Go West Old Man!

The alarm went off at 4 am this morning. I was on the road by 4:30. My plan was to head to the furthest county I had left in my quest to catch a fish in every county in the state of Maryland. The spot I picked was the lake at New Germany State Park. The park is a little under 500 acres in size and has hiking trails, which during the winter can be used as cross country ski and snowshoe trails. There is tent camping as well as cabins to rent. Their website boasts that there is NO cell phone reception so they have an operating pay phone, phone booth included.It really seems like a place to “just get away.” My reason for picking it was that at the center of the park is the 13 acre lake. Originally used in a sawmill and grist mill, the lake got to its current size when the Civilian Conservation Corps expanded it. At 162 miles from home, the gps said it was going to take 3 & 1/2 hours to get there. And it did not lie as I pulled into the park right at 8 am. It took me a couple of minutes to find the launch.

When I did I was greeted by a couple of campers, one of which had a fishing rod in his hand. As I unloaded the contents of the Prius onto the kayak the young man asked “How is the fishing from the shore?” I told him it was my first time there and I was going to ask him how he was doing. I took the car to the parking area, said “Hello” to a couple of the locals and walked down to the lake. As I paddled out the young lady wished me “Good Luck” and I returned the favor.

The area at New Germany was gorgeous. When I left my home, at 4:30, it was already in the mid 70’s. When I climbed onto the kayak the air temperature was a cool 63 degrees. There were low clouds along the tops of the hills at the far end of the lake. It really was a place to just get away. I paddled towards the northern end of the lake and noticed that the water was very shallow, maybe 18 inches deep. I saw some rocks, small vegetation and pieces of woods under the surface. As I got within a hundred yards of the north shore I saw a ripple or whirl about 50 feet ahead of me. I made a cast, using a blue (“junebug”) Yum “dinger”. By the time I reeled in the slack line I was hooked up! I got the fish to the boat and was happy to see that my first fish in Garrett County was a 10 inch largemouth bass.

Now my fishing quest is to catch A fish in each county in the state. I had driven 3 & 1/2 hours to this location. I wasn’t about to paddle back to the launch after my first fish, especially since I had only been on the water for 10 minutes. So at the point I decided to give it 60 minutes or so. I paddled around, using the same bait on one rod and a small hellgrammite on another. I caught a couple more largemouth as well as seven or eight bluegill. All of the fish were caught pretty close to shore, or at least shallow water. After an hour and a half, I paddled back to the launch. As I loaded up the kayak, I had a nice conversation with two gentlemen who had come down to the lakeside to have a try at catching a few. Ultimately to answer the first guy’s question - shore fishing looked okay, since I saw these two reel in a couple, but fishing from the kayak was better!

With Garrett County in the books, I set my mind on getting back to Allegany County. I had picked my spot, Rocky Gap State Park , which was only 30 minutes back along Interstate 68. The ride there was uneventful. I drove up, flashed my state park pass, and then asked about a possible launch. I was told that there was a spot outside of the park on the lake, OR I could park in any of the areas and carry my kayak down to the shoreline. I chose to do the latter. Now state parks in Maryland are very popular in the summer time, and Rocky Gap is no exception. The shoreline was dotted with many visitors having picnics, enjoying the beaches and public swimming areas.

The lake itself, Lake Habeeb, is man-made and huge, close to 250 acres. The water comes from Rocky Gap Run and is crystal clear! There were times when I wish I had my mask and fins because I wanted to just get in and explore. Once again I could see rocks, vegetation and trees on the bottom but out from the shore about 20 feet or so it seemed to drop off. Armed with the same baits as before, I paddled to a small cove on the northern side, diametrically across from where I put in. Once in the cove I made casts into the shallows with the “dinger.” On one cast I felt a hit and began to reel. For the second time today, my first fish in a new county was a largemouth bass. After a picture or two I released the fish and started to try and catch a few more. Unlike my first outing of the day, my luck at Rocky Gap was not as good. I did see small bait fish swimming around and I did catch two small bluegill casting under some overhanging tree limbs. But in the interest of full disclosure, I picked up more litter than fish I caught at this spot.

Nevertheless I had a terrific time! I had made a plan and was able to follow it. Catching fish in both Garrett and Allegany counties brings me to the very edge of completing my quest! I have one more county on the list. Now to make another plan.

Until next time ... Tight Lines!