Fall Fishing Deep Creek Lake. As we shift into fall we see the lake transform into a wonderful and peaceful place where boat traffic is minimal and the weather is gorgeous. It is the time of the year that the leaves put on their yearly show and the fishing bite starts to heat up.
I was lucky enough to have my son pay us a visit for a week and we decided to maximize our time on the lake wetting a line. It has been many years since the last time we fished and we were optimistic that we would be successful in our venture. We started at Deep Creek Outfitters getting a few dozen minnows and nightcrawlers. The word on the street was that that fishing was sporadic but starting to kick in. Our plan was to wake up the following morning and to hit a spot that was recommended by a friend so we dropped our minnows into the water at the boat dock and set home to get a good night’s rest.
The alarm clock came early and was welcomed with excitement and optimism. The winds were down and the lake looked like a massive mirror reflecting the early hues of Fall. All of our minnows survived the night and the boat started without a hitch. The ride out was almost spiritual as our pontoon boat parted the beautiful lake glass. The temps were chilly but were forecasted to peak later in the day near the mid 70’s. Our “secret spot” was empty and we slowly motored down a couple hundred yards before our destination which was a grass bed near the shoreline that dropped off to around 8-12 feet of depth. We quietly set anchor and baited our minnows on our hooks and cast outside of the grass beds. We kicked back sipping coffee and enjoyed good conversation catching up on life. The lake was empty of traffic and the sound of acorns rained periodically around us. My son Peyton worked the edge of the grass beds and landed a nice Walleye to start the day which was very exciting. It was a hair shy of being of legal size to eat so we threw it back. I concentrated on working the drop off outside the grass bed and was rewarded with a couple smallmouths to start my day. It was a soothing roller coaster ride of stimulating ups and downs throughout the morning and we went through a few lake species deciding not to keep any.
The Deep Creek Lake Fall fishing experience itself was the star of the show and we promised that next trip we would concentrate on a fish fry. We caught walleye, yellow perch, smallmouth bass and a few pickerel to complete a successful fishing adventure. As we head in to call it a day there was a majestic red tail hawk that flew by us that was breathtaking.
On your next visit bring the family or a close friend and get out on the lake with a fishing pole and enjoy some quality down time on the lake. Downshift your busy mind and breathe deeply taking advantage of what a handful of visitors experience ever year. Wonderful Fall fishing.
