 Pocomoke
River - Part I
Fresh Tidal, Bald Cypress Swamp
Worchester County, MD
10/19/07
Submitted By: Mark Burchick
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Dave, Jeff and I
took the day off and
went fishing.
It was humid and in
the upper 70's, with
much needed rain
much of the day.
At times we were
standing in water in
the boat, and had to
bail several times.
I did not get nearly
as many photos as I
would have like to,
because I did not
want to get my
camera wet. We
were all saturated
for much of the day!
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In a book by
Bill Sipple he
states that the
Pocomoke cypress
swamps were
heavily
harvested in the
1850's for
shingle making,
with cypress
measuring four
to eight feet in
diameter, and
with knees
reaching eight
to ten feet
high. He
mentions a
botanist from
1881 who noted a
nine foot
diameter tree.
To
see old-growth
cypress swamps
today, you would
have to go to
Congaree River
National Park in
South Carolina.
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In an account of
extinct wild
animals, William
Marye recorded
black bear, elk,
cougar, panther,
bison, timber
wolf,
ivory-billed
woodpecker and
Carolina
parakeet as
having lived in
the remote,
southern
portions of the
eastern shore
prior to the
1700's.
John Muir, the
founder of the
US National Park
Service visited
the Pocomoke
cypress/cedar
swamps in 1898.
In 1912 a famous
botanist by the
name of Brooke
Meanley said
that the
Pocomoke River
reminded him of
the Santee in
South Carolina
and that the
swamp was
infested by
horseflies by
day and
mosquitoes by
night.
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Dr. Sipple says
that the
"Pocomoke may be
the greatest
wetland system
in Maryland due
to its
phytogeography,
rare and
uncommon plants
and animals, as
well as its
isolation and
uniqueness."
The forested
swamp is
30-miles long
and one-half to
two-miles wide
and dominated by
bald cypress,
swamp tupelo,
green ash and
red maple and
with the forest
stream border
dominated by
spatterdock.
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The Pocomoke
represents the
extension of the
deep swamps of
the south, with
the Delmarva
populations
representing the
northernmost
extent of
natural bald
cypress.
40% or 111
Pocomoke plant
species range
southward (with
such species as
Spanish moss,
cross-vine and
water oak) and
only 9 species
(3.2%) ranging
northward.
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The arrow is
Dave's cell
phone and his
pocket was
filled with rain
water. We
placed Dave's
phone on the
truck defroster
for the evening
ride back to the
western shore,
but to no
avail. His
Motorola Razor
is history.
In a 1994
fisheries study
performed by S.
P. McIninch he
documents 35
fish species in
the Pocomoke
River, including
six species of
bluegill.
Today we caught
well over 50
fish including
largemouth bass,
bluegill, chain
pickerel, yellow
perch and black
crappie.
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Using a small
white and yellow
jig and medium
action rod, Dave
works a
largemouth bass
back to the
boat.
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Nice catch!
Dave had a
crappie wrapped
around a tree
stump. As
we motored to
the stump an
enormous
predator
pickerel ate the
fish right
before our eyes! |
Mark Burchick
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