Pacemaker Fishing Forum

There are a couple apps on iPhone that list Launch Points for Kayaks.  Austin Canoe and Kayak (ACK) has an app called "Launch Points" (original name).  It shows access at Pinecliff Park south of where Rt 70 crosses the river.  I haven't been there, so I can't vouch for the location.  On the map, it looks like there is a boat ramp and even shows a kayak in the water.  Hope this helps.  If you go, let me know how the fishing is.

The only place that i have heard there is good fishing around there is the dickerson plant discharge just below the mouth of the monocacy on the potomac. I here it is awesome for winter fishing for smallmouth, big cats, and even muskie. i know that is far but havent heard much else for that area.

Oh ok go with what T. said than... i have only heard about it i have never been there. where would you (T.) recommend for winter fishing this year? i want to go out once or twice maybe if it gets nice out. this is the first winter i have had a kayak and have never fished in the winter otherwise so im trying to find somewhere that will be productive enough to be worth freezing my butt off. haha

There's no number, just hope.  Sorry I just got to this.  It is a trash incinerary plant as well as pepco.  Maybe there's a number somewhere but it won't be easy to find.  So therefore sometimes they are producing warm water, other times they are not. It is and always will be a gamble.  Hit it wrong, you'll curse the place, hit it right... well, you tell me. But I think it is almost always slightly warmer than the rest of the river.  And the warm water extends downstream a good distance like below Whites Ferry but it only hugs the MD shore out to maybe 100 yards, which would be pushing it, more like 40 yards.  The fish sit anywhere, often along the bank in high water, or high and clear water, are perfect conditions.  Therefore no wading, just bank hopping.  But in low water the shore structure becomes obsolete and therefore you wade over a hard bottom.  Which is key, don't wade over a soft bottom, you'll sink up to your knees.  Gravel bars are everywhere; you just have to find them.  In mid winter on a warming trend a stonefly hatch will begin.  IN February and even January insane numbers of #12 stoneflies will begin to hatch on a warm day like in the 50's.  The fish key in on the nymph, not the adult dry for whatever reason.  If you can fish a nymph, in the surface film like in the first few mm, than you will catch incredible numbers of fish.  It's not easy staying in the surface film though.  I’ve tried a lot of different flies and situations.  Usually catch a couple on the first few casts, then nothing.  You could watch a dozen adults flutter downstream and not get touched but see rises everywhere going after the nymph. 

Other times, tubes, grubs, stick baits like xraps work well.  Minnows are deadly if you take the time to catch them.  The fish hold in the outflow to 2 miles below it.  Sometimes a lot fish in the outflow, most of the time only dink smallmouth, huge catfish and maybe a few walleye and muskie but they are next to nonexistent compared to upriver or down near DC. 

You can launch at the warm water fishing area parking but it's a long walk to the river.  Then another mile paddle up river to the outflow.  You can also launch at the mouth of the Monocacy which puts you on the Monocacy just upriver of the confluence, above the aqueduct.  Sometimes after high water the tunnels of the aqueduct will clog with woody debris and it will become impassable. 

The monocacy fishes well all year, mostly a spring-fall thing but if you talk to hardcore smallmouth fishermen they will say differently.  Access points are off of 355, also up in town, the mouth...  There are fish throughout its length.  But when it rains, the Monocacy stays muddy and unfishable for much longer than any other river.  It contributes something like 70% of the total sediment load for all of the Potomac.  In other words, it's a shiat hole.  But can fish well when conditions allow.  Some huge Hexagenia (sp?) flies hatch there in August for you fly fishermen.  They burrow into the silty banks and hatch right at dark.  The best top water of the year happens when these flies die and fall back to the water just at or after dark. These things can be 2 inches long so the biggest fish will feed on them. 

Hope this helps. 

Jon Griffiths

Jon,
Thanks for the great info. If you want a partner to wade or shore hop the Potomac, I'd be happy to join you and learn even more. Just shoot me an email...
Bruce

hookup wrote:

A few years ago I surfed the net & found a map of the Monoc along with a few access points maintained by DNR.  I'll search around and see if I can find it again.

George- Glad to have you on the Forum. This is a guy to pay attention to!

that's it.

Thanks for the welcome.