This summer I wanted to catch a big rockfish. So this summer, me and my dad learned how to catch them. Our first two times we did not catch any rockfish. But then we figured it out and started to get the hang of it and started catching them. So during the summer my dad and I had a blast. But I still hadn’t caught a big one yet. I asked if I could go[...]

The Assawoman Bay Trail site is the ideal spot to fly fish in Maryland’s expansive coastal bays. Launching on the bay side of Worcester County’s Ocean City at the 64th Street Boat Ramp, you will find yourself trying to decide—do I go north into Assawoman Bay or head south into Isle of Wight? You can’t make the wrong decision here as you are literally surrounded by acres and acres of shallow-water habitat ready made for[...]

One true harbinger of spring is the traditional Opening Day of trout fishing in waters throughout Maryland. This is especially true of the myriad of streams and small lakes that lie within the Catoctin Mountains of Frederick and Washington Counties. Trout fans have the option of wading small, cascading creeks, kayaking medium-sized lakes, or hoofing it at any number of smaller ponds that all get a more than ample stocking of rainbow, brown, and golden[...]

Imagine a 17th-century Dutch painting, with rolling farms and a gentle gradient river flowing through a picturesque valley, and you’ve just described western Maryland’s Casselman River. Located 15 miles northwest of the Garrett County FLy Fishing Trail Site at Big Run State Park - about a 20 minute drive - the Casselman is one of Maryland’s best kept secrets for fly fishing. It’s springtime and mid-morning on the Casselman and there’s a caddis hatch on[...]

Overview From the sprawling Chesapeake Bay tributaries like the Patapsco River to the quiet waters of Loch Raven Reservoir, Central Maryland provides anglers with plenty of target opportunities for Blue and Flathead Catfish in various habitats. These waterways boast abundant food sources and ample cover, including submerged structures and rocky outcrops, creating ideal conditions for catfish to thrive. With their accessibility and plentiful populations, the bodies of water in Central Maryland provide an excellent setting[...]

Imagine: a long and winding tidal creek, filled with long “S” curves, often surrounded on both sides by wetlands along mostly undeveloped shorelines in the upper reaches; and along the south shore, a widely recognized highly productive tidal largemouth fishery all fed by clean waters from a largely undisturbed watershed. Welcome to Mattawoman Creek in Charles County. Your fly fishing adventure will start at Mattingly Park where after launching your kayak, canoe, standup paddle board[...]

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[...]

Located in Garrett County, the Youghiogheny River (“The Yock,” as it is popularly known), is wide, ranging in width from 80 to 180 feet. Even when other anglers are on the water, there is a sense of being alone on the river. Flowing South to North, the four and a half mile special regulation section offers quality dry fly fishing. The river has been referred to as a hybrid tailwater, given it receives its waters[...]

The ride over to Smith Island from Crisfield alone is worth traveling to this Trail site, whether by ferry or mailboat or your own boat. You can even make arrangements for the transport of your own kayak or rent one on the Island. Be sure to make time to explore the Island and its towns, but don’t forget you also made the trip to hook into the striped bass, speckled trout, redfish, flounder, and bluefish[...]