Rockfish hot in Potomac; only two weeks left!

Excellent rockfish in the Potomac now.

The lower Potomac is flooded with rockfish. The pre-spawn run of big stripers from the ocean have begun to arrive and mingle with smaller domestic fish. Huge rockfish of 40 inches and better have been caught along with very healthy domestic fish in the 19-to-24-inch slot.  

Captain Greg is getting them two at the time between the number 5 buoy and Ragged Point on the Potomac.

Captain Greg Buckner on the Miss Susie fishing out of Point Lookout found an amazing number of 17-to-30-inch fish in the Potomac from the Number 5 buoy to Ragged Point. The rock light up the screen along with baitfish for miles up and down the river.

Big stripers from the ocean are mixing with smaller domestics.

Trolling is the favored technique now. However light tackle jiggers can succeed under hovering gulls when the fish are feeding on the surface.

Sonar pictures like this are lighting up screens in lower Potomac.

There are periods when the fish break, but the colder water has them close to the bottom now. Trollers are using 20 to 32 ounces of lead to get their lures as close to the bottom as possible.

Big pre spawn stripers are arriving daily.

The season ends on December 31st. There will be days when the wind will make it too rough and dangerous to fish, so watch the weather and take advantage of whatever good days you can.

We will be signing off of weekly reports until next spring.  

White perch will congregate in the deep holes in the Potomac and Patuxent throughout the winter.  Once you find them you can load up.

The catfish will be in the upper regions of the Potomac and Patuxent and will bite on cut bait on any day you can get out.  

Catch-and-release rockfish is available until the spring spawning restrictions kick in.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!