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Headquartered in Elkton, MD
Building confidence for beginners, families, and young anglers through simple knot tutorials, fish handling safety, essential tools, and authentic Upper Chesapeake maritime history.
Eliminates line tangles; focuses on basic thumb-release casting into calm ponds.
Teaches bail arm management, line control, and active lure retrieves for perch and bass.
Full-capability Mid-Atlantic outfit for stripers, snakeheads, largemouth, and catfish.
USCG PFDs for kids, polarized sunglasses, sunscreen & first-aid kit.
Braided line clippers, needle-nose pliers, lip gripper & small landing net.
Red/white bobbers, split-shot sinkers, #6 baitholder hooks & live worms.
State fishing license (ages 16+), tide chart printout & emergency phone.
Spincast: Closed-face push-button design ideal for young children (ages 4–8) learning casting mechanics.
Spinning: Open-spool design (like FAIRLEAD 3000) providing longer casts, higher drag control, and multi-species versatility for teens and adults.
The simplest and strongest knot for tying hooks, swimbait jigs, and lures to braided or fluorocarbon line.
Steps: Double 6 inches of line → pass loop through eye → tie loose overhand knot → pass loop over hook → wet line and pull tight.
The classic family rig for white perch and panfish on local Cecil County ponds.
Clip-on red/white foam bobber → 18 inches down attach split-shot weight → #6 baitholder hook loaded with live nightcrawler worm.
The most popular fishing knot in the world for tying monofilament or fluorocarbon leader to hooks, lures, and swivels.
Steps: Thread 6 inches of line through hook eye → wrap tag end around standing line 5–6 times → pass tag end through small loop near eye → pass tag through large loop created → wet and cinch down slowly. Trim tag end to 1/8 inch.
Keeps lures, jerkbaits, and soft plastics swinging freely on a fixed loop for maximum natural action. Better than a direct cinch tie for walking baits and swimbaits.
Steps: Make an overhand knot 8 inches from tag end (leave open) → run tag through lure eye → back through the overhand loop → wrap tag 3 times around standing line → back through overhand again → wet and pull both ends to tighten the overhand knot snug.
Target Species: Spot, Atlantic Croaker, White Perch, Summer Flounder.
Components: 30-inch 20lb Fluorocarbon leader, 2 dropper loops with #4-2 baitholder hooks, 1-2oz bank sinker at bottom.
Best Bait: Bloodworm pieces, fresh peeled shrimp, or squid strips.
Target Species: Channel Catfish, Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass.
Components: 1-2oz egg/bank sinker running free on mainline → plastic glass bead → barrel swivel → 24" 25lb leader → 3/0 Circle Hook.
Best Bait: Fresh cut gizzard shad, nightcrawlers, live minnows.
Target Species: Northern Snakehead & Tidal Largemouth.
Components: 1/4oz bullet weight on leader → 4/0 offset EWG hook → soft plastic craw/stickworm with hook point skin-pinned.
Best Habitat: Heavy lily pads, duck blind pilings, SAV grass beds.
Target Species: River Smallmouth Bass, Deep Yellow Perch.
Components: #1 octopus hook tied 18" above a 1/4oz tear-drop weight using Palomar knot with long tag end.
Best Bait: 3-inch finesse soft plastic worm or live minnow.
Target Species: Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Crappie, White Perch.
Components: Thread knot stop → bead → slip float → split-shot weight → #6 baitholder hook.
Best Bait: Live red worms, nightcrawler segments, waxworms.
Target Species: Northern Snakehead & Trophy Largemouth.
Components: 30-40lb braided line tied direct with Palomar knot to 1/2oz hollow-body weedless frog.
Best Habitat: Thick matted vegetation, algae scum, spatterdock fields.
Identifying your catch correctly is crucial for complying with state creel limits, minimum lengths, and harvest rules across Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and DC:
Striped bass feature 7-8 distinct dark horizontal stripes running to tail. White perch lack dark side stripes and have a steeper dorsal hump.
Northern Snakehead has a long anal fin (over 2/3 body length) and python-like head scales. Bowfin has a short anal fin and black spot near tail base.
Blue catfish have a straight anal fin margin (30-36 rays) and unspotted slate body. Channel catfish have a rounded anal fin (24-29 rays) and small dark spots.
Largemouth upper jaw extends past eye back edge with a horizontal stripe. Smallmouth upper jaw stops at eye center with vertical bronze barring.
Fish have a protective slime coat that shields them from bacteria and parasites. Always wet your hands before touching any fish to prevent removing this vital barrier.
Catfish: Watch sharp pectoral and dorsal spines.
Striped Bass & Perch: Smooth down sharp dorsal fins from nose to tail when holding.
Northern Snakehead: Use lip grippers to avoid razor-sharp teeth.
Feb – May
Jun – Aug
Sep – Nov
Dec – Feb
Keep fish out of water for no longer than you can hold your own breath (under 10 seconds). Have camera ready before unhooking.
If a fish swallows the hook deep into its throat, NEVER yank. Snip the leader line as close to the hook as possible. The hook will dissolve naturally.
Use long-nose pliers to crush hook barbs flat. Makes unhooking instant, reduces fish mouth trauma by 90%, and keeps kids safe from accidents.
Hold fish upright facing into the current or move gently in a figure-8 motion until it kicks strongly out of your wet hand.
Don't pull hard—pulling tightens knots permanently. Loosen reel drag, find the main loop, and gently pick it apart using pliers tips. If braid is hopelessly clumped, cut above the tangle and tie a fresh leader.
Set drag to roughly 25-30% of your mainline test strength (e.g., 5-6 lbs of resistance for 20lb braid). You should be able to pull line off the spool smoothly by hand with moderate firm pressure.
Lay fish flat on a wet bump board or measuring tape. Measure in a straight line from the closed snout tip to the pinched extreme end of the tail fin (Total Length).
Small bits of hot dog, canned kernel corn, bread ball paste, or small Gulp! synthetic maggots on a #6 hook are incredible natural substitutes for panfish and catfish.
Traditional sail-powered skipjacks harvested oysters across Upper Bay waters for over a century, defining the region's hard-working maritime identity.
Hand-dug canal connecting Delaware Bay to Chesapeake Bay, transforming Cecil County into a strategic midchannel shipping artery.
Spring migratory American shad runs drew thousands of local families to the Lower Susquehanna riverbanks every spring.
Perched at the tip of the Elk Neck peninsula, this 1831 lighthouse guided commercial vessels through the Elk River channel into the Upper Bay. Now a beloved kayak fishing landmark inside Elk Neck State Park.
Havre de Grace at the mouth of the Susquehanna River became the waterfowl decoy carving capital of the world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Havre de Grace Decoy Museum preserves this living tradition to this day.
Completed in 1928, the Conowingo Hydroelectric Dam on the Lower Susquehanna River is one of the largest run-of-river dams on the East Coast. Its fish ladder system allows American shad, hickory shad, and herring to migrate upstream during the spring run — a critical conservation effort for Upper Bay fishery health.
At peak, over 800 skipjacks worked the Chesapeake Bay oyster beds. Today fewer than 30 remain. Volunteer restoration programs — many headquartered in the Havre de Grace and St. Michaels waterfronts — keep these iconic wooden vessels sailing as a testament to the men and families who harvested the bay for generations. Three Buoys is proud to celebrate and document this heritage as part of our core brand identity.
Pack out what you pack in. Practice catch-and-release on spawning stripers. Wet your hands before handling fish. Dispose of old line properly. The Upper Chesapeake Bay watershed is a shared treasure — anglers are its best stewards.
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