# New to Maryland



## Ajv5148 (Mar 3, 2017)

Hi all, 

I've been fishing all my life but new to salt water angling. I'm excited to try my hand at it this year and try to get some stuff on the line that I've never caught before. I was hoping I could get a some help to make the learning process a little easier!
I live near Bel Air so I've been looking in places about an hour to an hour and a half from me, basically around the bay bridge. I have the basics like buck tail Jigs, hooks, and rigs so I'm basically looking for some info about where and when to fish. I have a 6'6 spinnin rod with 10lb mono and an 8' spinning rod with 30 lb braid. Will this be suitable to surf fish at sandy point or should I stick to piers? Any and all info is much appreciated. I just want to be ahead of the game to be where the fish are when they get there! 

Thanks a lot everyone,
Alex


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

Alex, I'm sure some of the surf fishing guys will answer you. You live in Belair Md. Right? You live close to the Susquehanna River. That is some of the best fishing in Md. I fished it for about 25 years. Good Luck!!


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## Guest (Mar 3, 2017)

Alex, I live in Fork. If you want to catch fish this time of year go to Loch Raven reservoir. Find one of the remote shallow coves and throw poppers or 4-5 inch minnow lures and you will pull in some pickerel.


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## Ajv5148 (Mar 3, 2017)

Thanks Andy and David! I've fished the Susquehanna up in PA for years so I've been focusing there as it's not much different below the dam. Thanks for the tip on the pickerel, I'll definitely have to try that! I'll have my kayak down here come spring so I was looking at getting the permit for queen Anne's co and going out near matapeake and romancoke. Anyone have any advice regarding that? I'm just looking to catch whatever will bite and take home some dinner


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

Fishing the Md. section of the Susquehanna might be a little better then PA. IMHO.


















That was before I moved to Queen Anne's CO./Kent Island. Then I got salt in my blood. Sorry guys, I had to post them again.


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## Tracker01 (Apr 4, 2011)

Welcome.


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## Ajv5148 (Mar 3, 2017)

Wow Andy, that's awesome! Being a Kent Island resident, do you have a pier/landing you suggest there? I've heard mixed reviews about Matapeake and Romancoke. I'd love to hook into some flounder and sea trout, but understand they don't come up this far much anymore. Not tryin to get your honey holes, just some starting points for my season. I have a kayak so thats the limit of my mobility haha. Thanks!


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## Jerry Norris (Oct 14, 2016)

You live a couple of miles up the road from me. For the most part, any fishing for salt water species above the bay bridge is pretty limited and when you get above Pooles Island, the chances of saltwater species decreases even more. For all intents and purposes, I consider the bay above Pooles Island as the upper upper bay. So for the most part stripers, yellow and white perch, catfish and carp are the main species in the upper upper bay proper. A few small croaker, blue fish and very small sea trout will sometimes show up in late summer when the salinity is highest. There are always exceptions but they are very rare. Years ago, large bluefish were around in the fall but not anymore. Right now, catch and release for stripers is open in the flats and part of the river, check the DNR website for exact details. You can launch your kayak for them at Havre De Grace or at the state park ramp at Lapidum. For the most part that is a hit or miss fishery on either plugs or cut bait. Large mouth bass are also around in the tidal rivers and on the Susquehanna flats. The Susquehanna river has large mouth and small mouth bass, stripers, walleye, white and yellow perch, shad, an occasional muskie or pike, and of course carp. By the end of March, or possibly earlier if the temperatures remain high, the Hickory Shad will be in the river up as far as the mouth of Deer Creek. Depending on the water temps, it can be very slow or good. As the water warms into April, the shad fishing will become much better. You can launch your kayak at the old mill at Rock Run or at the mouth of Deer Creek, but if you are not experienced as a kayaker, anywhere above the old mill can be a little challenging. By the end of March, the white perch will be staging in the deep water just north of the I-95 bridge. They will hold there for some time depending on the water temps and will then move up into the shallower areas of the river to spawn usually starting by mid-April or so. The deep water fishing for them is mostly bait but some of us also do well on darts and other lures. When they get up into the shallows, it can really be crazy! Shad darts, tubes, twister tails, bait, you name it, it will usually catch fish. I have a some articles that I wrote several years ago posted in the blog section of my website that covers a lot of the spring/summer fishing of the Suskie and I have a couple of videos on YouTube of shad and perch fishing from last spring. There are also a bunch of upper upper bay striper fishing videos from last summer on there as well. We had a great striper fishery last year.

http://jlnorris.webs.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz-plkQiGSL2DASVPc-L4Sw


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

Ajv5148 said:


> Wow Andy, that's awesome! Being a Kent Island resident, do you have a pier/landing you suggest there? I've heard mixed reviews about Matapeake and Romancoke. I'd love to hook into some flounder and sea trout, but understand they don't come up this far much anymore. Not tryin to get your honey holes, just some starting points for my season. I have a kayak so thats the limit of my mobility haha. Thanks!


