TWIF (This Week in Fishing) June 18th - 24th

Saturday, June 18:

With having such wonderful weather today I spent the main part of it with my wife and sons. But as we were beginning to think about evening plans I mentioned that I want to drive down to Lake Lariat. I put the kayak on the water around 5:30 and began to paddle around. I had a small green critter from Johnson's on a 1/32 oz jig. I was able to catch a couple of fish, a bass and a bluegill, with it before I had a serious line wrap on the spinning reel. I ended up having to cut the line and retie the jig. Upon doing so I decided to give another bait a try. I pulled out a small, inch and a half, black bodied with pink tail grub from Portco. I found them last year and had some success with them. I figured let's see how they do. Using it I caught a few more, smaller, largemouth as well as a couple more bluegill. It wasn't until I was on my way back to the launch, about 3 hours later, that I was able to catch my third species, a small black crappie.

Not sure what the rest of the week will hold, but I do know that I need to find the leak in my kayak. After each trip recently I've had to pour out at least a gallon of water that has gotten into the haul. Hopefully I can find it tomorrow.

Sunday, June 19th:

Woke up today, Father's Day, and had breakfast. My wife asked what I wanted to do and mentioned that I could go fishing if I wanted. You don't have to say it twice. So I loaded up and headed to St. Mary's Lake. Once there I paddled across to an area which seems to have fish. I had a few nibbles on the jig and green nymph but nothing took it hard. I made my way into one finger of the lake, protected from the wind and gave the "Frog R" a cast. About half way back to the kayak, a 13 inch largemouth grabbed hold and wouldn't let go. I paddled around some more with very few bites until I went past one shoreline that again always seems to hold fish. I made a cast with the jig and hooked up with the very nice redear sunfish in the photo. All totaled fishing was pretty slow with only catching two more bass.

The side note from Saturday has been addressed. Upon getting home I put the kayak on the rack and added quite a bit of water. I found that I had two cracks beside the scupper holes in the front.

I bought some sealant and applied it. Now I need to wait a day or so to see if it works. If not I may be trying "Flex Seal." You know the stuff from the tv commercial.

Monday, June 20th:

The first "official" day of summer is here. With my oldest son getting together with a friend this evening, I put off going fishing until later in the day. In fact I didn't get on the water until after 6 pm. I was really happy I waited since most of the heat of the day had diminished by then. I drove Michael down to the "Ranch Club" for his date. That meant I headed over to Lake Lariat for 2 & 1/2 hours. Things were relatively slow with just a few smaller fish being caught. I did manage four species with catching a small channel catfish as the first of the day. I also caught a few bluegill, crappie as well as a few bass. I even got one of the bass on the Rebel Frog R which is becoming a favorite lure of mine. We'll see what tomorrow holds...

Wednesday, June 22:

Well you can see that "tomorrow" didn't hold a thing since I skipped a day of fishing. But today I headed over to Gilbert Run Park in southern Charles County. I haven't done a lot of fishing there, since it's about a 40 minute drive. But in the interest of full disclosure it takes the same amount of time to drive to St. Mary's Lake. Anyway I put the kayak in and spent a couple of hours casting like usual, around the shoreline, looking for fish. Using the green nymph and a black and white tube I was able to catch a few. Three species but I only caught four fish in total.

Later in the afternoon on Wednesday I saw a "tweet" from the Fishnerds. If you enjoy fishing and haven't given their podcast a listen I think you really should. Their "tweet" mentioned taking a "fishselfie" while wearing on of their hats. As luck would have it I had my beanie in the car as I took my youngest son to soccer practice. I hit a local pond and tried several baits, the Wee-frog, the Frog R as well as as medium diving crankbait. None of them worked. I decided before leaving that I'd try a 1/8 oz jig with an orange grub trailer, from Berkley. That was the bait that paid off for this wonderful picture.

Thursday, June 23rd:

Thursday's fishing began with a debate on what to try first. I needed to drop off the dog for an appointment so I really couldn't start bright and early. So I decided to give another small pond a try. I had the 1/8 oz jig from the day before and thought I'd give it another try. It paid off with a nice crappie as well as a couple of bites that I didn't get to shore. Next time right...

