The fishing story at present is croaker (hardhead), and hardhead (croaker). These tasty spring and summer migrants are here in profusion. The size is excellent. The croaker range from 14 to 18 inches in heavyweight fighting condition. There are smaller and bigger hardhead in the mix, but they are the exception.
Beach fishermen using bait and baited Beetle Spins caught 16-inch croaker at West Basin on ultra light tackle, and had a big rockfish join the party. Steady catches of hardhead from the shoreline were made all week during the evening and night on the Naval Air Station in the mouth of the Patuxent River.
Croaker are further up the Patuxent and all its tributaries. Boat rentals at Bunky’s in Solomons are getting plenty of fish in the daytime and loading up in the early mornings. The hot spots are on the St. Mary’s side along the dropoff running from Green Holly to the mouth of Town Creek. The 20-foot edge from Sandy Point to Point Patience has croaker. The hardhead are in the 90-foot holes under the bridge in the heat of the day. Croaker are on the bars from the bridge to Big Kingston Creek and on around to Myrtle Point. Hardhead are at Hawk’s Nest out the mouth of Cuckold Creek, Helen’s Bar, St Leonard’s Lump, and scattered all the way to Sheridan Point (the further you get up the river the smaller they get).
White perch are abundant on bloodworms up the Patuxent near Cape St. Mary’s and there are decent spot and hardhead mixed with the perch.
Hardhead are in the Potomac on both sides of the river and in the tributaries. Boat rentals are doing very well at Quade’s Store in Bushwood. The croaker are up to 19 inches and will hit bloods, squid, shrimp and even the lowly night crawler. There are some small spot moving in, and there are still catfish that are moving out. Perch are steady. Hardhead on the Virginia side are hot at Ragged Point. Croaker were brought in from the beach in Piney Point at St. George Island Bridge, and in the St. Mary’s River both from boats and from the beach at Priest’s Point.
The evening fishing trips targeting hardhead in the bay have begun. Charters anchoring up from 72A to the Target Ship are getting 250-300 fish on a trip. This bonanza will last through August with the numbers falling off around mid-July, but the size getting better after that. Croaker continue in smaller numbers until October. Squid works as well as anything in the mid-bay.
Warning: The best hardhead fishing is after sunset and at sunrise.
Daytime fishing can be very good, if fishing from a boat.
The spot will be coming in earnest soon (July the Fourth is the target for the start of the good spot fishing), and they bite all day long (night too) on moving tides. Spot love bloodworms and we are looking for a trillion or so to infest our waters.
Rockfish. We got them breaking in the mouth of the Patuxent and in the bay most everywhere. Trollers have converted to smaller lures and are trolling number 15 and 17 Tony Spoons landing 18- to 22-inch rock at Cedar Point and off the Targets and Gas Docks. The outflow from the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Plant is loaded with rockfish. Casters using sassy shads and Bass Candy lures are scoring big time.
Live-liners using spot are getting rockfish in the favorite holes in the bay. Tossing a live spot at the base of Hooper’s Island Lighthouse or Point No Point Lighthouse can produce 30-inch rockfish most anytime.
Flounder stories abound. Flounder were caught on the flats from Sandy Point to the Solomons Bridge this week in the Patuxent River. The Three Legged is producing the flatties. We had flounder from Cornfield
Beach fishermen using bait and baited Beetle Spins caught 16-inch croaker at West Basin on ultra light tackle, and had a big rockfish join the party. Steady catches of hardhead from the shoreline were made all week during the evening and night on the Naval Air Station in the mouth of the Patuxent River.
Croaker are further up the Patuxent and all its tributaries. Boat rentals at Bunky’s in Solomons are getting plenty of fish in the daytime and loading up in the early mornings. The hot spots are on the St. Mary’s side along the dropoff running from Green Holly to the mouth of Town Creek. The 20-foot edge from Sandy Point to Point Patience has croaker. The hardhead are in the 90-foot holes under the bridge in the heat of the day. Croaker are on the bars from the bridge to Big Kingston Creek and on around to Myrtle Point. Hardhead are at Hawk’s Nest out the mouth of Cuckold Creek, Helen’s Bar, St Leonard’s Lump, and scattered all the way to Sheridan Point (the further you get up the river the smaller they get).
White perch are abundant on bloodworms up the Patuxent near Cape St. Mary’s and there are decent spot and hardhead mixed with the perch.
Hardhead are in the Potomac on both sides of the river and in the tributaries. Boat rentals are doing very well at Quade’s Store in Bushwood. The croaker are up to 19 inches and will hit bloods, squid, shrimp and even the lowly night crawler. There are some small spot moving in, and there are still catfish that are moving out. Perch are steady. Hardhead on the Virginia side are hot at Ragged Point. Croaker were brought in from the beach in Piney Point at St. George Island Bridge, and in the St. Mary’s River both from boats and from the beach at Priest’s Point.
The evening fishing trips targeting hardhead in the bay have begun. Charters anchoring up from 72A to the Target Ship are getting 250-300 fish on a trip. This bonanza will last through August with the numbers falling off around mid-July, but the size getting better after that. Croaker continue in smaller numbers until October. Squid works as well as anything in the mid-bay.
Warning: The best hardhead fishing is after sunset and at sunrise.
Daytime fishing can be very good, if fishing from a boat.
The spot will be coming in earnest soon (July the Fourth is the target for the start of the good spot fishing), and they bite all day long (night too) on moving tides. Spot love bloodworms and we are looking for a trillion or so to infest our waters.
Rockfish. We got them breaking in the mouth of the Patuxent and in the bay most everywhere. Trollers have converted to smaller lures and are trolling number 15 and 17 Tony Spoons landing 18- to 22-inch rock at Cedar Point and off the Targets and Gas Docks. The outflow from the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Plant is loaded with rockfish. Casters using sassy shads and Bass Candy lures are scoring big time.
Live-liners using spot are getting rockfish in the favorite holes in the bay. Tossing a live spot at the base of Hooper’s Island Lighthouse or Point No Point Lighthouse can produce 30-inch rockfish most anytime.
Flounder stories abound. Flounder were caught on the flats from Sandy Point to the Solomons Bridge this week in the Patuxent River. The Three Legged is producing the flatties. We had flounder from Cornfield