Weird Fall Weather
Mother Nature does not want to let go of summer.
We have had no frost, no rain; mostly sunshine, high pressure and windy days. Daytime temperatures have been in the 70's and overnights rarely below 50. The bay temperature today, November third, is 63.9. The highest in the last ten years was 64.9 in 2017. The coldest was 56.5 in 2008.
Champion fisherman, Eric Packard, with a slot striper that took a lure from the shoreline on Halloween.
Rockfish love rainy cool days and lots of overcast.
Rockfish are still in the creeks around structure as evidenced by this catch from a Mill Creek (Patuxent) pier.
So, the rockfish are as confused as we are. There have been some good catches here and there, but no consistency. Anglers are doing well in a location and upon returning, often within 24 hours, and the fish are gone. The best maxim is to follow the summertime routine to concentrate on dusk and dawn to catch fish.
Miss Susie Charters out of Pasadena, MD., is live lining rockfish daily. Plenty of white perch after striper quota is filled.
There were stripers caught in both the Patuxent and Potomac by trollers using tandems and small umbrellas. The white, chartreuse, john deere, and school bus yellow all seem to work.
Dan Bailey and his 13 inch perch from the Potomac.
Shore and pier fishermen are using a variety of swimming baits and top water plugs to hook up. Jig heads trimmed with a variety of plastics have all produced. Single bucktails trolled at the edges of drop offs work well.
Red drum and Rockfish at Point Lookout Sunday, November 3.
They love those Gulp plastics!
The most important factor is to find some hungry rockfish to put your lure in front of.
Capt. Bernie Shea on the Shea-D-Lady caught Rockfish and a big catfish while trolling up the Patuxent, Sunday November 3.
Further up the bay the rockfish are very active feeding on live spot offered by live liners. The striped bass continue the pattern of concentrating from the Bay Bridge to the head of the bay.
Catfish gotta eat too!!
White perch have moved from the creeks into the depths of the rivers. Big schools can be spotted on depth finders, and jigged and bait fished.
There is rain forecast for next Thursday, ushering in a cooling trend. Maybe our luck is about to change.