Introduction

[DST64]

Welcome to Snagged Lines!
I'm NE of Baltimore in Baltimore County, retired and kayak fish the areas you mentioned.
Drop me a note anytime you would like to have some company on the water.

Room for woolies and sock(s) essential under the Kokatat dry suit when water below 60F. suit provides virtually no insulating properties. I protect the leg fabric on mine from slime and mud by wearing a pair of inexpensive Frogg Togg rain pants over top. The suit is not something I'm comfortable washing.

After you decide your kayak needs to be made by Hobie . Look at purchasing from Delaware Paddle Sports in Lewes, DE. Aside from good people and service Delaware is a sales tax-free State. (I have no affiliation with them except for allowing them to drain my pockets)

Best of luck and happy adventures for you!

Hi There, after countless hours of reviewing, reading and watching videos I ordered the Old Town Sportsman 120 pedal. So, decision made, it's coming end of February. Thanks since we're in the same vicinity I'll drop you a note re getting out fishing. Weather permitting I hope to get out some time in the 2nd half of March.

[DST64]

Folks

In getting ready to kayak fish I'm reading a lot of books, watching a lot of videos and looking at a lot of charts of Chesapeake Bay, its creeks and rivers. I don't know the bay at all and I've a question I thought I'd ask.

Context: As someone who river fly fished for salmon, I got to know what rivers or spots within rivers were dangerous. Danger in this context is largely shifting gravel underfoot making it hard to stand or deep fast flowing water that could sweep you off your feet.

Thinking of pedal fishing kayaks, I know there's a bunch of dangers, but I don't ever want to be in the wrong place (through ignorance) of location. Wrong place is defined as a known dangerous spot because of current. Examples, where I've surf casted are (1) Sandyhook Tip New Jersey: current flows very quickly around that point. (2) Barnegat Inlet or any other inlet with a lot of flow. (3) Buxton NC: The Point. Great fishing but the colliding currents make the sea look like the inside of a washing machine.

Are there known spots on the Chesapeake to avoid simply because of force of current or colliding currents?
Is there any website you can go to and get information with respect to currents in the various creeks, rivers and spots of Chesapeake Bay?

Thanks

[J.A. Veil]

Few of the tidal locations in the mid-Chesapeake Bay region have strong tidal currents. Some of the free-flowing rivers and creeks have strong currents (e.g., upper Potomac, lower Susquehanna when Conowingo is releasing water), but I rarely go there. Areas where a large amount of water passes through a confined passage during tidal exchange can have stronger currents. One that comes to mind is Kent Narrows. If you launch at the Kent Narrows ramp, be prepared to fight the tide in one direction or the other. Another area that is not the best for beginners is the Bay Bridge pilings. I personally avoid fishing the Bay Bridge out of Sandy Point, but I know that others do fish there. The combination of unusual tidal flows (not well predicted by the tide tables) and ship/boat wakes can make this area dicey at times.

Having a pedal-drive kayak gives you some advantage in having to move your kayak through a relatively short stretch with higher current. I imagine that others will chime in with additional ideas.

[Mark]

DST64,

I concur with John. Our rivers and creeks here in the mid-Bay area have no abnormally high currents. Most of our tidal changes are mild. The exception indeed is Kent Narrows. I witnessed my buddy in his kayak paddling in place there while I chugged past him in my pedal driven Hobie. The water can rip through the Narrows but it can be overcome by most kayakers, especially those with pedal drives. Also, I agree with John that the Bay Bridge presents its own challenges of currents exacerbated by boat traffic and big wakes. I do not visit it in my kayak. There are plenty of other places nearby to catch stripers with calmer water.

Perhaps more disruptive to pedalers locally than fast water is sub aquatic and surface vegetation found in some of our waters. There are areas in tidal waters I fish that are thick with hydrilla and other underwater plants at certain times of year. They will choke my Mirage Drive and wrap around my rudder to make it impossible to steer. I can raise my fins, disengage my rudder and use my paddle to get through those areas. But when I am visiting an especially weedy area and when I know I am going to concentrate on that area to cast, I take one of my paddle kayaks. Similarly, when I fish ponds on the Eastern Shore which are thick with lily pads and spatterdock on the surface and hydrilla underneath I use a paddle kayak.

[Slough Sleigher]

Congratulations on pulling the pin on a peddle kayak. The Old Town will serve you well.
Hope to see you out there as the weather eases up a bit.
In addition to being aware and smart about current, I would add wind fetch as potentially being a sketchier condition to cope with. Anticipating how wind forms waves across long stretches of open water is key (particularly in a following sea state) as well as planning to avoid such an encounter in the first place. Sounds like you have made good decisions with your boat choice, protective gear, asking good questions, doing your own research and decision in including others in your outings. Many happy adventures await you in Maryland.

[Slough Sleigher]

Addendum: I suggest taking a look at the “Wind Finder” app (or similar) as well as a live radar app for planning and weather monitoring. Both apps elevate environmental awareness.

[nhunter344]

Addendum: I suggest taking a look at the “Wind Finder” app (or similar) as well as a live radar app for planning and weather monitoring. Both apps elevate environmental awareness.

