Cold Morning

[Mark]

November's balmy weather has spoiled me.

Today was quite different. With the temperature at 33 degrees at 8:00 a.m. and winds gusting double digits from the NW, John Veil, EMSer (Bruce) and I launched from Tucker Street. Any thoughts of tackling the Severn were vanquished by the whitecaps rolling down the river. But that was OK. Weems obliged even though it too had its surface significantly rippled by the wind.

While my two companions trolled for stripers (with some success, of course!) I searched for pickerels. I found 4 overall. None exceeded 20 inches but each was a healthy adult fish. Here are two:

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You can see from the shoreline mud in the background that the water was very low. Not only was it low tide but the wind was pushing water out of the creek.

I took the occasion to observe the structure, mostly downed trees, exposed by the low water. They provide great pickerel habitat.

I got one each on a Rat-L-Trap and jig spinner and two on a Fat Sam.

Here's the perfect hookup on a 19 inch fish:

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I simply pushed the hook out of its lip and tipped my Hawg Trough to the left to return this guy to the water.

John and Bruce had success with stripers and pickerels. Bruce in particular had a very special catch.

I hope to return to the area tomorrow during the Jonas outing planned by On-the-fly (Harry). But I do hope the wind diminishes. It was nippy out there today because of the strong breeze.

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[J.A. Veil]

As Mark said, it was cold when we launched about 8:15 (at low tide). Although it was windy from the northwest (mostly 15 knots with gusts over 20), there were plenty of places in Weems Creek to get into the wind shadow. For most of the trip, the water was flat to 6" chop. This photo shows a 3" to 6" chop with the flags higher up whipping hard.

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I started out trolling two paddletails and found 3 stripers over the next 45 minutes. They were not huge (15", 17", 17") but were a treat for a creek catch this late in the year. I began casting for pickerel. I had a bunch of follows and nibbles then finally was able to capitalize on four pickerel caught on a Gulp swimming mullet.

We got off the water about 10:45. For most of the trip my body was warm and my hands were warm much of the time. But as soon as we stood up at the ramp, the cold wind was brutal. I nearly started shivering. After loading we adjourned to a nearby Chinese restaurant for hot soup and buffet.

Here is a photo of Mark about the time he caught a pickerel. You can see that the water level was down nearly 2 ft.

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The low water exposed many branches and roots giving some indication of why certain shorelines have better habitat than others.

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[EMSer]

I recently bought an ultralight rig to go after Pickerel when conditions wouldn't allow me to pursue Rocks. Today was the day to break it in. I wanted to join the two Pickerel Masters so that I could start off on the right foot. I had caught Pickerel before, but never targeted them. As both John and Mark have already stated, it was cold at the launch with the wind up and the tide down.

After getting some launch side coaching, I followed them up into the protected coves the creek has to offer. On the way up, I started the day off with 19+" striper. I considered it a bonus since I was there for a different species. As they worked their favorite spots, I targeted the closest structure I could find. It took a few minutes to get used to the small gear with my gloved hands. I was pitching a Fat Sam on 1/8 oz weighted hook along a downed tree when it just stopped. I thought I had snagged to the wood, but there was some give in the line.

I soon came to realize that I indeed had a fish. A decent one at that. It was quite fun on the 5' UL rig I was using. I landed the fish and put it in the hog trough. I got out the camera, only to realize the battery was dead. I tried to get the phone open, but couldn't swipe the screen with my wet hands.

Rather than stress the fish further while dealing with my electronic, I slid it back into the water. I called the guys and reported that I just landed my first targeted Pick and it measured 24". I was quite surprised to hear Marks excitement about it being a Citation fish and that I needed to take a picture of it. I felt rather foolish when I reported that I had already released it...

All my study has been about rockfish and I knew little about this new species. Clearly a situation of live and learn.

I fished nearby structure and had several hits with that resulted in thrown hooks and numerous rejections. I got some more coaching for John and set off again with a revised plan to fish areas they had both already visited. I managed to pull 2 17"res, 2 13" and a tiny guy out of the water before heading towards the launch.

On the way in, I was trolling one bucktail for the hell of it and had a decent takedown. Circled around and pulled out 2 more Rocks (15" and 17") before hitting the beach at 12:15.

It is fair to say that I will be back, as I had a blast. I am looking forward to the delivery of my Kokatat paddle suit later in the week to help keep the elements at bay.

