Are you ready for some cold weather kayak winter fishing action? Check out these tried-and-true winter haunts that will keep you casting and catching throughout the year.

kayak fishing in winter for pickerel and cold water species
The author fishes from his kayak year-round—and usually catches year-round, too!

Milling Around the Millponds

There is a sure-fire cast-and-catch winter fishing millpond on Maryland’s Eastern Shore called Smithville Lake, near the Delaware border. It has a small pier with an improved ramp. You can catch largemouth bass, pickerel, and crappie here all year round. Put a minnow under a small bobber, then hang on.

I focus on the lower two-thirds of the pond, but you can catch fish throughout. Using the wind, drift your minnows across the area around the dam for the easiest way to catch. But you can cast small spinnerbaits, inline spinners, and jerkbaits and enjoy plenty of success, too. There are many other ponds in addition to Smithville so check out Eastern Shore Millponds: Fantastic Freshwater Fishing  to learn more about these Eastern Shore gems.

My Local Lake

You live on the west side and don’t want to drive all the way across the bridge? Okay, another favorite winter kayak fishing spot is St. Mary’s Lake in Southern Maryland. While many reservoirs close over winter, St. Mary’s remains open to the public for fishing. Look for stacks of crappie in 14’ to 16’ of water, and drop small micro jigs or minnows on a spreader. If you’re looking for something a bit bigger, head to the upper end of the lake and try trolling large inline spinners over points or casting jerkbaits across old grass flats. You may find a citation-size pickerel. 

Yakking in the ‘Deena

So, you live up north and don’t want to drive down south? Check out Green Haven Wharf, a soft launch sitting on Stoney Creek in Pasadena, MD. After you launch your kayak start fishing the docks and piers, over points, and in coves. This is a tidal creek, so the best fishing will be during the moving tide. Plenty of pickerel can be found here and maybe a hold-over striped bass or two will take your baits, too. Throwing 1/4 oz jigs with a five-inch white plastic will usually produce fish. Jerkbaits work great also. Casting in the areas between docks you will find fish hiding along the shoreline, around fallen timber or along the edges of the docks, waiting to ambush their prey.

Virginia is for Speckled Trout Lovers

Wait, what? You’re from Virginia and you don’t want to drive all the way up to Maryland to catch? Yeah, it’s winter and we all want to stay close to home. Now, don’t tell anyone about this, but if you’re a die-hard speckled trout angler then you may want to take a few wintery casts into the Piankatank River. Launching at the base of the Route 3 bridge at Twigg Ferry Landing, head downriver. But only try this after a day or two of warm, sunny skies. The warm-up will pull the speckled trout that winter in the river into feeder creeks and coves. Casting smaller paddletail jigs and jerkbaits will produce.

Now, layer up and get out there!

-By Eric Packard