A very good suggestion. One thing to take note of is what is referred to as 'catch'. Basically, it is the amount of open water wind can blow across. The larger the catch, the more potential for larger waves. The nice thing about the bay, with all its nooks and crannies and tributaries, is that you can usually find a spot to fish that is protected from the wind. Just avoid higher wind days where the wind is blowing across open water towards where you are fishing. I've even found that to be true even on days where they have issued small craft advisories for the bay. You may want to get plenty of experience finding your abilities and limits in your kayak. We're all differrent. For example, I can handle some pretty nasty stuff sitting in my kayak, but I know my limits and would never try to stand in my kayak even on the calmest days. I know I just dont have the sea legs to try it and stay dry!

One other thing I wanted to mention was in regards to your semi/dry suit. I try to wear a packable jacket underneath. They are lightweight and offer plenty of warmth. I personally use something along the lines of this: Patagonia Men's Nano Puff Jacket. There are plenty of similar jackets out there, Im just recommending that one as its what I have used. They are a bit pricey, but you can usually pick one up cheap during one of REI's 'garage sales'. For use under a drysuit, I recommend one without a hood.

[Slough Sleigher]

“Fetch” noun. Referring to the distance waves or wind travels across open water. However, I have had days on the water when (the) catch was of greater importance too!.

[DST64]

Thanks all. The words surrounding wind and wave take me back to my days on large Scottish lochs in a rowing boat. The style of fishing involved rowing upwind to the leeward shore. turning broadside to the wind and drifting to the downwind shore. Big bodies of water with a long "fetch" had pretty big waves towards the downwind shore. I guess in a kayak it's even more important not to be caught on the downwind shore in any kind of wind, especially where that downwind shore is over open water.

Thanks for the names of Apps for wind and weather.

[Jigsup]

A good wind/weather app is a plus. I personally use an app called windy app. It’s has an interactive wind map. The app provides a lot of information also. I agree with others about bay conditions. I had a set threshold when owning much bigger center console. 10mph winds I knew it would be a little rough. 15mph I wouldn’t go. Unless I was staying really close to shore. I mainly fish the patuxent river. Now with kayak fishing I rarely fish the bay. Most of my fishing is done in back creeks, or upper part of the river. Even then I pay really close attention to the weather.

One thing to be aware of, be on the lookout for boaters! The summer months can be a dangerous situation when it comes to pleasure boaters or weekend fishermen/fisher women. Most don’t pay attention or even think about kayakers.

[dsaavedra]

One thing to be aware of, be on the lookout for boaters! The summer months can be a dangerous situation when it comes to pleasure boaters or weekend fishermen/fisher women. Most don't pay attention or even think about kayakers.

Great advice. There are many days where I feel like the greatest danger on the water is other boaters. It's best to operate under the assumption that no one else on the water can see you at all and act accordingly - be smart and keep yourself out of harm's way because you can't rely on others to do the same.

[DST64]

Thanks, and yes it seems boaters are to kayakers what cars are to cyclists. I've seen a few videos where kayakers go swimming having been caught broadside to a boat wave. I guess all you can do is avoid wherever possible, be aware of your surroundings, have a flag on the kayak and when needed stay bow into the boat wave.

Luckily being retired I can keep the bulk of my fishing to weekdays.

[Slough Sleigher]

Anyone age 62 or "better" can apply for the $10.00 lifetime Mary State Parks Golden Age Pass: https://www.shopdnr.com/GoldenAgePass.aspx
************************************************** *************
A Golden Age Pass offers cardholders:

• Free entry into any Maryland State Park. (Some areas utilize coin-operated gates during the off season that cannot be opened with this card.)
• Half price camping, Sunday through Thursday - excluding holidays. (Not valid for rentals or other facility use service charges that may apply.)
• Unlimited boat launch access at any Maryland State Park.

*Age can be verified by U.S. Passport, Driver's License or State Issued I.D. Card. You may upload a copy of one of the aforementioned documents using the "Choose File" option below.

Out of State residents are welcome to purchase this pass.

************************************************** ***************

Since it might take a while to process your card, order soon. Pays for itself first time it is used. Works great at Sandy Point and other parks I've visited.

[nhunter344]

“Fetch” noun. Referring to the distance waves or wind travels across open water. However, I have had days on the water when (the) catch was of greater importance too!.

Thanks for the reminder. A mistake I constantly make that I picked up from a coastal geomorphology professor in college. Dang thing just won't leave my brain.

[paxmule]

The drysuit should be loose fitting. The suit itself provides little to no warmth - it does cut down on wind chill and will encapsulate your body heat a little, but it is really just a thin waterproof shell. You want enough room underneath to wear as many warm layers as the air and water temperature dictate. Ideally you want to wear wool and/or synthetic layers. Avoid cotton because it will suck the heat out of you when it gets wet (even if it gets damp from perspiration in the drysuit). I'm a fan of thermal fleece base layers under my drysuit - they are lightweight and not bulky, warm, and allow good mobility. Sometimes I'll wear up to 4 layers depending on how cold it is.

I had to wear a dry suit once on a helo flight from a ship to Atsugi japan in january with water temps somewhere in the 40s. I was instructed to wear my uniform under it and tie the leg bottoms into my boot tops. That was a very uncomfortable ride! I didn't think i was ever going to be able to get back out of it when i got where i was going. Had to use a pair of pliers to get the zipper back down.