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Unicorn Lake -- Pickerels a plenty

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  • Unicorn Lake -- Pickerels a plenty

    Harry (On the fly), Harlan and I launched at Unicorn Lake in Millington, MD this morning at 8:00 a.m. Note the glassy surface as Harlan and Harry leave the ramp.

    A.jpg

    After the pervasive winds we have been battling this spring, being on the water without a ripple was very welcome. Better yet, we were the only anglers on the lake. There were a few people fishing from shore. But essentially we had all 43 acres to ourselves.

    Each of us carried fly rods and spinning tackle. I brought a 4 wt., a 7 wt. and a light spinning rod. I threw floating line on each fly rod.

    Harry broke the ice almost immediately with a bluegill.

    I was not as fortunate. It took over an hour of pounding the shoreline before I hooked a bluegill on the 7 wt. with an olive colored wooly bugger.

    B.jpg

    I had just tied on the wooly bugger. Prior to that I had tried unsuccessfully to entice a bass to the surface with a popper. I hooked none but I did get a few swirls.
    That little bluegill also happened to be the first fish I caught in my new Native Watercraft Ultimate 12. I like the rich colors of bluegills from Eastern Shore ponds, especially those deep orange bellies. The Ultimate is a wonderful platform for pond fishing, by the way. It glides through the water with ease and is very stable. It’s a joy to fish from.

    A long dry spell for me ensued after that first fish. I cast a small popper on my 4 wt. to no avail. I threw a spinner on spinning rod with no strikes.

    Then Harlan radioed that he had picked up a pickerel – trolling no less!

    I left “bass mode” and saddled up for pickerel. I put a Clouser Minnow on my 7 wt. and nailed this devil on my very first cast:

    D.jpg

    Then I got another pickerel almost immediately on the Clouser. The key was vegetation. The pickerels were hanging on the edges of these plants:

    C.jpg

    While I was catching them in vegetation Harry radioed that he was into pickerels on the opposite side of the lake. He was catching them on a wooly bugger.

    I got a third in short order on the Clouser, again near vegetation. Now that I knew where they were I tried the popper on the 4 wt. They didn’t disappoint and rose to the surface to attack my offering. This pickerel hit the popper:

    E.jpg

    Three more hookups followed with surface hits on the 4 wt.

    To end the day, I really wanted to catch a pickerel on a spinner. It didn’t take long. This guy obliged:

    F.jpg

    Overall, I caught one bluegill in the first three hours and 8 pickerels in the last hour.

    These are the flies and the lure I used:

    I.jpg

    Someone mentioned in another post recently how satisfying it is to catch fish on flies of your own creation. That’s true. I tied the three flies and I also poured, painted, tied and assembled the jig spinner.

    Oddly, we saw no bass today. Harry and I had a brief discussion with a DNR employee at the lake as we were leaving. I asked the gentleman where the bass were. It’s very odd to work an Eastern Shore pond as hard as we three did and to catch no bass. He said they’re present but he admitted that bass and pickerel are cyclical at Unicorn. He said pickerels are in an up cycle at the moment. He also said the DNR had recently removed some larger bass from the lake and “hid them" (his words) for other uses.

    Lastly, I’m a baseball fan. I love the game and its history. Unicorn Lake is only a few miles from the town of Sudlersville, MD, birthplace of Jimmy Foxx, one of the game’s greatest right-handed hitters. I took a quick detour on my drive home and saw this tribute to Foxx on Sulderville’s Main Street.

    G.jpg H.jpg

    Imagine, Babe Ruth and Jimmy Foxx, playing contemporaries, both from MD and two of baseball’s most prolific homerun hitters.

    So ended my latest visit to the Eastern Shore.
    Attached Files
    Last edited by Mark; 05-09-2016, 05:10 PM.
    Mark
    Pasadena, MD


    Slate Hobie Revolution 13
    Hidden Oak Native Ultimate 12
    Lizard Lick Native Ultimate FX Pro

  • #2
    Great report and photos!

    Comment


    • #3
      Great report!! Glad you guys got into them on fly rods!!
      Bruce

      Hobie PA 14
      Wilderness System, Thresher 155

      Comment


      • #4
        Thanks for the report. Unicorn seems to be under-productive right now given the ideal weather conditions you had today and that I had last week. You guys put the fly rods to good use today.
        John Veil
        Annapolis
        Native Watercraft Manta Ray 11, Falcon 11

        Author - "Fishing in the Comfort Zone" , "Fishing Road Trip - 2019", "My Fishing Life: Two Years to Remember", and "The Way I Like to Fish -- A Kayak Angler's Guide to Shallow Water, Light Tackle Fishing"

        Comment


        • #5
          Nice going guys, glad you had a good day. I spent the day driving back fro NC. ugh!
          John Rentch
          Annapolis

          Native Ultimate 12 FX Pro
          Hobie Revolution 11

          Comment


          • #6
            Was a great day and we left before the rain came in. I caught 4 pickerel one one bluegill all on the fly.

            Comment


            • #7
              Nice job guys, despite living pretty close to the bay bridge, it never really occurred to me to cross it to fish. I guess my childhood impression of the Eastern Shore as a far away land of mystery has stuck around to adulthood.

