TWIF (This Week in Fishing) August 22nd - 29th

Monday, August 22nd:

Fishing this week started off like last week ended. I had to report back to school to begin getting ready for the new school year, so I knew that my time on or near the water would be limited. Monday evening, just after dinner, I drove down to the beach at Flag Harbor and made some casts along the north jetty. I had double drop rig with long shank size 4 hooks, along with a one ounce sinker. I was baiting the hooks with small pieces of cut shrimp, just frozen ones from the super market. If memory serves correctly I was able to catch four small black drum, like the one in the photo, as well as two or three spot (Leiostomus xanthurus). As I mentioned in last week's post I am glad that I was able to catch a few since it will be a nice quick place to give a try once or twice a week.

Tuesday, August 23rd:

Tuesday, after leaving work, I headed home and spent some time at the house doing a couple of things as well as having dinner with the family. Since it was such a beautiful night I put the kayak on the car and headed down to Lake Lariat. Being a location where I feel very comfortable I set out around 6:15 or so. I paddled around for an hour and a half or so making casts with the small jig. I started with a greenish tube and then switched to a black body with pink tail grub. I ended up with what I like to refer to as a "trifecta" in that I caught three different species: bluegill, redear sunfish and largemouth bass. All of the fish were on the smaller side, less than eight or nine inches. But to be completely honest, the best part was just getting out and enjoying the fantastic evening.

Thursday, August 25th:

Beginning of the year meetings continue today and my family and I are going to a professional baseball game this evening. That means if I wanted to try and catch something - I'd have to squeeze it in somehow. Fortunately largemouth like to hit topwater lures in the mornings during summer. On the way to work I stopped at a local pond and spent about a half hour casting a Rebel "Frog R." It paid off with some really nice topwater blowups as well as a nice 16 inch bass. There's something about catching a fish early in the day that makes the rest of the day go by easier.



Saturday, August 27th:

The weekend is here and I of course couldn't let it go by without making a few casts. This morning I got up and spent some time working around the house. My son had two places to be, almost at the same time, but my wife volunteered to get him to them. (This is my youngest son who can't drive yet.) I took care of cleaning the kitchen as well as heading to the dump with the recyclables and trash. By the time I got back the heat of the day had really set in and there was no way I was going to be out in it. But as the evening came along, I headed back down to the shore of the bay. Being almost a week later the tides had completely switched. Earlier in the week it was high tide, this evening the tide was just starting to come in. Nevertheless I made my casts with the small pieces of shrimp. I got some bites and ended up catching a couple of spot. "Spot" or "Norfolk Spot" are quite tasty, at least according to my grandmother. My grandfather and I would occasionally catch one while fishing for flounder and he would say "That'll make a nice sandwich for Mom mom." The two I caught were on the smaller side, but one of these days I'm going to give them a try.

Sunday, August 28th: Today is what I consider to be the last "official" day of summer. Students report back to school tomorrow bright and early. I woke up and spoke to my wife about heading to Lake Lariat. I got on the water around 7:30 or so and spent about two hours paddling around. Mostly I used a small black body and pink tail grub on a 1/16 oz jig. It produced about a half dozen fish mixed between bluegill and largemouth.

Later that day, around 2 pm, I drove up to Hunting Creek to stand in the shade and see if I could catch a pickerel. This time I was using a black and yellow grub from Zoom on a 1/8 oz jig head. On one retrieve a fish hit the lure right at the shore and ripped off the tail. I replaced the grub and made a similar cast. This time it took the whole thing and I was able to set the hook. As I fought it towards the shore I realized that it wasn't a pickerel. It ended up being a Northern Snakehead. I'm not sure about everywhere but here in Maryland they are considered to be "invasive" and must be killed after being caught. I had never caught one before so it was a new species for me. It measured just about 14 inches and I've heard they are delicious. I killed it as humanely as I could and then tried catching a few more. I didn't get anymore snakeheads, but I was able to catch two largemouth in the same area. As I walked out of the woods carrying the dead fish I sort of thought I had done my part in caring for the game fish populations today.

Now again as I mentioned today is the last day of summer for me since students report back to school tomorrow. So after dinner and a game of cards with my family I drive down to the harbor to try a little while for the beach. Using the same double drop rig as before I was able to end the day with catching fish in a third location. Casting along the jetty with small pieces of shrimp I caught four small black drum as well as one spot. It was a fantastic way to end the summer. But hopefully it won't mean an end to fishing. We'll have to see. Tight lines!!

