Fishing the Monocacy River

Introduction

Conservation

Things you can do to help "conserve the resource" and "maintain the fishery".

Monocacy Farm Stewardship Project - How concerned are you about "The Fishery"?

As a member (although not as active as I wish I could be) of the Upper Potomac River Trib Team I get some letters like this quite frequently. I figured I'd start to pass this stuff on and then we'll see how many of the folks that are truly concerned about conserving "the resource" and "the fishery" volunteer and show up. Unfortunately, I'll be out of town that weekend and I can't be there, but please drop me an email and let me know if you are able to sign up. See contact info below:

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!!

Saturday, October 7
9 am – 1 pm
Monocacy Farm Stewardship Project
Stream Buffer Restoration
Glade Creek -Walkersville, MD

We need your help! Glade Creek is a groundwater-driven limestone stream, but it also has been listed in the “top ten” most polluted streams in Maryland. Volunteers will help restore 7,000’ of streambank on a large dairy farm by planting 1,200 native trees and shrubs in an area where the cows have been fenced out of the stream. Equipment, refreshments and tools provided. Project funders include: Chesapeake Bay Trust, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the US Fish and Wildlife Service Partners Program. Project partners include: Natural Resource Conservation Service, Frederick County Department of Planning, MD-DNR Forest Service, Hood College, Thorpewood, New Forest Society, Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Monocacy and Catoctin Watershed Alliance. For more information and directions, contact Marcy Damon at 443-482-2156 or email mdamon@cbf.org.

Marcy Damon
Grassroots Restoration Coordinator
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
6 Herndon Avenue
Annapolis, MD 21403
443-482-2156

Float Trips

This chapter will describe the various float trips that are available on the Monocacy River.
The following is a list of "potential floats" on the Monocacy based on my Gazetteer map of Maryland. The hope is that we can complete and generate, at least, some minimal documenation on each of these floats sometime in 2004. These are listed in order from the mouth, located at the Potomac, all the way up to the Pennsylvania line.
1. Route 28 to Mouth of Monocacy (*)
2. Park Mills Road to Route 28
3. Cris Ford Road to Park Mills Road (*)
4. Michaels Mill Road to Cris Ford Road (*)
5. Route 355 to Michaels Mill Road
6. Pinecliff Park to Route 355 (*)
7. Gas House Pike to Pinecliff Park
8. Route 26 to Gas House Pike
9. Biggs Ford Road to Route 26
10. Devilbiss Bridge Road to Biggs Ford Road (*)
11. Links Bridge Road to Devilbiss Bridge Road (*)
12. Route 550 (Creagerstown) to Links Bridge Road (*)
13. LeGore Bridge Road to Route 550 (Creagerstown) (*)
14. Route 77 (Rocky Ridge) to Legore Bridge Road (*)
15. Mumma Ford Road to Route 77 (Rocky Ridge) (*)
16. Sixes Bridge Road to Mumma Ford Road (*)
17. Keysville Road to Sixes Bridge Road (*)
18. Route 140 (Bridgeport) to Keysville Road
19. Bullfrog Road to Route 140 (Bridgeport)
20. Shoemaker Road to Bullfrog Road
21. Harney Road to Shoemaker Road
(*) = Floats actually completed by someone known to MDfishing.org

Bridgeport Monocacy

Yesterday I did a wade trip up at Rt 140. THe water was to low to yak. I went around a mile south and north of the bridge and landed only two fish. One smallie and one greenie. One thing I could not get over was how many crawdads were in the river up there. It looked like every rock had a crawldad under it, some were to big to get under the softball size rocks. I enjoyed the time alone on the river but I will need more water to be able to float this section. I will have a picture posted of the river up that way. I got on the river around two pm off by 630 and it was hot as all get out, that might be reason for the low fish catch numbers. Lords know there is plenty of food supply there for the smallies to eat.

