November 27, 2018 - Rockfish in the Triangle
The nor'easter last week kept a lot of fishermen off the bay with small craft warnings. We also had high tides bringing our water back to summertime levels.
Best areas were Ragged Point in the Potomac and the mouth of St. Leonard Creek in the Patuxent.
The bay had plenty of rockfish at buoy 72A early in the week. The live-line bite that was so good with spot quit with the sudden drop in temperatures and everyone switched to trolling. By Thursday the fish had moved south to the mouth of the Potomac in the area known as the Triangle. The rockfish bite is now wide open in that portion of the bay and should continue with big fish from the ocean joining our domestic fish.
The lure arrangements that have been successful are smaller umbrellas with single or double lures. Tandem rigs are very good.
There are white perch in the mouth of the Patuxent between the Solomon's Bridge and Point Patience. The perch are in 40 to 50 feet and will hit double bottom rigs baited with bits of bloodworm. They love shad darts tipped with a bit of bait rigged on a bottom rig.
Rockfish love Hardhead Custom Baits!
Noah Tomsaik with rockfish trolled up near buoy 72 A early last week.
Typical fish from lower bay where domestic schoolies are eager to take trolled lures
Eric Parker with rockfish among plenty that hit small umbrella rigs as soon as they hit the water.