Fabulous October
Great reports of rockfish from the bay and the rivers.
Captain Bernie Shea is limiting out on beautiful rockfish trolling in lower Patuxent. There are plenty of oversize fish making the reel drags sing!
Great reports of rockfish from the bay and the rivers.
Garrett Kearney caught this fine striper on a pencil popper off a Patuxent beach.
The stripers are breaking in the main stem of the bay from Sharps Island south to Hooper Straights. The fish are on the surface at daybreak for about an hour. The sunset can bring them up, too. The rest of the day is productive, but instinct and side scan sonar are needed to find them. There are enough feeding fish that blind trolling will work. The fish can be jigged on light tackle. The fish range from 23 inches to 35 inches. Finding fish short enough to fit the slot can be difficult.
The hot lure.
There are consistent fish at Cedar Point on the rocks and in the rip. Troll, cast, jig, it all works.
Eric Packard found rockfish in Back Creek this week. Big fish were stacked up hitting a jig with electric chicken shad.
Both the Patuxent and Potomac have and abundance of rockfish. Reports from the Potomac have fish breaking at Dolly Parton and Ragged Point at dusk and dawn and biting all day on the edges of the oyster bars. The same goes for St. Clements Island and St George Island. There are fish scattered from the mouth of the St. Mary's River to Cornfield Harbor on the St. Mary's side and from Vero Beach to Lewisetta on the Virginia side. The Patuxent has scattered fish from Benedict to Cedar Point with Sheridan Point, Broome Island, Sea Breeze, St. Leonard's lump, Half Pone Point, and Sotterley all producing fish.
Ruben caught this 35 inch, 18 pound catfish in the upper Patuxent Saturday. Big cats are working their way down river as water cools.
This is the fall season that turns on the rockfish. This year the fish are very active and plentiful. Try and take advantage now. There may be a storm developing that would close out a week and cloud the waters for several days after. Go get them now while conditions are perfect.
Big perch are thick for bottom fishermen near Pasadena. The Miss Susie Charters are loading up after striper limits are reached. Fantastic fishing! Give Captain Greg a call.
Loch Weems found eager perch hitting his spinner baits this week near Broome Island in the Patuxent.
There have been some very good perch catches lately in the Patuxent. Jiggers seeking rockfish have caught big perch mixed with the rock in the Patuxent in many areas. Hawk's Nest and Captain's Point are some specific areas.