Phil

Devilbiss Bridge to Biggs Ford Road

This is a relatively easy float with some decent fishing along the way. The put in can, depending on when you leave/return, require carrying your gear a small distance. The take out will require you to carry your gear a moderate distance. It is common to encounter others at the put in and take out but along the way you'll, most likely, be all alone with the river and the fish. This is a good evening float when you have about 4 hours of daylight on your side. Read more for further details on this float...
The put in for this trip is at Devilbiss Bridge located on Devilbiss Bridge Road. There are a couple of things to note about the gated lot under the bridge:

1. There is a nice, but gated, parking area under the bridge where you can park your drop off vehicle.
2. The lot will hold about 15 cars comfortably.
3. Take notice of the hours that the gate will be open.
4. If there is any risk that you cannot return to the launch area prior to the gate closure plan on leaving your vehicle there overnight.
If your trip does not allow you to leave your drop off vehicle in the parking lot then park your vehicle up on Devilbiss Bridge Road. DO NOT leave your vehicle on the access road to the parking lot. That is private property (posted) and you WILL be towed.

The actual float is about three miles long that starts with a nice quarter mile section right at the put in. The middle section of this run escapes my memory at the moment. I will revisit this to complete this float description. The final section leaves you with a choice of going to the right or to the left of a fairly large island for the Monocacy. I haven't found either side to be better than the other so I would reccommend going with your gut feeling. The last hundred yards up to the take out is some nice deep water.

The easy take out is on the left hand side before the bridge. If the water isn't too high it is worth going through and under the bridge on the right hand side to fish the very nice eddies just beyond the bridge. Once you are done you'll have to carry your gear a good 200 yards up a slight grade to get back to your vehicle.

The vehicle parking at the Biggs Ford Bridge isn't much. If you come in from Route 15 it will be on the right hand side just after the bridge. There is a large swing gate that blocks the access road to the river itself. I reccommend parking near the gate but do not block it. While I have never seen the gate open, I'm sure that the day I park in front of it will be the day someone needs to open it and my truck will be towed out of the way.

Overall, this is a nice casual trip which probably explains why I like this as a weekday evening float. You are not going to catch a ton of fish through this stretch but the scenery through this section is a quite enjoyable distraction after an aggravating day at work.


Summary Information
Mileage	Skill Level	Safe Gauge	Overall Quality (1-10)
3 Miles	Beginner+	unknown	6

Gas House Pike to Pinecliff Park

While we have never taken this float we are planning to do so real soon. I updated the mileage based on a route I built in OziExplorer. More details to come.


Summary Information
Mileage	Skill Level	Safe Gauge	Overall Quality (1-10)
4.5 Miles	unkown	unknown	unknown

Keysville Road to Mummasford

Under Construction
------------------


The first thing that must be addressed before considering this float is where you are going to park. Most areas on the monoc have public launch access and ample parking, but Keysville road isn't one of them. Your best bet is to have someone drop you off rather then risk getting yourself towed (or something worse).

Summary Information
Mileage	Skill Level	Safe Gauge	Overall Quality (1-10)
6 Miles	Beginner+	~3 At both Monoc gauges is ideal flow	3

Mumma Ford to Route 77 Bridge

The put in,
The parking leaves a lot to be desired here. On the west bank there is enough parking for maybe three vehicles. Be sure not to leave any part of your vehicle sticking out in the road. Many farm tractors go through here and could clip your car and do some real damage. This is private property be respectful. Once you unload your gear you have a short drag to the river bank, be careful it is steep. As you look down the bank you will see a small island if the water is up, do not try to launch here (gets to narrow as you near the main flow) wade through here and cross the island to put in on a nice gravel beach.

The take out,
Park on the west side of the bridge, the shoulder is wide enough to be well of the road. I have seen as many as eight vehicles parked here. Once you park and unload your gear you have about an 80 yard carry to the river. There is a well worn trail with a gate across it. Do not try to go around the gate and drive to the river, you will be fined and towed. If I see you I will call the sheriff myself, again be respectful.

The first thing I want to tell you about is a Hazard. There is a three foot dam about half way through this float. You know it’s coming up because you will see cabins on river left from a fishing/hunting club. I always portage on river left. The portage is about ten feet if you pull on the concrete slab right next to the dam. At high flow you may not want to get that close to the damn. All the times I have floated this except once there has not been enough water spilling over the dam to run. The one time there was enough water spilling it was creating a big hydraulic. At no time do I recommend you run this dam.

