Friday, May 9, 2008

Where Does this Path Go?




Sometimes a short adventurous hike can lead to a find.


Along the Potomac River in Williamsport, Maryland on May 8, I followed the advice of a local trout fisherman I had seen earlier in the day: go to Williamsport, find the C&O Canal, cross the aqueduct and follow the path to the river. Locals know the best spots, it's all a matter of luck as to whether they're really giving the scoop.


The spot was the mouth of Conococheague Creek. First cast, smallmouth bass, first of about 12 smallmouths. I also caught (l to r) bluegill sunfish, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed sunfish and a sucker, all on the same green soft plastic "grub." None were large, but it was fun. (Note the maple tree seeds, sometimes called helicopters. There were so many they did get in the way. A small lure got caught on the seeds less than a big lure.)


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ripp,
I'm thinking of moving to Texas, the Gulf Coast. I hate shore fishing since I believe beaches are for bikinis, not bait. I've heard the river fish in Tejas are too smart to bite. Am I stuck going for marlins in the Gulf?

Ripp said...

Your question deserves careful analysis. I can say you will be likely to see some of the nicest bikinis offshore on the fancy marlin fishing boats.

I'll have to go to some of the Texas rivers to look into this piscatorial IQ matter. I believe the Guadalupe and Barton Springs have some real scholar bass, and I will assume that's why they get so big. They may have a few bikinis there also. In fact, some may say that bikinis ARE bait, or more properly, lures.