Cover Image: Left: Michelle and Brandon caught quality rockfish both on channel edges and in shallow water with Captain Steve Griffin of Griffin’s Guide Service on Tuesday! They were fishing in pretty heavy winds, so they upsized to 1 oz G-Eye jigs jig heads paired with Z-man Hot Chartreuse StreakZ and 5″ Deizel MinnowZ! Right: Anglers employee Alex caught both bass and snakehead in the upper Patapsco this week using a wacky rigged senko.
Rockfish: We are hearing good rockfish reports everywhere from north of the bridge at Tolchester down to Chesapeake Beach. Some hot spots have been Podickory Point, Love Point, the Knolls, and the Bay Bridge pilings, but fish are everywhere! You can jig or live line spot on channel edges, or anchor up on a point and chum with fresh alewife. Around structure like the bridge, jigging, living spot or fishing pieces of soft crab will all work well. A lot of the anglers who are out there jigging are finding that a lighter jig head (5/8-3/4 oz) paired with a skirted 5″ paddletail and a slower presentation is the ticket. Fish are in shallow water as well, so you can cast and retrieve the same paddletails towards shoreline and structure in the main bay. They are also hitting on topwater in the shallows at first light and last light!
Perch: The white perch bite continues to be on the slow side, most likely delayed by the rain and cooler weather that we have had mixed in. We are hearing reports of a few being caught in shallow water, less than 8 feet, in the main bay and the rivers. Spinners like perch pounders or small Rat-L-traps will work well, as will a bottom rig or a chesapeake sabiki tipped with fishbites or a pieces or razor clam or soft crab.
Speckled Trout and Redfish: Speckled trout are starting to show up in decent numbers in lower Maryland waters like the mouth of the Potomac and the Tangier Sound, and red fish, both puppy drum and bull reds, are not far behind them! Use 4 or 5 inch paddletails in shallow water on light jig heads, and give it a steady retrieve with an occasional twitch. Jerk baits can work too as can soft crab!
Black Drum: It’s the time of year when Black Drum traditionally show up in the lower bay around areas such as the Stone Rock and Sharps Light. Soft crabs are the best bait to use if you are going to get out there and look for them!!
Snakehead: We are starting to see Snakehead pairing up and a few fry balls around, especially in the lower eastern shore areas around Blackwater, and our western shore rivers won’t be far behind. Don’t spend too much time on one fry ball. If the fish aren’t committing, move on! Downsizing the presentation of your paddletails can help you to get more bites.