Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Winter Fishing Options (I'll start, but please reply with others)

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Winter Fishing Options (I'll start, but please reply with others)

    So I'm making this thread as more of an informative piece for any kayak angler who wishes to fish throughout the year, and who hopefully has the right cold weather/water safety gear to do so. I myself am by no means an expert on cold water fishing, I just thought I would throw out a couple ideas to those who might want to get out on the water in these colder months. Please critique my recommendations, and add your own. I would really like to see a bunch of options, especially those new to snaggedline, and to those of us who have been on the forum for a little while, for some good coldwater options, within a few hours drive for most of us in MD. Just throw in a species, some decent areas to find them, and maybe a tip or 2 about how to catch them (bait, tactics, etc). And as always, the safest way to fish in the colder months is with a fellow fisherman, and if you do go alone, let several people know where you're going, and what timeframe you expect to be on the water. Make sure to check-in when you're back on shore.

    1) Striped Bass - tend to hold deeper in the colder months, usually, so look for launches that put you in water deeper than 30 ft (even deeper is better)....Ft. Armistead, maybe Beverly Triton, Jonas Green (main channel). Jigging them seems to be the preferred method during this time, or even trolling deeper lures like deep diving plugs (crystal minnows, x-rap magnums, etc).

    2) Blue Catfish- still active in the colder months.....Marshall Hall, many stretches of the Potomac actually. Sit and wait fishing usually pays off, fishing the bottom with either double bottom rigs, fishfinder rigs, etc. using nightcrawlers, shrimp, chicken breast or livers, gizzard shad, etc

    3) Yellow Perch - tougher to find than white perch IMO, but I found them in the Magothy last year in the upper reaches. Minnows, nightcrawlers, blood worms, bottom fishing seems to produce them, but casting small spinners and other lures seems to as well

    4) Stocker rainbow trout - South branch Patapsco River. These are usually picked clean within a month or so of stocking, so it's important to hit areas away from the beaten path, at the right time. I like nightcrawlers, but spinners work well also. I don't know of good locations to target them with a kayak, I've only ever fished from shore for them, and caught them as bycatch while floating around in Piney Run lake.

  • #2
    Pickerel -- In prior years, various Severn River creeks produced throughout the winter. But as we have discussed on this forum, pickerel have been scarce in these same creeks since the fall of 2016. That being the case, Eastern Shore ponds in MD and DE hold them and despite my posting of a no-catch trip today to Tuckahoe Lake, I will be back on that side of the Bay again throughout the winter to try my luck. They're present. They simply were not agreeable to bite today. Small spinners, grubs on jigs and weedless paddletails fished slowly with light spinning tackle and Clouser Minnows and wooly buggers on the fly will catch them. Bait fishermen with live minnows will typically do better than those who toss only artificials.
    Mark
    Pasadena, MD


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

    Comment


    • #3
      Don't forget about warm water discharges for stripers and perch in the winter time too...
      Hobie Local Fishing Team - Backyard Boats
      Locations in Annapolis, MD and Woodbridge, VA
      https://www.backyardboats.com/

      Comment


      • #4
        Redfish12, Where are those warm water discharge areas located??
        Last edited by Steve6902; 12-20-2017, 06:04 PM. Reason: Grammar
        2017 Hobie PA14

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Steve6902 View Post
          Redfish12, Where are those warm water discharge areas located??
          I know of 1 in the Patapsco a few miles downriver of the ft armistead launch, but that's all. There's also the Calvert Cliffs location but I'm not sure if that's a power plant or just the import/export LNG facility.

          Comment


          • #6
            Not quite fishing, but winter blowout tides are an excellent time to load up on clams from the coastal bays. Mussels and oysters too if you know where to look.
            Brian

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by yakscientist View Post
              I know of 1 in the Patapsco a few miles downriver of the ft armistead launch, but that's all. There's also the Calvert Cliffs location but I'm not sure if that's a power plant or just the import/export LNG facility.
              The Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Calvert County has a large volume discharge (~3 billion gallons per day of cooling water). It is separate from the Cove Point liquified natural gas (LNG) plant, which is located a few miles to the south. Cove Point is poised to begin operating as an LNG export facility in the next few weeks. I don't believe there is a significant warm water discharge there, but the huge shipping terminal is a major piece of structure. The Coast Guard is likely to establish setback parameters, at least when ships are loading. Both facilities are located in open bay waters and are somewhat distant from any public launch locations.
              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


              • #8
                Originally posted by Steve6902 View Post
                Redfish12, Where are those warm water discharge areas located??
                One of the Maryland DNR agencies is called the Power Plant Research Program. The PPRP studies all power plants in the state. You can see a map of the power plant locations at http://dnr.maryland.gov/pprp/Pages/P...Locations.aspx. Those identified as fossil fuel or nuclear are the ones that may have warm water discharges, assuming that they are using once through cooling systems. Public access to the discharge areas may or may not be available.
                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


                • #9
                  The Dickerson Power Plant on the upper Potomac is on the map from John's link above.

                  Here's more specific info about it: http://www.riverexplorer.com/details.php4?id=627

                  There are lots of hits if you Google "Dickerson Power Plant Fishing"

                  I've never fished it but I know it has been long been an area for winter fishing on the upper Potomac.
                  Mark
                  Pasadena, MD


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

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Slobber Bob View Post
                    Not quite fishing, but winter blowout tides are an excellent time to load up on clams from the coastal bays. Mussels and oysters too if you know where to look.
                    That would actually be a pretty fun trip, provided you've got some insulated boots/waders.

                    Comment

                    Working...
                    X