3 Years, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 4 Days

In 2007 there was a tv show that began each episode with a statement similar to the title above. “Pushing Daisies” only lasted two seasons but I’ve remembered that way of counting ever since. In fact I have used before in my old obsession, geocaching. If I ever couldn’t find a particular geocache I would mark it down and hope to try again. If I did get a second chance and did find that particular cache I usually included a statement counting the time between my original DNF, did not find, until the day I found it. Here’s a link to a recent example if you’d like to see.

But once again this is my blog about fishing. How does this relate? Well on March 30, 2015 I wrote my first post on this current site. I stated that I was going to begin my fishing quest. That quest was to try and catch a fish in each county of the state of Maryland. I drew my inspiration from a podcast I had just started listening to the “FishNerds.” Clay and Dave, the hosts, were on a quest to catch and eat “every species of fish” in their home state of New Hampshire. They mentioned often about the time commitment it took for them to complete their goal. I figured I’d start easy - one fish in each county. How hard would that be? And how long could it take?

This morning I left my house at 5:30 on my way to Baltimore City. Understand that it is strange that Baltimore City is considered to be its own county. It ends up that the Maryland Constitution stated that “Baltimore is established as an independent city and not part of any other county.” Or that it is its own county. Nevertheless I arrived at my chosen spot, Lake Montebello because on the map it looked large enough that I could find an area to try. Unknown to me was that there is an iron fence around it as it is a settling basin for the filtration of city water. Okay not be be thwarted I pulled up the Maryland Department of Natural Resources app and saw another lake, Lake Roland. I turned the car towards it and started on my way. Upon arriving there, I should have looked more closely since Lake Roland is in Baltimore County. Frustrated a little I got out of the car, walked around a little and decided to “wet a line.” On my third cast I hooked up with a small largemouth bass and reeled it in. (Sorry no photo - but I plan to return some time with my kayak.)

At this point it was 8:15 and I wanted to really catch something in Baltimore City. I drove down to the Canton Waterfront Park, which is located in the southeast portion of the city. Being part of the main harbor, I tried a couple of baits that might attract attention; a small chatter bait and a white shad style jerk bait. I gave myself until 9:00 or I was going to try somewhere else. At 9 o’clock I was in my car heading to a fourth spot for the day: Patterson Park. The park was “established” in the early 1800’s and boasts several playing fields, including one made of turf. There is a large dog park, tennis courts as well as swimming pool. There is also a small “lake” or pond. I had visited the park earlier in the summer, back in July, in an effort to catch a fish but I was skunked that day. As I approached the pond there was a group of people, maybe a dozen, standing and looking into the trees in the center of the pond. As I got closer I saw that each individual had their own set of binoculars and they were observing a pair of green herons, as well as a few other birds in the park. I made my way around the walkway until I came to an opening in the surrounding vegetation.

The pond was pretty much, probably 85%, covered with “scum” making it hard to get a bait down to clear water. While tying on a small jig I spotted a carp breaking the surface. I made no effort to try and catch it since I was working with only a 6 lb leader and the vegetation in the pond was so dense. I walked a little further around and came to a small wall. The water within 3 feet of the wall was nice and clear of the scum so I decided to concentrate my efforts there. With the small 1/80 oz jig and “Atomic Mite” trailer I made casts into the open water. To say it worked immediately would be a bold-faced lie. It took me several minutes before something decided to chew.

When one finally did, I lifted the rod so quickly that the fish only had the trailer and not the hook so it fell back into the water. I had done it! I had caught a fish! Unfortunately, as per my rules, I had to catch another and get a photograph of it. So I had to spend another 10 minutes trying to get another to bite. Finally one did and I reeled it in. I also lifted it, as quickly as I could, over the wall and into the grassy area on the other side of the walkway. I had it this time! A small, very small, bluegill was going to be my fish for Baltimore City, which was fitting since the first one that had fallen off was also a bluegill. I snapped photos, returned it to the water and pondered whether to try for any more. I decided to go and ahead and try. Glad I did since I caught another 3 bluegill, with each one a little bigger than the one before. So 1 month, 1 week and 4 days after trying to catch a fish in Patterson Park, I had succeeded. But more importantly 3 Years, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 4 Days after announcing my quest to “Fish Across Maryland” I was finished!

