Looking for beginner fishing advice

[shaddydan]

Perhaps some day, I can show you how to use a fly rod!

 

[Chris0nllyn]

My job gives me a ton of weekday time off work and with .22lr being in short supply I decided to give fishing a whirl as a semi-productive hobby to fill my time. I bought a little rig the other day and have been trying to fish this little pond where I live, but with no luck. No one has fished there in recent memory and with the freeze over this winter there may be no fish in it.

So I am looking for advice on where to try my luck. I don't want anyone's secret spot or anything, just a good basic place to get my line wet and maybe catch something. I read through the DNR pdf of all the laws and what not but it doesn't really give me much to go on and googling "good fishing spots Maryland" gives too many results to sift through.

I am in the Davidsonville area and would love any recommendations around an hour or less away. I don't mind doing a bit of hiking to get in and in fact kinda prefer it.

If any of you all also happen to be weekday fishermen and are willing to show me some pointers I promise to keep my mouth shut and provide the beer.

Head down Rt.2 to Hutchins Pond.

They just stocked it with Trout.

I've got a lake in my back yard and went out for the first time this year last weekend.

Caught 1 small bass, had something big(er) on the line but it jumped off, and my buddy caught a nice sized blue gill. Not bad for only being out for an hour.

BTW, I'm using rooster tails as bait.

 

[bunnielab]

I tried the pond yesterday with some lures, casting them as far in as I could. I spent about an hour working around the shore, got no hits.

Tonight I am going out there with a bunch of chicken livers, some doughball bait, a camping chair and a cigar. If I dont get a hit tonight I am giving up until I can get the canoe up and running.

I got stood up at work today for a while and spent time online looking at parks and such in the area. Trying to just figure out where it is legal to fish is so annoying. Like, take Wooton Landing Park. Nothing on any state or county website spells out if you can shore fish there so I have to try and find sometimes decade old forum posts to try and decide if it is worth the drive out. Same issue with Beverly Beach Park. There is like no .gov info out there really but it looks like the park is now open to fishing, if some lady on the net in '13 is correct. So annoying. If anyone knows more about these spots please let me know.

I also went and walked around the Governors Bridge rec area yesterday, it seems to allow fishing but again, it isn't well marked at all. I did see several small (what I believe to be) bass in one of the little streams but didn't have my gear with me. I might go back there tomorrow morning for a bit.

Thanks for all the advice guys and please keep it coming!

 

[willy]

I cast those Mepps almost sideways and work them along the shore instead of straight out and kept the tip down. I had no luck with live bait for an hour, remembered what bisondice said and bam, fishing went from shitty to full throttle in a few casts. Almost did not go because it was a bit windy. Saw plenty of turtles.

 

[bunnielab]

I cast those Mepps almost sideways and work them along the shore instead of straight out and kept the tip down. I had no luck with live bait for an hour, remembered what bisondice said and bam, fishing went from shitty to full throttle in a few casts. Almost did not go because it was a bit windy. Saw plenty of turtles.

Wanna trade ponds?

Speaking of turtles, at Gov's Bridge yesterday I might have seen more turtles in one day then I have seen in my life prior. I stopped counting at like 50.

Will turtles take bait? I would hate to snag on of those little guys and honestly have no idea how to free one.

 

[Bisondice]

I cast those Mepps almost sideways and work them along the shore instead of straight out and kept the tip down. I had no luck with live bait for an hour, remembered what bisondice said and bam, fishing went from shitty to full throttle in a few casts. Almost did not go because it was a bit windy. Saw plenty of turtles.

Glad I could help

 

[willy]

Those turtles are bait stealers!!! Livers and rotten shrimp are like crack. I caught quite a few painted and snappers last year. We would cast the shrimp out and watch the suckers crawl stoke over like mike phelps. I have a long set of hemo stats for the painted turtles, I learned my lesson with the snapper. I keep tension with the rod and "try" to unhook the painted. I just cut the lines on the snappers. The ones today were the good sized and had very square shells.

 

[E.Shell]

...I did see several small (what I believe to be) bass in one of the little streams but didn't have my gear with me....

Small largemouth bass will have a square tail and black lateral line. Usually look kind of greenish, but light varies.

 

[Overboost44]

Maybe stick with live bait until you start catching some fish. That way you know they are there. Once you know that, then see which lure works. Go towards Annapolis and there are plenty of places to fish the bay or rivers. Just across the naval academy bridge towards St. margarets is a spot. Come across the Bay Bridge and try the piers. You will be there with the asians/latino's for a spot, but they don't talk much. Make sure you have a license.

 

[Franklin]

Maybe stick with live bait until you start catching some fish. That way you know they are there. Once you know that, then see which lure works. Go towards Annapolis and there are plenty of places to fish the bay or rivers. Just across the naval academy bridge towards St. margarets is a spot. Come across the Bay Bridge and try the piers. You will be there with the asians/latino's for a spot, but they don't talk much. Make sure you have a license.

Wlk down there with a pair of blue BDU's on with a hat and shirt that says ICE. you will have no problems finding a spot to fish!

