Approximate Boundary:
38.139561,-75.438847 to 38.139999,-75.439695 (less than 1 acre)
Need a break from the beach?
Shad Landing State Park, along with its neighbors Milburn Landing State Park and the Pocomoke River State Forest, borders the convoluted, lazily flowing Pocomoke River. Shad Landing Pond is a sideshow compared with the superior fishing available in the river. The lake is inconsequentially small, with less than 900 trout planted in the typical Spring season—a trivial number in the grand stocking scheme of things.
If you have a canoe, kayak or a “real boat,” you would not pay the pond a second thought as you plop your craft into the water in your eagerness to attack the vibrant population of largemouth bass hunkered in the still and quiet backwaters. Since the cool months of the Spring and the Fall, overlapping exactly on top of the trout season, are the best times to pursue Pocomoke bass, it is not surprising that the pond may be a second choice. Paddle 500 feet north from the boat launch to enter the Pocomoke River complex. Fishing in the Pocomoke River requires a tidal license, while the pond demands a freshwater permit.
While tiny, the pond features the standard easy accessibility that anglers expect in Maryland. The bank is gentle and rolls easily down to the shoreline, where the bottom drops off quickly to an uncertain depth. Three small fishing piers enable disabled anglers and children to fish without dodging the small amount of vegetation that grows along the bank. Clusters of large trees break up the monotony created by the wide, sandy path that facilitates movement. After the season warms up, grass grows with abandon to the edge of the mowed section.
Getting There:
From US 13 on the east side of Salisbury, take MD 12 S/Snow Hill Road. Turn right onto US 113 Business/W Market Street. Turn right to enter the park and follow the road to the right to reach the boat launch and pond. There are no directional signs for the boat launch near the entrance.
Access Point: Parking lot to the west of the pond (38.140472,-75.439814)
Secrets Revealed? No. This is a very public location that is documented on the Maryland DNR stocking plan.
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Pond looking south
Access pier
Boat launch complex
Pocomoke backwater near launch
Unless stated otherwise, this article was authored by Steve Moore