I can remember my first fish as if I had caught it yesterday. It was a small but spirited bluegill from the waters of the Gunpowder River on a simple cane pole. Indeed, a defining moment in the life of a young angler. I haven’t been the same since! Now, sixty years later, that special joy and excitement still fills my spirit every time I see a bobber dip below the water’s surface. To be[...]
Among the many Eastern Shore ponds, Smithville Lake stands out as one of the more productive waters, offering fly fishers with an assortment of fish species to target. Its populations of largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie and chain pickerel provide for year round fishing opportunities. During the winter months, fly fishers can cast for those toothy top predator chain pickerel even when the waters are too cold for other fish species. With the onset of spring[...]
As a child growing up near Middle River on the upper Chesapeake Bay, my father would take us down to the marina docks and we would use our sturdy cane poles to catch a variety of panfish. Nothing was big, and seldom did we bring home enough for a legitimate meal. But it was the beginning of a life-long journey and love for fish and fishing. And for a father-and-child fishing expedition in Maryland waters[...]
I’ll never forget the very first chain pickerel I ever caught. I was fishing during late fall on the Patuxent River and it came as a surprise catch. Long, sleek, with chain-link markings and a mouthful of teeth, I knew what it was even at the age of 15. That was several decades ago. But I had enough of a taste to know that I wanted more of this leaping, slashing “mini-pike” in my angling[...]