It has been written that in a mountain stream pool, a 10-inch brook trout is every bit the predator that an 80-pound tarpon is in its own mangrove environment. If that appeals to you, then this is the Trail site for you. With 120 miles of interconnected wild trout streams, the upper Savage River may be the finest brook trout habitat in the eastern United States, south of Maine. Situated at the mouth of the[...]

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[...]

One of Maryland’s best kept fly fishing secrets, the Casselman River is mostly a brown and rainbow trout spot with the occasional brook trout hiding out in the undercuts of the banks and current. Your typical match the hatch presentation is the direction you want to go while targeting the fish on this river. The Casselman is featured in an article and video road trip series with FishTalk Magazine. See full video and article HERE[...]

The tidal Patuxent River flowing through Prince George’s County has a wide variety of fish which readily strike at fishing flies. As the river widens at Jug Bay, fly fishers can choose from bluegill, crappie, channel catfish, blue catfish, white catfish, chain pickerel, largemouth bass, striped bass, yellow perch, white perch, carp and northern snakehead. This is a fish menu which will keep you busy from early spring to late fall. You will need access[...]

This Trail sites provides shoreline as well as boat-based fly fishing opportunities on the mid-Eastern Shore of Talbot County. The Black Walnut Point Fishing Area and Parking provides a place to cast and fish riprap on the Chesapeake Bay side of the point. Launching your boat in Dogwood Harbor immediately puts you in Harris Creek with direct access to the many other tidal creeks connecting into the lower Choptank River. With your sights set on[...]

Even being surrounded by the City of Salisbury on all sides, Johnsons Pond has a well deserved reputation as a productive fishery. With much of the pond’s shoreline lined with trees, casting your fly towards these shallow-waters, particularly where there are lily pads, brush or other structure in the water, will lead to some strikes by hungry fish. You can also cast to tree falls, points of land, and submerged cedar trees especially along the[...]

As you head down the hill towards the shoreline and launch ramps along Piney Run Reservoir, you will automatically be wondering “where do I want to start fishing?” Piney Run Park and the Reservoir gives you a lot of choices in terms of where to fish and what to fish for. First, where to fish. You can fly fish from the shoreline in the immediate area around the boat launch ramps as well as from[...]

Well, now that spring turkey season is over here in Maryland, it’s time for us hunters to contemplate what we’ll do with all this free time on our hands. Most hunters, at least those I’m acquainted with, will tell you it’s only a few months before the opening of bow season! I’m referring to the elusive whitetail deer. For the majority, this dictates that it’s time to get your bow ready with a visit to[...]

I began my career with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources as a forest ranger in 1987; a year later I accepted a position with the Wildlife Division. Never a big advocate of hunting, I had learned about wildlife population management in college and understood the sports’ recreational and management values. Still, I had much to learn. Working in a division primarily funded through federal dollars and hunting license sales, I wanted to see what[...]