              On the topic of pickerel, I have been catching them pretty often during my frequent bank fishing bass outings. I enjoy catching them, but after some nasty cuts last fall, I am always wary of landing and releasing them.
              Drew

              Yellow Pompano 12
              Lime Slayer 10

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by bunnielab View Post
                Nice job guys, despite living pretty close to the bay bridge, it never really occurred to me to cross it to fish. I guess my childhood impression of the Eastern Shore as a far away land of mystery has stuck around to adulthood.

                On the topic of pickerel, I have been catching them pretty often during my frequent bank fishing bass outings. I enjoy catching them, but after some nasty cuts last fall, I am always wary of landing and releasing them.
                Wye Mills, Tuckahoe and Unicorn are three nice ponds, relatively close to each other and not too far from the Bay Bridge.

                And yes, pickerels have a way of getting even. I've given blood to the cause.
                Mark
                Pasadena, MD


                Slate Hobie Revolution 13
                Hidden Oak Native Ultimate 12
                Lizard Lick Native Ultimate FX Pro

                Comment


                • #9
                  Mark, how you liking that new Ultimate?
                  2015 Hobie Outback
                  2001 Dagger Cayman

                  John

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    John,

                    The Ultimate has no scuppers which may lead some to question its seaworthiness. However, I’ve used the 14.5 foot version extensively during my trips to Tampa, Florida and I’ve weathered some trying conditions in it. I know it will still float with water sloshing at my feet for example. Here I am in an Ultimate 14.5 last month in Tampa. It will handle water far rougher than you see in the photo.

                    20160420_081123 - Copy.jpg

                    Mine is the 12 foot version so I wouldn’t use it with the same confidence that I have in my Revo to handle stormy conditions. But for ponds and creeks it’s perfect. I wouldn’t hesitate to take it in the Severn under normal conditions either. This is my 12 footer in Weems Creek.

                    2016-04-25 13.45.30.jpg

                    Its lines are sleek like the Revo. It therefore moves with minimal paddling effort and glides far. Also, it tracks wonderfully straight – no wobble. It’s really nice to paddle.

                    However, the first thing I noticed had nothing to do with its attributes on the water. It weighs only 49 pounds, that’s 10 or 12 pounds lighter than my Revo. It’s no strain on me to lift the Ultimate to the roof of my van or to maneuver it for storage in my garage.

                    I’m accustomed to having little deck space in the Revo. The Ultimate has ample deck space as you can see from this photo.

                    F.jpg

                    It’s advertised as a boat you can stand in. I wouldn’t, not because I distrust its stability. I just don’t feel I need to stand to fish.

                    The seat is a comfortable mesh with a high back and sits off of the deck.

                    The Ultimate came with anchor trolleys on both sides of the boat, which is a very nice feature. I don’t use an anchor on my Revo. I control my position with my feet. But I do use an anchor in the Ultimate. I learned to use trolleys in Florida. They’re very handy for paddle boats. Here I am anchored in Weems.

                    004.jpg

                    There are gear tracks on each gunnel. Right now I attach my paddle to those tracks while casting. I’ll play around with different configurations until I figure out precisely what I want. But I don’t plan to rig the Ultimate much, if at all. No electronics, nothing extra. I want to keep it simple and lightweight. I want to use it for quick trips to small water, saving my Revo bigger waters and longer outings.

                    In short I’m very pleased. It’s perfect as a secondary boat for me. Ultimates are very popular in Florida. I don’t see as many here but I suspect that may change in time when folks realize how nice they are for fishing.
                    Mark
                    Pasadena, MD


                    Slate Hobie Revolution 13
                    Hidden Oak Native Ultimate 12
                    Lizard Lick Native Ultimate FX Pro

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Unicorn Lake -- Pickerels a plenty

                      I thought about an Ultimate years ago and ended up buying a sailboat instead. Since then I moved a few times and eventually ended up with an Outback when we landed in Maryland. Now that I have a child, and hopefully more to come, I've started looking at tandems. I still really like the concept of the Ultimate, but I want something foot powered. Right now Hobie is the only company that meets that criteria. Hopefully the Propel Ultimate takes off, I think they will, and Native decides on a tandem configuration for it. That would be my first choice!
                      Last edited by silasvirus82; 05-10-2016, 07:48 PM.
                      2015 Hobie Outback
                      2001 Dagger Cayman

                      John

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        nice, thanks for sharing. Is unicorn only open certain days ? stopped and read the sign a couple years ago, but forgot what days. closed to public on the weekends ?
                        Native watercraft Mariner 12.5
                        Lowrance HDI 5
                        Abu Garcia rods n reels

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Stephen,

                          I am not aware of Unicorn closings.

                          The dam was repaired last winter and I believe access was limited then. That work is done.

                          Here's the DNR website:

                          http://dnr2.maryland.gov/fisheries/P...s/unicorn.aspx

                          It does not mention scheduled closings. There is contact info on the website. You can call to be sure it is open.

                          It's a pretty location. Good luck if you get there.
                          Mark
                          Pasadena, MD


                          Slate Hobie Revolution 13
                          Hidden Oak Native Ultimate 12
                          Lizard Lick Native Ultimate FX Pro

                          Comment

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