The Float,
This is a pretty part of the river, some nice cliffs and wildlife. I have seen deer, minks, ducks, geese, birds of prey and wild turkeys among others on this float. You have several cliffs areas before the dam that you should fish hard. The flat water behind the damn does give up some smallies but mostly greenies. Once you portage the dam and launch in the pool below it, the river is channeled for about 50 yards, you need to do some turning in here but it is not what I would call a hazard. From here to the RR Bridge the water is shallow with grass beds and some rock structure. After the bridge you enter a long lazy pool. Fish this pool. As you near the end of the pool Big Pipe Creek will join the Monocacy from river left. The flow from Big Pipe Creek is stronger then the Monocacy, forcing the river to make a hard right. This is what I would call the only class rated rapid on this float. It’s a easy one at a class I + depending on water levels. This drop runs about 120 yards including the turns. You will have to make turns in the rapid to avoid some rocks or bottoming out. River right is the best run but try to stay out from under the trees, they will snag a fishing rod. The eddys do hold fish on this drop. As you near the end of the drop you will come up on the take out, pass under the Rt77 bridge and exit on river left about 50 yards down steam from the bridge.


Summary Information
Mileage	Skill Level	Safe Gauge	Overall Quality (1-10)
2.2 Miles	Beginner+	< 5	No Data

Pinecliff Park to the 355 Bridge

This is a relatively easy float with good water depth along the way. The put in is at the boat ramp located in Pinecliff Park. The take out is at the Route 355 Bridge over the Monocacy. The take out is tricky. There is a steep hill in which you must carry all of your gear (including the boat) up. I would not reccommend this location as a put-in or take-out for anything but wading or kayaking. Dragging a canoe up the hill would be quite a chore. We just recently floated this section (Feb. 29, 2004) for the first time. Read more to find out what we saw on this float...

We fished this stretch very early in the season so it was more of a scouting trip than anything else. The water depth through here is good. This float would be a good decision during any low water conditions on the Monocacy. There are some steep banks along the way that look very promising. The only real fast water is located just before the take out at the railroad bridge. We ran the far left side and looped back into the eddies behind the bridge. At only 2 miles this is something that can be done before church on Sunday or 2 hours before sunset. The area at the railroad bridge would make a nice evening wade as it is only a couple of hundred yards above the 355 bridge.

Plans are to return to this area a couple of times throughout the season to see if it is holding any fish.


Summary Information
Mileage	Skill Level	Safe Gauge	Overall Quality (1-10)
2 Miles	Beginner	< 5 Feet	unknown

Route 28 to Mouth of Monocacy

This is a relatively easy float with below average fishing along the way. The put in is a small parking lot under the Route 28 Monocacy Bridge. The take out is at the Mouth of Monocacy boat ramp which is used primarily for access to the Potomac down this far. This is a fairly short float so it can be accomplished with only a couple of hours of daylight or you can be home before the wife and kids finish their morning cereal. Read more for further details on this float...

The put in for this trip is at the Route 28 Bridge over the Monocacy River. If you are driving east then you will cross over the bridge and make an immediate left into the parking lot. The lot has enough room for about ten cars the park. To launch you will need to carry your gear about 20 yards down to the river. This is another float where the beginning and the end offer the best fishing. The put in has some nice moving water with a rocky bottom. The end of the float has a railroad bridge that offers some decent structure and fishing opportunities. The water in between is fairly unexciting. You can catch fish through the middle stretch but you're going to have to work for them.

The take out for this float is a concrete boat ramp at the Mouth of Monocacy park(?). The ramp is heavily used by power boaters so you may have to wait your turn to take out. Remember to clear the ramp as quickly as possible if others are waiting to put in or take out.

A trip down river from the take out of this float may be a better choice. Look for a Mouth of Monocacy to Dickerson write up in the Potomac Book sometime later this year.


