Lakes/Ponds

[Str8 Yakkin]

Greetings Snaggedliners. Question for the group are there any good ponds near the Annapolis area or within a few hours drive to put the kayak in to fish for some bluegill, bass, or crappie?


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[Big Mike]

Not super close, about 1.5 hours from southern Annapolis, is St Mary’s Lake. At 300+ acres it’s a large body of water for our area and has a large variety of terrain to fish. It has a very healthy pickerel population in addition to your desired species. $3 State Park fee to park and a ramp to launch at.

If you have a pedal kayak be aware the lake has a healthy population of deadheads that will bend your fins or ding your prop. Like an iceberg assume there are more lurking below the surface than the trees you see, upwards of 50 yards away.

[Str8 Yakkin]

Not super close, about 1.5 hours from southern Annapolis, is St Mary’s Lake. At 300+ acres it’s a large body of water for our area and has a large variety of terrain to fish. It has a very healthy pickerel population in addition to your desired species. $3 State Park fee to park and a ramp to launch at.

If you have a pedal kayak be aware the lake has a healthy population of deadheads that will bend your fins or ding your prop. Like an iceberg assume there are more lurking below the surface than the trees you see, upwards of 50 yards away.

Thanks for the info man. I’ll look into it


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[YakMan1731]

Check the Eastern Shore as well. There are a number of fun little ponds where I spend some of the cold winter months chasing pickerel. Unicorn and Wye Mills are great places to start. Sometimes I'll fish them both in one day since they're little. They're usually good for a handful of fish. Both are free to launch at.

[Str8 Yakkin]

Check the Eastern Shore as well. There are a number of fun little ponds where I spend some of the cold winter months chasing pickerel. Unicorn and Wye Mills are great places to start. Sometimes I'll fish them both in one day since they're little. They're usually good for a handful of fish. Both are free to launch at.

Thanks brother. I’ll definitely be checking them out


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[J.A. Veil]

As YakMan1731 pointed out, there are many freshwater places on the eastern shore in MD, DE, and VA, where you can launch a kayak and fish for pickerel, bass, white perch, yellow perch, crappies, and blue gill. At some locations, snakeheads maybe possible too. Some of the counties require you to have a launch permit sticker on your vehicle even if you are just parking at a launch site. Other counties allow launching of cartop boats without a launch permit. Do your homework in advance to avoid an unpleasant ticket experience.

Fishtalk magazine had an article last winter about fishing in mill ponds. That will give you some ideas on locations.

During the cold weather I often go exploring and try some new spots. Do some map research or look on the Maryland DNR website for locations ( https://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/P...ots/index.aspx). During the warmer weather it often pays to get out early before the sun gets high and the water warms up. The opposite may be true in the winter when the bite may improve by late morning as the surface layer of water warms up, and the bait and predators become more active.