May 1 to 10 recaps

I started this blog in June but had been keeping sort of a journal on my fishing expeditions since the early part of the year.  These are my fishing experiences from May 1 through 10.

May 1: South/North Branch of the Patapsco River. I went here a few weeks ago looking for smallmouth, and all I saw were trout.  All I had were tube baits so this time I brought a few Rooster Tails.  I walked from the parking area on Marriottsville Road all the way down to where the South Branch met up with the main Patapasco River.  Expecting an untouched fishing frenzy, I saw pretty much the same thing the whole way down -- some fast moving water, shallow pools.  I was hoping for smallmouth but all this looked like was trout waters.

There was a pool right where the two branches met that was really slow moving with some big rocks under the water, and I cast the yellow Rooster Tail out.  I had a couple hits and follows by small panfish.  I also had a follow from what looked like it might have been a yellow perch.  The water was fairly murky so I couldn't tell for sure.

I moved up the South Branch and found a nice "trout" section.  Fast moving water past a big rock protruding from the surface that created a small pocket of slow water.  My first cast, I landed a nice 12" rainbow trout!  

I'm talking about rainbows. I hate those friggin' things. You'll just be sitting there, minding your own business, and they'll come marching in, and crawl up your leg, and start biting the inside of your ass, and you'll be all like, "Hey. Get out of my ass you stupid rainbows."

But that was pretty much it.  The rest of the way back up river, I stopped and would get some hits but didn't land anything.  I did catch a smallmouth, around 8", so at least they are here.  But are there bigger ones?

I tried another patch of slow moving water just before the small waterfall where I saw a bunch of trout my last time here.  Again I saw a bunch of trout just lurking near the bottom, but nothing was really interested in the Rooster Tail or even the Confidence Baits Mini Tube.  Some follows from small panfish, a couple trout eye-balled the lures, but nothing bit.

I'm not sure what to think of this area.  There are fish but there's ample parking nearby so I think it might be over-fished or at least the fish have a high IQ and don't bite on everything.

May 2: Little Patuxent River.  Same section I went to last week but not as much luck.  I caught two smallmouth -- 8- and 10-inches -- and two small panfish, everything on a yellow, 1/8-inch Rooster Tail.  I tried a dark Confidence Bait "Little Tube" for a bit and didn't get anything, not even a nibble.  So then I tied on a small Rebel crankbait in a crayfish pattern and hooked one fish but he got off, then had two more strikes that I could see.  Looked to be bass but nothing big.

So there ARE smallmouth in this area but nothing appears to be big.  Maybe there are some nice ones ... somewhere.

A fallfish?  More like a failfish.

May 3: Antietam Creek.  I tried Antietam Creek from the Route 34 bridge down to the famous Burnside Bridge.  A lot of steep banks and not many places to cast from the bank.  I tried tube baits and a Zara Puppy with nothing.  After walking down on one side and walking back up the other side, I tied on a yellow 1/8-ounce Rooster Tail in one fast section by the bridge.  On my second cast, I hooked something that felt pretty sizable!  A trout?  A smallmouth?  Nope.  A carp-like fallfish, probably 14".  I took a picture, unhooked it and tossed it back in the creek.

After 45-minute ordeal trying to find gas, I decided to try the hot spot from a couple weeks ago on Antietam Creek.  The water was 6 to 8 inches higher and I didn't even get a nibble.  Weird how a small change in water level changes things entirely.

May 8: Little Patuxent River.  Just hit this area for about 45 minutes and caught a 12-inch smallmouth and a 6-inch beast of a smallmouth.  Both on about 2.5-inch Rebel crankbait in a crawfish pattern.  

There is a little pool with very slow moving water and a bunch of big rocks -- maybe four feet deep -- that I got some near misses the last time I was here.  I tried it again and had two near misses on one cast.  Nothing big but still gives me hope there are some bigger smallmouth lurking below.

May 9: Patapsco River.  Tried a section by Woodstock Road.  I hiked up river about a half mile (probably less ... it always seems like you travel further when you're climbing over rocks) and found a section that really looked promising.  Fast section of exposed rocks that led into some slow pools.  And I didn't catch anything.  I probably fished there for 45 minutes to an hour moving down 10 to 15 feet at a time.  Still nothing.  I did catch a little sub-8-inch smallmouth a little later, but so far I'm not impressed at all by any branch of the Patapsco.

May 10: Little Patuxent River.  Fished the usual section but decided to try some topwater, a Rapala Skitter Pop in a frog pattern.  First cast in a small pool and got a rise from something.  Probably just a nibbler.  I didn't catch anything, though, in this section that always looks promising, and I've always seen fish.  Just none have actually clamped down on a lure.

I did end up catching a 10-inch smallmouth on the Skitter Pop, then a bluegill, a small smallmouth and finally a failfish (on a Rooster Tail after I snagged the Skitter Pop on the other side of the river).  So this little river in the heart of Columbia where the section I fish goes through an industrial park, has been the best fishing I've had this year.  Well, after the first weekend on Antietam.