October 18, 2018 - This Week

Stripers have been caught by shore fishermen on the Naval Air Station at Goose Creek and Hog Point. Swimming plugs like Wind Cheaters, Yo Zuri, and Daiwas are on the list of favorites as well as bucktails, spoons, and sassy shads. Surface poppers will bring vicious strikes. The range of fish from 22" to close to 30" is common. The upper Patuxent from Sheridan Point to Point Patience has excellent rockfish.

There are breaking rockfish and bluefish all up and down the ship's channel. The rockfish at Cedar Point are very active, but most are not the 20-inch keepers, Trollers can catch them all day, but very few will make the keeper size. Lure casters at dawn are getting many good-sized stripers at the rocks at the old lighthouse site.

The Potomac has lots of rockfish. Breakers in the St. Mary's River are thrashing daily, but most are about 17 inches in length. A good report of stripers in the 22" to 25" range at Ragged Point came in today. Trolled bucktails was what they wanted. There are lots of breaking fish in the lower Potomac on both the Virginia and Maryland sides. The Potomac minimum is 20 inches. The Maryland tributaries of the Potomac have the 19 inch minimum.

White perch are everywhere in the creeks and rivers. The Potomac and Patuxent have huge schools of perch on the 25 to 30 foot edges. Double hook bottom rigs with bits of bloodworm will bring in great perch two at a time.

There were still Spanish mackerel caught this week and bluefish in the 2- to 4-pound range in the mid-bay area.

Fresh water fishing is very good everywhere. The largemouth bass are eager to hit most any lure. The crappie are starting to hit shad darts and live minnows at St. Mary's Lake.

Larry Jobe landed this 29 inch rockfish at Goose Creek on a Yo Zuri swimming lure.

David Correl shows off a string of perch from the Patuxent.