Winter Fly Fishing (saltwater, smallmouth, etc.)

Trevor

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Dec 21, 2016, 6:40:17 PM12/21/16

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Hope you guys can help me out. This is my first winter in southern Maryland and I am hoping to get some info on what to fish for through the next several months; I have no intention of hanging up my waders.

Throughout the summer I dabbled in a little bit of everything, smallmouth, carp, sunfish, bluegill, stripers, etc. Never did get a snakehead though. That's on the list for next spring/summer. But, the immediate issue is what to fish for this winter. I need some advice, but please don't tell me I have to go to VA for trout. :)

Thanks in advance for the info,

Trevor

John Smith

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Dec 22, 2016, 11:50:21 AM12/22/16

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Don't want to be a downer but if there was a good SW option In the winter I would be doing it. You could fish pickerel in the brackish creeks I suppose. If you had a boat you could target stripers near the warm water power plant discharges on the bay or Potomac. I usually switch to Musky this time of year--closest thing to SW IMO.

namfos

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Dec 22, 2016, 1:21:19 PM12/22/16

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Drive north on I-83 from Baltimore and fish the Gunpowder. Or keep going and fish in PA.

Mark

namfos

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Dec 22, 2016, 3:39:37 PM12/22/16

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Even if you don't get out much, you can always do some daydreaming while perusing this: http://gisapps.dnr.state.md.us/PublicFishingAccess/index.html

Mark

Trevor

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Dec 23, 2016, 10:11:12 AM12/23/16

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John,
Thanks for the info. I figured those might be the primary options, but it's good to have someone confirm it. I have a kayak, so I may have to try find some of the warm water discharges as you suggest. Or, I may just have to expand the radius I am willing to drive to find other options.
Thanks for the response.
Trevor

Trevor

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Dec 23, 2016, 10:15:32 AM12/23/16

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NAMFOS,
I've fished the GP and it is a fun little stream but nothing like I was used to in MT or CO. Was hoping to target something other than trout, but might just take your suggestion and play with the tenkara up there. Thanks for the reply.
Trevor

Charlie Church

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Dec 27, 2016, 8:56:43 AM12/27/16

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Trevor,

Virginia Beach has a good amount of stripers right now but the bay season closes on the 31st. If you were to end up going, look for dock lights and bridge lights and make sure to wear some cold weather gear. Most dock lights will hold decent schoolies (16 - 24 inches) and are much safer to fish if you are fishing new water.

After that, Rudee inlet is always a good bet when you get a real warm weekend. Puppy Drum and Speckled Trout winter over here. When the temps go up, you can find fish on mud flats throughout the inlet. Look in deeper holes if you are there on a cold day. Navionics is a pretty good way to scour the inlet to find these spots.

Trevor

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Dec 31, 2016, 7:00:31 PM12/31/16

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Charlie,

Thanks for the information. Right now, making the 3 hour trip down to Virginia Beach is a little more than I wanted to put in. However, I might have to do it to try Rudee Inlet. On a side note, I am really intrigued by the big redfish down around the CBBT. I keep seeing kayak fisherman online (Kayak Kevin) posting some pics of huge (45"+) reds caught on conventional gear. I am trying to get a gameplan together to target them this summer with a fly. If you have any info on that, I'd greatly appreciate it as it sounds like you may have some insight in the CBBT area.