2021 The Struggle!

[Johnsfolly]

There have been folks that have stated that we often don't see posts where we tried to catch fish but failed to do so. Well I have been struggling this year. I had fished some place almost every weekend since the new year. There are no natural ponds or lakes in MD. Maryland has very few dams that generate power which would release hypolimnetic waters. So each has a spillway to control flooding. There are also very few springs and none that I am aware of on the Eastern shore near where we live.

We started the year trying to catch fish in a small pond where we have caught bluegill, LMB, golden shiners, and black crappie. Cold and windy conditions prevailed and no fish were caught or even any strikes. We fished trout magnets under floats. Even tried some worm bits. Nothing worked.

I looked at some spots that may have redfin or chain pickerel which is a species that is active in colder waters. I went to Adkins Mills park pond which is park of Adkins run that leads into the Pocomoke river. This spot is about 95 miles from the house. I fished using small inline Panther Martin spinners and trout magnets. Fished the park pond for about 30 mins casting around cypress trees, grass edges, and other structure. No bites. I left the park and looked at a couple of bridge crossings over the Pocomoke river. Made a few more casts. The water seemed high. I got to one of the crossings that I had fished previously and saw that the water was easily 3 to 4 feet high and rushing by. I called it a day and tucked my tail between my legs and headed home.

On the 17th I took Livie with me to fish the Gunpowder river below the Pretty Boy Dam. This spillway has a spillway as well as a deep water release (photos from 2019 visit).

I have caught brown trout in this spot back in January 2019. I planned for us to use 1/16 oz silver Johnson slimfish and No 1 PET silver spoons. These worked well in 2019. First we had to walk down the 190 steps, then follow the mountain goat trail down to the river. We fished the spoons for some time and no bites. We went further downstream. Trying the spoons, Panther Martin in-line spinners and even 1/16 oz triolive Zig Jigs. probably fished 1/2 mile below the dam and again no bites. We were trying to social distance by fishing, but ended up meeting well over 30 people on the trails. Then back up those stairs! We tried another creek before heading the 60+ miles home. Saw a few shiners, suckers and other species, but could not get a bite on trout mini-jigs with orange bodies or tiny worm pieces. Fished about an hour before we just were done on another unsuccessful trip.

The next trip was a jaunt about 45 miles from the house. I went on Sat Jan 23rd to fish a large creek that was stocked that Tuesday. I had caught trout and fallfish there back in 2019 and Livie, Sue, and I caught river chub and I caught a madtom last summer. I started fishing the pools that we caught the chubs last summer. Drifted small worm pieces below a tiny float. There were no fish seen in any of those pools. I headed downstream towards where I caught those rainbows. 

I fished again with worm pieces with and without a float, slimfish spoons, spinners, trout magnets, etc. Never saw a fish in the water. Heard about one guy catching two rainbows all day and saw one guy with a trout in a Walmart sack. About three hours was all that I could handle before heading back to the car.

My last trip before yesterday was on the 24th. I went back to the Unicorn branch and fished below the spillway. The temperature was in the low to mid thirties for several days prior. Though the spillway was running under normal flow, I could only assume that the water was near air temp. I fished for a bit but as with the other trips saw no fish nor had any bites. 

I know that most of these locations will have fish once the weather warms up and if I can get times when there is no flooding that I will be successful at them again.

 

 

[Mitch f]

5 minutes ago, Johnsfolly said:

There have been folks that have stated that we often don't see posts where we tried to catch fish but failed to do so. Well I have been struggling this year. I had fished some place almost every weekend since the new year. There are no natural ponds or lakes in MD. Maryland has very few dams that generate power which would release hypolimnetic waters. So each has a spillway to control flooding. There are also very few springs and none that I am aware of on the Eastern shore near where we live.

We started the year trying to catch fish in a small pond where we have caught bluegill, LMB, golden shiners, and black crappie. Cold and windy conditions prevailed and no fish were caught or even any strikes. We fished trout magnets under floats. Even tried some worm bits. Nothing worked.

I looked at some spots that may have redfin or chain pickerel which is a species that is active in colder waters. I went to Adkins Mills park pond which is park of Adkins run that leads into the Pocomoke river. This spot is about 95 miles from the house. I fished using small inline Panther Martin spinners and trout magnets. Fished the park pond for about 30 mins casting around cypress trees, grass edges, and other structure. No bites. I left the park and looked at a couple of bridge crossings over the Pocomoke river. Made a few more casts. The water seemed high. I got to one of the crossings that I had fished previously and saw that the water was easily 3 to 4 feet high and rushing by. I called it a day and tucked my tail between my legs and headed home.

On the 17th I took Livie with me to fish the Gunpowder river below the Pretty Boy Dam. This spillway has a spillway as well as a deep water release (photos from 2019 visit).

I have caught brown trout in this spot back in January 2019. I planned for us to use 1/16 oz silver Johnson slimfish and No 1 PET silver spoons. These worked well in 2019. First we had to walk down the 190 steps, then follow the mountain goat trail down to the river. We fished the spoons for some time and no bites. We went further downstream. Trying the spoons, Panther Martin in-line spinners and even 1/16 oz triolive Zig Jigs. probably fished 1/2 mile below the dam and again no bites. We were trying to social distance by fishing, but ended up meeting well over 30 people on the trails. Then back up those stairs! We tried another creek before heading the 60+ miles home. Saw a few shiners, suckers and other species, but could not get a bite on trout mini-jigs with orange bodies or tiny worm pieces. Fished about an hour before we just were done on another unsuccessful trip.

