Spring sunfish - Maryland 2020

[Johnsfolly]

Over the last couple of weeks a few things occurred. The Gov allowed us to use masks to go out an fish for food at first then recreationally. The weather began to favor warming up the local lakes and the rain held off for a couple of days each week. So we got out and did chase some sunfish. Mostly using microjigs, like a John Deere from Weaver tackle shop, trout/panfish magnets, and even a redworm on a 1/64 oz jig head under a float was employed. The fish below represent a few different trips and a few different locations.

At our local lake we were able to catch the three predominant sunfish, bluegill, redear, and pumpkinseed sunfish. Not in the numbers that I have caught in the past, but enough to feel like you had a good day of fishing. Livie did lose what looked to be a fat 16 to 17 inch bass right at the bank, but that another story.

This bluegill (mine) and redear (Livie's) hit the John deere microjig. The redear in this lake really get dark in coloration during the spawn some much darker than Livie's fish.

     

Lately I have been taking the family down to a place called Porter's crossing on the Pocomoke river. This spot has shad and some striper run past this spot to spawn. Due to COVID we were not able to travel here for the main shad run. On our first trip another gentleman caught three while we were fishing there. None for us. Though we did land bluegill, redbreast, and pumpkinseed sunfish.

Livie's largest redbreast sunfish.

Livie's nice bluegill (my hand for size comparison ).

One of Livie's pumpkinseed sunfish.

I was trying for mud sunfish and redfin pickerel at this location. No mud sunfish. I did catch this small pickerel and was somewhat disappointed that it was just a chain pickerel ( I caught three others on another trip while fishing for the sunfish). Livie has not landed one, but she had one on for a while. We will go back armed for pickerel and get her that first one !

After our last trip to Porter's we drove to a park downstream where we have caught a variety of catfish on past trips. I was fishing a trout magnet under a float in a boat access channel off of the main river. After one cast I had two hits on my float. Thinking that there should be pickerel and may be snakeheads in this area, I switched to a special bait sent to me by a good friend. I also let Livie fish it first. This bait is better cast with a fly rod, but we only had the spin gear on this trip. Livie did get the cast length that she needed to have the bait go past where the fish hit my float. She missed the first topwater bite. Made a second cast and this fish pounced on that topwater bait. Never would have expected a black crappie on a @BilletHead French fry!

 

 

[BilletHead]

3 hours ago, Johnsfolly said:

Over the last couple of weeks a few things occurred. The Gov allowed us to use masks to go out an fish for food at first then recreationally. The weather began to favor warming up the local lakes and the rain held off for a couple of days each week. So we got out and did chase some sunfish. Mostly using microjigs, like a John Deere from Weaver tackle shop, trout/panfish magnets, and even a redworm on a 1/64 oz jig head under a float was employed. The fish below represent a few different trips and a few different locations.

At our local lake we were able to catch the three predominant sunfish, bluegill, redear, and pumpkinseed sunfish. Not in the numbers that I have caught in the past, but enough to feel like you had a good day of fishing. Livie did lose what looked to be a fat 16 to 17 inch bass right at the bank, but that another story.

This bluegill (mine) and redear (Livie's) hit the John deere microjig. The redear in this lake really get dark in coloration during the spawn some much darker than Livie's fish.

     

Lately I have been taking the family down to a place called Porter's crossing on the Pocomoke river. This spot has shad and some striper run past this spot to spawn. Due to COVID we were not able to travel here for the main shad run. On our first trip another gentleman caught three while we were fishing there. None for us. Though we did land bluegill, redbreast, and pumpkinseed sunfish.

Livie's largest redbreast sunfish.

Livie's nice bluegill (my hand for size comparison ).

One of Livie's pumpkinseed sunfish.

I was trying for mud sunfish and redfin pickerel at this location. No mud sunfish. I did catch this small pickerel and was somewhat disappointed that it was just a chain pickerel ( I caught three others on another trip while fishing for the sunfish). Livie has not landed one, but she had one on for a while. We will go back armed for pickerel and get her that first one !

After our last trip to Porter's we drove to a park downstream where we have caught a variety of catfish on past trips. I was fishing a trout magnet under a float in a boat access channel off of the main river. After one cast I had two hits on my float. Thinking that there should be pickerel and may be snakeheads in this area, I switched to a special bait sent to me by a good friend. I also let Livie fish it first. This bait is better cast with a fly rod, but we only had the spin gear on this trip. Livie did get the cast length that she needed to have the bait go past where the fish hit my float. She missed the first topwater bite. Made a second cast and this fish pounced on that topwater bait. Never would have expected a black crappie on a @BilletHead French fry!

 

 

             Cool Beans Livie! That's a first. Thank you young lady  

[Quillback]

Some really colorful fish, glad to see ya''ll getting into them!