Main Image: Tim Cooper shows off a nice catch of white perch from a Patuxent creek.
September 16th, 2020 - Bust Week Fishing
The weather has done an about face from hot to cool and the fish patterns have changed.
Two days of heavy rain clouded the water and slowed the perch fishing in the creeks. Fortunately this was only temporary and the cooling water is starting to clear.
Spot are here in the rivers in big numbers and bottom fishermen are loading up daily. The spot are so numerous that they are in the creeks taking tiny spinnerbaits meant for white perch. The spot in the creeks will jump about four inches into the air on occasion; perch never jump like that. The spot in the creeks are very small; the big spot are in the rivers in the 10 to 25 foot depths.
Spanish mackerel continue to be plentiful taking trolled spoons. Blues are mixed in with the mackerel as well as some rockfish on occasion (mostly under the 19 inch minimum in Md. waters).
Puppy drum like this are everywhere in Southern Maryland waters.
Speckled trout are plentiful in all sizes.
Cobia have been concentrated on the 25 foot edge of the eastern shore side of the bay between buoys 74 and 76. The word got out on that pod of fish and as many as 60 boats were crowded into that area over the weekend. The cobia are also scattered about up and down the ship's channel. They will take big trolled surgical eels in all colors (red and orange are most popular). Set your drags easy on those reels; I have heard of several break offs this week as the fish busted lines before the rods could be taken out of the rod holders.
Rockfish are plentiful. As the water cools and the water begins to clear the rockfish will be ready to bite. We may have some ocean stripers coming to join their bay home boys late next month if the early cool continues.
Nineteen inch rockfish like this are taking lures just about everywhere. When did you last throw a popper, bucktail, or spoon?
Spanish mackerel are plentiful in the bay and river mouths. Note that planer just in front of the fish.
Puppy drum are everywhere taking lures in the creeks and rivers. These redfish with the tell tale spot on the tail have a slot limit of one per day between 18 and 27 inches. I hear of the second keeper redfish caught this week in the shallows of the Salt Islands measuring eighteen and one half inches. These fish will be here until the cold starts them on their journey south around the first of November.
Catfishing up the Potomac is excellent. Find some fresh alewife for cut bait and loaded your boat! Fishermen in the Fort Washington area and Mallows Bay are regularly getting big blue cats in the 35 pound range.
Big cats are in the Potomac on the ledges near the 301 bridge.
My friends fishing in the fresh water tell me the at the largemouth bass are eager to take all lures.
Bluefish from snapper size like this, to choppers (two to three pounds) are breaking in the bay mixed with mackerel.