March 26, 2019 - This Week

The Patuxent opened for rockfish last Saturday and trollers found the fish in good numbers and size.

The temperatures have remained below average this early spring and the fish have been lethargic, except on 60 degree days when they go a little crazy. I have reports of catches of big numbers of all species on sunny afternoons when the sun heats things up, and the winds are calm.

Catfish are everywhere in the Potomac above Piney Point in the river and creeks. The love hunks of cut alewife.

There were some good reports of yellow perch at Allen's Fresh and there were many who got skunked. The wind, tide and cold made the run imperfect from fishermen, but the roe in the water was very evident, so the fish spawned. Maybe they did it under cover of night.

The white perch are now in spawning mode, and the buck perch are plentiful. They usually come in after the females, so the run may be ending.

Rockfish in the six to eight pound size are in the lower Potomac according to pound netters, Rumors of 40 inch fish from the ocean showing up in nets in the Smith Point region were heard this week.