Well dam… this month’s location is sorta fishy. Get it? Cause we’re going to the Conowingo Dam. This Exelon owned power generating dam is on the Susquehanna River about 5 miles south of the MD/PA border. At the base of the dam is Fisherman’s Park, one of the best places in Maryland to see Great Blue Herons and Bald Eagles. It is also a dam good place to fish, hence the name Fisherman’s Park.
I promise that’s the last pun in here.
Fisherman’s Park is on the southwest side of the Susquehanna. This area is home to approximately 200+ different species of birds and a whole bunch of different types of fish. Anglers wade into the water off the gravel at the end of the wharf to fish for bass, shad, walleye, catfish and more. Fish tend to gather at the base to take the fish lift, which allows them to get upstream past the dam, this makes casting lines here very productive.
Keep in mind you do need a fishing license to fish here. The Game Wardens come by quite often to check that everyone has a license. You know what you don’t need a license for here? Photography and bird watching.
I love coming here to take pictures of Eagles. Yeah, there are other plenty of other species here, but this is THE BEST PLACE to get Bald Eagle photos. The best time for seeing them is October to March with a peak in November. So, make a plan this month to go take a look and see them for yourself. It is pretty much the same schedule with the Great Blue Herons that visit here. They like to show up during the cold winter months.
The entire area is mostly a paved parking lot with a 160-foot wharf at the dam end. At the other end is the Wildflower Trail which will connect you to Susquehanna State Park after a couple of miles. This trail is an old rail trail so it is flat and mostly gravel with just the right amount of water views. It is an easy and fun hike, provided you bring some bug spray.
Since the Susquehanna River is about 2,700 feet wide here, combining it with the dam on the north, makes this a bit of a wind tunnel. Make sure to wear a nice windbreaker if you’re down here in the late fall or winter. No need to bring boots, sneakers will be fine.