TWIF (This Week in Fishing) August 16th - 21st

Tuesday, August 16th: As mentioned in my last post, my sore neck continued into the beginning of this week. With that I had no desire to load the kayak up on the car and try to find a spot to fish. The pain was a bit much. But Tuesday afternoon gave me the chance to try a location on the eastern shore since once again I was meeting with my sister in Easton. On the ride I took about a half hour and made a few casts along the shore of the stream leading out of the Wye Mill Community Lake. It was pretty wide to be honest as I got there and I could see fish breaking the surface going after some of the insects that were dropping down. Fortunately I was able to catch one small bass, maybe 8 inches long, on an orange nymph while the other fish continue in action around me. The photo I took wasn't flattering for the fish or me so I'm hoping the readers will trust me when I say I caught one.

One interesting thing about this spot is the "Anglers Survey" box put there by the Inland Fisheries Dept of the Maryland DNR. It houses cards and pencils and asks for anglers to record their catch. It would be really neat to see the results posted somewhere.

Wednesday, August 17th: While the heat has continued into the middle of the week I spent most of the day in the air conditioning. But once the evening came along I gave my youngest son a ride to soccer practice and hit a local pond. My trusty plastic worm started me off with a few bass. The first two hit the worm right after the worm hit the water. At one point as I was reeling in a small bass hit it after a little bit of jerk or tug right at the shore. It ripped the worm straight off so I figured some of the fish were looking for a moving bait. So I put a 3 inch chartreuse grub on the hook and began to use it as a soft jerkbait. It paid off with one bass and even a crappie which was a pleasant surprise.

Thursday, August 18th:

This morning I finally took the opportunity to get the kayak back on Lake Lariat in the southern part of the county. It's been over a month since I've been down here and I really enjoyed getting back there. I ended up spending about two and a half hours paddling around making casts in some of the spots that seem to hold fish. I was using a twin tail grub from Arkie. The tails on the bait are very flexible and provide quite a bit of action. It worked like a charm allowing me to hook up with about a dozen fish, mixed between bluegill, bass and redear sunfish. In fact I did something I've never done before. On one cast in a location that usually pays off I made my cast and hooked up pretty quickly. What I had felt heavy and provided a nice fight! As I pulled it into the kayak I was astounded by a 12 inch redear. I took a few pictures of it and then made sure this trophy was revived. Then I let it swim off. After that I pulled out my phone to check Maryland Fishing Challenge website. Being a sunfish I kind of thought I had just caught a "citation" size fish. The cutoff for a redear is 11 inches and my fish was one inch longer! I was really excited. My grandfather, who used to take me fishing all of the time when I was younger, always said he had "never caught a fish big enough." Personally I think he had but had never known exactly how to register it. The Maryland Dept. of Fisheries made it quite easy.

Saturday, August 20th:

The end of the summer, at least when it comes to my summer. Teachers report back on Monday so I have to try and get my fishing in when I can. This morning, my youngest son had soccer practice so I took him up to the school. While he was at practice I drove up to Sewell Branch, the spot in the middle of the county that I like to try. The water flowing through was mocha colored and I couldn't see down into it very far. I had a green and white tube on the small jig which produced a few small fish. I also tried a small, maybe 2 inch, Rapala Ultralight, Firetiger minnow and it produced a couple of fish as well. In fact, unless it has shaken it out, there is a fish swimming around that area with it in its lip, since something hit and snapped my line immediately.

Sunday, August 21st: This morning I took the kayak over to the Patuxent River, out of Nan's Cove. I was about an hour and a half after high tide so the water was beginning to move a bit. We also had a nice breeze what kept me moving as well. Unfortunately the breeze also kicked up a few small waves on the main part of the river so I actually didn't venture out too far. I paddled around the edge of the cove, using the same small Beetle Spin and caught a little over two dozen white perch. Again they were on the smaller side so they were all released.

Once the early evening came around I decided to walk down the edge of the bay and give the mouth of Flag Harbor a try. I had a double drop rig with circle hooks baited with small pieces of shrimp. I haven't spent much time down this way due to not hearing of anything being caught. Nevertheless I spent about 45 minutes to an hour making casts along the shore. I ended up catching a couple of "spot" as well as a small black drum.

