Drought

[Rob Snowhite]

How has this drought effected your fishing? 

Last year at this time we'd get more rain in a day than we've had in several months. Accotink Creek in the delayed harvest section is really low. The Occoquan Reservoir is four feet below spring levels. The top of the tidal section of Four Mile Run has been rather gross during high and low tide with not much coming downstream to flush it out. I don't fish trout but I imagine some of those streams nearby could use some rain. 

With the clear water it is really easy to see all of the baby shad. They have been biting on size 12 scud hooks if anyone wants to try micro fishing. 

I'm surprised there hasn't been a major forest fire. 

 

[Jamie Carracher]

I checked out a small Maryland trout stream yesterday and it looked terrible. I’m going to stay away from water like that until we get rain. I went to the Monocacy near the battlefield instead and had a really good time. It was my first time there. No monsters but tons of action (smallies and sunfish) and the wading was easy. Great learning experience. Probably my best outing in terms of number of fish caught all year. I know others fish there more often but I think you’d probably do better with a watercraft to get to the good stuff and then hop off and wade. I covered a lot of water on foot, which I’m cool with because I like the exercise.

[Andrew Sarcinello]

Good call, Jamie. I find that fall trout fishing on the smallest streams in MD is not worth the effort most years. It tends to be on the dry side. Even if it rains, fish stay huddled up in summer refuge pools until the spawn, at which point they should be left alone anyway. Beaver and the Gunpowder are basically the only options this time of year unless you feel like driving to Garrett County.

I don't believe this drought is long enough in duration to have any lasting impact. We're getting good rain today and more is on the way early next week. 

I haven't fished a whole lot lately, but I experienced mixed results from the dry conditions. On some ponds, it meant the water I could reach by casting with fly gear was too shallow and weedy to produce much. On another pond though, it meant the bank was dried out and firm enough to walk on, which is not possible other times of year. As a result I was able to access new parts of the pond and had great bass fishing.