College Creek in Annapolis

[dsaavedra]

Is fishing allowed in College Creek in Annapolis? I never hear of anyone fishing there, and I never see boats or kayaks on the water when driving across the the bridges over the creek. I thought I read somewhere the USNA officers are liable to shoo you out of there if you try to paddle in. That would be a shame as it's good looking water and an easy paddle from Jonas Green.

[J.A. Veil]

College Creek itself is considered waters of the State, and therefore is open to the public. Unless there is some special event going on at the Naval Academy that requires them to secure the entire creek, you can take a kayak in there and fish. I have done it many times over the past 25 years. The challenge is finding a place to launch. I am not aware of any public access to College Creek. There is a small launch ramp on the St Johns College property, but there is nowhere to park near it. When I go there, I launch at Jonas Green and make my way across the Severn and downstream to the creek mouth.

Some of the bridges crossing the creek have low clearance. If you store rods vertically on your kayak, you will need to take them out of the rod holders and lay them flat while moving beneath the bridge.

The outer section of College Creek that passes through the Academy property has mostly hard shorelines (bulkheading) making it less desirable for targeting fish along the shore. Once you pass through the Academy grounds and move into the areas by St Johns College and the large church, there are mostly natural shorelines. White perch can be found in the warmer months and pickerel in the cooler months (although my catching success has been hit or miss in recent years). I did catch a 24.5" pickerel there this past winter. Because of the difficulty in getting in there and the inconsistent catching success, I only go in a few times each year.

The very upper section of College Creek is quite shallow and muddy. I have had little success fishing there.

[dsaavedra]

Thanks for the info John. I thought it was odd that USNA would keep people out of open water. I cant remember where or when I heard that (I think that person also said they've been told to back off the seawall/bulkheads along Forrest Sherman Field) but maybe that person was trying to fish during a time when there was a Navy event going on.

It seems like Jonas Green would offer easy access to the creek, but then again everything looks closer on a map than it does from the seat of a kayak. And you'd also have to cross the river and dodge powerboat traffic... I can see how that'd be daunting during the summer.

[Jman]

It’s a quick paddle to get to college creek from Jonas Green. Signs have to be posted if it’s restricted. We have had MPs ask us to move down the creek (when in kayak) from the row house area before.

[HobieWanKenobie]

Is fishing allowed in College Creek in Annapolis? I never hear of anyone fishing there, and I never see boats or kayaks on the water when driving across the the bridges over the creek. I thought I read somewhere the USNA officers are liable to shoo you out of there if you try to paddle in. That would be a shame as it's good looking water and an easy paddle from Jonas Green.

Hi Dave,

I fish there often. You are allowed to fish on College Creek but keep in mind, the USNA and SJC crew use this area for their less experienced crew teams. As John stated, you can find some trophy pickerel and plenty of white perch under the Rowe Blvd. Bridge. Good luck, if you go! Mike-

[dsaavedra]

Thanks for the info guys! I think I'll check it out once the perch are in. It does look like a great spot for pickerel once the water gets cold too, I prefer to fish for them along natural shore lines with trees in the water as opposed to under docks.

Mike, I had a run in with USNA crew on Weems creek a year or two ago... they ran right into my kayak and broke 2 of my fishing rods! I was paddling off to the side of the creek heading into the wind so I did not hear them coming up from behind me. They didn't stop to check on me after hitting me and neither did any of the rowers that followed. I eventually flagged down the coaching boat with my safety whistle and we got the situation resolved.

[Mark]

I haven't visited College Creek for a couple of years because most of the time when I launch from Jonas I head north. If I go south, I stick to the Jonas-side shoreline of the Severn on my way to Greenbury Point and beyond.

College Creek's shorelines border the the USNA. To me, that makes it an interesting paddle or pedal. The buildings of the campus are close by and the USNA cemetery is to the right as you enter the creek. I find the campus sights inspiring. I've even had chats with Middies on the shoreline who were interested in my fishing luck. The creek returns to a natural shoreline in its back portions. I've caught stripers, pickerels and white perch in the those areas and a lone pumpkinseed. In fact, I recall once seeing a pickerel nursery during a winter outing in the creek in a cove near a church. Young "hammer handles" were schooled up in the center of the cove. There must have been a hundred of them visible in the cold clear water.

On reason I don't visit the creek often is due to the refraction waves that bounce from the seawall on the athletic field that is to the right of the creek's mouth. Whether caused by boat wakes or winds, those waves near the wall can get dicey. Some of my roughest rides in the Severn have been near that wall.

Otherwise, College Creek is a nice location that is probably not visited by kayakers as often as other more accessible Severn creeks.