I hadn't caught either of these species this year yet so it was nice catching them today. It also means that I hopefully can spend some time "unwinding" after school down by the bay. Until next time ... Tight lines!

TWIF (This Week in Fishing) August 8th-15th

Monday, August 8th:

Can we say "Slooow?" Not sure how else to describe my fishing this morning. Once again I woke up early, so I decided to drive down to St. Mary's Lake, where I spent the better part of two hours. I got a total of four bites, combined between throwing a Carolina rigged worm and my small jig with the nymph. I caught one bass and one small bluegill. Not sure if it was presentation or the weather conditions. Whichever it was it just wasn't happening for me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Tuesday, August 9th:

After the disappointment from yesterday I chose to go over to the Patuxent this morning. When the white perch are in they rarely don't bite. There was just enough current, since the tide was starting to fall, that they were active. The trusty Beetle Spin paid off with just about two dozen fish. But they were all small ones so I released them.

This evening I drove down to Calvert Cliffs State Park. I thought I'd try casting a plastic worm for an hour or so. I tried a ShakyHead jig and a Carolina rig. I got a couple of bites and hooked up with one small fish. But as I tried to haul him out of the weeds he shook off. I did get to see one of the "locals" while I was standing on the side of the pond. A beaver entered the water and swam the length of the pond. He looked at me as he went by but didn't really "say anything." No snorts, no tail slapping he just swam by.

Thursday, August 11:

This morning I decided to take the kayak over to Tilghman Lake Park in Charles County. I'd fished there once before, before my son's track meet, back before the end of the school year. This time I had the kayak though. I had loaded it up the previous evening and when I got to the park, after the 40 minute drive, I offloaded. But if you look at the photo attached you might notice something is missing. Yeah that's right I didn't have a paddle! The lake isn't terribly big and I had forgotten a paddle before so I went ahead and pushed off.*
The edges of the pond had pads, they looked like small lily pads, extending between 8-12 ft from shore. It was pretty matted together so I gave the Bipper bait, rigged weedless as a frog, a few casts. But it didn't entice any bites or even anything that looked it was followed so I put it aside. The jig with the green nymph paid off though. Casting just outside of the pads, i.e. cover, the bait would sink and would occasionally be hit. The bluegill seemed to like it and it even brought a few small bass to the boat as well.

* In case you're interested in how I made my way around the pond. I ended up using my "bump board." Since it extends, and comes apart, I separated it into two halves and used it. Unfortunately at one point I accidentally pushed a little too hard and cracked it. Now I need to find another.

Friday August 12th:

Man what a defense 25 hours makes! This morning I returned to Tilghman Lake with a paddle. I was about an hour later than I was the day before and man were the fish tight lipped. I really didn't get many bites at all. I was trying the same tactics as the day before but not much happened so I didn't try to grind any more out of the location. I just tucked my tail between my legs and headed home.

Saturday, August 13th: To be completely honest I'm not sure how fishing is going to go for the next few days, or into the week. Yesterday morning I woke up with a very sore neck; to the point where I could barely turn my head to look over my shoulder. And it has persisted until at least Monday, when I'm writing this post. Anyway if I can turn my head to the side very much it means I really can't drive very far which kind of puts a kibosh on taking the kayak very far. Never the less this evening after dropping my son off at the movies with his girlfriend I stopped at a local pond for a few casts. On the first cast of the green finesse worm produced two things.

The first thing that happened was I hooked up with the nice largemouth in the picture. The second was I found out something had happened to my spinning reel and it almost seized up completely. Not sure what truly happened but I was able to get the fish in, snap a photo and release him. I then turned back for the car to go and find a new reel. Until next time ... Tight lines!

TWIF (This Week in Fishing) August 1st - 7th

Monday, August 1st: As mentioned in last week's post I'm in Salisbury for most of the beginning on this week. I figured since I was by myself at the house that I could try a different area pond each morning. Yesterday was William's Mill, today - Leonard's Mill.

I got on the water just a little after 7 am. Paddling around the edge of the pond, casting along the shoreline paid off with a few fish as long some. I was really hoping to get into a couple of bigger fish and near the end of the outing I did catch a couple of nice largemouth. I was also hoping to get a different species as well like a pickerel or a shiner. But I didn't have any luck in that department. Pretty much the entire time I was using the same small jig with a green nymph. I gave a chatterbait a try as well as the Bipper top water, but nothing would bite. All together I caught about 10 fish mixed between the regular three species of bluegill, black crappie and largemouth.

