# 3 People 292 Fish - One Day Conowingo Rocks



## Captain Ahab (Apr 29, 2008)

Monday dawned with a misty rain. Meet up with Big Dave E aroudn 7:30 a.m. and we headed out to fish the Conowingo River in Maryland. We were going back to get into the shad which have been thick and plentiful there the past three weeks.

Jake (jkbirocz) was suppossed to meet us at the local bait, tackle, beer wine liquor and muffler repair shop (Kinda a redneck version of a mini mall). I called him at 8:30 a.m. spoke with his as we left Pennsylvania and he sounded a little groggy. Well evidently he was really groggy becuase he did not answer his phone after that. We started fishing at 9:30 without Jake and me without much of a phone signal. There was a light rain and the river was up due to a dam release so we could not fish the same spot we did so well at last week. 

Dave E. and myself went a ways down stream only to find all the decent shore spots taken by other anglers, many had waded in front of a submerged tree line and looked really miserable standing in a raging river in the pouring rain. We crawled down a rocky cliff to balance on some rocks but the current was too strong for and effective lure presentation. Back up stream to crowd into a spot where we determined that a local guy was not shad fishing but catching herring and perch for striper bait. We also noted that he was not wearing a raincoat and, as it was pouring, he soon left. Almost immediately I hooked into a nice Hickory Shad that leaped and surged once it felt the hook. Dave E. hooked a herring, then a white perch, then a herring, herring and another herring. I landed a larger American shad.

Dave E. with a herring: 

NO PHOTO!

(No photo, he started out with about 5 herring and each time lost his grip on the fish before I could turn the camera on). It sucks taking fish porn in the rain!


Dave then landed a small Striped bass that he managed to hand onto:






Around 12 noon Jake showed up with a cooler of cold pizza and a hangover. We set him up with a shad rig and after a brief learning curve, he landed a HERRING! 






But then, it happened, he exclaims "Holy sh$$" I got something and he rod doubles over as a feisty hickory shad rips drag. Jake 1st shad:





Dave E snagged a Gizzard Shad :





At this point the rain really started coming down - we were completely soaked, cold and hungry (except Jake who had more cold pizza). We headed out to get some hot coffee and get out of the rain. 

After an hour break I could take no more and had a hunch that we could get a good spot right near the dam. Dave E was wet and not real happy with the lack of shad (he had two at the point) As we left the store he said that we could fish for an hour and then he planned to pack it in. It was about 2:30 at this point.

We made our way to the found of the dam and found a line of about 6 anglers all in the water below an eddy. There were a few others above the eddy - but there was an open stretch on bank away from everyone. Also, there was fish jumping and beaching themselves everywhere!

It was game on at this point - we started catching a fish on every cast, and I mean every cast I landed 6 in a row to start and finished the day with 108 fish!

Dave E. reached the century mark and was determined to catch a Walleye - he tried a senko and a grub but the shad and herring were so thick that he kept snagging them - He ended teh day with 106 fish.

Jake (whom I now call the saboteur) was now grinning ear to ear. He was hooking one massive fish after the other, they jumped, burned drag and eventually managed to tangle into my line every 10 minutes or so. I spend a good part of the afternoon catching fish after fish - and then cutting tangles out of the line. I started cursing Jake and Dave E. as we franticallly untangled lines, and retied rigs. After a few hours I had to run back to teh truck to get a new reel becuase i was down to my backing and the fish would not stop biting, 

Jake finished the day with 82 fish (not shabby for a half day fishing)


We were carrying on, Dave E. was screaming "It's a TOAD" with every fish and the other anglers were moving away from out fish catching circus. We could not stop laughing and yelling.

High Points:

Watching Jake reel in a double header of shad that both jumped about 6' out of the river
Seeing huge striped bass chase bait right against our feet
Catching fish after fish
Old Gregg comments
miscasting into Jake's rod and wrapping my line around his as a he gets a huge hit and curses me (he landed the fish)
TOADS!

LOW POINTS:

River side surgery to remove a shad dart from Dave E.'s hand (we are nuts)
Rain and not being able to take a photo becuase the fishing was too good
Jake sleeping in while I fished in the rain
Tangles
Running out of two spools of line
Making rigs while Jake caught fish (on my rod)
sore arms and hands - too many fish LOL


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## G3_Guy (Apr 29, 2008)

Good times... Good times...  

Thanks for the report Esquired!


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## BassAddict (Apr 29, 2008)

Nice but wheres the picture of you making all the goffy faces?


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## Captain Ahab (Apr 29, 2008)

BassAddict said:


> Nice but wheres the picture of you making all the goffy faces?



I have one - with a 4" walleye!


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## mtnman (Apr 29, 2008)

Sounds like great day on the water. Fish dont care if its raining they are already wet!


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## DocWatson (Apr 29, 2008)

Nice report Dave. Sounds like you guys had fun despite the crappy weather !!!


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## Captain Ahab (Apr 29, 2008)

Forgot to add - Jake declared that shad are "*crack head fish*" i am not sure exactly why, something to do with the frenzied crazed fighting ability and the fact that they really never stop going crazy even after you land them


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## DocWatson (Apr 29, 2008)

esquired said:


> the fact that they really never stop going crazy even after you land them



Don't you hate that ??? Endangered fish that you are trying to release and they won't stay still, fall off the hook after you land them and bust themselves up on the rocks, unleash a snowstorm of scales and then lay in a hole in the underwater rocks at your feet and die. :roll:


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## jkbirocz (Apr 29, 2008)

> Don't you hate that ??? Endangered fish that you are trying to release and they won't stay still, fall off the hook after you land them and bust themselves up on the rocks, unleash a snowstorm of scales and then lay in a hole in the underwater rocks at your feet and die.



If you take out the endangered fish part, and scales to dandruff, that is exactly a crackhead.

A big thanks to both Dave and Big Dave E for showing me the ropes, and donating a few rigs. I had a blast, I definately see more shad fishing in my future. =D>


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## Jim (Apr 29, 2008)

Good job guys....Thats a fishing day right there :beer: =D>


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## FishinsMyLife (Apr 30, 2008)

Nice catchin! How long will ya'll be able to catch the shad like that?


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## Captain Ahab (Apr 30, 2008)

FishinsMyLife317 said:


> Nice catchin! How long will ya'll be able to catch the shad like that?




two more weeks if we are really lucky. There are two groups going tomorrow so I will know better after there report. As I posted, this last trip it was mostly Hickoty Shad, which are fine, but do not get to the same size as the American 9white) shad - they go over 8lbs

Most of what we caught was in teh 3-5 lb range.

And finally, a few more pics:

A goofy face for the dink contest - that is a walleye






A rain shad:






and what it looked like as we left:


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## slim357 (May 1, 2008)

Nice report, shad run is almost done up here Im seeing fewer everytime I go out.


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## shamoo (May 1, 2008)

Nice report Mr. esquired, way to catch all those fish guys, it takes special people to drive from Penna. to Maryland for a shad run, especially with a buzz, for a half day of fishing, at least they cant call you a "no-hang" Mr. Shake'nJake. =D>


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## mr.fish (May 3, 2008)

Nice report Dave. Look likes you guys killed it once again.


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