ROCKTOBER
The big storm of October 5 thru 7 seems to have chased the big bluefish out of our portion of the Bay.
Captain Greg is live lining spot and loading up on stripers!
The big storm of October 5 thru 7 seems to have chased the big bluefish out of our portion of the Bay. The cool, windy rain event turned on the stripers appetites everywhere. The Patuxent and Potomac have very active slot fish and oversized fish.
Captain Bernie Shea with a limit of rockfish, Saturday. Got these and many oversize stripers by 10:30 AM.
Captain Bernie Shea had his limit of slot stripers by 10 am in the Patuxent on Saturday morning. Just find some bait fish and put over the lures. All lines go down with as many oversize fish as those from 19 to 24 inches (the slot). Others in the Patuxent report jigging success in the Chinese Muds (colloquialism for the mouth of the Patuxent from the three legged to Little Cove Point and Cedar Point). Lure casting around the Cedar Point rock marker and on the rip has been very good.
Rockfish are active in the bay for lure casters. This beauty was landed by Erick on light tackle Saturday, October 18th.
Trollers up the Patuxent using small bucktails on light tackle getting into shoreline as close as possible are finding willing rockfish and a few big white perch.
A 33 inch rockfish from the Patuxent, safely released from the Shea-D-Lady charter.
Various reports of rockfish in the Potomac were all glowing this weekend as trollers, jiggers and lure casers found lots of stripers around St. Clements Island, the mouth of Breton Bay, Swan Point and Ragged Point.
Crappie, bass, bluegill, and pickerel have turned on in fresh after.
I have not heard of bluefish in the bay since the storm. The winds have been up keeping most in the river. The excellent rock fishing has made chasing bluefish a second choice.
Hardy shore fishermen fishing at night are doing well. Henry Nguyen landed a nice one at Cedar Point this week.
Bottom fishing is still an unknown since the storm. One report told that the spot in the Patuxent have been harder to find, but they are really big when located. Water temperature in the bay is now at about 65 degrees. The spot will flee to the Atlantic when it nears 60. I heard a report that The Virginia Beach area is flooded with large spot exiting the Chesapeake.
This 25 inch chain pickerel was caught in St. Mary's Lake this week. Weather turned cool; fishing heated up, big time! and pickerel have turned on in fresh after.
Fresh water fishing is excellent now with all species enjoying the Fall weather with good appetites. Largemouth, crappie, pickerel, bluegill are all feeding up.
Eric with big bass that took a spinner bait lure.
Labeling of the "Chinese Mud" in bay near the Patuxent mouth. This is from a 1984 book of maps of the Chesapeake Bay done by the now defunct Alexandria Drafting Company. The fabulous map makers met their demise with the rise of the Internet.
Rocktober is here!