Upriver the pickerel are pouncing and downriver the redfish are raging. Bass are biting and crappie are cavorting, even as bluefish are busting and croaker are crushing it. When you’re an angler fishing on the Pocomoke River this somewhat contradictory but exceedingly exciting list can go on and on. With its headwaters well above Snow Hill and its mouth emptying into the Pocomoke Sound, the southernmost river on Maryland’s portion of the Eastern Shore serves as the border between Maryland and Virginia in its lower section. And whichever state you might call home one thing is for sure: fishing the Pocomoke is a true pleasure, punctuated with plenty of surprises.
The Pocomoke Above Snow Hill
Though you’ll see tidal swings well beyond Snow Hill this is a sweetwater segment of the river, and it’s chock-full of largemouth bass, crappie, pickerel, and catfish. In the winter and into early spring perch make a serious showing here, too. In recent years snakeheads have also been caught from this zone, though as of yet their numbers don’t seem as dense as in some similar east-side waterways.
You’ll find the main channel hugging the outside of bends and running through the middle of straight segments, deadfall all along the shorelines, and numerous small islands to probe for these predators. Note that in either extreme cold or extreme heat sticking with the channel is often a good move, but all year long fish spread out to visit the shallow coves and flats when water levels rise with the tide.
TIP: Drop a lip-hooked bull minnow on a shad dart into the channels during the winter months and bounce it along the bottom for crappie, perch, and pickerel. At the same time cast one suspended under a bobber and drift it along the edge of the channel where it shallows up and bass will often attack.
Access: There’s a nice pier/bulkhead with tons of room for shoreline angling (all within casting distance of the channel) and a boat ramp in Snow Hill, at Boyd Park. Note that to take a boat above the Snow Hill drawbridge (where winter fishing is often hot) you’ll have to call ahead for an opening and hours are limited. Visit the Snow Hill webpage to get the full scoop.
Snow Hill to Shelltown
Just downriver from Snow Hill you’ll find some very cool territory with islands, lots of bending sections, and plenty of deadfall that attracts bass. Then from around Shad Landing down, the river becomes more well-defined. All of the species mentioned earlier can be caught in this zone but if you want to bail catfish one after the next, this is the section of the river you’ll want to fish. Stick to the channel but seek out the spots where there are plenty of snags and structure laying on bottom, and cast out cut bunker.
TIP: Since the blue catfish have been established for longer in some other waterways you aren’t likely to find gargantuan specimens here, but plenty of 10-or-so pounders can be found and every year larger and larger fish show up. To target the big ones first go fishing for bluegills. Then liveline four- to six-inchers on a fishfinder rig with an 8/0 circle hook.
Access: There are almost a dozen access points, ramps, soft launches, and parks located along this stretch of the river. Visit the Maryland Public Water Access map online to get the skinny (using the Google machine will get you there in no time).
Shelltown and Down to the Pocomoke Sound
From this point on we’re in a salty environ straddling the MD/VA border. Running out to the Pocomoke Sound the river widens dramatically, and there are feeder creeks cutting the marshes on both the Maryland and Virginia sides of the river. During the warmer months of the year probing these, working the shorelines, and fishing weedbeds can produce spectacular striped bass, redfish, and speckled trout action.
Note that even in areas where the river is miles across, the Pocomoke is mostly very shallow. The main channel only runs 10’ or so and most of the time you’ll be in five or six feet of water. Where the river meets the Sound itself (off Long Point to the south and Oystershell Point to the north), depths begin to drop down and there are some sharp edges that hold flounder during seasons when they make their presence known in the Bay. And once you’re out this far all bets are off—encountering bluefish, black drum, and just about any other fish that cruises the Bay becomes a possibility.
TIP: If you have redfish in your sights don’t be afraid to creep deep into the cuts and creeks running out of the marshes, especially on a rising tide. Try tossing topwater early and late, and three- to four-inch soft plastics on light jigheads when the sun is higher in the sky. You’ll also find some holes in the bends of these creeks which have several feet more depth, which big specks will visit with surprising regularity.
Access: There’s a public ramp at Shelltown and at Rumbly on the Maryland side of the river. On the Virginia side there’s a ramp and a pier with some room to fish at Pitts Landing, and farther downriver, a ramp in Saxis.