Later in the day I took the kayak over to the Patuxent in search of white perch. The tide was falling so I stayed within Nan's Cove and caught just over a dozen small ones. But more importantly, and I apologize for tooting my own horn, I took some time to pull a couple of things out of the river itself. I found a bucket floating on the shoreline as well as an old tire sitting in the mud.

Not minding getting dirty I climbed out and put them both, along with an old plastic bag, on the front of my kayak and took them home. In all honesty I'll use the bucket with my National Honor Society group's efforts in roadside cleanups so it's the ultimate in recycling. Pull it out of the environment since it was trash and reuse it when picking up other trash.

Friday, June 24th:

To close out this week in fishing I headed down to Lake Lariat after my son's swim practice. As I paddled around I saw loads of bluegill hitting small flies that were on the surface. But wouldn't you know I couldn't get any of them to take my top water cricket. I did catch a couple on the green nymph. I hooked one fish, not sure what, that broke my line off in an area with a fallen tree and its branches. I replaced the nymph with a silver tube which helped me catch a few small crappie as well as a couple of small bass. There was one spot on the lake where I always seem to catch panfish and it's where I caught a couple of crappie today. Well between casts that brought in crappie I hooked up with the yellow perch you see in the photo. I have to say that I really like the diversity in Lake Lariat and I hope it stays healthy. Until next week... Tight lines!

TWIF (This Week in Fishing) June 11th - 17th

Sunday, June 12th: This week's fishing started Sunday morning over on the Patuxent River at Nan's Cove. High tide was supposed to be around 9:30 so I hit the area just around 6:30 and spent a couple of hours casting a small Arkie spinner with a green tailed tube. The white perch were in, mostly about 8 to 10'ft from the shoreline in what was probably 2 - 4 ft of water. I made my cast and allowed 4 or 5 seconds for the bait to fall. Then I would reel in slowly waiting for a bite. I caught somewhere close to two dozen with most of them being in the 6 to 8 inch range. I did catch a couple that pushed 10 inches but all were released to swim again.

Now on a side note, a tube has been placed on the dock at Nan's Cove so that anglers can "recycle" their fishing line. But from the photo you may be able to see that it has been used as a trash can. While I like the fact that visitors have been putting their trash away I was really bothered by the fact that they decided to use the line recycler. Being the person I am, and having the habit of not minding picking up other people's trash, ask my National Honor Society students, I cleaned it out. Maybe I'll check it every couple of weeks. Not like I won't be in the area.

Tuesday, June 14th:

Last full day of school today so summer is almost here in earnest. Instead of heading straight out on the water I came home and spent some time relaxing with the family. I also had an event to attend in Prince Frederick this evening which meant I'd have a chance to try anyway. I tied on a Rebel Frog-R, a hard-body frog. Being 7:30 in the evening I was hoping for a little top water action. I made several casts along the shoreline and did my best to "walk the dog" back. On about the seventh or eighth cast a very nice largemouth latched on and wouldn't let go. After a photo I changed locations down the shore about 50 yds and tried again. Again after four or five more casts I had another fight on my hands. That's how the evening went with a total of three fish, but I had a couple of other bites which spit the lure about 8 ft from shore. It makes me want to head back another day, early morning or just before sunset again.

Thursday, June 16th:

The end of the school year is here and I took the opportunity hit a local pond before meetings. I decided to give a Rebel Wee-Frog a try. I made casts along the shoreline and would twitch the bait down and then pause. On about the 5th or 6th cast a very nice largemouth latched on during a pause. I fought him to shore and took a couple of photos. I then released him and made a couple more casts but didn't have any more luck.

After my final checkout at school I took my oldest son out to lunch after having his senior pictures taken. (Where did the time go?) We then drove home and I put the kayak on the car and headed over to the river. There was a little wind blowing so I didn't head out for long. In fact I didn't even make it to the open part of the river. I paddled around the cove casting the same small spinner. The fish I found, white perch, were mostly on the wind blown side hidden in the shady areas. The best one I caught was about 8 inches but all were released.

