Suggestions for a Weekend of Fishing/Camping or Cabin?

[UnkleRob2020]

I am considering taking off of work on Friday October 15th and spending a long weekend fishing. The impetus for this was that I was hoping to stay in a cabin at Janes Island State Park and fish there for the first time. It doesn't appear that the cabins are available. I would prefer cabin to camping just to minimize the amount of labor involved.

I would like to fish new waters for this season, so I was thinking about either the Eastern Shore or Southern MD. I am open to tidal fishing and also fresh water. I was thinking that fishing on the Eastern Shore might allow me to do both and I frequently read about fishing ponds on the Eastern Shore and I have never fished any of them.

I am planning a trip with my buddy Arron and he prefers fresh water and I prefer tidal. Being able to do both would be nice for the group. Arron's ultimate bucket list fish is currently snakehead. I would thoroughly enjoy watching him catch one.

Any suggestions of places to stay and places to fish?

[Red_Beard]

Below is a link to a Fish Talk Magazine article on all the eastern shore millponds. I would recommend heading down to the Salisbury/Crisfield area. That would put you in easy range of the millponds around Salisbury, which are really good, and the creeks around Tangier Sound where you could get into some specks and drum that time of year along with the usual schoolie stripers.

https://www.fishtalkmag.com/blog/eas...hwater-fishing

[scorchy]

Rob - I just checked AirBnB and it looks there are a few options for affordable small houses/cabins in Crisfield and some even cheaper options in Deal Island. There are also a few listings where the owners seem to be hoping for a windfall as I can't see anyone paying OC or OBX summer prices for a place in Somerset County during October. A lot of the cheaper listings don't have water access though, which is a definite drawback.

[clauver6]

Rob - I just checked AirBnB and it looks there are a few options for affordable small houses/cabins in Crisfield and some even cheaper options in Deal Island. There are also a few listings where the owners seem to be hoping for a windfall as I can't see anyone paying OC or OBX summer prices for a place in Somerset County during October. A lot of the cheaper listings don't have water access though, which is a definite drawback.

Thats near sika rut, Lotta hunters saw meateater in chesapeake. Those prices might be a little high, but they are real.

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[dsaavedra]

Arron's ultimate bucket list fish is currently snakehead. I would thoroughly enjoy watching him catch one.

For snakehead, look at any of the launches in the upper reaches of the rivers surrounding Blackwater wildlife refuge and take your pick. I have personally used (and caught snakehead from) the following launches: Rt 335 in Blackwater proper, Little Blackwater, Transquaking, and New Bridge. Mardela Springs is another option though I haven't been there. I fished at New Bridge last week and the bite was slow, it seemed to pick up in the late afternoon after the sun had warmed the water a couple degrees. I caught 4 snakehead, my friend caught 1, and my other friend got skunked. I caught 2 snakehead first thing in the morning (before 9am) and 2 more after 4pm. I also missed a few strikes late in the day around 4pm. I went nearly 8 hours without so much as a bite. I think the cold nights we are getting now have the snakehead beginning a transition phase... they'll be sluggish in the morning and become active as the sun warms the water throughout the day. It won't be long before they go full-on cold water mode and become even more difficult to catch. Live minnows are just about your only hope at that point.

[UnkleRob2020]

Thank you everyone. I booked an AirBnB (thanks Scorchy) for the weekend of October 15 - 17. I am hoping to fish Tangier Sound as well as either a pond or Blackwater so that we have both a mix of tidal and freshwater fishing.

[UnkleRob2020]

Pond vs. Blackwater for freshwater fishing near Crisfield?

I have never fished Blackwater. In the middle of October, is Blackwater or an Eastern Shore pond a better bet for freshwater fishing?

[dsaavedra]

If the goal is to put fish in the boat I would visit a pond. Pickerel and crappie should still be plenty active (in fact, maybe more active than they will have been for months leading up to October). You might get into some bass too.

At Blackwater snakehead are pretty much your only target and there's a good chance they will be pretty tight lipped by mid-October... Though one year I had an exceptional day fishing live minnows on Veteran's Day. I think I caught 7 or 8 snakehead that day and the 2 friends I was with caught a good number too.

[Red_Beard]

Rob, I would honestly try Blackwater. Its a unique fishery, and a haul from here so it would be a shame if you didn't give it a try when you had the chance. The snakeheads are still biting, and the main body of Blackwater actually produces some really nice largemouth bass and crappie too. If you're worried the bite may be tough, just get some bull minnows and fish them under a popping cork. If you do that, you should catch fish. Maybe try Blackwater in the morning, and if it doesn't produce try Johnsons Pond in Salisbury in the afternoon.

[Slobber Bob]

It's not exactly freshwater fishing as it's still tidal, but the Pocomoke River isn't too far from Crisfield and is home to your typical freshwater species - bass, catfish, pickerel, perch (yellow and white), crappie, and sunfish. I'm not sure if snakeheads are present yet or not, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are. There are multiple launches on the river in the Snow Hill area.