Fabulous Fishing for All

The bay and rivers are exploding with all manner of summer species. 

Carla and Nicole got into breaking bull reds and landed these two on light spinning gear using light tackle casting jigs.

We have Spanish mackerel, bluefish, cobia, bull reds, spot, croaker, white perch, cutlass fish, and rockfish (not in season now). 

The mackerel run is the best I can ever remember. The ship's channel is full of them from Chesapeake Beach to the Bay Bridge Tunnel. The southern regions are the best. Trollers using planers or in-line sinkers and shiny spoons can fill their coolers. Popular spoons brands are Clark, Drone, Hard Head Custom, and Captain John's. The Captain John's Spoonbrella rig is particularly deadly for all species. Some are now approaching the jumping fish and casting a spoon and landing them with spinning gear. 

Big blues below Hooper's Island Light Sunday afternoon. Approximately 50 boats working in huge school all hooked up. 

Bluefish in the three-to-eight pound range were up and breaking just below Hooper's Island Light near the oyster sanctuary on Saturday afternoon. One troller in the mix shared that she saw about 50 (she counted) boats all hooked up to hefty blues as far as she could see in all directions. That party left them breaking with no more room in their coolers. There are a surprising number of cobia in the 33-to-36 inch range mixed with these blues hitting the surgical eel lures that most are using to fish. These are the 43" plus legal size fish that will return next season. 

Cobia in the 34 to 37 inch range are unusually plentiful in the bay from the Target Ship to Smith Point and are taking trolled surgical eel lures intended for bluefish. 

Chummers using live eels and cut bait are finding legal-sized fish below the Target Ship, but it is hit or miss. The reward of a big fish is worth the effort for many. The legal-size cobia is 40 inches in Virginia. Why does Maryland set a higher bar when the mouth of the bay is infested this delicious and big game fish?

Cutlass fish are concentrated around Solomon's Island. They like shiny spoons. 

Spot are still the mainstay for bottom fishermen. The Patuxent is loaded. The creeks off the river have tiny spot for the kids to enjoy using Sabika rigs and bits of bloodworm. Any sandy bottom will bring instant strikes. Big spot in the eight-to-ten inch range can be caught at will in the deeper water. The Potomac has spot also and the best hardhead (croaker) near Ragged Point and St. George Island. Tiny trout and juvenile black drum are in the mix. Those striped little guys that look like sheephead are the drum and are undersized (16 inch minimum). 

Billy and John show off one of several bull reds caught in the Triangle. 

There is a change in the red drum regulations. You may now keep three per day in an 18-to-26-inch slot. There are puppy drum in the creeks and rivers mixed with white perch, but most are 12 to 15 inches, below the legal size. The bull reds in the bay are well over the legal limit, so Maryland regs shut us out of the fish we catch of this species. But Maryland has to comply with the all-knowing Atlantic Fisheries.

Josh Prucha found rare silver perch biting in St. Inigoes Creek. 

White perch are not at normal levels. There are fish out there but it can be a chore to find them on a good day. The past years of perch being everywhere all the time and the only task was to find some big enough to make a meal have passed. Those times will return; mother nature will heal itself. But we are all seeking answers for the gradual decline. A species of silver perch with which I am not acquainted has now shown up. My research indicates this is a freshwater fish. Anybody out there have information? 

Eric Packard was seeking redfish and trout at Piney Point Friday and caught blues and rockfish in abundance. Rockfish season comes back in the Potomac August 21. Maryland Fall season returns September 1st.

Striped Bass (Rockfish) come back into season next Friday the 21st in the Potomac.  The Maryland season does not return until September first. One stellar fisherman in the Piney Point area ventured out last week casing lures seeking trout and redfish but only landed multiple bluefish and rockfish. There has been very little bycatch of rockfish in the bay while targeting other species since the season went out. The rockfish seem to be in the shallows. 

Nicole with breaking redfish in background.

Blue catfish are up the Potomac and Patuxent, eager to bite. 

Crappie at St. Mary's Lake are plentiful and eager. 

Fresh water fishing is excellent. St. Mary's Lake is loaded with crappie, bass, pickerel, yellow perch, bluegill, and an occasional white perch. 

Juvenile black drum now biting locally. These are not sheepshead and must be 16 inches to keep. 

All you gotta do is GO FISHING. 

The views expressed in this Fishing Report are those of Ken Lamb and do not necessarily represent the views of Visit St. Mary's MD, its employees or board of directors. This report is for informational purposes only and details on MD fishing regulations can be found in the Maryland Guide to Fishing and Crabbing.