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 Fishing
Buckskin Ridge in Folly Quarter
Glenelg,
MD
9/15/06
Mark Burchick
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Jeb and I went
fishing in the
rain, while Mark
and Mike went to
the River Hill
Football game.
We fished from
about 5:00 till
6:30 pm. The
rain got heavier
as the day went
on. It was also
breezy and about
64-degrees. On
my second cast
with a Senko
5-inch worm, I
caught this
handsome
4-pounder, next
to the remains
of a standing
snag. |
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Come hell or
high water,
after
catching a
4-pounder,
we're
fishing in
the rain! |
 |
I changed
into warmer
clothes, and
then Jeb and
I went on
the hunt,
working all
of the
structure we
could find.
This is a
private,
client pond
in a
natural,
forested
area of a
new housing
development,
that ESA
designed.
This is only
my second
time back to
the site
since we
finished
construction.
Dave Knorr
and I
stocked this
pond with a
$2,000 sport
fish order
from Zetts
of WVA, in
2004. The
5-acre pond
is
surrounded
by Kevlar
goose
protection
fencing to
promote our
littoral
fringe of
ornamental
native
plants, that
we also
planted in
2004. Today
represents
the year-2
wetland
mitigation
monitoring
research on
the pond,
which I
performed
earlier in
the day. |
 |
Jeb and I
caught 20
bass in an
hour and
half. We
used Senko
worms, Bass
Pro tender
tubes, Zoom
ultravibe
crayfish and
a BooYah
spinnerbait.
I tried a
topwater
Rebel Pop-R
but it did
not produce
any strikes
after
several
casts. I'd
say that the
Senko
green-pumpkin
colored
worm, was
top-gun
today. |
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There is
very little
fishing
pressure on
this pond,
and these
fish were
eager to
strike.
Almost every
fourth or
fifth cast
generated a
bass. It
doesn't get
better than
this! |
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Every
successful
strike came
alongside an
SAV
(submerged
aquatic
vegetation)
weed edge,
adjacent to
lily pads
and/or the
remains of
vertical
flooded
timber, and
with
virtually
nothing
coming from
open, clear
water. It
seemed as if
any form of
'structure'
held fish. |
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The majority
of fish were
in the 1.5
to 2-pound
size class,
but we saw
and/or
caught all
size classes
up to
4-pounds,
with the
majority
being three
to five
years-old
(based on
the original
stocking),
including
lots of
evidence of
successful
reproduction
(fry and
fingerlings).
The pond was
also stocked
with shad
feeder fish,
bluegill and
channel
cats. The
pond is
maturing
nicely,
except for
one
shoreline
eat-out, by
resident
geese that
have denuded
about a
150-foot
section of
pond edge.
The only
plant they
would not
eat was
beaked
spike-rush.
We need to
reconstitute
that portion
of Kevlar
fencing to
keep the
geese out,
from both
the water
side and
woodland
edge. When
we pull the
fencing from
the pond at
the end of
our
monitoring
period, this
natural area
park will
have a
phenomenal
fishery and
floral
display for
the estate
community.
The rain did
not hamper
the fish
from biting.
We are cold,
saturated to
the bone,
but happy
campers.
Thanks Jeb
for getting
so many good
pictures. |
MARK BURCHICK |