 Alex, Matapeake and Romancoke are OK, but I have never seen or had much action on them when I have been on them. You will do better if you launch your kayak in Queenstown Creek, in the town of Queenstown just down the road from Kent Island. Also you have to fish the Kent Narrows for stripers and white perch. I use to fish off of The Crab Deck piers and catch spot to fish the Narrows for stripers. They let me fish off the pier because I sold them stripers/rockfish. I also caught a few flounder off the pier every now and then. I wouldn't target flounder, that is a by-catch. Best pier to fish IMHO would be Cape Henlopen State Park Fishing Pier. But that's about an Hr. and a half from Kent Island. You will be close to some good rivers to fish. You got to fish the Chester River. That was my home river. I lived right there. So much I could tell you. With your kayak you will catch a lot of fish. Keep reading this fishing forum and you will learn a lot of good places to fish. Take pictures of your catch and make reports and just have fun. Keep in touch.


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## Ajv5148 (Mar 3, 2017)

Thanks Andy I really appreciate the info! Like I said I'm mostly just trying to hook up with some new species of fish without traveling too far. You gave me some great starting points. I'll definitely stay active on the forum as I appreciate the advice and feedback


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## Ajv5148 (Mar 3, 2017)

Thanks Jerry. I haven't fished the shad run in almost 10 years so I'm looking forward to hittin it again. I'll check out that blog. Any tips are sure to help!


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## Jerry Norris (Oct 14, 2016)

Ajv5148 said:


> Thanks Jerry. I haven't fished the shad run in almost 10 years so I'm looking forward to hittin it again. I'll check out that blog. Any tips are sure to help!


The shad and white perch in the videos were very do-able with your yak.


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## Ajv5148 (Mar 3, 2017)

Looks like you were on 'em that day jerry! Was that near the mill? Looks like I could definitely fish it from a kayak


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## Jerry Norris (Oct 14, 2016)

Upstream of the mill. Yaks are no problem there. For that matter lots of folks put in at the dam and fish down to either the mouth of Deer Creek or the mill on low flows.


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## Ajv5148 (Mar 3, 2017)

Sounds great jerry. Deer creek might be a good spot to put in as well. I've caught shad at the damn but never fished for white perch. Might have to add a dropper fly to the dart this year


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## Jerry Norris (Oct 14, 2016)

Dropper flies will work but I usually fish tandem darts or a dart and either a Tony or nungesser spoon. Tandem darts help when the river is running hard or you need casting distance.

Cliff's on Rt. 1 just past 623 at Darlington is the only place I have been able to find the Nungessers. The also have Tony's as does Dick's in Bel Air.


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## Ajv5148 (Mar 3, 2017)

I used to throw a dart/spoon tandem rig and pass cliffs everyday on my way to work. Might have to stop by and grab some spoons. Or just add some bucktail to the ones I already have.


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## Jerry Norris (Oct 14, 2016)

Pick up some #13 Tonys with green tape and yellow feathers if they have them. Early season shad love them.


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## Ajv5148 (Mar 3, 2017)

Sounds great, thanks Jerry. Caught one white perch in perryville today after work. On bloodworm. Hopefully this weather changes and they start to move up in numbers here soon


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## CYT (Nov 9, 2015)

andypat said:


> Fishing the Md. section of the Susquehanna might be a little better then PA. IMHO.
> View attachment 31937
> View attachment 31945
> View attachment 31953
> That was before I moved to Queen Anne's CO./Kent Island. Then I got salt in my blood. Sorry guys, I had to post them again.


Some "vintage" pics Andy!
That's an amazing stringer of "pig" Largemouth. Don't think you'll ever see that again. What year was that anyway?

Another question: How did you get those photos digitized?


