Main Image: Kirk Widnsor leads the big perch contest with this 12 and one quarter.
July 22nd, 2020 - Hot and Dry Weather
It has been dry and it's been hot, turning our bay into a sea of hot, salty brine.
So, who likes these conditions?
In order: sea nettles (you have to go back to 1992 to find them this numerous), Norfolk spot (they are everywhere), speckled trout (huge run now and will increase until October), puppy drum (feeding heavily in the creeks), their big brothers bull redfish (they are frothing the water in the bay), Spanish mackerel (fodder for the bull reds) cobia, bluefish, and crabs (huge and plentiful).
Who doesn't like these conditions?
Rockfish (they seek the deep for the cool, and feed in the shallows in the early morning leaving before the sun gets too high), catfish (they have retreated up the rivers seeking fresh water), perch (they get finicky feeding in deeper areas at dusk and dawn, when they seek the shade).
There was a big break of bull reds this week with many caught by lure casters below the Target Ship. We hope this continues and can be an attainable goal for sight casters, chummers, and trollers, well into the fall.
Both Images: Bull redfish caught on the Rock Star by Capt. Luke.
Cobia can be found around schools of rays (skate) and by chunkers, chummers, and trollers. These fish can be tough to find on any given day.
Spanish mackerel and blues are now breaking into schools of bait fish as far north as Hooper's Island Light.
Last year they went all the way north to Baltimore Harbor, We can hope they do the same in 2020. Fresh water fishing is excellent. Bloodworms are in short supply.
Fishing tackle, rods, reels, line, bottom rigs, hooks, lures are sold out across the board most everywhere as manufacturing and shipping has been slowed by conditions beyond our control. Big shipments will be arriving to alleviate shortages soon.
Left Image: Capt. Luke on the Rockstar landed bull reds casting HHCB lures into breaking fish this week. Right Image: Eric Packard with big cat that took a chatterbait in the upper Patuxent.