Taking smallmouth bass with popping bugs is some of the most exciting fishing available. The strike is explosive and there is the added benefit that poppers take some of the largest bass. The Potomac River in Washington County provides exactly these types of prime smallmouth bass fly fishing opportunities given its wide, shallow nature with lots of rock ledges running across the river leading to riffles and long pools. Walking the footpath alongside the C&O[...]

The single-leaf iron and concrete bridge was built in 1932. It’s the focal point of the historic little town that serves as the county seat of Worcester County. It’s also the dividing line between good and great yellow perch fishing on the Eastern Shore. I swing wide around the tight corner at the town’s only red light, checking my mirrors to make sure my 16-foot jon boat trailer doesn’t clip the curb and resolve that[...]

Central Tochterman’s Tackle, at 1925 Eastern Avenue in Baltimore City is the oldest family-owned tackle shop not only in the central region but in the country. Thomas G. Tochterman, Sr. opened the store in February 1916 and they are still at the same address. Originally, Mr. Tochterman sold confections, but soon started selling soft crabs and peelers to local anglers to use for bait. Before long he added bamboo fishing poles and started making cork[...]

When it’s 94 degrees and humid in Annapolis on a late June afternoon, head west to Garrett County where Maryland’s lower Savage River can offer a respite with cool 80 degree temperatures- and some of the state’s finest brown trout fishing. On the Savage River, just below the Savage River Dam, and a few miles downstream from Big Run State Park, you’ll find one of the 48 sites that are part of Maryland’s state-wide Fly[...]

Starting the Day Right When I wake up, the first thing I do is plan my day by checking various apps. I look at the wind forecast, live wind speed and direction and predicted tide times. If the forecast calls for more than 10 mph winds, I focus on wind direction and plan my day for an area where I can get some shelter. A sheltered location just makes fishing easier and much more fun[...]

Nearly 50 miles in length and straddling the Maryland-West Virginia borders, the North Branch of the Potomac was first surveyed under a British sovereign’s land grant to Thomas Lord Fairfax in the first half of the 18th century. The Fairfax Stone survey marker, dated 1746 and located at a small spring, still designates the headwaters, and can be visited today. Lord Fairfax was awarded all of the lands between the Rappahannock and Potomac Rivers, and[...]

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[...]

Maryland is home to the nation’s first state-wide Fly Fishing Trail. I’ve had experiences at many of its 48 sites. In fact last spring in late May I was hiking near a trail site along the Upper Savage River at Big Run State Park. I had been hiking for just under an hour - about two miles upstream from the road - in search of the elusive Green Drake mayfly and brook trout, Salvelinus Fontinalis[...]

Imagine a fish which is sleek, silver and strong that strikes lures with sledgehammer force and then gyrates in spectacular leaps propelling itself well above the surface. The runs and mad dashes are long and powerful, testing light tackle to the max. Now, envision that this fish has just traveled hundreds of miles and still has incredible strength for a fish that averages 16 inches long and weighs in at a two-pound average. Yes, we[...]