That evening I took a ride down to Salisbury City Park right in the middle of town. I left the kayak on top of the car and just carried my three poles down to the side of the Wicomico that runs through the area. There were multiple signs on the side of the river referencing that the area had had a infiltration of Northern Snakehead. Having never caught before I decided to try and focus on catching one. The river has a good number of weeds so I concentrated on top water tactics. I tied on a couple of different baits but alas I had zero luck. So this is one of those times where I'm being honest and saying "I do get skunked." I was afforded a very nice sunset which brings me to what I saw posted somewhere one time. Fishermen usually get the best seats for sunrises and sunsets.

Tuesday, August 2nd:

Once again I woke up this morning, at least a little later, and made my way over to Adkins Mill in Powellville, MD. I think I got on the water just after 7:45 or so. I spent the better part of two and a half hours paddling around. I was lucky enough to catch a couple of panfish, predominantly bluegill, on the small jig. I gave the Bipper several casts but nothing was interested in it. I also gave the chatterbait a try, but again I had no luck with it at all. Most of the panfish were found around cover, generally around the edge of the lily pads. I'd make casts a foot or so from the edge of the pads and usually get a bite. It seemed that they, the fish, were out of the sun and would come out to hit anything that interested them. After a little while I decided to head back into the more wooded area of the pond in hopes to get out of the sun for a little. I made a few cast just behind some shaded area without any success., so I paddled over to another spot and made a nice long cast with the jig and nymph. About 20 seconds after it hit the water, the float went down very slowly so I figured I had a turtle. (I don't get a lot of turtles since I don't use live bait so it was a surprise.) I reeled it in and as it came up I became pretty startled. I'm also glad I had my clippers handy and I immediately clipped the line, since I was reeling in a snapping turtle that had a shell the size of a hubcap. After tying on a new jig I paddled to another area and made a nice long cast. Basically the second the jig hit the water my line went tight. I gave it a good yank and began to reel. The fish had a good bit of energy at first as he swam off, and I did my best to keep it out of the base of a tree. I even had to use the paddle to steer a little further into the main creek channel. As I got him or her to the boat I grabbed my small net and brought it aboard.

The largemouth measured 16 inches in length and probably weighed at least 3 or 3 1/2 pounds. It was definitely my best fish of the trip and one of my best in a couple of weeks. I made sure to revive the beast and then released it to fight again. After that nice a fish I decided to paddle back to where I launched and head back to mom's.

Thursday, August 4th:

With my mother's memorial service being yesterday I took the time to reflect on my relationship with her and the rest of my family. Today I spent some time this morning with my oldest nephew helping out my sister, his aunt. I then loaded up the truck and started for southern Maryland. On the way home, since it was a beautiful evening, I stopped off at the pond in Terrapin Park, just east of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. This time I decided to put the kayak on the water and give it a try. Fishing was slow with only a couple of bluegill biting and one small bass, but once again I was granted a wonderful scene as I paddled back to where I started. It was like someone, personally I think God was saying "I know you miss her, but I'll take care of her now." Thank you Lord.

Sunday, August 7th:

With the heat being like it has been the last week or so, this morning I woke up pretty early, 5:30 early. I spent the previous evening rigging some lines with a double bottom rig, a top water plug as well as a small spinner bait. I hit the Patuxent River, paddling out from Nan's Cove. I began by making casts with the small spinner which seemed to be the only bait that really paid off. Along the shoreline the white perch were really biting. The tide was falling so I believe that had the fish pretty active. I ended up with about three dozen, all under 9 inches long. I keep one for lunch and let all the others swim free.

School will be starting in a couple of weeks so I'm going to continue with the posts for at least a little longer. Keep reading as I'll keep writing! Tight lines!

TWIF (This Week in Fishing) July 25th - 31st

Monday, July 25th:

In case you haven't heard it has been very hot in Maryland the last few days. In fact the last three days have all reached 100 degrees. Extremely hot temperatures make it really hard to even want to get the kayak on the water. Hence I waited until evening to head to a pond. I tied on a 4/0 hook with a slip sinker. I slid a green finesse worm on the Texas rig and cast it out. I ended up connecting with three bass, each of them biting as the bait fell. The fall may have been right after the cast, or after a twitch to free it from some grass. I lost one nice fish as it swam into some branches of a fallen tree on the shore. I tried keeping the tension on the fish as it seemed to stop right at the base of the branches, but unfortunately as I waded into the water I noticed the line wasn't shaking. It had shaken free but I know that he's in there so I'll be back.

