DPS Kayak Fishing Blog 3

DPS Kayak Fishing Blog

Delaware Paddlesports latest Blog by our new team paddler from Frederick, MD Billy Souders

It had been two months since I participated in the YakAttack Tournament and since then all I had been fishing were my local river spots for big Bronze Backs. So just last week I decided that it was time to go chase some large bucket mouths. Lately I have been trying to fish new bodies of water in my area and after some research on the Maryland DNR website; I decided to try Piney Run Reservoir in Carroll County, Maryland. The biggest factor that drew me to the lake is the abundance of lily pads and grasses. And to be honest, I really wanted to do some flipping and pitching.

On Monday, June 16^th I got off work at 8am and headed to the water. Through my research online I knew that it was going to cost me $8 to launch my kayak and that was exactly what I brought. As I pulled up to the gatehouse, the park employee approached my vehicle and immediately asked if I was a resident or non-resident of Carroll County. I told her that I wasn’t a resident and she said that it would be $18 dollars for the day: eight for the launch fee and ten for parking. My jaw about hit the floor of the vehicle! At this point I looked past her and noticed a sign with all the fees of the park. I was just dumbfounded that they charged for just about everything. I then told her that I didn’t have that much money since I only brought the exact change. She immediately said “we take credit.” I didn’t know what to say at this point. I pulled out of the way of the other guests trying to enter the park to contemplate my next move. At this point I just traveled about 1 hour and was only planning on fishing for about 6 hours. I got out of the vehicle to ask the park employee some more questions. The website clearly did not illustrate all of these fees and I was not going to pay that kind of money for such a short fishing trip. I began talking to her and she was very nice about explaining everything. She handed me some brochures on everything the park offers and kindly said, “Today I will waive the parking fee.” I was very grateful to her and quickly paid her to get on my way.

I swiftly went to the boat launch and unloaded my Jackson Big Rig, Werner Skagit Paddle and all of my fishing gear. After parking I ran back to my kayak and began paddling at a moderate pace of about 2.8 MPH. The water was calm and smooth as glass which made paddling a breeze. To get my speed I utilize a Lowrance Elite 4 DSI fish finder with built in GPS. I had predetermined which spots I was going to hit, so I immediately headed down the lake to the first large cove and started hitting the edge of lily pads on the points and ledges. Mind you there are lily pads and submerged grasses along many of these shorelines.

Immediately I was amazed with how healthy this lake appeared. From the clarity of the water, to the abundant aquatic vegetation, to just the sheer numbers of small fish I was observing around the vegetation, I can honestly say I saw hundreds of juvenile Largemouth Bass during the couple of hours of fishing.

Approximately an hour into my trip I noticed activity in some lily pads close to shore. I moved closer and started making some casts with my faithful go-to lure: the senko. On my second cast, I got a nice blow-up on the surface as I was reeling it in across the pads. After that blow up it went dead calm. I continued down that bank and found that the lilies started getting a little thinner. I then saw a nice large open spot with a slight overhang of a tree limb. I made my cast and it hit spot on. Suddenly, as my pearl-white senko began to sink, I spotted a nice bass cruise out of the pads and engulf the lure. She made a 180 turn and I waited for the right moment. Just before reaching the edge, I leaned back and swiftly lifted my rod, setting the hook firmly. Then the frantic battle began. After a few short minutes battling her through the pads, I landed the beautiful 20-inch bass. She was a skinny 20-inch post-spawn bass that weighed in at 4lbs.

I proceeded to take a couple of photos and decided to try my hand at filming a release. I hurriedly placed my fish grips on her lower lip and lowered her back into the water. After preparing my settings on my Kodak camera, I started the release. It was a little challenging but the outcome was fantastic. See the Video Here!

For the next few hours the fishing was slow and the temperature rose to a whopping 96 degrees. I took this time to scout the rest of the lake. I covered about a quarter of the lake and found numerous other potential spots to target in the future. For much of the scouting, I paddled the Big Rig from the standing position for a better vantage point. The Big Rig is extremely stable making it very easy to paddle in this manner. As I mentioned earlier I use a 260cm Werner Skagit Hooked Paddle. Using the longer paddle isn’t only essential in the seated position with the Big Rig; it is also very helpful for paddling from the standing position as you are able to make nice long and smooth paddling strokes. After returning to the boat launch, I spoke with another fisherman who confirmed my theories for this lake’s potential. He recalled a day last fall when he landed four six pound bass and one that was over seven pounds. Another angler that I spoke to before leaving added that there are decent-sized Stripers in the lake and that a 29 pounder had just been landed a couple of weeks prior.

In short, I had a great time at Piney Run minus how expensive it is to fish. However, the park has many nice amenities for the whole family. The park does offer season passes which is nice but still isn’t cost-effective for someone like me who is a non-resident. I am looking forward to returning with a small group of fishermen to hammer the Largemouth and maybe some Stripers this fall.  

Billy Sounders - Delaware Paddlesports Kayak Fishing Team

Bio -

Hello everyone! My name is Billy Souders. I am from the Western Maryland area and have 20+ years of fishing experience. When it comes to fishing, my heart and soul is definitely with Bass fishing - especially Smallmouth Bass! Nothing can compare to hooking into a large Bronze Back and having it pull you around the river on a kayak. Even though I am very passionate about fishing for Smallmouth, I enjoy fishing for any species of fish. Growing up in Maryland, I primarily fished the Potomac and Susquehanna Rivers, but I routinely traveled around the Four State Area to other bodies of water. Ever since I was a young teen my father and I would compete in many open and club fishing tournaments around the area. About 3 years ago, I was introduced to kayak fishing. As a budget fisherman, I thought that this was an amazing way to get on the water more cheaply and more often. And so my journey has begun. I currently fish from a Jackson Big Rig that I purchase from Delaware Paddlesports and love every minute of it. Besides recreational and competitive fishing, I am on the Board with our local Heroes on the Water Chapter (the Appalachian Chapter). Above all else, I enjoy promoting the sport of kayak fishing and love helping to get new people out on the water.