Cover Image: Left: Tyler caught this rockfish jigging north of Rockhall this week! Right: Junior Jimenez found a great early morning bite south of the bridge using jerk baits this past weekend!
Rockfish: The best bite for rockfish this week has been north of the bay bridge, with Tolchester, Rockhall, the mouth of Patapsco and the Six, Seven and Nine Foot Knolls producing nice fish. There are a lot of fish around the bridge piling as well, but they are smaller in size. Live lining spot is probably the most effective way to catch fish in those areas, but jigging with a 1/2 oz- 1 oz jig head has been working well too. Trolling the channel edges with small profile umbrellas and tandems is also an option!
There are fish being caught south of the bridge as well, primarily in shallow water and around structure. Poplar Island has had a good early morning top water bite, and further south towards Chesapeake Beach fish are being caught using jerk baits or 3-5 inch paddletails on light jig heads.
From shore, Sandy Point has been a little bit slow, but people have been catching fish and Matapeake and Romancoke.
Speckled Trout: The Tangier Sound and lower eastern shore islands have been producing some very nice speckled trout recently, but muddy water caused by the rain this week has slowed the bite down quite a bit. Once that water clears up, the bite should pick back up. Fish will be in shallow water around points and grass beds, and can be caught using 3 or 4 inch paddletails on 3/16 or 1/4 oz jig heads.
White Perch: White perch still seem to be spread out in the main rivers, making their way to the main bay. They can be caught in shallow around structure such as docks using spinners like Perch Pounders, and also in deeper water over hard bottom. Try using a Chesapeake Sabiki tipped with fish bites!
Red fish: While red fish are still not in Maryland waters in large numbers, they are sporadically being caught down towards the tangier sound and the mouth of the Potomac, and a nice one was even caught at Matapeake using fresh shrimp!! Shrimp, soft crab and peeler crab will all work well, as will paddletails. Some puppy drum are starting to work their way up the bay too, so stay tuned for this bite to pick up soon!!
Snakehead: Snakehead are spawning and we are starting to see a lot of fry balls popping up. This can be both a benefit and a challenge. Definitely hit those fry balls, but don’t spend too much time on one. Don’t be afraid to move around! You can often catch nice bass on those fry balls as well.