There are few things that bring me as much joy as a squealing child as he or she hoists a gyrating sunfish up on the bank. The fish is flopping, and the child is giggling as they try to immediately pounce on this incredibly interesting form of life we know as a “fish.” By my own claim, I caught my first fish, a humble bluegill, at the age of five…and I haven’t been the same[...]

It is during this time that the staging and spawning of Maryland’s Yellow and White Perch is in full effect. It is a great activity for all ages and is a great way for anglers with or without a vessel to get in on the action. It is an inexpensive activity that I have enjoyed since childhood and now serves as a break from regular annual maintenance and upgrades to my charter boat The Marylander[...]

Lately I’m spending a lot more time fishing the non-tidal streams or floating the millponds in search of my favorite and most familiar species: crappie, sunfish, and perch. Affectionately called “panfish” since they’re small and delicious, these species share a special place in the hearts of anglers because they’re likely the first fish we caught. It might have been on a nearby riverside while dangling a redworm from a cane pole, or maybe it was[...]

Located adjacent to the famous lighthouse, Thomas Point Park provides unique access to fly fishing Chesapeake Bay without the need for a boat. You can fly fish from much of the shoreline around this peninsula, casting into Fishing Creek, Chesapeake Bay and the South River in search of striped bass, white perch, blue catfish and channel catfish. You may launch a kayak on the south side beach as well as wade fish. In addition to[...]

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[...]

With almost 29,000 acres of fully protected marshlands, forests and tidal waters, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge offers very unique opportunities for fly fishing for northern snakeheads, striped bass, speckled trout, redfish, flounder and bluefish. You will need a boat with a shallow draft to take full advantage of all that these seemingly endless tidal creeks, open waters and marshlands have to offer. From the soft launch, you can head west and fish the marsh edges[...]

From the Trail site’s boat launch in Church Creek in Dorchester County, you get access to the full menu of lower Eastern Shore fish species—striped bass, speckled trout, redfish, flounder, bluefish, spot, spanish mackerel, flounder, croaker and black drum. After you make your way down Wallace Creek, you will find yourself in the Honga River and miles and miles of pristine shorelines and shallow-water habitats to explore. With the numerous creeks and guts as you[...]

Protected by multiple state parks and conservation areas during its journey through Harford County on the way to the Susquehanna River, Deer Creek offers fly fishers three seasons of three very different fly fishing experiences. Spring brings hickory shad swimming all the way up the Chesapeake Bay and the lower Susquehanna River and entering Deer Creek to spawn well upstream. Once you hook into one of these silver sided jumpers, you will need to take[...]

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[...]