Friday, June 17th: More of the same today in the fishing department for me. With the front that past through the area last night air temperatures dropped into the upper 60's low 70's and we had a easterly breeze. I waited until about 11 this morning to put the kayak on the water. I went over to the river and paddled around for an hour or a little more. This time I tried the same spinner bait as well as a 1/4 oz casting spoon. I ended up with a dozen white perch all pretty small, not quite big enough to bring home for dinner.

TWIF (This Week in Fishing) June 4th - June 10th

Saturday, June 4th:

Hurray the weekend is here! Time to party - well as much as I party. Friday evening I was invited to a colleague's for a get together. It was really enjoyable as I got to just shoot the breeze with a friend as well as make a couple new ones. This morning I woke up early, not on purpose, but decided to head to St. Mary's State Park. I have to admit the fishing was kind of slow with the soft plastics, with only a couple of bites. I did manage one small pickerel before I decided to switch things. I had spotted a few fish trying to hit my float so I tied on a Rebel Crick-Hopper. It's a floating bait, with pretty small hooks, maybe size 10 trebles. I paddled along the shoreline making casts to within 5 feet of shore to about 2 feet of water. If give it a twitch or two and usually something would hit. I ended up with 5 species, including a golden shiner, which I didn't know occupied the lake. My best catch of the day was a nice 14 inch largemouth, which might have weighed 1 & 3/4 lbs. From there I headed to a couple of graduation parties as well as a soccer game for my youngest son. (His team tied.)

Sunday, June 5th:

According to most forecasts today's weather was supposed to get pretty nasty in the middle of the afternoon. With the forecast looking bad I took the kayak down to Lake Lariat. I thought I'd try the same Rebel lure, but it didn't pay off at all. I had a couple of follows on it but nothing hit it hard enough to get caught. So I switched to Johnson's nymph, bright green, and was able to catch a half dozen, mixed between bluegill and crappie.

This afternoon our sons were attending an end of the year youth group gathering at one of the local parks, King's Landing. The park sits along the eastern side of the Patuxent River. My wife and I took the kayak, as well as the dog, for a short while and of course I brought a small rod. With the stained water I tied on a white Rooster Tail inline spinner. We made our way to one of the creeks off yo one side. I made cast along the side of some lay downs as well as some of the slower moving pools. No bites at all, so this part of the post is in the interest of full disclosure. Interestingly on the paddle back our dog got a little antsy as we approached where we put in and decided to swim the last 75 feet or so.

Sunday's fishing adventure didn't end at King's Landing. After the kayak with my wife we headed back to the house while the boys went back to the church for food and games. Of course they needed to be picked up and I had some time. I took the drive to the middle of the county and gave Sewell Branch a try. I had the same while inline spinner tied on and I gave it a couple of casts. On one cast as it came by the base of a tree that was partly in the water it got hammered by a nice yellow perch.

I released it and made a few more casts to no avail. I switched to a small green and white jerkbait that I found one day hanging on a tree limb. Once again a couple of casts and I was hooked up with a bluegill that had made a swipe at the bait. It was released as well and I headed back to the church to pick up the boys.

Wednesday, June 8th: Another Wednesday evening soccer practice and another trip to that small creek. I tried another smaller inline spinner, this one green and chartreuse, as well as the same jerkbait. I had a couple of hits but no hook ups. Just how it happens sometimes.

Thursday, June 9th:

My wife and I took the day off today so that we could run down to Salisbury to my mother's house. The family is trying to get the house ready to sell and we thought we'd do our part in helping. My Prius was also down there so taking two people down meant that we could get it home in St. Leonard. With it being a school day my wife had to get back to southern Maryland that left me on the Eastern Shore by myself. After lunch with my sister and her husband I drove over to see mom, who is doing about the same. After that I headed by the house to check a couple of things and then headed to the creek at Leonard's Mill. Before getting into kayak fishing like I have I would bring my sons, when they were much younger, here and we'd catch sunfish. I figured I'd give it a try. As luck would have a I was able to catch two small fish, one a bluegill and the other a green sunfish I believe. Then again it may be a hybrid is some sort. I'm going to ask the Maryland Dept of Natural Resources which it might be. If it's a hybrid I'll let you know.

