Just south of our nation’s capital, Southern Maryland welcomes visitors with fascinating historic sites, delicious seafood, and 1,000 miles of shoreline stretching over the bay and along the Potomac and Patuxent rivers. Traditional, friendly, and genuine—the people and places of Southern Maryland are as charming as its waterfront backdrop is beautiful. Back to the Map

Some of the mill ponds date back as far as the 18th century. Dams were built to capture water from creeks and small rivers. The water was then used to power gristmills, saw mills, and textile mills. All but one of the mills are now gone, but their retention ponds are still here for our recreational use; and they are loaded with fish. The ponds hold a variety of species, largemouth bass, chain pickerel, crappie[...]

Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) is the first fish that comes to mind when most people think of the Chesapeake Bay. “Rockfish” as we call them, is the State Fish of Maryland and the most sought-after species in the Chesapeake Bay. In addition to my most recent panfish book, I’ve written two books about catching rockfish on artificial lures. I love targeting stripers, but I could never have learned to catch them were it not for[...]

What is an Invasive Species? An invasive species is an organism that causes ecological or economic harm in a new environment where it is not native. Invasive species can harm both the natural resources in an ecosystem as well as threaten human use of these resources. An invasive species can be introduced to a new area via the ballast water of oceangoing ships, intentional and accidental releases of aquaculture species, aquarium specimens or bait, and[...]

A few billion will take to the air and some will inadvertently end up in the water. This creates a topwater feeding frenzy. During the last Brood X emergence 17 years ago, anglers noticed that fish keyed on anything that lingered on the surface as the cicada conditioned fish looked to the skies when eating. Around 2 inches in length, cicadas are not hard to find. They are all over trees and on the ground[...]

Tips for Taking Newbies Fishing Eliminate the Pressure – Prioritize the experience, rather than how many fish the beginner angler actually catches. Going out on a boat on the Chesapeake Bay, sitting on a riverbank, or paddling around on a pond are enjoyable experiences in and of themselves. Take advantage of this fact and make sure that having fun is “job number-one.” Use KISS Fishing Methods – Trying to explain the fine nuances of pin-point[...]

Just this past week, a large push of rockfish have come out of the rivers and are setting up on the humps just north and south of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. There are many ways to target these fish. We have been very successful jigging on them in 15-20ft of water, using 3/4oz jig heads and 4” Bloody Point Chartreuse shad. If the current is strong, we noticed that using 1oz jigs and a 5”[...]

Included in that wide span of surf is Assateague State Park, located on Assateague Island. This is the only oceanfront park in Maryland and is a barrier island bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Sinepuxent Bay on the west. This park is a great spot for weekend camping. Its 300 pet-friend sites fill up fast so be sure to book early. Assateague’s two miles of ocean beaches offer swimming, beachcombing, sunbathing[...]

The White Marlin Open (WMO) is a 48-year-old, deep-sea fishing tournament held annually in Ocean City, Maryland. It awards prize money for the biggest catches of white marlin, blue marlin, tuna, wahoo, dolphin, and shark. The first tournament, held in 1974, drew 57 boats, 150 anglers, and paid a total of $20,000 in prize money with the top award being $5,000. Today it is known as the “World’s Largest Billfishing Tournament,” and has awarded more[...]