{Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: Pickerel - Seeking spots/tips

Hello folks, I just stumbled onto this forum and this thread caught my eye.  As a lifelong resident of the area who has lucked into a few "jacks" over the years, thought I'd chip in my two cents.

As noted elsewhere the eastern shore is really good, and a step above this side of the bay for pickerel.  The Pocomoke is loaded with big ones, it's not unusual to catch 24" jacks there.  BUT, like nearly all tidal rivers, shoreline access is VERY limited.  Andrew, you would expand your possibilities 100 fold by investing in a modest canoe or kayak.  This would open up every single tidal creek to you, and the Md creeks in particular are real gems for this region.

With respect to spots closer to DC, every Md tributary has pickerel, and as a rule they are much more readily found in the upper stream reaches, much more so than mid-stream or near the mouth of the Potomac.  Port Tobacco, Nanjemoy, Mattawoman, Piscataway all have decent populations of fish.  Of these, Mattawoman and Piscataway offer some shoreline access - Piscataway where 210 crosses, and Mattawoman at the Route 225 crossing, where there is a nice privately owned kayak launch (free and open to the public) but lots of trails along both banks.  (and poison ivy everywhere!).  These two sites are close together so you could try both in the same day.  Both also feature herring, yellow perch, and perhaps some shad in the late Feb to March time frame.  And plenty of bass.

Once famous among DC anglers for its yellow perch run, Allens Fresh is another opportunity.  There is public parking at the 234 crossing (actually in between two crossings), with a trail through the woods to a public spot.  It's been years since I fished there, but my dad and I caught our first pickerel ever there in the upper stretches.  I believe that there are likely trails all the way upstream from here, but it is densely forested.  Look however at Google satellite map of the area - you'll see a few exposed bars, if sand you can step out into this open space in just a few places (as long as the tide is out).  A mile or so further up Budd's Creek road is another stream crossing.  Again I haven't been there in decades, in 1971 it was a channelized culvert with rip rap thrown about, but it did contain fish (bass, perch, sunfish) and looking at the map now it appears that mature trees have overgrown the edges.  There is almost certainly good cover (fallen trees) now and the low flow in places presented opportunity to step out into stream center onto sand bars exposed, and get unobstructed casts.  Call that a guess rather than a promise.   

Good luck with your efforts!

Tom

On Tuesday, December 5, 2017 at 3:40:50 PM UTC-5, Andrew Sarcinello wrote:

Dear TPFR'ers,

I'm planning on doing a lot of exploring this winter in search of these toothy mini monsters.  I've done extensive research on my own, and it seems like there just aren't many places within an hour of northern VA where I live that have them.  Some places I've read about include Mattawoman Creek, Severn and Magothy Rivers (which are almost entirely private property), lower parts of the Patuxent River, and just about everywhere on the Eastern Shore.  I've only gotten around to exploring Tuckahoe Lake and Creek and have had good success there, but that's far enough to basically demand a full day trip with the short winter days.  They really hit flies with a vengeance, and I'd like to find somewhere closer to chase them.

One of the biggest problems I'm finding is accessing the places they live on foot.  I do not have a kayak or other watercraft.  Tuckahoe Creek is basically a swamp with a lot of braided channels and muck, and unless you're close to the trail crossings and other heavily fished access points, it takes a lot of effort just to find solid ground to get into casting position.  

Appreciate any help others can offer - whether it is spots to check out or just general tips on fishing for them with flies from shore.  Feel free to message me directly, I'm willing to share info I've gathered in exchange.

Here's one I caught this weekend in Tuckahoe Creek on a mud minnow pattern.

TIA,

Andrew

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