The Great Fall Fishing Weekend, also known as Columbus Day, is here, and the fishing is terrific.
Blues are everywhere. Rockfish are getting bigger and more plentiful. There is a trace of Spanish mackerel left. Croaker and spot are still taking bloodworm baits. Flounder are solid along the Ship’s Channel and on the river drop offs, while the red drum are in the bay and shallows.
The mouth of St. Jerome’s Creek has excellent rockfish for lure casters using both surface poppers, bucktails, spoons, and jigs. The rock turn on as the sun is rising from the channel out to the lighthouse. Bluefish start breaking as the sun gets up and are getting bigger, many ranging from 20 to 26 inches. Little rockfish and blues are really hot most all times.
There are plenty of small spot to be caught in the mouth of the Patuxent and used as bait for live liners at the gas docks, Cedar Point Rip, and at the nuclear power plant. Rockfish here can range up to 30 inches and weigh six to eight pounds.
The bay shore from Cedar Point to Cove Point is awash with bluefish and rockfish every dusk and dawn. Trollers using small umbrella rigs with small lures have done well.
The upper Potomac from St. Clements Island to St. George Island has active rockfish for trollers and lure casters (those gold Tony Accetta No. 14 Spoons are hot). Bluefish are all the way up to the 301 bridge. Rockfish are at Swann Point as the sun rises.
The Patuxent has hefty rockfish in the shallows from Sheridan Point to Point Patience. Breaking fish are not uncommon anywhere from Cape St. Mary’s to St. Leonard’s Creek.
This is the prime time for large mouth bass. Great catches are made in farm ponds and in St. Mary’s Lake. The lake is now getting the fall crappie run, and live minnows will get a fine mess for dinner most any afternoon.