Early March Fishing
Blue catfish are in the Potomac and Patuxent hitting cut alewife from both the shore and from boats.
The warm weather and plentiful rain are the right conditions for catfish to extend their range to the mouths of the rivers and even onto the bay shores.
Roy Bradfield and his 44-pound blue catfish caught Thursday, Feb 22.
Commercial fisherman have found rockfish in their gill nets in the lower Potomac. Strict regulations on quantity and size are in place to protect breeding fish. Some surface activity has indicated feeding blitzes drawing birds in the lower Potomac. Alewife and shad are in the nets too.
Chris Beckett and his 16-pound blue catfish from the Greenwell State Park pier in the Patuxent. This was the largest of three hefty catfish caught Monday, March 4th on cut alewife.
Yellow perch are now in quantity on all familiar breeding grounds - Allen's Fresh, Wayson's Corner, Port Tobacco, Nanjemoy, Mason Springs, all have yellow perch. The white perch spawn will begin soon in all the same areas. Yellow perch love live minnows.