Pines on the Severn Living Shoreline

Type: Tidal
Region: Central
Location: Severn River

Ethan Zlokovitz (pictured) and I got a good look at constructed shoreline structure and fish habitat along the Pines on Severn/Chase Creek living shoreline on Saturday (Feb 16) during the blowout tides from strong northerly winds. The combination of wood, rock , dock pilings, shady boat docks, and planted grass cover produced steady white perch fishing from May-November last year, with some promising numbers of 1-3? year old stripers, small croaker, spot and spotted sea trout in late summer, along with some late fall pickerel action and a thriving osprey nest. It is good to see this life just a few years after completion of construction. severnaparkvoice.com/stories/living-shoreline-replaces-creekside-bulkhead-in-pines-on-the-severn

I�m looking forward to more Chesapeake fish habitat construction in the future, including the completion of Poplar Island, and two new proposed island/shoreline enhancements in the main stem Chesapeake Bay (James and Barren Is) with beneficial re-use of dredged sediments, in combination with rock placement and marsh plantings.

On the winter fishing front, our last two trips casting small jigs and Mr. Twister plastics did not produce any yellow perch or pickerel. It seems like we need to try spinners, or some live minnows and/or grass shrimp tipped on small jigs, shad darts, or under a bobber to trigger pickerel bites or a stray yellow perch on the next few weeks with the cold, clear water and limited feeding activity.