LEXINGTON PARK — Southern Maryland has hit what Ken Lamb calls the fall sweet spot. Rockfish are breaking on the surface in both the Patuxent and Potomac rivers in every size, and white perch are schooling up in the mouth of the Patuxent, according to Lamb’s weekly fishing report.
On the Potomac, reports from St. Clement’s Island, Cobb Island and Ragged Point are excellent, Lamb said, with most anglers chasing working birds and casting lures. Rockfish broke near Swan Point every day last week, according to photos Lamb shared. On the Patuxent, breaking fish run from Benedict down to Cedar Point, and Jacob Cusic caught plenty of rockfish at the river’s mouth Sunday evening.
Timing matters. The stripers don’t bite all day, but they bite at some point every day, Lamb said, and the odds are best at dawn and dusk. Closer to shore, rockfish are hitting on the St. George Creek side of the bridge to St. George Island.
Trolling for the big ones
Trollers are finding fish, too. When a school stops breaking and goes down, trolling covers water fast and relocates it, Lamb said. The bigger rockfish usually hold beneath the breaking fish, so trolling can reach them without as many throwbacks. Small umbrella rigs and Captain John’s Spoonbrellas have been very effective.
Capt. Bernie Shea is live-lining small spot and catching rockfish near the Patuxent River bridge, according to Lamb.
Size is the catch. Many of the breaking fish are too big to keep, Lamb noted. In Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries, anglers may keep one striped bass per person per day between 19 and 24 inches through Dec. 5, and fishing is catch-and-release only from Dec. 6 through Dec. 31, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The Potomac’s main stem falls under the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, so check its rules before keeping a fish there.
Perch move deep
White perch are gathering in the lower Patuxent, where they will spend the winter in the deep holes. Hardy bottom fishermen are catching plenty along the deeper holes and oyster bar ledges, Lamb said. The perch take bloodworms and small metal jigs. Tyrone Butler brought home Patuxent perch this week, and Mike Thompson won The Tackle Box’s October Big Perch contest with a 13-inch fish, according to Lamb.
Some summer and early-fall species are hanging on. Both gray and speckled trout are still around, mixed in with perch and spot, along with lingering rockfish for anyone willing to dangle bait.
Don’t overlook fresh water. Ponds are fishing well, and Harrison Collmus landed a largemouth bass from a local pond Monday, Nov. 2, Lamb reported.
The window will not stay open long. Winter is close, Lamb wrote, and now, while the fishing is hot, is the time to make a memory on the water. Check the marine forecast before heading out.
For last week’s conditions, see the Chronicle’s Oct. 27 Southern Maryland fishing report.
