south river pikeral

[kayak456]

hey everyone.
i have been reading ALOT about pike in the severn river.i was wondering if they would be in the south river .2 winters ago i cot a 12 inch one on a mepps in december but that was it,if anyone could help answer my question that would be very helpful,also please let me know what lures or bait to use(i never fish for pike cuz i hate freshwateer fishing,thats why i dont know wut im doing)
thanks again!

[DOGFISH]

Andrew, the pickerel are also in the South River. Generally, you need to go back into some of the smaller creeks. I used to catch a few back in Harness Creek. You can catch them with anything from a Rooster Tail to jigs to minnows under a bobber. I mostly have caught them by accident in the bay waters. Years ago, when I used to fish the Eastern Shore and the LM bass were not biting, we would throw spinners for pickerel. The Choptank and Tuckahoe rivers used to be full of those critters.

[ronaultmtd]

Why wouldn't pike be in Mattawoman Creek? For that matter, why aren't snakeheads being caught there now? Bass are caught year round, abiet, a lot less anglers venturing out in the colder waters...you have to change your tactics and tackle, but winter fish are caught if you can stand the discomforts and risks.

As I get older, my tolerances to discomforts are tested quicker than back in the day...

[kayak456]

i am at the farthest out part of the river<(turkey point) and would they be out that far even though you said they would be in the creeks. also why are or pike in salt/brackish water even though they are a freshwater fish?

[J.A. Veil]

i am at the farthest out part of the river<(turkey point) and would they be out that far even though you said they would be in the creeks. also why are or pike in salt/brackish water even though they are a freshwater fish?

Pickerel could be at various locations in most of the South River creeks and tributaries. They are rare catches during the warmer times of the year because there is usually sufficient natural food for them. However, in the winter, pickerel become easier to catch on rod and reel.

Pickerel are primarily fresh water fish, but can adapt to survive marginally in brackish water. They can actually reproduce in years in which water quality conditions are not too extreme (I have caught many 10" to 15" pickerel this year -- definitely younger than the ones larger than 20").

I have made more than 10 pickerel trips over the past month in two Severn River tributaries. What I learned is that even in tributaries where there are some pickerel, they are not spaced evenly around those water bodies. They tend to be clustered in relatively small areas. Unless you have psychic powers, the only way to find them is by trial and error (or by having a fishing buddy figure it out and show you .

I put in the effort to locate them in two tributaries and have been rewarded with some good catching days. However, I found that they may move somewhat from week-to-week and month-to-month. Once you determine where the fish are, you can go back there the next time and have a decent chance of finding them. If they are not there on the second day, look around in different depths or on structure nearby. That is what I had to do on Jan 1. The pickerel had been in the deeper section of the tributary for the past month. When I had no bites after an hour of working the deeper water, I tried casting into the shallow adjacent waters. Soon I started getting bites there. But the next time I go back, they may have moved again.

The tributaries on the lower South River are likely to have higher salinity than those in the upper South River. You can try moving to the back ends of the tributaries and look for where any feeder streams enter the tidal water. The local salinity is likely to be lower there. Years ago, I caught a huge pickerel at the back end of Glebe Bay where it narrows down. I was not targeting pickerel -- the bay was too rough for my boat and I was just poking around some of the creeks. Dogfish reported that he has caught pickerel in Harness Creek.

At the risk of sounding like a smart aleck, you are guaranteed to catch zero pickerel if you don't try for them. If you do try in the creeks and tributaries near your home, you may find some pickerel and might even scare up some other species too. Plus it is fun to get out on the water in the winter.