August 1, 2018

Yesterday I headed out to Watkins Mill State Park to do a little evening fishing.  When I arrived, the water was calm and I could see fish working on the surface.  I figured it was probably schools of bluegill working together and decided to see if I could pick up a couple just for kicks.  After a few casts with nothing to show, I decided to leave my fly in the water while I moved to closer to the bank to work areas that had cover.  As usual, I was fishing a John Deere under a strike indicator.  Yes, technically I was trolling, I suppose, but that's not any sort of trolling setup I have ever used or even heard of.  So you can only imagine the shock on my face when it worked and I got a bite.

The story gets better too.  The fish on the end of the line was a hard little fighter!  I just assumed it was a bluegill but it didn't act like a bluegill.  The fish didn't do the quick circles that bluegill are known for.  Instead, there were head shakes and deep dives.  When I got the fish to the boat, I was absolutely astonished.  It was a small hybrid striped bass or wiper!  I continued the same unconventional technique and picked up 3 more!

Now I heard about two years ago that hybrids had been stocked to control the growing shad population at Watkins Mill.  What I hadn't heard about was anyone catching of these little critters.  I asked lots of folks and most didn't know that they were in there, let alone had anyone landed one.  So catching a hybrid out there was something I really wanted to do but was pretty surprised that it happened.  I can't wait to see the size that these guys grow to in the next few years because this could get to be a lot of fun!