Anglers employees Alex and Mike found rockfish biting on larger profile baits, deep in the water column while out with Griffin’s Guide Service!
Rockfish: The best rockfish bite (catch and release only) is south of Chesapeake Beach, with most people fishing out of Solomon’s or Point Lookout. Fish are in deep water, tight to the bottom. To find them, either look for birds, or scan ledges with your electronics. You will need to use heavier, 1, 1.5 or 2 oz jig heads to get to the bottom. It’s really going to depend on the current and how much you are drifting. If you are drifting pretty quickly that 2 oz jig head will be a must! If you aren’t bouncing the bottom, you will most likely not catch fish! You can also troll, but you will need to run your umbrellas very deep, right on the bottom. While the southern bay is the hot spot for those bigger fish, there are still plenty of fish to be caught and released in our local area. The bay bridge and the Patapsco river are always good spots to try this time of year!
Pickerel: Water quality continues to be as issue when fishing for pickerel because of all of the rain! We expect it to clear up in a few days though, and it’s still possible to get on a good bite. Use darker, natural colors in the cloudy water, and a gold bladed chatter bait or spinner bait! A live minnow under a bobber also works great in these conditions. As always, tidal rivers like the Magothy and the Severn and mill pond on the Eastern Shore are the best places to target! Be sure to sign up for the CCA Pickerel Championship and our Daiwa Calcutta to win awesome prizes!
Panfish: The creeks of the tidal rivers, the mill ponds on the eastern shore and ponds in our local area are still producing a good panfish bite including yellow perch, crappie and blue gill. Use live minnows, small spinners, or bait like preserved wax worms. The large mouth bass bite is picking up in the ponds as well!