Fishing at Hampshire Lake, Charles County, Maryland

• Overview

  Set in Charles County, Maryland, this is Hampshire Lake. Salt water lies 5.9 miles off. Surface area runs to about 11 acres — small enough to read in one session. 1.1 miles away sits Waldorf, the nearest town. Saint Charles is 1.7 miles and St. Charles 2.1 miles. A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules.

• Where to Fish on Hampshire Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. Records held for Charles County cover blue catfish, blueback herring, alewife and largemouth bass. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Take Hampshire Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 34°F in January and 77°F in July. Ice comes and goes from one year to the next. Hard water here is never dependable, so check for yourself before stepping out. February into May fishes hardest as the water warms. It holds true on Hampshire Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. The nearest mapped parking is half a mile away, so the last stretch is on foot. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. For a change of water, Dorchester Lake is 1.1 miles distant. Check the position on Hampshire Lake before loading the car.