march meet & greet

march M&G

when: march 10
where: jonas green park
time: first light till when ever
lunch: Griffins on rt 2 north. right hand side a little past college parkway.
good food and good beer. around 1pm
what: yellow perch, white perch striped bass (C&R only) and pickerel

JA says the pickerel tourney will still be on. and stripers should be available also.

JGP has a small parking area so its good to come early but parking is avalible in the upper parking lot.

[Memory Maker]

Looks like a great place w/good food. Can we make reservations?

[surfdog]

i will check

[J.A. Veil]

You may have seen this map on a few other posts over the past few days. It is a map I made of the middle section of the Severn River showing three places to launch kayaks and the 8 different creeks or coves that have held at least some pickerel this winter. There are other tributaries that are legitimate candidates too, but I have not gotten to any others yet.

Jonas Green park has parking in a lower lot (diagonal spaces) and an upper lot (see aerial photo below). Please do not park in areas outside of designated spaces or you will be towed.

There is a porta-pot next to the parking lot. There is also a regular bathroom in the ranger's building next to the fishing pier. I don't know if the bathroom is open 24 hrs or not. From the parking lot, there is a short stretch of grass then you are on a small beach. The water there is shallow with a gradual slope for easy launching.

I fish out of Jonas Green frequently. If anyone has any questions about logistics, feel free to contact me.

[chex]

Can't wait.

Cool map J.A., thanks.

[Yak Fish]

Yeah, thanks J.A. I've never fished this area so the maps definitely help. I took a look at the NOAA charts and now realize that the severn has some decent depth to it, unlike lots of areas in the upper bay that have a limited range. I'm looking for my first pickeral. Can you offer some advice at what depth or structure type I should target? How about lures? I prefer to fish artificials if possible.

[new2yaks11]

I have not yet caught a pickerel from the Severn but have caught plenty in other places. I've found them to be very aggressive. Caught them on anything from crappie tubes beneath bobbers to 4" rubber worms, spinnerbaits, and even topwater flies. I really like casting small grubs on light jig heads and swimming them slowly. They seem to not be able to resist that tasty looking morsel in front of them.

I am looking forward to the March M&G as well, hoping to catch my first Severn River pickerel and meet some of the guys here.

[J.A. Veil]

Yeah, thanks J.A. I've never fished this area so the maps definitely help. I took a look at the NOAA charts and now realize that the severn has some decent depth to it, unlike lots of areas in the upper bay that have a limited range. I'm looking for my first pickeral. Can you offer some advice at what depth or structure type I should target? How about lures? I prefer to fish artificials if possible.

I have caught over 100 Severn pickerel this winter. I fish only in the creeks and coves, not the main river. Nearly all the pickerel have been caught in relatively shallow water (from 1' to 6' deep).

You don't need a heavy rod. I use 6' ultralight rods with 8-lb mono. I have used live minnows on 1/8-oz jigheads. Other anglers, especially those in the CCA pickerel tournament, have used a variety of artificials. Typically, lures from 2" to 4" are the most attractive.

I look for shorelines with a shallow edge that drops off to 4-8 ft. I position the kayak about 1 cast length from shore, then cast to the shallows. I work the bait or lure back at the slowest speed that keeps the bait off the bottom (where it will get covered with slime if it makes contact). I like shorelines with fallen trees or grass beds. Some rip rap walls have worked out. If you fish wooden bulkheads or pilings, look for old ones -- they will have had more time to build up a small food chain.

That should get you started. You can always tag along with someone who knows the ropes.

[Sun]

Looking forward to the meet and greet! Will anyone be launching from a location other than Jonas Green?

[Shady]

Im hoping to make it out for the March M&G, but may launch from Tucker street to give all of you guys not too familiar with the area more room at Jonas Green.

[surfdog]

just bring it back to the front page. see you guys in like 2 weeks

[chimo]

I should be able to make it and will plan on launching from Jonas Green. Hit the structure early and see if I can jig up a Rock and then try for some pickerel or perch. Good Fishin

Chimo

[Sun]

Do you guys think there will be perch anywhere near the launch spots? I'd like to catch something I can take home and eat.

I saw some march reports from last year where people were catching white perch in brewers pond. That is a lonnnnng paddle though .

[Splitscreen]

Looking forward to seeing you guys there! Would love to tag along with somebody and take some video for the youtubes. Does anybody know if there is a youtube channel specifically for MKF? I've seen plenty of videos uploaded by people on this forum. But we should definitely have a channel.

[J.A. Veil]

Do you guys think there will be perch anywhere near the launch spots? I'd like to catch something I can take home and eat.

I saw some march reports from last year where people were catching white perch in brewers pond. That is a lonnnnng paddle though .

Sun -

I have fished quite a few of the Severn tribs within a 1.5-mile radius of Weems Creek and Jonas Green several times each week all winter long, including the past three afternoons.

In all that time, I caught lots of pickerel, but just two white perch and zero yellow perch. If I wanted to find yellow perch, I would look at the very upper end of the river. I doubt that white perch will be around anywhere in the river in numbers yet.

I looked back at the series of posts I made last year on the SRRKC board on Tidalfish. I fished Weems Creek and other nearby spots periodically throughout the spring and did not catch white perch until late May (see http://www.tidalfish.com/forums/show...ighlight=perch).

I cannot comment about what fish may be in Brewers Pond now. It is a great place to fish, but unless you have close-by access (you could pay $20 to launch at Smiths Marina in Crownsville), it is a long trip from Jonas Green or Weems (too far for me).