Free fishing this Fourth in Maryland

reel report

Friday, July 3, 2009

That means all adults who normally must purchase a fishing license to legally wet a line in our state's tidal or non-tidal waters get a pass. This is a grand way to sample the sport.

You still have to obey all the other laws and regulations, but a fishing license isn't necessary on this one special day.

Last weekend, that FLW National Guard College Tournament held on the Potomac River was won by West Virginia's Fairmont State University.

The winning team received a $10,000 check to be divided evenly between the school and the university's bass fishing club.

Vermont Technical College came in second, Plattsburgh State third, and Penn State and North Carolina State rounded out the top five.

I also heard of a local resident who read about the tournament in this column, and got up early to attend the launch at 6 a.m. to cheer on her beloved Penn State team. Papa Joe Paterno ought to send this woman a few free football tickets for that kind of Penn State devotion.

I reported here last Friday that an 866-pound mako shark was caught off Ocean City's coast over Father's Day weekend and officially became the Maryland record mako. What I didn't mention, was that the big shark was so colossal, they had to get another bigger boat to haul it back to shore.

Also on Father's Day weekend, a 642-pound thresher shark was caught to become the Maryland thresher record.

I don't know about you guys, but my toes aren't going to be dangling any time soon in those offshore waters.

OK, here's the catch:

Southern Maryland lakes and ponds –– Generally speaking, bass fishing in our local small waters is truly excellent.

Ken Lamb, down at the Tackle Box in Lexington Park, said a friend of his came into the store and showed Lamb some cell phone photos of a big bass caught by jigging a medium size brown speckled crawdad in the deeper water of St. Mary's Lake last Thursday.

He also told Lamb he was drifting and caught several other nice bass over a period of several hours. Then, Lamb said a novice bass hound later came into the store.

The sales staff explained a few tricks to him, sold the man some gear and gave him directions to St. Mary's Lake. This guy later returned to the store with photos of five good bass he had caught and asked why everyone was so excited about largemouths when they were so easy to catch.

Mattawoman Creek –– Vast numbers of dead, legal-size largemouth bass were observed earlier this week in the grass along the NSWC shoreline from Trash Point to Burn Point. More have been seen around Smallwood State Park but the big numbers are over along the opposite shoreline. The fear is that these were all tournament-released fish. The state is investigating.

Upper Potomac River –– Water temps are in the low 70s and the Life Outdoors Unlimited guides (301-937-0010) have been catching loads of fish, but the size has been sometimes disappointingly small.

They're finding 40 to 60 fish for their clients most days, but only 10 to 20 percent crack the 12-inch mark.

Ken Penrod says the bigger fish haven't taken a bus ride to somewhere else, so he feels the upper river's productivity will improve once the water levels stay stabilized for a little longer. He also recommends you stay off shoreline targets for now and concentrate your efforts in mid-river haunts.

Tidal Potomac River –– Some of the guides are telling me there are so many tournaments launching lately from Leeslyvania State Park in Virginia and Smallwood here in Maryland, that they absolutely had to abandon any effort to fish the river around the Mattawoman this week for there were far too many participants practicing in the vicinity to get a reliable water/fishing reading.

Andy Andrzejewski, with the Reel Bass Adventures stable of guides (301-932-1509), says the river's bass are generally settling into a summer pattern, with many large fish now in the thickest grass in the river.

Those RBA guides are throwing Berkley Chigger Craws in black/blue or sapphire/blue into the heavier mats. Another successful pattern they've used is tossing a white/chartreuse spinnerbait with double Colorado blades around wood on the main river and tidal creeks. They've also discovered more than one nice fish sometimes lives under the same tree.

Lower Potomac River –– "Plenty of croaker and some small spot," Lamb said. Ragged Point has been very good to some anglers as has the Wicomico near Bushwood.

Patuxent River –– If you've got some bloodworms and can't manage to catch a few spot somewhere from the mouth all the way up to Benedict, you'd be wise to consider maybe taking up ballroom dancing or sand worm riding (ala Beetlejuice) as your main sport.

Some of the specific places recommended by Lamb are: Helens Bar, the mouth of Town Creek and Cuckold's Creek, Green Holly, Sandy Point, Kingston Hollow, the fishing reef off the O'Club and Second Beach.

These are generally small spot but they make fantastic bait for live-liners on the big predators.

There are some larger cousins reported by Capt. Walleye Pete just north of Point Patience not far off the fishing pier by the recreational center. There are plenty of croaker also being taken throughout the lower river, with the bigger ones hanging in the deeper holes.

Deep Creek Lake –– This is going to be a nasty weekend for the crowds. If you get up real early, look for bass around the many floating docks and along the edges of the grass.

Lake Anna –– High Point Marina says the bass are going deep and found around sunken brushpiles and just off, and some under, the deep-water docks. Striper fishing is good when you can locate the schools. Start looking around the mouth of Sturgeon and then turn right and head uplake toward The Splits.

Chesapeake Bay –– Striper fishing remains excellent for live-liners using small spot for bait.

Lamb says breaking fish are active at sunup from Little Cove Point north to Cove Point and at the Gas Docks north to the nuclear plant outfall.

Capt. Sonney Forrest (443-532-0836) is also finding small blues and says the Spanish are on their way up here. Capt. Andrew on the Fin Finder (301-873-1327) started fishing one afternoon recently with a party of 12.

Lamb says they anchored at Hawk's Nest in the Patuxent and quickly caught over a hundred spot in about a half hour. Then, they headed just outside the Patuxent's mouth, and live-lined those spot for rockfish.

They got their limit (24) in less than an hour. After that, it was a drift east of Point No Point to finish loading up the coolers with croaker. After the fish were cleaned and packed on ice, everyone was sent home by 1 p.m.

Some flounder are also around in our home waters, but getting even a few to measure at keeper size has been the chore.

zbasser@aol.com