Image: Ryan K and his sister Natalie caught these two rockfish trolling a white umbrella in Eastern Bay!
Rockfish: The best rockfish bite will be from the mouth of Eastern Bay south to the mouth of the Choptank, and at the mouth of the Potomac/Point Lookout. They are stacked up on all of the channel ledges! Mid-size fish can still be found in our mid bay area as well though, at any of the mouths of the rivers. Jigging and Trolling are both still very effective, but you definitely want to start to upsize the size of plastics to a 7-9 inch, and consider using skirts when jigging to bulk up the profile. Most of the fish are down deep, so use 1, 1.5 or 2 oz jig heads when jigging and inline sinkers when trolling.
Pickerel: Any of the Eastern Shore mills ponds such as Tuckahoe, Wye Mills, Smithville, Johnson, Unicorn and others will be great spots to catch pickerel! Use a small paddletail or a minnow under a bobber. The Severn and Magothy slowed down a bit this week due to very low tides, but will likely pick back up! Pickerel fishing is a lot of fun and is only getting better!
Perch: Jig for big White Perch using metal jigs over hard bottom at the mouths of any of the rivers. Look for them in 15-30 feet of water. Yellow Perch are also starting to become active! We’ve received reports from Tuckahoe Creek up towards Hillsboro, Marshyhope creek towards Federalsburg, and the Pokomoke. It’s not spawning time yet, but they are still there, so don’t hesitate to target them! Use a minnow or a small jig with a plastic stinger.
Crappie: Crappie can also be caught in any of the Eastern Shore Mill Ponds! They are a lot of fun to catch with small plastic paddletails or stingers on small jig heads. For any of these fish, a slower action is best in the colder water. We love Bust’em bait’s stingers because the tail gives a great action even when moving it slowly.