Wednesday, July 27th: It's Wednesday. Tuesday came and went without any real attempts to catch anything; mainly due to the heat. That coupled with the last summer swim meet of season- fishing was pushed to the back burner. That evening I also received news from my sister that our mother had passed away. So in truth - fishing itself will be taking somewhat of a backseat.
Now when my father passed away a few years back my sisters thought that I should write the obituary. I guess that meant that I get to write mom's as well. In an effort to get some information as well as photos for a slideshow I headed over to the eastern shore to meet my sister in Easton. I left a little early in hopes to use a little time to get a different county in my "Fish Across Maryland" Quest. I began in Chestertown in Kent County. I found a small park along the Chester River. It's a tidal River and probably host to several species. But alas I came up way empty since I had brought small spinning rod and nothing in terms of bottom fishing. I did try to cast one of the small spinner baits that I use for catching white perch. But again I had no luck.

Still having some time before I had to meet my sister I headed to another spot. Just off of Rt. 50 is the Wye Mills Lake. According to the Maryland Dept of Fisheries the lake was formed during colonial times and is a "standard bass/bluegill lake." Knowing this, and with the heat of the day, I figured I'd use a small grub style bait. Casting along the shoreline I was able to hook up with two bluegill.

I tried a Texas rigged worm for a few casts but didn't receive any bites. It might not have been as fruitful as I hoped but it does give me another place I'd like to try.

The ride home that evening afforded me one more chance to stop and make a few casts. I know about a small pond located just as you get off of Rt 50 before the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. It is located within "Terrapin Beach Park." I've stopped here before when I just wanted to make a few casts. I have caught small crappie and bluegill and I know that it probably holds largemouth. I stopped and fished from probably 40 minutes or so with no a whole lot of luck. I did catch one small bluegill, but to be honest I was more excited by the wonderful sunset I was able to take in. With everything that has happened in the last 24 hours I needed to know that God was looking out over me and my family. I'm taking last night's sunset as him saying "Don't worry, I'm here!"

Friday, July 29th:

We had quite a thunderstorm come through on Thursday evening and it dropped the morning temperatures a little. I took the opportunity to grab the kayak and head over to the river for a couple of hours before high tide. I tied on that small spinner and a silver tube and had a bit of success reeling in about a dozen and a half white perch. All of them were smaller than 7 or 8 inches so they were released. Tomorrow Michael has an invitational swim meet so fishing may be finished for the week.

Sunday, July 31st:

I guess I was wrong about fishing being finished for the week. Back in Salisbury, back on Williams Mill for a little bit this morning. I came in last night and was on the water around 7:15. I had a small green nymph under a float for the first bit. Things started kind of slow with only a few bluegill taking the bait. After some paddling around I made my way back a little further into the pond. I made a few more casts and caught a nice 10 inch black crappie. After about an hour I tried another area trying to find a nice size panfish to bring home for lunch. I made one cast into a small opening in the vegetation and got a nice bite. I went to set the hook but came up empty due to my jig was gone. Not sure what it was but it happened two more times during the morning. Having my fill of panfish I tied on a bait that I received last summer. The Bipper is a hard plastic, shaped like a frog's head, with a hole where the line can pass through. I tie a 4/0 hook and placed a crawl on it as a trailer. All together it resembles a frog on the surface. It paid off with three nice bites, and hook ups: 2 largemouth and a crappie. That was a big surprise- a crappie on a top water lure. In all honesty that was my second biggest surprise of the day. At one point while paddling around I was trying to tie a new jig on the line when about 40 ft from the kayak an otter stuck his head up and snorted at me like "Get out of my area." Too late with the camera, he seemed annoyed, so I left the area.

Later this evening I drove over to Schumaker Pond, the much cleaner portion near The Ward Museum. Standing on the small pier they have there I didn't get any bites. But since the kayak was on the car I decided to give it a try for about an hour. The jig wasn't getting any serious bites so I tried a crankbait, "Firetiger" pattern. I ended up with a smaller, maybe 15 inch, chain pickerel. Always fun to catch, very slimy to unhook- it was a nice way to end the day. Until next week - Tight lines!