We launched out of Byrd Park in Snow Hill, MD onto the Pocomoke River at 5:30a. As we passed the other boat ramp in the park, about 17+ bass boats were getting ready for a fishing tournament.
In anticipation of the boats that would go by, we didn’t go too far down river and made sure we were off the main channel. There were going to be a lot of wakes from some of these tournament boats that sped by barely making their turn.
We started fishing on a bank then moved into some lily pads. It was a slow start. We were throwing lines and throwing lines. As we were fishing the lilies the tournament started. Boats were flying by and, as suspected, we experienced quite a lot of wakes. Do too many wakes scare fish?
One tournament boat actually stopped 25-feet from our boat and started fishing. Literally my line and his line would touch if thrown in the same direction at the same time. I was perplexed by this interaction. Surely there must to be some kind of fishing etiquette.
As we were approaching a bird landing box, I switched from my buzz bait to a worm. I tossed the worm at the pole the box was attached to and it landed perfectly. That’s when God intervened and gave me this one. A Largemouth Bass took the bait on the drop and I reeled it into the boat. Oh, my! I have to say that if you were within 25-feet of our boat you couldn’t deny the excitement.
We decided to move to the Nassawango Creek to avoid the traffic. We tucked in and had success in the shaded areas. It was hot and the fish were moving into cooler water. Around noon many tournament boats started to move into the creek so we decided to call it a day.
Our count for the day was seven fish. Four Chain Pickerel and three Largemouth Bass.
Side Note: I believe fishing etiquette is so important and needs to be touched upon. Always treat others the way you want to be treated. I found several articles on fishing etiquette. Click on the links below. There are plenty of fish to go around!
Takemefishing.org / Fishing Etiquette: Six Unspoken Rules
Bass Pro Shop / Six Dos and Don’ts of Fishing Etiquette
Shopkaris.com / Fishing Etiquette 101: Six Rules for Respect on the Water
Fishingnortheast.net / Fishing Ethics and Etiquette