1 lb, 11 oz., 14-3/4 inches, by Harold Talbott, 2000

The black crappie is considered an excellent game fish when taken on light tackle. Extreme care must be taken in landing these fish because their mouths are very tender. Anglers specializing in catching black crappie know that to be successful the bait must be kept constantly moving. The best baits are small minnows, small maribou-covered jigs, plastic minnows, or small streamer flies cast along the outer edges of weed beds. The crappie lies in weed beds in deep water during the day and bite best in early morning or toward evening. In summer, with the abundance of small fish for feed, they are more difficult to catch. Small minnows are used as bait in winter.

3 lb. 7 oz. by Sarah Brenneman 8/9/1998

Most bluegills are a half-pound or less, but their maximum weight is over 4 pounds. For many, they are considered "throw backs." Crickets are the most effective bait, but the basic worm and hook is also very effective. Bluegill will also bite smaller jigs.

12 lbs. 14 oz by Raymond Ferstermann on 05/21/2000

Many anglers enjoy fishing for brown trout because they are relatively wary and a challenge to catch. They grow up to two pounds in streams, and up to ten pounds in Deep Creek Lake.

Carp can grow extremely large in Deep Creek Lake. Adults weigh up to 50 pounds or more. They will feed from the surface generally during warmer months, which means that the type of bait used must float. The most popular bait and probably one of the best is bread.

3 lb, 11 oz., 26-1/4 inches, by Dan Murray, 2000

Chain pickerel are aggressive fighters once hooked, thus making them an exciting catch. They respond well to light tackle and to lures that float near or on the surface of the water. These include spinner baits, weedless spoons, plugs, crankbaits and jigs. Minnows are an excellent choice of live bait, because they are a mainstay of the chain pickerel’s diet.

5 lb, 5 oz., 21-1/2 inches, by Ivan Brewer, 2000

They use rocks, weeds, logs, grass, and ledges to protect themselves from predators and to ambush food items that pass by. Although you might catch the occasional largemouth bass out in the open, you will catch many more if you focus on these types of areas.

24 lb. 12 oz. by Shawn Jacobsen on 10/16/1999

During the summer huge pike roam the outer edges of the weeds, picking off perch and other prey. Fish around the weeds and over them with top-water lures, crankbaits, spoons and spinnerbaits. Jerkbaits, too, will draw big fish out of pockets in the weeds. As the water warms up, they will move into deeper water. Trolling with deep-running crankbaits with an eagle eye on the depth finder will be the most productive method of finding them.

3 lb, 21 inches, by Cobenn Bolden, 2000

Rainbow trout eat mainly insects, plankton, crustaceans, fish eggs, and small fish. But rainbows consume far fewer fish than brown trout. Their habit of eating adult insects on the surface makes dry-fly fishing particularly effective.

Although they prefer snails, redear sunfish are caught most often on earthworms around the full moons of March and April when their spawning activity peaks. Redear prefer hard bottom, congregating in deeper water than bluegill.

Rock bass can be fished with similar gear and techniques as the smallmouth bass.

3 lb., 9 oz., 19-7/8 inches, by Ernest Pisarcik, 2000

Smallmouth bass can be caught on a variety of artificial lures such as spinner baits, jig and plastic grub combinations, crankbaits, and plastic worms. Many areas of Deep Creek Lake tend to be cloudy, so lures that are easily seen should be selected. Live bait such as crayfish, earthworms, minnows, and insect larvae are often very productive.

8 lb, 5 oz., 28 inches by James Lloyd, 2000

Having a preference for live baits, walleye will strike minnows, earthworms, and leeches. Fishing crankbaits and deep-running plugs in deep er areas is an effective summer strategy. Because walleye are active at night, try baits that reflect the available light and produce some sound. Spring fishing strategies should include fishing bridge abutments and rock piles that are walleye and sauger magnets. Jigs and minnow combinations can also be trolled in large pool areas with bridge abutments.

A variety of baits may be used to catch Yellow Bull Heads, but worms are usually the best. They rarely exceed 4 pounds.

2 lb. 6.75 oz. by Kevin Gladhill on 3/1/2003

Perch are found mostly in deeper water during much of the year, and as a result they are difficult to locate without a boat. Perch fishing does not require an extensive nor expensive array of fishing tackle or gear. Small lures are best because perch have relatively small mouths and show little interest in a lure that is too large. Two effective and popular year-round live baits are small minnows and insect larvae.