Summary Information
Mileage	Skill Level	Safe Gauge	Overall Quality (1-10)
1.75 Miles	Beginner	< 5 Feet	4

Walmart to Pinecliff

My buddy and I dropped my canoe in at the boat ramp and made the trip down to Pinecliff Park last night. According to my GPS the total distance paddled was 6.85 miles and it took us 4 hours of moving time. But we stopped for 4 hours and 33 minutes so we were in the river at 9:00 at night. This is the first time that I've had the pleasure to catch the late bite on Monocacy and I'm going to have to strongly reconsider my usual practice of arriving at dawn. I don't have a number to give you guys on the amount of fish boated but it was nonstop topwater action from around 6:30-8:30. I've only been on a couple of sections of the river before on my canoe but I would love for someone to tell me if there are better sections than this one. After you get about a mile down the river, it is just rock walls and boulders for long stretches on the banks. By far the best section that I remember seeing, I'm so glad that they put a boat ramp in that section! I used to wade that section downriver but could only get as far as the first rock cliff before I was forced to turn back because of it being too deep and would dream about fishing that cliff section. Oh and to top it all off, from the time we started about 1:00 pm to when we left around 9:30 we saw: One wading fisherma and two groups of bank fisherman. Nothing better than having a whole river to yourself on a Sunday evening

Maps

This chapter contains the USGS map images (or portions) of the Monocacy River flow.

Creagerstown Park to Links Bridge

Route map of the trip from Creagerstown Park to Links Bridge (3 miles).

Gas House Pike to Pinecliff

Route map of the trip from Gas House Pike to Pinecliff Park (4.5 miles).

LeGore Bridge to Creagerstown Park

Route map of the trip from LeGore Bridge to Creagerstown Park (3 miles).

Michael's Mill to Lily Pons

Route map of the trip from Michael's Mill to Lily Pons (3.6 miles).

Miller's Bridge to LeGore Bridge

Route map of the trip from Miller's Bridge to LeGore Bridge (3.25 miles).

Mumma Ford to Miller's Bridge

Route map of the trip from Mumma Ford to Miller's Bridge (2.2 miles).

Pinecliff to 355 Bridge

Route map of the trip from Pinecliff Park to the Route 355 Bridge (2 miles).

Soft plastics and top water are the key!

I have lived along the Monocacy River all my life. I have had alot of experience fishing this great body of water. Clearly the the most effective way to fish this river thouroughly is either wading or from a john boat. This is because the Monocacy lined with trees in most areas, making bank fishing difficult. Wading is good because the river is relatively shallow and you can really tell what kind of river floor you are fishing, not to mention you also keep cool. Boat fishing is good because you can cover more water quicker. The only problem with boating on the Monocacy is the water depth and bolders while using and outboard. I mostly fish the Monocacy at Micheal's Mill and down along Monocacy Bottom Rd. The spring smallmouth fishing at either place is phenominal. I usually stick to using soft plastics in the spring. I have found that the best plastics to use in the river during clear water conditions is a texas rigged pumpkinseed tube about 3" in length. I have also had alot of luck on 4" twirl tail worms in a blue, green flake, and also red with green flake colors. I mix up my technique for retrieving the lures. When the water is very warm or very cold I use a slower retrieve because the fish seem to be more lathargic, so working the rig slower keeps it in the strike zone longer. When the water is in between warm and cold usually in the spring and fall, I will retrieve it faster due to the fish's upbeat activity. But if one technique isn't working try another, you don't want the fish to get used to seeing the same movement all the time. Another lure that really makes you heart thump is a scaled down buzzbait. I seem to have alot better luck with a darker color buzzbait rather than light. I also have caught more fish on this in the late evening than any other time. I don't do anything fancy, I just bring it right by stumps, bolders, logs, and any other surface structures I can find. The fish in the Monocacy are extremely structure oriented.

USGS Gauges on the Monocacy

There are only two gauges on the Monocacy River:

1. USGS 01639000 MONOCACY RIVER AT BRIDGEPORT, MD

2. USGS 01643000 MONOCACY RIVER AT JUG BRIDGE NEAR FREDERICK, MD
NOAA advises that if the gauge at Jug Bridge is 5.0 feet or more then the river is at a hazardous level for recreational use.