Maybe it shouldn’t have taken that long, but with my mother’s illness and eventual passing the quest had to be put on a hold for a while. Looking back I have truly enjoyed the time seeing Maryland. From the mountains of western Maryland in Garrett and Allegany Counties, to the Piedmont of Carroll and Howard Counties to the Coastal Plains of both my homes, Calvert and Wicomico Counties - Maryland truly is “America in miniature” and I am glad that I didn’t rush through it. I’m very happy to have enjoyed the ride! Until next time... Tight Lines.

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!

Two Down, Three to Go!

As mid August comes upon me I’m beginning to wonder if I can get my quest completed before the end of summer. As today started I was five counties short of finishing. Two counties, Garrett and Allegany, are the furthest west. In fact I drove through them on my trip with my son to Junior Wilderness Camp in West Virginia. That trip really made me want to head west and see what I could do. Then I thought about it and decided to head to the other end of northern Maryland.

I woke up this morning at 4 am and was out the door by 4:30. I had a place in Cecil County in mind and just began driving. After a little over two hours I was in Elkton at Howard’s Pond Park, or as it is called “Cow Pond” on the maps. The area had a large pond, along with a smaller one as well as what looked like small canal running between the street and the ponds. I figured that the area would be good habitat for warm water species like largemouth and sunfish so I began by casting a Senko rigged weightless. After a couple of casts into one area and not getting any bites I walked over to the other side of the pond. My second cast from that side I hooked up with something. AND it felt heavy! I began to reel as fast as I could remembering to not reel against the drag. As I brought it to shore I realized that I was in a predicament. I was standing on a bank that was a good 4 feet above the level of the pond. My rod was pretty lightweight and my leader was light as well. I climbed down a little and began to try and lift the bass out of the water. As I lifted my line SNAPPED! I thought I was toast but fortunately the fish was exhausted and laid there on the edge of the pond. Now this is my quest so I go by my rules. One of my rules says to be official I have to photograph the fish. I headed back to the car and grabbed my net and was able to scoop up the 19 inch largemouth and bring it onto the shore. Photos and removing the hook took a couple of minutes. Fortunately a gentleman saw me retrieving the fish and came down for a look. He was nice enough to snap my picture and I then released the behemoth.* After that I walked around to different parts of the pond and really didn’t have many more bites. In fact to be completely honest I spotted a couple of small bait fish along the shore, but at that point I was ready to head to my second county.

I jumped in the car and headed towards Prettyboy Reservoir. Prettyboy is one of three reservoirs that provided water for the city of Baltimore and it is enormous. Since I was without the kayak I found a spot just before one of the bridges that crosses it to park. I headed down to the water’s edge and spotted smaller fish swimming in the shallows. I tied on a 1/80 oz jig and put an “Atomic Mite” on it. Immediately I was catching small sunfish. I think I ended up catching 7 or 8 fish in total between moving to different locations. After about an hour I decided to head home. But before I did I stopped and picked up about 40 yards of braided line that was sitting on the ground by where I stood. I also picked up an old spool as well as some plastic wrappers. If you are reading this I hope that you will do the same sort of thing. I tell my wife all of the time “I can wash my hands afterwards.” Please do you part and clean up afterwards.

As a footnote I’d like to say that while it was very exciting to pull in what is probably my biggest largemouth - it wasn’t as fun as a fight as some of the smaller ones I’ve caught. It seemed sluggish with only one or two runs. Maybe it’s me but I enjoy the fight more than the “reward” at the end. Just my two cents. Until next time ... Tight Lines!

If you are interested in watching what happened here’s the link to the video.