October Surprise

Patterns have changed as the chopper bluefish are now way south in the Smith Point area. Smaller bluefish are active in the lower Potomac and some are being caught by surf fishermen as far north as Cedar Point.

Eric Packard shows off rockfish from Smith Creek, lower Potomac.

Speckled trout are in the shallows of the Potomac and its tributaries making lure casters happy. Favored lures are jig heads dressed with 4-inch Gulp Jerk Baits in white, silver and chartreuse. These lures bring strikes from puppy drum, slot reds, rockfish, and white perch.

Sea trout in the 18 to 22 inch range are mixed with stripers and red drum in the shallows.

The puppy drum are still active in the Patuxent creeks. I ventured out on a creek near Cedar Point Sunday evening on the rising tide. Puppy drum attacked a variety of small spinner baits and a popping rig with gusto. I landed 7 pups from 10 to 15 inches, and lost one at the boat that may have been in the 18 to 27 inch slot. In this short melee of action, only one white perch joined the fun.

Kevin Wood leads The Tackle Box big perch contest for October with this 12 1/4 incher from St. Jerome's Creek that took a Perch Hounder lure.

The Potomac from the 301 bridge south to Ragged Point is hot for rockfish. Trollers are getting steady striper action of keepers over 19 inches and lots of undersized fish at about 17 to 18 inches. Tandem rigs and small umbrellas are favored lures. The rockfish are beginning to migrate south towards Smith Point and the Triangle where they will spend December feeding on big schools of bait.

Ben and Hunter Windsor with Rockfish from the Potomac near Dolly Parton. Trolled up in about 15 to 25 feet of water. The fish struck on Saturday morning on Irving's tandem rigs. Many just under sized rock were caught, too.

Red drum are becoming the dominate fish in the bay. Between another active fisherman and me, this week involving three trips, we caught 40 drum of which four were in the slot and the rest were undersized (puppy drum). The lures we were using were aimed at all species. The other fish caught were 3 speckled trout (all keepers over 14 inches), 8 rockfish (all undersized), and 2 perch.

Bryan Garner entered this 14 inch perch into our monthly contest Monday, October 21. Perch came from the Patuxent near Broome Island caught from a private pier and weighed 1.9 pounds.

I would like to advocate for a more generous bag limit and size requirement or Maryland waters. The Potomac River Fisheries Commission, who sets the regulations in the Potomac, allows 5 red drum per day per person with a slot of 18 inch minimum and a maximum of 25 inches. The state of Georgia allows five per day with a minimum of 14 inches and a maximum of 23 inches. The Georgia limit would be ideal for Maryland. A 14 inch red drum is a strong powerful fish that weighs about three pounds. This size drum is excellent table fare and two or three would provide for a dinner for two people. The smaller drum are what are most prevalent. Bait fishermen catch them often from the shore and bottom fishing in boats.

Red drum are becoming the dominate species in the bay and tributaries.

The preponderance of blue catfish and red drum are competing with striped bass for the same forage. The striped bass are the weak sister to these bigger, tougher species in the major spawning grounds of striped bass, the Chesapeake Bay.

Liberalizing the red drum regulations would be a boon to fishermen to bring home food and help save the striped bass. Sounds like a win-win to me.