October 30, 2019 - Eager Fish

Rockfish are active in the bay and rivers as the fall temperatures have invigorated our domestic stripers.

The stripers are in the bay breaking on occasion attracting birds, but most anglers are finding them on their fish finders and jigging both metal and bucktail jigs. The undersized fish are on the surface, the big fish are on the bottom under the top water thrashers.

Shore fishermen prowling the rocks and beaches around Cedar Point are finding eager stripers taking bucktails, sassy shads, swimming plugs, and Hard Head Custom Baits popper rigs.

There are great catches of rockfish made by lure casters working structure all around the mouth of the Patuxent, the Potomac, and creek entrances.

Shallow water trollers and lure casters can catch rockfish all up and down the Patuxent and Potomac.

Speckled trout are schooled up in the Potomac in fifty feet of water near the mouth of the St. Mary's River. The trout will take metal jigs with shiny green, and chartruse being popular colors. White bucktails with sparkly green curly tail grubs are excellent. There are plenty of stripers in the mix, mostly undersized, but a hefty 28 incher can show up anytime. There are trout just north of the Targets below Cedar Point.

A big red drum near 50 pounds was caught at buoy 72 this week. The big red represents the last of these big fish that are leaving for the Atlantic to spend the winter off Cape Hatteras.

My forecast of declining perch activity last week was blown out of the water as tide levels returned to normal and the perch were plentiful and hungry. The perch in the photo this week I caught Friday afternoon and evening; the closer the sunset the better the bite.

Fresh water fishing is excellent for bass, bluegill and crappie.

Ed Baker and David Correll with rockfish from the Patuxent.

Intrepid fisherman Erick Fowler landed this 28 inch rockfish in the St. Mary's River last Monday.

Joe Tippett caught this fine rockfish in the mouth of the Potomac.

Ken Lamb still caticng perch in the creeks on Beetle Spins.

Michael Proctor with an 11 and a half inch perch from the bay shore Spring Ridge.