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

CYT said:


> Some "vintage" pics Andy!
> That's an amazing stringer of "pig" Largemouth. Don't think you'll ever see that again. What year was that anyway?
> 
> Another question: How did you get those photos digitized?[/QUO---------If I could still fish in a boat, I like to think I still could catch fish almost that good. But we will never know. I had to learn how to fish without a boat from shore and I think I got that down. From a boat or from shore it is the same formula. L+P+C=F. The photos, I took pictures of old pictures with my camera. It works pretty good.


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## Jerry Norris (Oct 14, 2016)

Andy, If the fish were there, I am sure you could catch them. Sadly, I am not sure there are fish that size there anymore.

Got a face book report that they are catching white perch (and small rock) in the Bush River. Dust off the yak and go get them!


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

You Might be right, I might be right thinking the way I do. At least someone try what I posted in April. Don't just give up and say there are no more large smallmouth around. That just don't make sense to me. This is why I like fishing forums. We all catch fish, we all have different ways to fish, and we all have opinions about fishing. Capt Nick on the other fishing forum said they are still there. Thanks Jerry! I'm going crappie fishing around 6:30 am. Might start bass fishing a little soon.


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## Jerry Norris (Oct 14, 2016)

Andy, there are still smallmouth to be caught, but I seriously doubt they will be as big as those in your pictures.


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

Jerry Norris said:


> Andy, there are still smallmouth to be caught, but I seriously doubt they will be as big as those in your pictures.


 You doubt, but you don't REALLY know. Why don't they grow large anymore? All other fish grow large. Like large crappie,perch,bluegill,pickerel,rockfish,flounder,bluefish, and on and on. What is the answer? I really would like to know. One more, largemouth bass still get big.


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## CYT (Nov 9, 2015)

So.....what are they? Looks like a mix of both. If those are "smallies", they're HUGE!!


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

The picture with my hat on are large mouth. A few caught on The Susquehanna, and a few caught on the North East River. I was fishing a tournament that day. I think I won. Had to catch quite a few to catch the good ones. If you follow the Pros on the bass fishing tournaments, and the fishing shows, how come they can catch large bass and we can't catch large bass on the Susky. I bet they can. IMHO. I caught some crappie and bluegill this morning. LOL!


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## Jerry Norris (Oct 14, 2016)

Most of them get eaten before they get very big.


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

I thought most fishermen do catch and release on bass for the last 30 years. Just don't make sense to me. You could be right Jerry, we just don't know for sure. Very interesting.


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## Sandcrab (Mar 20, 2002)

Ajv5148 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I've been fishing all my life but new to salt water angling. I'm excited to try my hand at it this year and try to get some stuff on the line that I've never caught before. I was hoping I could get a some help to make the learning process a little easier!
> I live near Bel Air so I've been looking in places about an hour to an hour and a half from me, basically around the bay bridge. I have the basics like buck tail Jigs, hooks, and rigs so I'm basically looking for some info about where and when to fish. I have a 6'6 spinnin rod with 10lb mono and an 8' spinning rod with 30 lb braid. Will this be suitable to surf fish at sandy point or should I stick to piers? Any and all info is much appreciated. I just want to be ahead of the game to be where the fish are when they get there!
> ...


If you need information on fishing the best freshwater trout waters in the State of Maryland (Garrett County - Western MD), drop me a line...

Sandcrab


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## Ajv5148 (Mar 3, 2017)

Sandcrab said:


> If you need information on fishing the best freshwater trout waters in the State of Maryland (Garrett County - Western MD), drop me a line...
> 
> Sandcrab


Thanks sand crab! I appreciate it. That's a good 3 hours from me so I'll probably just stick to gunpowder or head up to centre county PA where I know the streams a little better. I've heard it's absolutely beautiful out there though! Might relocate to that direction eventually, depends where the job hunt takes me and the old lady


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## nhunter344 (Oct 14, 2016)

Sandcrab said:


> If you need information on fishing the best freshwater trout waters in the State of Maryland (Garrett County - Western MD), drop me a line...
> 
> Sandcrab


I usually try to make it up that way a couple times a year. Usually after the spring swarms of fisherman are gone. Ill usually try up and down the Savage below the dam. Its a beautiful place. One of the very few places I fish where just being there is enough, catching a fish is just a bonus!

I like that when its 95° and humid in DC I can head up there in the shade along the river and the temps top out in the 70's.


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