Friday, June 10th: Bright blue skies as I walked out of school this afternoon. I had a few things to do at home and then I was going to head to the river. A check of the tides made that thought obsolete so I drove down to the lake at St. Mary's. Fishing was very slow as I was trying the shady spots. In fact I only managed to catch one pickerel and one small bass on a green nymph. But at one time as I was at one end of the lake I turned and looked. It appeared that I had the entire lake to myself. It was then I was reminded of why I enjoy fishing so much. It's not the size of the fish, or how many I catch, even though I really like those parts. It's the time on the water in the beauty of creation that I really love.

Until next week - Tight Lines!!

Editor's note: The fish I caught in Salisbury on Thursday was not a green sunfish. Upon receiving word from the Dept Of Natural Resources fisheries - I caught a "redbreast sunfish" (Lepomis azurites). I've probably caught them before but at least now I know I can add it to my species list.

TWIF (This Week in Fishing) May 28th - June 3rd

Saturday, May 28th:

Whether it's the official or unofficial start of summer Memorial Day weekend is here, and I got a chance to spend it on the Eastern Shore. I woke up early this morning and drove over to Powellville. I had been on Adkins Mill Pond once before and I thought I'd give it another try. At first I paddled into the upper reaches, back among the cypress trees. I didn't have much luck there but it really was a pretty location. So I turned around and headed towards the the main part of the pond. I made my casts just outside of the lily pads and got a couple of nibbles. The first fish I caught was an 8 inch golden shiner. From there I continued along the pads and caught a few crappie. My last cast of the morning got nailed and pulled towards the bottom with at a quick pace. I thought I had hooked up on a nice pickerel until I got it to the kayak. I had actually caught a 13 inch bullhead catfish. Eight fish total spread between four species all one a silver speckled Arkie tube.

My day at Adkins Mill wasn't over. Saturday evening my sister asked if I was able to help with an issue at her house in Ocean Pines. Adkins Mill is about half way between Salisbury and Ocean Pines so I left a little earlier than I needed. I spent about an hour and a half paddling around and caught another dozen fish split between bluegill and black crappie. Upon leaving I was greeted with a terrific sunset.

Sunday, May 29th: The weekend continued into Sunday of course and I spent two hours back on Leonard's Mill. I switched baits to a green nymph soft plastic bait by Johnson's. It was suspended under a float and it paid off with a nice handful of bluegill. But once in a while I'd give it a really nice twitch, or even drag it through the water. It was those quick drags that attracted hard hits from some really nice chain pickerels.

I ended the morning with 4 pickerel and 8 bluegills. All totaled I ended up catching just over 40 fish while down in the Salisbury area.

Monday, May 30: The weekend continued into Monday this week giving that it's Memorial Day. A day from school and a few things to do around the house and then a chance to try another spot. I drove over to Nan's Cove on the Patuxent River since it was pretty close to the time for high tide. Looking back on it I wish I could have been a little earlier or a little later since the water wasn't moving very much and there was much wind to create a current. Nevertheless I tied on a small silver Arkie spinner and added a bluish and green tube on a 1/32 oz jig head. Making casts along the shoreline I was able to catch a good number of white perch. All of them were no bigger than 7 or 8 inches so I let them go to swim again. The same bait was pretty effective on Tuesday after school despite I was fishing low tide and needed to stay towards deeper water in the small channels in each part of the creeks I tried.

Thursday, June 2nd: Graduation Day - well for the seniors at the school where I teach it was Graduation Day. But for me it meant a little extra time on the water at Lake Lariat. I paddled out from the launch a little before 1 pm and spent about two and a half hours trying to catch a couple of fish. Middle of the day, with not much of a breeze - fishing was very slow. In fact I just managed to six total and none of them terribly big. I decided to try a different bait on the small Arkie jig. Instead of a tube I used a small one and a half inch bright green nymph under a float. Again nothing on the larger side but I did catch the nice 13 inch bass in the photo. This coming weekend my family has been invited to a couple of graduation parties so I'm not sure how much I'll be on the water. I'll let you know next week. Until then … Tight Lines!