Summertime
Perch, rockfish, crabs, and trout have all awakened to the delayed summer arrival.
Stripers are in all the deep holes, structures, and shallows in the bay and rivers. The Solomons Bridge pilings are holding decent rockfish on moving tides for jiggers. About one in four is 19 inches or better. Some are in the 24-to-26-inch range. All the mouths of the creeks off the Patuxent are holding rockfish for lure casters. Trollers on the wrecks and on the 40-foot edges find fish. The rocks at the old lighthouse site at Cedar Point had stripers up to 26 inches for lure casters all week on moving tides.
Perch are now in the deep and in the mouths of creeks for bait fishermen. Beetle spin and Perch Hounders are producing for casters, but the action has not hit full speed yet.
Gary Harris landed this hefty catfish in mouth of the Patuxent.
Speaking of full speed, live lining in the upper bay using spot is wide open. The concentration of rockfish up to 30 inches around and north of the Bay Bridge is amazing. Live lining further south around the Gas Docks and at the Power Plant outfall should be very good as soon as spot become more available.
Johnny Caldwell with rockfish that took a Yozouri Silver Minnow at Cedar Point. There were many others.
The Potomac has perch in deep and shallow locations; rockfish are plentiful too.
Trout up to 20 inches are now hitting cast lures in the mouth of the Honga and on rocky outcroppings in the salt islands. We should have puppy drum anytime.
Lorraine Gaffurd leads the Tackle Box June perch contest with this 11 inch beauty.
Lorraine and Manny Gaffurd with string of perch caught Saturday morning at Hog Point NAS, Pax River.
Catfish and snakehead have not slowed up. The Potomac and Patuxent have plenty of catfish in the deep during the day and on the shoreline at night. Snakehead and carp have proliferated in the heads of the creeks with the extra-long cold and excessive winter grass growth. When a snakehead is spotted you can cast a lure in front of it, but they bite on their own schedule. I have had them follow the lure around and stalk it but refuse to eat sometimes, and other times have them smash it without hesitation. Same lure, same conditions, who knows what lurks in the heart of a snakehead?
Ken Lamb tempted this 6-pound snakehead with a white frog lure.