November 6, 2019 - Fall is Finally Here

The fish loved it and there was plenty of activity with perch in the creeks and a good remnant of spot in the creeks and rivers. All that changed with the front that came through dropping temperatures into the low forties and even getting some frost inland. Now we have normal November weather and the last of the spot are leaving fast and the perch are heading for the deep holes in the rivers.

There are still plenty of rockfish for all. The shallow water bite will be limited to sunrise and sunset with overcast days giving a longer window. I heard of keeper redfish this week on the bay shore creek mouths below Cedar Point. Sunny afternoons will enliven the surface bait chasers in the bay. The breakers on top tend to be very small, but some keepers can be caught with patience.

There were some hefty rockfish caught in the vicinity of the Solomons Bridge last Saturday by jiggers around the pilings at sunset. Trollers up the Potomac and Patuxent find keeper rock on the bottom. Those venturing across the bay to the Honga River and into Tangier sound and the creeks and thoroughfares find plenty of willing rockfish everyday, and they are just about all keepers.

There are a blue million speckled trout in the lower Potomac from the mouth of the St. Mary's River to Smith Point. These trout are all small, mostly about ten inches. The big rockfish love to eat the tiny trout, but there are so many easy targets for them that presenting lures can be frustrating.

The big news in fresh water is the crappie bite at St. Mary's Lake. The lake was described to me as being "on fire" this past weekend with big crappie in the 12 to 14 inch range taking live minnows readily.

Michele Cheldinck and Erick Fowler caught these in the Patuxent last Friday at sunset.