Another sweet Saturday on the Pocomoke River. We launched out of Snow Hill, MD and it was already rather warm when we left the dock at 5:30a. The sun was just peeking over the horizon. There was no wind and it was quite obvious that it was going to be a hot one!
We ventured much further down river than we normally go and because it was low tide, we fished the outer edges of the lily pads and the banks. I caught two Crappie on a Strike King Mini-King Spinnerbait and one Large Mouth Bass on a Strike King Mini-King Spinnerbait. John caught one Crappie on Strike King Rage Swimmer and four Large Mouth Bass. Two bass were caught on a Gary Yamamoto 5” Green Pumpkin w/red Senko Wacky Worm, one bass on a “lizard” bait, and one bass on a Bigmouth Chatter Bait. He also caught at Blue Catfish on a Bigmouth Chatter Bait with a Strike King Rage Swimmer.
Blue Catfish are the largest species of North American catfish, reaching 65” in length and 150 pounds with the typical length being 25-46”. They can live for 20 years and tolerate brackish water, thus colonize along inland waterways of coastal regions. The largest recorded blue catfish caught was 143 pounds. Blue catfish are heavy bodied, blueish gray in color, and have a dorsal hump. They have 30-36 rays on their anal fin, barbels, a deeply forked tail, and a protruding upper jaw. Blue catfish are opportunistic predators and eat any species of fish they can catch, along with crayfish, freshwater mussels, frogs, and other readily available aquatic food sources. This fish is considered an invasive species in some areas, particularly the Chesapeake Bay.
It got very hot around 10:00a and by 12:30p we were packing up. To cool off we took a ride down river and ended up in Pocomoke City. Pocomoke City, dubbed “the friendliest town on the Eastern Shore”, is located in Worcester County, MD. The city is regularly referred to by its inhabitants simply as Pocomoke. Beginning in the late seventeenth century, a small settlement called Stevens Landing grew at the ferry landing on the south bank of the Pocomoke River. The town was incorporated as Newtown in 1865, but was reincorporated in 1878 as Pocomoke City, after the American Indian name of the river, meaning “black water”. Stevens Landing, then Newtown, remained a modest river crossing until the construction through the town in the 1880s of the trunk railroad line (along the Delmarva Peninsula) from Wilmington, DE to Cape Charles, VA. The line eventually became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad. In addition to agriculture, lumber milling and shipbuilding, in the twentieth century factories making barrels and baskets for truck crops and canning of those crops aided in the town’s growth. In 1922 the business district of Pocomoke City was destroyed in a large fire, but downtown was quickly rebuilt. While truck farming declined in the 1900s, the poultry industry rose to take its place. Pocomoke City was named an All-American City by the National Municipal League.
What a spectacular ride! The river was absolutely gorgeous! Seriously, if you are looking for a top-notch river on the Eastern Shore to fish, or to go out on for a pleasure ride, the Pocomoke River should definitely be on your bucket list. It is quiet, calm and full of wildlife. I found a place on VRBO that is right on the river where you could stay and launch from either Byrd Park in Snow Hill, Shad Landing, or Milburn Landing.