" and "SAV's"....

From much of my reading the SAV's provide oxygen in the night and early mornings...
which extrapolates to good fishing times in shallows at that time of day..

Anyway... aside from SAV's...

Aside from to rig your gear with weedless methods...

===========================

Hopefully... with John's caveat to the winds... as Sunday is far off as far as predictions go...
they will change and be favorable for you.

7am... by golly the day is half over by then.... I have had lots of later day launches..
so I know ya go when you can get to go.

I hit Cabin Creek in the Spring... and I've launched there many of times.
This Spring the lagoon was a flurry of Carp spawning... and it was very exciting.
I've done a night launch there also.
It is an hole in the wall place.... which I like.
There are shade trees which is nice this time of year.
The launch is just a narrow slot through the tall grass.
I got my foot stuck in the mud last Spring upon return... toppled over arse deep... oh well.
The lagoon.. the opposite side will be sun protected for perch fishing early in the morning.
Moving out of the lagoon into Prospect Bay... and heading south.. you will be in the Miles River...
and going by Parson's Island.
This "slot" moving south Miles River offers some decent depths of 30feet.
I have fished the Eastern Bay a lot, Miles River, and often found this time of year most fish/bait showing up in the plus 15-20foot depths.
If you get on the water at 4am... then the shallows might produce.
When you exit the lagoon... following the channel out into Prospect Bay... and head south to Miles River...
Parsons Island will be on your right...
from here... there is a good channel with depths to 30 or so feet.. with many depth changes.
Zig-zagging in this area will show you where the bait fish are holding up.
Also... on your left will be a large riprap wall... basically opposite Rich Neck Point.
There are clam beds and old oyster beds in that area.
The oyster reef starts on your left... opposite Parson's Island.
When you continue further south.. off Rich Neck Point...
the depth changes are crazy with many contours to zigzap to find the the depth where the bait fish are holding.

That's the thing... what depth are the bait fish holding...

Continuing further south... will bring you to the mouth of the Wye River.
There are some large riprap walls in the area.. and some good depth slots and contours.

Between Parson's Island and Rich Neck Point... all fish must pass.
So... if conditions are correct... well.. you'll find fish.
And so must all the boaters... so take that in mind...
Usually only at peak times of the day will you find traffic.

================================
Bennet's Point Landing on the Wye....
another of my favorites.
It is a hole in the wall... only because it is a "landing."
That means no boat ramp...
The bulkhead wraps around... and there is a small beach to the left.
The drop off can be from 1/2 foot to 3+foot.
I always carry a ten foot section of all weather carpet with me for situations like this.
A three foot section would be enough... if you are alone and don't have a helper to go over the bulkhead.
The sandy beach launch is just to the left of the bulkhead.

Launching... at this place offers many opportunities...
Going north... you can quickly get into 30foot of water.. and work the depths.
Going south... and the mouth of the Wye, and Miles River, the depths will go to 50foot...
and it is narrow so you may explore depth changes easily.
You can be wind protected on most variations of the wind direction.

It is a watermen's landing... clammer's and crabbers...
if you approach them with respect and nonchalant casualness... they might give you intel.

I don't know if the "trailer" rule applies to Bennet Point Landing.. there is no boat ramp.

==========================

Well I hope that gets you on the water...
and wish you much success !
Tightlines.
Rob

[belairfishing]

Wow...thanks Rob - that sure is a lot of information. Much appreciated.

[Mark]

While.. not an expert... but is it not that the "Submerged Aquatic Vegetation" is what keeps the oxygen in the water ???
We have long been worried about it dieing off....
Or am I confused between "grasses" and "SAV's"....

From much of my reading the SAV's provide oxygen in the night and early mornings...
which extrapolates to good fishing times in shallows at that time of day..

Rob,

I'm no expert either. And it's true that plants oxygenate the water. They do it the same as plants on land through the process of photosynthesis. That process requires light. When the sun drops the reverse happens. Those same plants stop producing oxygen and actually consume a little. So the prime time for plants to produce oxygen is in the daylight, not at low light.

