September 2nd, 2020 - Spanish Mackerel, Perch, Spot for Labor Day

Summertime and the fishing is easy. Mackerel are jumping and the perch want to bite. Big bull reds are a rich gold, and the cobia are good looking. So, get some hush puppies and fry up some spot.

All right, enough of the Gershwin puns. Southern Maryland is a paradise for fishermen with bottom fish, red drum, cobia, Spanish mackerel, blues, speckled trout, and now rockfish all eating up lures and bait.

The rockfish seasons are now open in both Potomac and Maryland waters. The minimum size for the Potomac is 20 inches and you can keep two per day, Maryland waters allow one per day with a minimum of 19 inches.

There were breaking rockfish in big numbers Sunday morning in the mouth of the Patuxent from the mouth of Town Creek to West Basin in about 15 feet of water.

Spanish mackeres are all up and down the ship's channel in the bay. There are big bull reds in the mix for trollers using bigger spoons. The most consistent area for the mackerel is from Point Lookout to Smith Point. All other areas have the speedy fish mixed with blues, but they are wills of the wisp, here today gone tomorrow. They are always biting somewhere; when you find them they are as easy catch on a flashy spoon trolled or cast to with a fast retrieve.

The mackerel are now in the lower Potomac with catches reported as far up as St. George Island.

There can be a big reward for cobia hunters, but they are few and require lots of time and patience and the risk of getting skunked is high.

The spot are getting bigger and are carpeting the bottom of the Potomac and Patuxent most everywhere. I have caught spot on spinner baits intended for white perch up in the creeks.

There are puppy drum all over in the shallows. Most of these are 8 to 10 inches, but there are now some closer to 15 inches, a powerful fish. The minimum is 18 inches with a max of 27 inches. There will be many reds in the slot this year as they grow fast and won't leave until November.

White perch are plentiful, good to eat and fun to catch.

Cast lures or bottom fish with bloodworms and enjoy.