Maryland: Small Bass State?

By Ian

(Note: Some of you asked for articles about regional fishing. Since most of my readers live in Maryland, I decided to give it a shot​. If you guys have any questions or comments, feel free to shoot me an email)

  When most people in the Northeast think about trophy bass waters, they think of Texas, Florida, Louisiana, California, or Mexico. Maryland rarely, if ever, comes into the picture. And there's some truth in that. We don't have as many waterways or productive food sources as those areas. In Californian reservoirs, for example, those lunker bass feast on abundant stocker trout, a rich and nutritious food source which lets them grow to huge sizes.

  There's an old saying: The grass is always greener on the other side. I can already hear some of you guys saying: "Ian, how does this apply to bass fishing? While some of those southern reservoirs do sometimes have more favorable conditions for bass growth. However, there still are big bass, 5s, 6s, 7s, even 10s, out there to be caught, especially in isolated or private water.

Above: There are trophy fish to be had in Maryland , even at your local farm pond.

  There are some ponds and rivers that have favorable conditions surprisingly similar to those in California, or even down South, such as reservoirs stocked with trout, or nutrient rich ponds. In my experience, big bass are usually found in either three places: reservoirs, large rivers, and private ponds, and are in nutrient rich waters. Nutrient plenty water usually produces more and fatter baitfish, and it means that the bass don't have to expend much energy to hunt, but this doesn't always apply to large reservoirs, especially those supplemented with prime baitfish. Also, the current shouldn't be too strong; otherwise, the fish will be forced to use up precious calories to keep up with the current, which slows down weight gain and growth. 

  For catching big bass, you have to use bigger baits in most cases. Big bass aren't as frisky as smaller bass; they are much more cautious, and more conservative of their valuable energy. These strategies helped them get big to start with. They aren't going to go after small baits, such as a 3" grub, unless you place it right in their face. They would probably go after larger baits, such as 6", 7", 8" swimbaits, or 12" worms. You can also fish big jigs and large creature baits. Big bass are much more easily spooked than their smaller brethren. Learning how to flip and pitch, to enter the water stealthily, is essential. A large splash will scare them away.

Tight lines,

​-Ian