Summer Has Left The Building

Seasonal temperatures are our future with overnights flirting with freezes.

The last of shore fishing for rockfish and perch is at hand with falling temperatures and clearing water. Stripers do visit the shallows all year, but their forays are mostly limited to nighttime hours

Gary O'Connor and family show their 10 1/2-inch white perch caught off their pier on the Potomac.

Rockfish schools of huge proportions are in the mouth of the Patuxent from Little Cove Point to Cedar Point. Those lucky to have live spot are locating the fish on their sonar equipment and drifting the live bait. The results are excellent. Live eels will work and are still available at some bait shops. Cast netters can get peanut bunker in the creeks where they are now in abundance, and use them for bait on live line rigs. These tiny alewives are candy to rockfish but are much more fragile than spot. Most spot are coming from watermen specializing in their catch and the supply is about exhausted until they return next year.

Crappie and bass are biting on local ponds.

Trollers and jiggers have ample opportunity to catch rockfish in the bay, Patuxent, and Potomac. Most everyone is doing well on the day or tide that the fish decide to bite. As the water cools the fish can get picky about feeding. If you find them in the mood, all you have to do is get a lure in the water. If they choose to go lockjaw, you have to wait for another day or tide.

Perch will now retreat to the deep in the rivers. They will bite on their schedule for bottom fishermen using bloodworms, squid, or shrimp, in the 30-to-40-foot edges. Jiggers using shad darts or small metal jigs tipped with bait can get dinner most every day.

Catfish are prevalent in the upper regions of the rivers and are eager to hit lures and bait.

Capt. Greg is finding huge schools of rockfish daily in the bay from Second Beach to the Chinese Muds at the mouth of the Patuxent.

Live lining spot is the ticket.