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Maryland Freshwater Fishing Reports
By Keith Lockwood of The Maryland DNR
This information is provided as a public service of the
Maryland Department of Natural Resources. www.dnr.state.md.us
Dec. 16th, 2009
Central/Southern Region including Tridelphia, Rocky Gorge, Prettyboy, Loch Raven and Liberty Reservoirs
Largemouth bass fishermen will still be out on the regions impoundments and tidal waters this winter as long as they are ice free. It is no secret to any angler that the bass are holding deep along steep edges and structure such as sunken wood and rocks. The extremely cold waters have the fish in a very slow state of affairs and it will take some doing to get them to pick up a bait.
Fishermen will be switching to light lines generally in the 6lb test range and fishing right on the bottom very slowly. Hair jigs, soft plastics, spinnerbaits and Silver Buddies will often be the baits of choice and fished on the bottom. Pickups will be more of a subtle stop in the line; something like a little twitch rather than a strike. It takes a lot of coaxing to get largemouth bass to show any interest in a bait this time of the year so small, slow and deep is the general equation to success.
Chain pickerel seem to love cold water and they are providing a lot of action for fishermen looking for some pull. Most all of the tidal rivers and creeks within the two regions have populations of chain pickerel and they are common in most impoundments as well. Spoons, spinners and minnows are good choices of baits to use.
Trout fishermen can still enjoy good trout fishing in some of the trout management waters such as the Gunpowder. Fishing nymphs with a fly rod is the most productive method for winter fishing and can be a very satisfying way to fish.
Looking back at the 2009 fishing season, most fishermen would tend to agree that it was a good one. The annual run of hickory shad at Deer Creek provided a lot of catch and release fun. The yellow perch and white perch runs offered some fun fishing and tasty meals. Trout waters received generous stockings of large trout and anglers enjoyed good fishing during the spring and fall months.
Other Maryland Fishing Reports
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