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Jim Thompson, Fisheries Biologist - Total Reports: 9
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Posted on June 27, 2011 | Permalink
Fishing with Friends and An Eastern Shore Dinner
Type: Tidal
Region: Eastern
Location: Choptank River
Friday evening I took my friends Ben Wright and Justin Wright and launched the boat out of Matapeake (a great county ramp by the way). We quickly caught some small white perch and a few small spot along the jetty and threw them in the live well. Was a little breezy for my small boat at first, but the wind calmed down after a bit and we began to live line along the channel edge in 20-30 feet of water. Only ended up with 2 keepers, but for 2 guys that primarily fresh water fish, they had a blast.
On Saturday I took my Aunt, Donna Goodman, and my cousin, Whitney Goodman from BelAir out on the Choptank River. The plan was to spend a beautiful day on the water and try a little bit of everything. They both love crabs and have never run a trot line before so we started off doing that. Since my Aunt was coming from BelAir that morning, we got a late start and didn't have the line in the water until 10:30, but this trip was more about the experience then actually catching so we were undeterred. After setting the line, we threw over a couple of crab traps and then took a quick dip in the water to cool off. On our first run, we picked up a couple of really nice crabs which raised the crews moral and started us thinking about crabs for dinner! The action wasn't fast by any means but we picked up crabs on each run and they started adding up! To pass the time between runs we wet the fishing lines on some nearby oyster bars. We picked up catfish, croaker, spot, and white perch. By the end of the day we had enough crabs and fish for a nice Eastern Shore dinner! Picked up some local corn on the way home and had a great evening with friends and family.
Posted on May 6, 2011 | Permalink
Deer Creek Hickory Shad
Type: Freshwater
Region: Northern
Location: Deer Creek
Jason Haney Jr and his Dad caught plenty of hickory shad on Deer Creek Wednesday afternoon. The run should be slowing down soon so get out there while you can! Hickory shad prefer small shad darts, grubs, or spoons/spinners. They are often called "poor mans tarpon" because of their acrobatic jumps and great fight on light tackle.
Posted on May 4, 2011 | Permalink
Shore Fishing
Type: Freshwater
Region: Northern
Location: Elkton landing
Roger L. Smith Jr. and Lisa Smith report catching white perch and large catfish on night crawlers at the Elkton Landing. They say the best bite has been about midway through an incoming or outgoing tide.
Posted on May 3, 2011 | Permalink
Crisfield fishing report
Type: Chesapeake
Region: Eastern
Location: Crisfield area
Got back from a trip to Crisfield area. Fished the shallows at high tide with pearl and chartuese bass assassins and storm shads and caught several rock ranging from 15 to 24 inches. The shallows were up in the mid 60s and the water was very clear despite all the wind we've been having. Great times! Photo by Jay Fleming
Posted on April 21, 2011 | Permalink
The Shad are here
Type: Freshwater
Region: Northern
Location: Deer Creek
Jason Hanney and his son Jason Jr are catching alot hickory shad near mouth of lower deer creek.
Posted on April 07, 2010 | Permalink
Sampling Fish Eggs and Larvae in the Elk and Northeast Rivers
Type: Chesapeake
Region: Northern
Location: Elk and Northeast Rivers
Marek Topolski and I were out yesterday sampling on the Elk and Northeast Rivers for DNR Fisheries. Our study involves pulling a fine-meshed net behind our boat to collect fish eggs and larvae to document the presence or absence of spawning fish in these rivers. We observed adult hickory shad, white perch, and alewife herring. Hickory shad appeared to be especially strong in the Northeast River. In addition to the boat tows, we use a similar net to sample small inland creeks to document how far these fish migrate up river. We also take several water quality measurements including temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and conductivity. Sampling will continue through April and into May It will take several weeks before we analyze our sample and compare the results with data from previous years.
Posted on April 2, 2010 | Permalink
White Perch and Herring on the Tuckahoe
Type: Freshwater
Region: Eastern
Location: Tuchahoe Creek
Folks are catching white perch and herring from the banks of Tuckahoe Creek at Queen Anne, Maryland. Fish are running in on the incoming tide and being caught using small jigs with grubs and/or grass shrimp.
Pictured is Steward from Baltimore with a small white perch that he released, but big perch are still being caught. What a beautiful day!
Posted on March 25, 2010 | Permalink
Channel Catfish, Chester River
Type: Chesapeake
Region: Eastern
Location: Chester River
Craig and George from Annapolis with some nice channel catfish caught off the banks of the Chester River on an outgoing tide using night crawler and fresh shrimp.
Video by Jim Thompson
Posted on March 25, 2010 | Permalink
Lapidum boat ramp on Susquehanna Closed for Repair
Type: Chesapeake
Region: Northern
Location: Susquehana State Park
The Lapidum Boat ramp on the Susquehanna is clsoed for repairs until at least mid April. For more information visit The Susquehanna State Park Webpage