Next time, my cameras will be ready to roll....

[mccray44]

Sounds like you guys had a pretty good day! I love the way pickerel hit the bait especially when you can see them chasing it. Bruce from what I know 24" is pretty large for pickerel congrats!

[J.A. Veil]

Bruce may have inflated expectations for pickerel now. It took me 8 winters of pickerel fishing and probably 1,000 Severn pickerel before I got a 24" fish. He got his right out of the shoot. Nicely done.

This year's OGWLF rookie class has done extremely well on Severn stripers and pickerel -- some just joined us a few months ago and are already making great catches.

[EMSer]

Bruce may have inflated expectations for pickerel now. It took me 8 winters of pickerel fishing and probably 1,000 Severn pickerel before I got a 24" fish. He got his right out of the shoot. Nicely done.

Thanks John! Does this mean that their not all that big?

Clearly it was good coaching and beginners luck....

[Mark]

Bruce may have inflated expectations for pickerel now. It took me 8 winters of pickerel fishing and probably 1,000 Severn pickerel before I got a 24" fish. He got his right out of the shoot. Nicely done.

This year's OGWLF rookie class has done extremely well on Severn stripers and pickerel -- some just joined us a few months ago and are already making great catches.

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn."

Benjamin Franklin (Not an original OGWLF member...but he could have been.)

[sparky1423]

Great report Gentlemen. I'd be tempted to scout the shoreline for snagged lures!

[Rhino]

Way to go, Bruce. I don't take you for one to tell fish tales, so we'll call it 24".

[Shady]

Nice work! I've caught quite a few Severn picks, and I've come very close many times, but still looking for my 24...

[scott taylor]

Great report and congrats to EMS'r. I am thinking that either my buddies have become more proficient at catching the toothy critters or the Severn population has grown in size? I hope it's a combination of both.....well done!

*** And here's a shout out on behalf of the slimy creatures; if you are new to the game (or even a veteran) please brush up on careful catch and release practices. It's not always easy with a thrashing pickerel and perhaps gloved hands on a bitter cold day.

ST

[mccray44]

Great report Gentlemen. I'd be tempted to scout the shoreline for snagged lures!

Sparky if you find this lure it's mine! LOL

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[J.A. Veil]

Great report and congrats to EMS'r. I am thinking that either my buddies have become more proficient at catching the toothy critters or the Severn population has grown in size? I hope it's a combination of both.....well done!

*** And here's a shout out on behalf of the slimy creatures; if you are new to the game (or even a veteran) please brush up on careful catch and release practices. It's not always easy with a thrashing pickerel and perhaps gloved hands on a bitter cold day.

ST

Scott - Thanks for reminding folks to handle pickerel carefully and get them back in the water quickly. I also recommend carrying a jaw spreader tool if you choose to target pickerel. This morning I caught a pickerel that took the lure fully into it's mouth. I would have done some serious oral damage if I had yanked or banged around with pliers. I inserted the jaw spreader, opened the jaws wide, and was able to quickly lift out the hook.

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[Mark]

Scott - Thanks for reminding folks to handle pickerel carefully and get them back in the water quickly. I also recommend carrying a jaw spreader tool if you choose to target pickerel. This morning I caught a pickerel that took the lure fully into it's mouth. I would have done some serious oral damage if I had yanked or banged around with pliers. I inserted the jaw spreader, opened the jaws wide, and was able to quickly lift out the hook.

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The good news is that pickerels rarely take a lure deep. This photo is typical of my hookups:

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But it does happen. I carry long forceps for those occasions which are less invasive than most fishing pliers. I can see that a jaw spreader would be a big help. And at only $4 or $5 it's a negligible and worthwhile expense. I'm going to get one.

Thanks for the reminder Scott and John.

[mccray44]

Scott - Thanks for reminding folks to handle pickerel carefully and get them back in the water quickly. I also recommend carrying a jaw spreader tool if you choose to target pickerel. This morning I caught a pickerel that took the lure fully into it's mouth. I would have done some serious oral damage if I had yanked or banged around with pliers. I inserted the jaw spreader, opened the jaws wide, and was able to quickly lift out the hook.

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Read about the spreaders in the presentation about Pickerel John shared with me and immediately bought a pair, haven't had to use them yet but glad I have them so as not to cause undo harm. Good advice.