 

[ibang1]

I hope you don't mind for stepping in but I am new too. Plan on using next week for me and my Son to do some fishing at Gun Powder Falls State Park since its just down the road from us. There is a boat launch, fishing area and Archery Range.

I was told all I needed was a Salt Water Fishing Lic from the DNR.

The question I have is the rod and reel. What do I need for gear? Do I go by fish line weight?

 

[E.Shell]

I hope you don't mind for stepping in but I am new too. Plan on using next week for me and my Son to do some fishing at Gun Powder Falls State Park since its just down the road from us. There is a boat launch, fishing area and Archery Range.

I was told all I needed was a Salt Water Fishing Lic from the DNR.

Just be sure to stay on the correct side of the 'fall line', which delineates tidal (salt water) from non-tidal (fresh water) areas.

The question I have is the rod and reel. What do I need for gear? Do I go by fish line weight?

There are two definitions of 'line weight', well actually three if we include IGFA, but one common form of 'line weight is for fly fishing and it actually describes the mass of the line and the other common form describes the breaking strength.

Breaking strength ("test weight") is a tradeoff with bulk, and a line can actually be too strong. The loose rule is to use heavier lines for larger fish and bigger waters, and lighter lines for smaller fish and more delicate presentation.

What you need depends on your rig. The rod is susceptible to breakage if you far exceed it's line strength ratings. The reel will either take too much line length to fill properly if the line is too light, or will not hold a reasonable length if the line is too heavy/bulky.

Your rig depends on what you fish for, generally speaking, but a medium weight setup can be pressed into service for many sorts of fishing.

Sounds like 8-10# territory up there, but I've never fished that area and don't know what to expect you to catch. Hopefully someone else can help you with more specific (no pun intended) information.

 

[bunnielab]

Behold my mighty first fish!

I caught him at Brighton Beach Park in one of the lakes. I caught a second, even smaller fish like 5 min later. Right as I was about to leave I saw a large *something* break the top of the water like 20' from the bank. I quickly switched to a bigger hooked spinner but in my excitement I cast it right into a tree. I couldn't get it loose so I had to cut the line. It was infuriating as the branch is just like 1-2' past where I can reach. I am coming back there tomorrow I think to fish some more and to use a hacksaw blade taped to a stick to retrieve my tackle.

 

[willy]

white perch helllls yeah! Congrats. I catch a few but I am inland. They steal my livers.

P.S. is that a marshmallow?

 

[bunnielab]

Hah, no, it is a tiny little piece of some bait I bought.

 

[Overboost44]

The question I have is the rod and reel. What do I need for gear? Do I go by fish line weight?

It could take a while to answer that question. It depends on the fish. Light tackle is more fun, but you stand the chance to lose more fish. Are there any toothy fish up there? I would go for a spinning reel and a 6' Ugly Stick that can break down to 2 pieces(ease of transport) Shimano or Penn reel would be nice, but I wouldn't spend too much unless you like good stuff and will keep it. If you are just doing shore fishing in fresh water or slow moving salt water, maybe something like this. https://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/...UOZep658By+Sz4rg==&ddkey=https:OrderCalculate

It is really tough to narrow down all the choices you have. Just thought I would give you something to start with. I am sure others will chime in.

 

[fabsroman]

Wow, thanks guys, and holy hell E.Shell, that is a lot to process, thanks for the info dump.

Tomorrow I am going to rig a 5 gallon bucket to an old pack frame I have so I can bring some beer/ice with me and hit the pond again around nightfall.

I guess I am still wondering how one knows exactly where it is and isn't ok to fish. I assume I just look around on google maps and find parks on the water and look around on their site and see if you can fish there? Fishing seems more "loose" than hunting, assuming you have a boat I guess?

Much, much easier to find places to fish versus to hunt. If you find somebody with a boat that fishes, you are in great shape. You can even buy a small jon boat, put an electric trolling motor on it, and head out to places like Triadelphia or Centennial Lake. A lot of reservoirs will allow small jon boats with electric motors on them. A buddy of mine has a boat on a river in Riva, so we are going to start fishing the end of this month. I'm looking for a small jon boat to take the kids out on some ponds.

The advice that E. Shell gave you is awesome. Don't have anything to add.

Best advice is to find somebody that fishes and go along with them. I learn a lot from others, and I am sure they learn a lot from me too.

 

[tdt91]

Small largemouth bass will have a square tail and black lateral line. Usually look kind of greenish, but light varies.

And when you see them swimming in the water they will have black tail fins.

 

[tdt91]

I hope you don't mind for stepping in but I am new too. Plan on using next week for me and my Son to do some fishing at Gun Powder Falls State Park since its just down the road from us. There is a boat launch, fishing area and Archery Range.

I was told all I needed was a Salt Water Fishing Lic from the DNR.

The question I have is the rod and reel. What do I need for gear? Do I go by fish line weight?

For GPSP you will need a tidal water license. Just starting out I recommend a spinning rod/reel. 6'6'' med with 10lb mono would cover most what you need at this point. A combo from BPS for around 60 bucks will be ok for now. Get some worms and have at it.

 

[tdt91]

Just get you a boat so you can do this.
Thats me btw.