Cover Image: This week, LJ of G-Eye Jigs, Scott Barmby and Bob Bruns caught and released rockfish up to 49 inches in open, deeper water this week, using 1.5 or 2 oz jig heads, 7″ Z-man Diezel Minnowz and XL StreakZ. Warmer water temperatures tend to push fish deeper, but it can vary by day! They also found some very hungry white perch! Check out the report for more!
Rockfish: As LJ found in this week’s cover image above, warmer water temperatures have pushed bigger migratory rockfish into deeper water. This can, however, vary by the day or even the hour as water temperature fluctuates. These fish are moving around quite a bit, and it does definitely take time and patience to find them! A good strategy would be to start in about 40 feet of water and drift deeper, looking for marks on your electronics. When you mark suspended fish, those bigger fish will be on the bottom below them. Use 1.5-2oz jig heads or 2-3 oz metal jigs to get down there. While most anglers are launching out of Solomon’s or Point Lookout, this pattern, based mostly on water temperature, will be true anywhere in the bay.
Freshwater: Freshwater fish follow a very similar pattern to those in the bay when it comes to water temperature. Warmer water will push fish like bass and crappie into deeper water, and sunny weather pushes them under docks and structure. In cooler water temperatures you will find them more shallow. Shallow, fresh water temperatures changes even more easily, so your strategy might need to change even during the same fishing outing. When in doubt, always take live minnows!
Pickerel: When fishing the tidal creeks for pickerel, tide may be more important than water temperature. Pickerel will bite in just about any water temperature. Slow down the presentation of your paddletails or use live minnows when the water is cold, then speed things up or use jerk baits and temperatures warm. A rising ride however, is definitely your best bet, and low tide will be a difficult time to fish for them.