by Gary Diamond

In many areas of Maryland, particularly the western counties, it's still the dead of winter. Snow still blankets the towering mountains surrounding Deep Creek Lake. The Potomac River is swollen from melting snow, and some of the lakes and ponds at higher elevations are still covered with a thick layer of ice.

While these conditions may keep most anglers indoors awaiting the arrival of spring, teams of fisheries biologists and a small number of volunteers are loading tank trucks with more than 500,000 hatchery-reared trout, which are slated for stocking in Maryland and Delaware streams, lakes and ponds.

Unlike most other fisheries projects, the trout program is funded solely by the sale of Trout Stamps. Also, each state's fishery is quite unique, particularly when you consider that Delaware does not have a single stream capable of holding trout through the warmer months. Consequently, First State anglers are prohibited from catch-and-release fishing for trout, while Free State anglers are encouraged to catch-and-release the same species.

Much of the difference in programs stems from the striking contrast in topography. Other than those found in New Castle County, most of Delaware's freshwater streams are slow-moving bodies of water that flow through lowland areas.

Maryland, a state that is frequently referred to as "America in miniature," has thousands of streams, many of which are spring-fed, ice-cold rivulets that tumble down the rolling hills located west of Chesapeake Bay. A significant number of these streams, particularly those found in undeveloped regions, hold excellent populations of wild trout. Most but not all of these bodies of water fall into a special management category that either requires the fish to be released or requires the harvest to be limited. Therefore, before you go fishing in Maryland's designated trout streams, lakes or ponds, it would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with the various regulations pertaining to that body of water.

Photo by Ron Sinfelt

Delaware's daily bag limit is six fish; however, after catching your legal limit of trout, you must stop fishing for them for the remainder of the day. Also, you cannot possess more than four fish if you are fishing within 50 feet of a restricted area that has a four-fish daily bag limit. This particular regulation applies mainly to a portion of White Clay Creek, which is limited to fly-fishing only.

Bob Lunsford, Maryland's Director of Fisheries Restoration and Enhancement, said, "Because the reservoir is steep-sided, even if the water level is lower than normal, it only reduces the actual surface area of the lake by a minimal amount. Therefore, the impact on fishing is also minimized. Also, the strain of rainbows that we stock tends to feed heavily on phytoplankton, so there will be plenty of food available, and they'll do well."

In order to fish Prettyboy Reservoir, boating anglers will have to procure a special permit from the city of Baltimore's Department of Public Works. The permit allows boating anglers to fish both Liberty and Prettyboy reservoirs, which is the best way to access the best fishing areas. "Some of the coves that we stock - and the local anglers usually know which ones they are - tend to hold fish longer than we could have anticipated. The cove next to the boat ramp has two smaller coves, and that's where we stock the trout. Because the fish tend to hang around for an extended period, quite a few get caught, and many are taken from shore. Keep in mind that these fish don't have to move very far to get out of casting range. Therefore, the best fishing, particularly later in the season, will be from a small boat," Lunsford said.

The Little Gunpowder Falls is heavily fished during the first few weeks following opening day, but as the season progresses, the crowds dwindle to just a handful of diehards who mainly fish near the bridges. The most productive segment of stream is the stretch between Pleasantville Road and Jerusalem Road bridges, which covers a distance of several miles.

The stream varies in width from just 50 to 75 feet wide, and the entire length consists of short stretches of rapids interspersed with long, relatively deep pools and rock ledges.

Because most of the stream is within the boundaries of Gunpowder Falls State Park, there are only a few small areas that flow through private land. Consequently, most of the shores are accessible, but you must be willing to walk some distance to get away from areas that have been heavily fished. If you walk more than 500 yards from the nearest road, you'll have no trouble catching all the trout you can handle. It's that simple.

While the state does not stock this particular stream with brown trout, several big browns are caught every spring near the base of Eden Mill Dam. It is believed that these fish are native browns that have adapted to the area by migrating into the stream's spring-fed tributaries when water temperatures begin to climb above 70 degrees in midsummer.

Most of the best access is at the base of Eden Mill Dam, which always draws a big opening day crowd. Downstream from state Route (SR) 165, the stream is paralleled by Saint Claire Bridge Road for a distance of nearly 3 miles. There are several pull-off areas where two to four vehicles can park. Free parking for licensed anglers is also permitted on weekdays at the parking lots near picnic groves.

Lunsford says the special catch-and-release segment of Deer Creek is no longer stocked because there were few, if any, fish that managed to survive through the summer, and public access was limited to a few small areas.

"Most of the stream runs through Fair Hill Wildlife Management Area, and while road access is lousy, we have good public access throughout the area," said Lunsford. "This is a beautiful stream, and it's really popular with local anglers and nonresidents, as we see a lot of out-of-state tags in the parking lot. People from nearby Pennsylvania and Delaware come here every spring and really catch a lot of fish."

Most of the stream is situated in a steep, heavily wooded valley that is only accessible via a hiking trail that parallels the shore. There are several footbridges over the creek. The trout tend to disperse over a vast area rapidly. Consequently, you may only find a few trout in each pool, but because the water remains quite cool throughout most of the year, anglers can anticipate good-to-excellent fishing action right through the heat of summer. This is a good stream to wet-wade during June and July, which are times when no one is usually thinking seriously about trout fishing.

Tidbury Pond measures approximately 2 acres and is located south of Dover on Alternate Route 113. The Gravel Hill Pond, which measures nearly 4 acres, is east of Georgetown on U.S. Route 9. The anticipated stocking dates are Feb. 28 and March 14, which are times when water temperatures will still be low enough to support trout. Anglers are required to have trout stamps to fish the ponds if they are fishing prior to April 1; however, after that date, stamps are no longer required. There is no closed season, and the daily limit is six fish daily. Once a person takes his or her six fish, he or she is prohibited from fishing in the pond during the remainder of the day.

The trout stream segment of White Clay Creek runs from the Pennsylvania line to the downstream side of Paper Mill Road, a distance of nearly 5 miles. The area restricted to fly-fishing only starts from a point 25 yards above Thompson Bridge at Chambers Rock Road to the Pennsylvania line.

While this relatively small stream has a few miles of public access, opening day crowds can be unbelievable. There is lots of elbow-to-elbow fishing taking place on busy weekends, and during the first week, the number of people along the stream's shores boggles the mind. However, because of the structure of Delaware's trout program, everyone will catch his or her limit of hefty rainbows if he or she is willing to spend a little time fishing.

Mill Creek, which is a tiny tributary of White Clay Creek, will be stocked with 350 rainbow trout during the same time frame. The stream is open between Brackenville Road and SR 7.

There are four more stocked streams open to First State anglers, each receiving just about 500 fish apiece, of which 10 will be trophy-sized. Keep in mind that in Delaware, water temperatures will rapidly rise above 74 degrees, which is too warm for trout to survive; hence, all trout are to be harvested.