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John Mullican, Fisheries Biologist - Total Reports: 41
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Posted on November 29, 2011 | Permalink
Inland Opportunities
Type: Freshwater
Region: Western
Location: Upper Potomac River
Don’t put the rods away just yet; there is still some great fishing to be had before winter’s grip tightens. It can be hard to decide whether to hunt or fish during the fall as there is only so much time! With meat in the freezer, I convinced my fishing partner Steve to spend a day chasing smallmouth bass on the upper Potomac. We decided to fish a fairly remote stretch of river in the mountains of western Maryland. This area is quiet this time of year and we saw no other boats the entire day. The action was steady and between us we landed more than 40 smallmouth ranging from 10 to 18” with most of them right around 12”. Small tubes and other jigs presented slowly, often motionless, on the bottom were most effective. Unfortunately, recent precipitation raised the river to unsafe levels and levels are predicted to rise even further by the end of the week. Always check the water levels prior to planning a trip, wear your PFD, and make some time to enjoy the river before winter.
Posted on October 28, 2011 | Permalink
Surveys continue on the Upper Potomac
Type: Freshwater
Region: Western
Location: Upper Potomac River
The crew has been busy netting fish during our annual fall electrofishing surveys on the upper Potomac River. Upper and middle river sites have been completed and just a few lower river sites (catch and release area) remain. This years collection of smallmouth bass has been outstanding; catch rates for larger smallmouth have been some of the highest ever recorded. Don’t hesitate to throw large baits during the fall. A twelve inch smallmouth in one of the collections had just eaten another smallmouth that appeared to be about 6 or 7 inches!
Posted on October 19, 2011 | Permalink
Upper Potomac River Surveys
Type: Freshwater
Region: Western
Location: Upper Potomac River
Our crew has been busy conducting the annual assessment of game fish populations in the upper Potomac River. The fall electrofishing surveys focus on smallmouth bass, but data is also collected for walleye and muskie too. We have completed 5 of the 12 scheduled sites and the initial results have been impressive. Overall catch rates for smallmouth bass, and the catch rates for quality-size bass, have been some of the highest ever documented. This is largely due to the record 2007 yearclass that is now five years old and ranging in length from 12 to 15 inches. Large smallmouth have been collected at all sites with the largest collected so far measuring more than 20 inches in length. Fall is a beautiful time to be on the upper Potomac and this fall in particular is a great time to target those feisty smallmouth.
John Mullican
Large River Specialist - Inland Fisheries
Posted on June 9, 2011 | Permalink
Giant Potomac Smallmouth
Type: Freshwater
Region: Western
Location: Upper Potomac River
Recent electrofishing surveys on the upper Potomac River have verified what anglers have been reporting this spring – there are a lot of nice smallmouth out there. Most of the bass are between 10 – 14 inches, but much larger fish are available, including this giant that measured a full 22 inches! What a fish! This old female is the largest smallmouth collected from the Potomac during an electrofishing survey and is probably more than 14 years old. That’s a lot of floods, droughts, and fishing seasons to survive. With respect, she was gently released back into the river.
Posted on June 6, 2011 | Permalink
Owens Creek Brown Trout
Type: Freshwater
Region: Western
Location: Owens Creek
Owens Creek in northern Frederick County was recently stocked with 500 brown trout. The staff at the Albert Powell Hatchery really produced some nice fish. The browns averaged about 12 inches, but quite a few were much larger. From June 1 through the end of next February, Owens Creek is limited to catch-and-return fishing using artificial lures only. Now is a great time to fish Owens Creek as water levels remain good, the crowds are gone, and the hatches of caddis and mayflies can make for excellent dry fly fishing. If no insects are hatching, a buoyant attractor or caddis dry with a small pheasant tail or hares ear nymph dropper is usually effective.
Posted on May 31, 2011 | Permalink
Potomac Smallmouth
Type: Freshwater
Region: Western
Location: Potomac River
After spending a day recovering fish from the C&O Canal and returning them to the Potomac, I had the itch to spend a day on the river fishing for smallmouth bass. The river was quite high, and thanks to yet another major thunderstorm, rising rapidly. The bass, however, found those conditions to their liking as the action was steady all day. Although I caught bass on a variety of lures, a 1/4 oz tube proved to be the most effective as the spots got deeper. Before river levels finally forced me to leave, I landed 60 - 70 spirited smallmouth. Most of the bass were between 10 and 12 inches with a few up to 18 inches to keep things interesting. It was a great day on the river and will have to hold me over until river levels recede back to safe levels.
Posted on May 31, 2011 | Permalink
Canal Fish Recovery
Type: Freshwater
Region: Western
Location: C&O Canal
As Potomac flood waters recede, fish can become trapped in the C&O canal that parallels the river from Cumberland to Georgetown. Most sections of the canal do not hold water yearround and will dry up in time. Several members of the Mid-Atlantic Muskies forum and National Park Service staff assisted MD DNR with efforts to recover fish trapped in the canal in Washington County. Electrofishing gear mounted on a floating barge was used to capture fish. Most of the fish recovered were carp, though channel catfish, suckers, sunfish, and smallmouth bass were also collected. The volunteers hauled the heavy tubs of fish up the slippery banks to a fish hauling truck that transported them to the nearest boat ramp where they were returned to the river. A special thank you to Ed Lewandoski, Rocky Droneburg, Gene, and Chris Cannon for their hard work and enthusiasm in spite of the heat, mud, and swarms of mosquitoes.
(Photos by Ed Lewandoski)
Posted on May 16, 2011 | Permalink
Youth Fishing Club Expert Tip for the Week
Type: All
Region: ALL
Location: ALL
Using the correct size hook will help you catch more fish and reduce the number of fish that swallow the bait. A hook that is too large will be too big for the fish to take into their mouth. A hook that is too small will not readily hook the fish and will be easily swallowed. When using live bait such as nightcrawlers and worms for sunfish, use a number 10 to 12 hook. Use a larger number 4 to 6 hook when using larger minnows and other baits for largemouth bass.
Posted on May 9, 2011 | Permalink
Potomac Smallmouth
Type: Freshwater
Region: Western
Location: Potomac River
The upper Potomac River is still running high, but with little precipitation predicted, conditions should improve through the week. Water temperatures are now in the upper 50s and bass fishing has really picked up. Several fishermen have reported catching many nice smallmouth recently, mostly on tubes, spinnerbaits, and x-raps.
Posted on April 19, 2011 | Permalink
Area Rivers hit Flood Stage
Type: Freshwater
Region: Western
Location: Potomac River
Last weekends storms dropped several inches of rain bringing the Potomac River and its tributaries above flood stage. It will probably be a week or so before conditions are suitable for fishing again. When conditions have allowed, smallmouth fishing has been good using tubes, suspending jerkbaits and spinnerbaits.