How does that translate to fishing? I've leaned to toss weedless lures into pads, spatterdock and over hydrilla when the sun is high. It's not unusual for fish to be in the midst of that vegetation from mid morning until nearly sundown. However, when the sun drops and photosynthesis slows, fish tend to move out to the edges of those plant fields. Do they move because the plants are now competing with them for oxygen instead of producing it? I don't know. But experience tells me that fish follow that pattern I mentioned above and it synchronizes with the importance of light in photosynthesis.

Indeed, the other evening when I fished an Eastern Shore pond as the sun dropped I caught nothing in plant cover. It was tempting to try it. I did and got absolutely no interest. When I moved to the edges and out I had success. I believe I mentioned that in my report -- that the fish were offshore.

The problem with the SAV at Goodhands and many tidal spots this year is that it is so thick it reaches the surface at low tide. There is no room for fish to cruise above it and it would appear to be little room for them to swim through it near the bottom. So even casting weedless lures into the salad is likely to come up empty. Working the edges is my suggestion but the problem is that the SAV does not grow in a straight line conducive for those who like to troll. It zigs and zags in ways our kayaks cannot while pedaling or paddling.

So overall, the preponderance of SAV in our tidal waters is a good thing for the health of the Chesapeake. But it has also made the kinds of shallow water fishing that we're accustomed to in kayaks challenging this year.

[J.A. Veil]

When I last fished Goodhands, I was there at high water. The SAVs were quite thick in many places. I did find a few spots where the SAV beds were slightly off the shoreline, leave 5 to 10 yards of open water next to the shore. At the location where I was, the water was remarkably clear (in part thanks to the plant growth). Where I could find those narrow open zones, I could cast a 3" paddletail and get lots of strikes. Most of those fish were under 15", although one was 17". Those zones would have been too shallow at low or medium water depth. I happened to catch the high water and got some fish.

The SAVs should have a net positive impact on fisheries. They produce more oxygen (during daylight hours), they provide shelter and habitat, and they help to filter some of the suspended solids. On the flip side, they make fishing more difficult by preventing easy movement of lures without fouling.

[rob-kayak]

photosynthesis... yes daylight (obviously)... oxygen.
For some reason I thought I had read that there was more dissolved oxygen in the middle of the night and early morning before sunrise in water...
a delayed effect as it were... or aquatic plants stored the energy and then released the oxygen at that time.

Must have been a bad dream, I need better reading glasses... or probably, I'm just going senile.

I've looked at dozens of dissolved oxygen charts over the years... temperature and time of year..
Just never looked at time of the day for dissolved oxygen from my previous incorrect analysis.

oh well....
thank you for the education.

[Mark]

photosynthesis... yes daylight (obviously)... oxygen.
For some reason I thought I had read that there was more dissolved oxygen in the middle of the night and early morning before sunrise in water...
a delayed effect as it were... or aquatic plants stored the energy and then released the oxygen at that time.

Must have been a bad dream, I need better reading glasses... or probably, I'm just going senile.

I've looked at dozens of dissolved oxygen charts over the years... temperature and time of year..
Just never looked at time of the day for dissolved oxygen from my previous incorrect analysis.

oh well....
thank you for the education.

It's OK. It can be confusing. But from a practical standpoint, I have indeed found that fish movements around vegetation tend to follow the effects of photosynthesis. It's not foolproof. Nothing in fishing is. But it's just another thing to consider when the bite is hard.

[tarponguy]

Planning on joining you at Goodhands tomorrow morning if you are still going??

[belairfishing]

Planning on joining you at Goodhands tomorrow morning if you are still going??

Guys, sorry about the lack of response. Some family things came up, and with the wind forecast as it was I didn't make it. Did anyone fish this weekend?

[tarponguy]

You made a smart decision to stay home. We had a strong wind on Sunday here on Kent Island but since Goodhands is nearby, I loaded up the kayak anyway and got there at 7am. There was a constant strong wind I'd guess at 10 - 15 mph. The crabbers were already out and one came back in to get something from his truck. He told me the chop was 2 feet plus and that I would be crazy to go out so I waited to see if anyone might show up and then headed back home when nobody did. Not a problem for me - maybe next time.