In anticipation of the Severn River meet & greet coming up in a few weeks, I wanted to visit several creeks that I had not yet fished this winter. Most of the creeks and coves near Jonas Green and the Weems Creek ramp are holding some pickerel -- some better than others. See the attached map for locations.
Today I launched from the Tucker St. ramp in Weems Creek and headed out to the river. The forecast for today was warming in the afternoon but strengthening winds by late morning. I chose to put up with colder air in the hope of finding lower winds -- but I managed to get cold conditions and strong wind .
I paddled upstream to the third tributary on the left side (Martins Pond). I have fished this in the summer for perch and had an idea of where to look. The very low water level blocked some of the shoreline I wanted to try, and the breeze made other parts of the shoreline difficult to fish.
I spent nearly 90 minutes working the shorelines, with half of that in one corner. I had a few bites and head shakes but never got a fish that stayed on the line. I did see one pickerel, which followed the minnow to the boat and just sat there for 5 seconds looking up at me before turning and swimming off.
I left there and paddled downstream against the wind to the Cove of Cork (the creek mouth is right above the Rt 50 bridge. I caught one pickerel near the front, then kept working around to the back. I found one shallow area that was chock full of small pickerel. I caught 6 and had many more that took the minnow, shook their heads for a while, then opened their mouths and let go. I even tried a few casts using an artificial lure -- a black tube jig. I caught two pickerel on the lure.
I paddled back into Weems Creek and tried a few spots near the ramp. One was a questionable spot, and it did not yield any bites. The other was a spot that almost always produces one pickerel. Today was no exception. I had three bites and managed to get one to the boat.
I caught approximately 7 pickerel today (all less than 15"). I guess that I had nearly 20 other bites that did not stay on the hook. I enjoyed exploring the two new creeks and was able to verify that there are some fish in both of them.
Today I launched from the Tucker St. ramp in Weems Creek and headed out to the river. The forecast for today was warming in the afternoon but strengthening winds by late morning. I chose to put up with colder air in the hope of finding lower winds -- but I managed to get cold conditions and strong wind .
I paddled upstream to the third tributary on the left side (Martins Pond). I have fished this in the summer for perch and had an idea of where to look. The very low water level blocked some of the shoreline I wanted to try, and the breeze made other parts of the shoreline difficult to fish.
I spent nearly 90 minutes working the shorelines, with half of that in one corner. I had a few bites and head shakes but never got a fish that stayed on the line. I did see one pickerel, which followed the minnow to the boat and just sat there for 5 seconds looking up at me before turning and swimming off.
I left there and paddled downstream against the wind to the Cove of Cork (the creek mouth is right above the Rt 50 bridge. I caught one pickerel near the front, then kept working around to the back. I found one shallow area that was chock full of small pickerel. I caught 6 and had many more that took the minnow, shook their heads for a while, then opened their mouths and let go. I even tried a few casts using an artificial lure -- a black tube jig. I caught two pickerel on the lure.
I paddled back into Weems Creek and tried a few spots near the ramp. One was a questionable spot, and it did not yield any bites. The other was a spot that almost always produces one pickerel. Today was no exception. I had three bites and managed to get one to the boat.
I caught approximately 7 pickerel today (all less than 15"). I guess that I had nearly 20 other bites that did not stay on the hook. I enjoyed exploring the two new creeks and was able to verify that there are some fish in both of them.
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