Moving to Maryland

[BigRedDodge1500]

Hey guys, My name is Keith and right now i live South Deerfield MA.  I am a mass anglers member as well as a new ice shanty member.  I am also a hardcore hard water fisherman.  I will be moving to Baltimore in June to work as Samuel Adams sales rep/account manager and i was wondering what the ice fishing is like in Maryland.  The maryland wildlife website doesnt' give much information on lakes and ice condtions.  I primarily fish for bass and pike up here so that is mainly what i'll be looking for.  Any info on lakes, species and typical ice conditions would be greatly appreciated.  I'll see you in june when i move down there and hopefully next winter i'll be able to get out on some ice.  Thanks

[jig-jig THUMP]

Keith,
Reliable ice for fishing can be scarce in MD with fluctuating temps.  The most popular (and probably best quality) icefishing is had on Deep Creek Lake about as far west as you can go in MD.  Probably 3-1/2hr drive from Balt area.  Some guys are so serious they drive up every weekend.  There are nice perch, panfish, and walleye in there and some pike too (and trout).  Ice starts as early as late Dec (but not all that frequently lately) and seems to hang around until late Feb/early March if we're lucky.

Read the posts on IS for Deep Creek to get more ice info.  Plenty of good openwater fishing down in the Balt area (Pretty Boy, Piney Run, Loch Raven, Tridelphia, Rocky Gorge, and others.  Then there is the Susquehanna River and Potomac River that have good bass fishing (including Stripers).  Look into MYFISHFINDER.COM for more details on openwater on these.  The eastern shore of MD has many nice ponds for bass, pickerel, and panfish.

And you are moving to where the best crabs in the world are so I hope you enjoy that.  They go real good with that beer you'll be working with.

Good Luck with your move,
jjT

[Fat Boy]

Keith, good advice above.  There are some closer opportunities given adequate conditions, but he window here is much more narrow than you're used to.  You'll find that you'll be crossing over the boarder to PA quite a bit.  There are many opportunities there within the same distance as Deep Creek in MD.  The further South and East you go in PA, the more narrow the window.  There are many pike and bass opportunities though, some quite close to Baltimore, so check out the PA boards as well.  If you don't mind driving, NJ and NY also provide opportunities especially for weekend trips.  Most of us on the Eastern half of the state will drive to find ice, including going to Deep Creek even for a day trip, or as far North as the Poconos.  But when conditions are right, there are some nice opportunities within an hour to an hour and a half from Baltimore, and some even right nearby during the colder seasons.

[BigRedDodge1500]

Well if you ever want to take a new guy out i should have plenty of beer and sammy shwag to throw around thanks for the info. 

[scavengerj]

Welcome Keith,
Grew up in MD. and fished all over there. Now live just up 83 over the MD/PA line. Hope to see you out sometime.

[BigRedDodge1500]

Can you give me a heads up on some of those area's closer to 1hr 1hr 1/2 away and whats good in southern PA.  I will definatley have to try that deep creek.  Any advice on catchin eyes.  We never get em through the ice up here.  Only rarely in the soft water.  I dont' much jiggin usually just set up all five of my tip up's and pop a top but,  Can you catch them on those?   Does pretty boy freeze? Or am i going to have to start jiggin more.  Thanks

[PAluke]

The Cumberland Maryland Water Company owns two dams in Southern Bedford County.  If you look under Koon/Gordon Lakes in Pa reports you will find them.  They usually hold good ice and a good number of crappies, perch, gills, trout, bass, and the occasional walleye (on the lower dam).   They should be about an hour and half from Baltimore on rte. 220 North.  Shoot me a pm if you want more info. 

[Fat Boy]

Lake Marburg would be a good bet (PA) for both pike and bass and is that range that I was telling you about.  Lake Redman might be another option (not sure about pike but yes for bass).  There are some lakes East of the Susquehanna as well.  The Baltimore City Reservoirs (Liberty, Prettyboy, and Loch Raven) don't allow ice fishing.  Another one to check out is High Point that has a good pike population, but that's a good 2.5 hours away.  If you like to catch pike then you might also encounter muskies and/or tiger muskies too.  Frostburg Res. has them, so do some of the other lakes in Central PA.  Again, check out the reports and conditions board on the PA boards, lot's of good info there.

[mr._freeze]

Welcome to Md ,eventhough I've jumped the line and live in SC PA now I still split time fishing both states. About 3/4's of winters you'll get 3 or 4 weeks on a few lakes in Md close to Hagerstown Md. Greenbriar,Blair Valley and Big Pool. These are about half the distance from B-more to Deep Creek and have provided me with some fun over the years. Panfish and bass in all three. Blair Valley has tigers though I've never hooked one through the ice. One problem you find in Md ,besides the weather, is places that will allow ice fishing even when they are totally safe. Still, at least you will still be in the game here. Deep Creek can be outstanding so plan at least a few trips there next winter. Hopefully , we will have winter where the cold will stay awhile next year.

[srobocop]

i'll also be in the baltimore area (Towson) for the summer working for a construction company, and was curious as to any inland lake fishing or places to rent boats on inland lakes? like he said in his original post, your dnr website doesn't supply much information.

[scavengerj]

srobocop,
Worked in Towson for 15 years on Joppa Road and grew up in Md. Loch Raven res. is right around the corner from Towson. Dulaney Valley Road will put you right into the lake. Very good panfish, pike and bass lake. Does have hybrid too. They do rent boats there by the hour or day. If you take the beltway (695) west you can get to Liberty lake. Also a very good fishery with walleye and hybrids. No rental boats there. Or, you can get on 83 north for about half an hour and hit Prettyboy Resevoir. Good smallmouth, bass and hybrids there. Again, no boat rental. Loch Raven is first to turn on for panfish, (smallest lake) followed by Liberty (biggest) lake and then Prettyboy (mid-sized lake). All are very good fisheries and are water supplies for B'more City.

[srobocop]

thanks man, i'm mainly C & R. so no worries for you if you're still in the area.

[MnSportsman]

BigRedDodge1500 & srobocop, My brother owns land ( by Sparks ,just N. of Baltimore) on the Gunpowder river, &  it's a pretty good trout stream from what I hear from him, if ya fish open water for trout.   

Srobocop, I figured since you're from the UP of Mich. , ya might fish for trout too.

& Both of ya, If ya like the taste of fish & seafood, take a trip down to the Lexington Market, down by Harborplace, in Baltimore. I think you'll like the place. I'm sure the other fellas on here can tell ya more about it , if they want.. I've only been there about 5-6 times, but there's a lot to see there.

Good Luck on both of your new jobs/positions!

[Fat Boy]

Check out the Maryland fishing reports section on our open water site, www.myfishfinder.com.  Most if not all of the lakes are listed.  If there is info on the net, there's a link on the thread to help you out. 

Guys, the MD DNR site has all kinds of info, but you have to go to the fisheries section:

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/index.html  Make sure you check the hotspots page. 

Also, check out the state parks link:  http://www.dnr.state.md.us/outdoors/fishing.html

In addition to the web, each year there is a magazine titled, "Fishing in Maryland" and I highly recommend it.  It has maps, lake info, citation reports, etc. and is worth the money.  It's found in most places that sell fishing magazines.

[srobocop]

thanks for the info guys.