Cover Image: Both rockfish fishing and crabbing are picking back up after the bad weather at the beginning of the week. Charlie caught this nice rockfish using a half ounce Rat-L-Trap, while Joe had a very successful morning of crabbing using chicken necks on a 1200 ft trotline in 9-12 feet pf water.

Rockfish: Now that the wind and rain have passed, the rockfish bite is starting to pick back up and there are many different options for fishing for them. There has been a good live lining bite at the Bay Bridge, and soft crab is still working as well. You can also jig for them around the bridge or in open water by using your electronics to mark them. In general, the fish have been in a little more shallow, around 15 feet of water. Rivers such as the Patapsco, Magothy and Severn have definitely picked up this week, especially towards the mouths of the rivers. You can mark them on your electronics in deeper water in the rivers as well and jig for them there, or you can throw Rat-T-Traps, jerk baits, paddletails or top water in shallow water. The fish are very active right now, and are pushing bait around and moving a lot. Don’t be afraid to cover some ground to find those fish!

White Perch/Spot: White perch can be caught both in the rivers and the main bay. They are still being caught in shallow around structure and docks, and they are also in typical fall, deep water spots at the mouths of the rivers and in the main bay. Spot are also still being caught in deeper water around the bay bridge.  Use spinners like perch pounders in shallow, and rigs like a Chesapeake Sabiki tipped with bloodworms, lugworms or fish bites in deeper water.

Large Mouth Bass: Freshwater fishing is definitely picking up with the cooler weather and it’s a great time of year to fish for them with topwater!