Great Days of August
Our warm salty water is producing all summertime species now in excellent numbers.
Bluefish and spanish mackerel are in the bay and lower Potomac mixed together and making the water spray as they feed on bay anchovies and peanut bunker. The lower Potomac from Ragged Point to the mouth now has some bigger schools of blues in the 3 to 5 pound range.
Bluefish like this are most everywhere now in southern Maryland.
Red drum and speckled trout are in the shallows for lure casters. Puppy drum are in the creeks in the 8 to 12 inch size mixed with the excellent run of white perch. Redfish in the slot (18to 27 inches) are numerous. Bull reds or channel bass are schooled up to challenge your fishing gear in the 30 to 50 pound class in the mid-bay.
We have an excellent run of speckled trout.
Spot fishing is spectacular in the Patuxent. You can catch them as fast as you can pull on moving tides. White perch, snapper blues, and some keeper-sized croaker (9 inch minimum) are mixed in. Plenty of spot in the Potomac and bay as well.
Spot are now large and plentiful in the Patuxent and Potomac.
Blue catfish are up the Potomac and Patuxent in the fresher areas and fun to catch and make great table fare. Some really big catfish in excess of 50 pounds are lurking, waiting to take your fresh-cut bait.
Allen and Anthony King landed this 56 pound, 44 inch blue catfish in the northern Patuxent on Sunday on cut bait.
Striper season is open on the bay and Patuxent. They are hitting top water and swimming lures at dawn and dusk. The Potomac opens on August 21st, and we will be rewarded with a two-fish per day limit, size 20 inches to 31 inches.
Capt. Bernie Shea (301-672-3282) has his fish box loaded every day with spot, blues, perch, and some legal croaker.
Crabs are now ashore feeding and awaiting the new moon to shed. Crab pots in the creeks are loading up with big fat crabs. Trot liners are doing well enough in the deeper creeks and rivers, but will find daily improvement as we approach first quarter (August 24).
Samuel Venable landed this 12 inch perch at Dennis Point in the Potomac.
Fresh water fishing is excellent in the cool of the morning and evening.