School’s Out for Summer!
Stripers arrived at Cedar Point Rip where tons of undersized fish are breaking every dusk and dawn.
We had a perfect weekend to celebrate school's end, and the fish are biting in earnest all over.
Rockfish are in the mouth of the Patuxent River in the shallows eating most any cast lure at daybreak and sunset. Topwater favorites are Poppa Dogs, Atom Poppers, Tsunami, Chug Bugs, etc. The swimming crankbaits are topped by the Bomber Wind Cheaters, Yo'Zuri Silver Minnows, Daiwa swimmers, Baker, Rattle Traps, etc. Timing is everything. Moving tides at dusk and dawn are the target.
Bottom fishermen are getting a mix of Stripers, Catfish and White Perch in the Patuxent above Cuckold Creek. I have seen coolers full of all three species at Hawk's Nest. The Catfish are unusual this close to the bay, but the freshwater runoff from heavy rains in May and the first of this month have brought them down to dine on minnows and crabs. These fish will hit bloodworms, squid, shrimp, and peeler crab.
The Potomac has lots of Rockfish for trollers around the mouth of Herring Creek, Stewarts Piers, and up to St. Clements Island. The fish are in 20 to 40 feet of water and will hit trolled bucktails and shads on the bottom. This fishing is so good that some charter boats have moved from Solomons to Piney Point. One charter captain had 16 on his boat last Friday and got the limit of 32 fish in two hours. Many fishermen are using chum to attract Stripers to their boat and getting them to hit chunks of cut alewife.
Speaking of chumming, Cobia are now off Smith Point and the folks targeting these big fish are just starting to find them. The big fish will hit cut bait and love live eels swimming in the chum line. Each hot day will bring them closer to us from the Atlantic.
Hot days are needed to bring in the Spot which are behind schedule due to a cool spring and excess rain. When they get here, they are great table fare, and excellent bait for live-lining Stripers and Cobia.
Snakeheads are great fighters, and excellent eating. They are just about everywhere now and will take most any Largemouth Bass lure in the creeks and rivers.
Stephen Dean landed this 31-inch Snakehead in Mill Creek on a black and white spinner bait.
Johnnie Caldwell used a surface lure to catch this 29 inch Rockfish at Hod Point in the mouth of the Patuxent.
Julie Tomasik with a pair of Rockfish from the mouth of the Patuxent, caught at 6 AM Monday on a rattle trap.