Western run weaves through the farmlands of north central Maryland, lazily meandering through the small plots of trees that border the edges of corn fields and horse pastures. The banks are overrun with invasive Japanese knot weed, which is terrible in every way aside from the fact that they outcompete thorn bushes and are painless to walk through. At 9:30 am it was already 85° and very few clouds shielded me from the intense sun beating through the humid air. Birds are chirping and frogs are croaking over the subtle sounds of the occasional riffles that separate long sections of slow and wide water.
Staying still for long enough, you can see the entire food chain of fish unfurl in front of you. Minnows congregate in the shallow water, away from predators. Millions of creek chub occupy every part of the river, swarming my weighted may fly imitation nearly every cast. Occasionally a fall fish will eat it, which are fat and ugly but not as ugly as the chub. Downstream of me, in the slowest water, a chub explodes from the water and frantically dashes from bank to bank as it’s chased by the dark shadow of a small mouth bass. They both disappear into a log jam and the chub likely disappeared into that bass’s mouth. At the riffles in the head of this pool I hook another fish, through the murky water I could see its bright yellow and spotted brown trout body and after a short fight, I netted him. The brown trout here are gorgeous, small, and rarely seen unless they are on the end of your line.
- When did Knot Weed take over these river banks?
- When was the last time fish were stocked in this river?
- Which fish do smallmouth bass prefer to eat?
- When will the water be too warm to ethically fish for trout?
- How long until this river is too warm for trout to survive?
- Do trout impact the smallmouth bass population?
- How many people come to this area a week?
- How has this fallen tree stayed put for so many years while others have been rearranged by floods?
- How does knot weed impact bug life in and around the river?
- How can I help protect these fish?
- How can I reduce the impact of knot weed?
- What hole holds the biggest fish?
- Why do chub have warts?
- Why do chub burp when they are out of the water?
- Why is the water murkier than usual, even though we haven’t had rain in a while?
- Are there as many fish when the river flows into the more populated areas downstream?
- Do bass or trout travel more within the river?
- What did that chub do to get chosen as lunch by that bass?
- How many fish does a kingfisher eat in a day?
- What kind of fish do kingfishers prefer?
- Why do bass jump more than brown trout when you hook them?
- When do crayfish spawn?
- Where do crayfish spawn?
- How big of a brown trout can this river support?
- How big of a bass can this river support?
#1: When did Japanese Knot Weed take over the river banks?
Japanese Knot Weed was brought to the US in the 1800s. Like many exotic plants it was used for ornamental purposes. Its tall and dense profile along with its rapid growth was useful for creating privacy barriers. It is native to Japan, China, Korea, and Taiwan. It is currently thought to be the most invasive species on earth and can be found on every continent besides Antarctica.
Source: “Invasive Plant Profile: Japanese Knotweed” 2020. National Parks Service.
While I know this river very well, most of my visits are spent wandering up and downstream. By standing still and observing the same area for a long time, I was able to witness things that I don’t usually notice when I’m constantly moving. At times the river can seem void of fish, I always blamed the time of year or weather for this but now I think that I may just be so focused on finding the fish that I end up leaving before I they reveal themselves. My next visit, I would like to go to another spot upstream and wait to see any small mouth bass activity.