A lot to smile about
Father’s Day is this Sunday. It’s the day we celebrate the important men in our lives with special brunches and cookouts and carefully wrapped presents.
Sure, Dad will appreciate a new flashlight or gift card to his favorite store, but there’s likely nothing dearer to him than spending time with his children and grandchildren. So why not take dad fishing this Sunday?
The places to wet a line in Southern Maryland are endless this time of year. He’ll have a good chance of catching a fish but an even better chance
REEL REPORT
of making a treasured memory with the people who love and appreciate him.
One local angler has a lot to smile about lately. Jacob Vosburgh of Lexington Park set a new nontidal state fishing record for white catfish on June 1.
Vosburgh caught the fish on bloodworms Carolina-rigged
in the southern Potomac River and had the fish’s weight verified at Crabknockers in Leonardtown. It measured 23 inches long and weighed 8.27 pounds. White catfish was recognized as a state game fish a few years ago, and Vosburgh’s catch is the first fish to break the 7-pound minimum.
“Even before we took it out of the water, just judging by the size of its head we knew it was state record,” Vosburgh said in a Maryland Department of Natural Resources news release on Tuesday.
Daytime is not the best time to be out fishing our lakes and ponds with the recent spate of hot weather. Fish will be biting at dawn and dusk, so
plan to get there early or late for the best opportunities.
Anthony Hancock, assistant manager of Gilbert Run Park in Dentsville, said the water is heating up quickly this week and the typical summertime pattern will prevail with topwaters working before the sun comes over the trees and once it dips below in the evening. During the day, Hancock recommends slower-moving baits like soft plastic worms and stickbaits.
The water in Wheatley Lake is starting to get a little stained due to algal blooms, so brighter colored baits may help draw strikes. The bluegill and redear sunfish can be caught with small pieces of worm under a bobber or by breaking out the
old flyrod and using small poppers or sponge spiders. Fishing under low-hanging limbs works well for the bluegill but be prepared to lose some rigs.
Patuxent River — The Solomons Charter Captain’s Association fleet (www.fishsolomons.com) was busy this week catching a nice mix of white perch, spot and occasional croaker on bloodworms and squid especially in the Green Holly area.
Ken Lamb of the Tackle Box in Lexington Park (301-8638151) tells of two experienced fishermen who went out in two separate boats from Point Patience to the Three-Legged