The next trip was a jaunt about 45 miles from the house. I went on Sat Jan 23rd to fish a large creek that was stocked that Tuesday. I had caught trout and fallfish there back in 2019 and Livie, Sue, and I caught river chub and I caught a madtom last summer. I started fishing the pools that we caught the chubs last summer. Drifted small worm pieces below a tiny float. There were no fish seen in any of those pools. I headed downstream towards where I caught those rainbows. 

I fished again with worm pieces with and without a float, slimfish spoons, spinners, trout magnets, etc. Never saw a fish in the water. Heard about one guy catching two rainbows all day and saw one guy with a trout in a Walmart sack. About three hours was all that I could handle before heading back to the car.

My last trip before yesterday was on the 24th. I went back to the Unicorn branch and fished below the spillway. The temperature was in the low to mid thirties for several days prior. Though the spillway was running under normal flow, I could only assume that the water was near air temp. I fished for a bit but as with the other trips saw no fish nor had any bites. 

I know that most of these locations will have fish once the weather warms up and if I can get times when there is no flooding that I will be successful at them again.

 

 

Pocomoke, Gun Powder river, pretty Boy dam. I love the names!!

[BilletHead]

1 hour ago, Johnsfolly said:

There have been folks that have stated that we often don't see posts where we tried to catch fish but failed to do so. Well I have been struggling this year. I had fished some place almost every weekend since the new year. There are no natural ponds or lakes in MD. Maryland has very few dams that generate power which would release hypolimnetic waters. So each has a spillway to control flooding. There are also very few springs and none that I am aware of on the Eastern shore near where we live.

We started the year trying to catch fish in a small pond where we have caught bluegill, LMB, golden shiners, and black crappie. Cold and windy conditions prevailed and no fish were caught or even any strikes. We fished trout magnets under floats. Even tried some worm bits. Nothing worked.

I looked at some spots that may have redfin or chain pickerel which is a species that is active in colder waters. I went to Adkins Mills park pond which is park of Adkins run that leads into the Pocomoke river. This spot is about 95 miles from the house. I fished using small inline Panther Martin spinners and trout magnets. Fished the park pond for about 30 mins casting around cypress trees, grass edges, and other structure. No bites. I left the park and looked at a couple of bridge crossings over the Pocomoke river. Made a few more casts. The water seemed high. I got to one of the crossings that I had fished previously and saw that the water was easily 3 to 4 feet high and rushing by. I called it a day and tucked my tail between my legs and headed home.

On the 17th I took Livie with me to fish the Gunpowder river below the Pretty Boy Dam. This spillway has a spillway as well as a deep water release (photos from 2019 visit).

I have caught brown trout in this spot back in January 2019. I planned for us to use 1/16 oz silver Johnson slimfish and No 1 PET silver spoons. These worked well in 2019. First we had to walk down the 190 steps, then follow the mountain goat trail down to the river. We fished the spoons for some time and no bites. We went further downstream. Trying the spoons, Panther Martin in-line spinners and even 1/16 oz triolive Zig Jigs. probably fished 1/2 mile below the dam and again no bites. We were trying to social distance by fishing, but ended up meeting well over 30 people on the trails. Then back up those stairs! We tried another creek before heading the 60+ miles home. Saw a few shiners, suckers and other species, but could not get a bite on trout mini-jigs with orange bodies or tiny worm pieces. Fished about an hour before we just were done on another unsuccessful trip.

The next trip was a jaunt about 45 miles from the house. I went on Sat Jan 23rd to fish a large creek that was stocked that Tuesday. I had caught trout and fallfish there back in 2019 and Livie, Sue, and I caught river chub and I caught a madtom last summer. I started fishing the pools that we caught the chubs last summer. Drifted small worm pieces below a tiny float. There were no fish seen in any of those pools. I headed downstream towards where I caught those rainbows. 

I fished again with worm pieces with and without a float, slimfish spoons, spinners, trout magnets, etc. Never saw a fish in the water. Heard about one guy catching two rainbows all day and saw one guy with a trout in a Walmart sack. About three hours was all that I could handle before heading back to the car.

My last trip before yesterday was on the 24th. I went back to the Unicorn branch and fished below the spillway. The temperature was in the low to mid thirties for several days prior. Though the spillway was running under normal flow, I could only assume that the water was near air temp. I fished for a bit but as with the other trips saw no fish nor had any bites. 

I know that most of these locations will have fish once the weather warms up and if I can get times when there is no flooding that I will be successful at them again.

 

 

                     I used to have many, many trips like that but now try to have less. Always jumping the gun and spinning my wheels. Learning patience the older I get. Do you know the story about the old bull and young bull looking from the hill at the field of heifers' below?  Kind of like that  

[Johnsfolly]

Definitely frustrating but I always have to remember that my year long goals are a marathon and not a sprint.