Tammy's Tackle, Home of Calvin Tyler's Tackle Shop. We are located in Charlotte Hall, Maryland and we sell all kinds of fishing supplies and tools. We also provide fishing reports for the Southern Maryland area. We have rods, reels, hooks, sinkers, rigs, steel leaders, lures, bucktails, parachutes, spoons, planers, fishing bags, tools and much more.
Much of the fishing action in the lower Bay region focuses on
Spanish mackerel, bluefish, speckled trout, and catch-and-release fishing for
large red drum. Fishing for striped bass is taking a backseat as Virginia
waters are closed to striped bass fishing until October 4 and the tidal Potomac
River is closed to striped bass fishing until August 22. There is some striped
bass action in the Patuxent River and scattered locations on the western shore
of the Bay.
Spanish mackerel are steadily filling in and providing plenty of
action for anglers trolling for or casting towards breaking fish. Trolling
small Clark spoons and Drone spoons of various gold, chrome, and color
combinations behind No. 1 and No. 2 planers of heavy inline weights at about 8
knots is a good way to fish the mackerel. Anglers are finding mackerel along
channel edges at Cove Point, the HS Buoy, and Buoy 72. Trolling near breaking
fish is another option.
Small bluefish and Spanish mackerel can be found breaking the
water’s surface when chasing anchovies. Anglers are targeting them by casting
small metal jigs. Speed-reeling a lure after allowing it to sink is a good way
to target Spanish mackerel, while a slower retrieve will catch bluefish.
Fishing for large red drum is providing a lot of exciting
action. The fish are enormous and fight hard. Many are being caught by casting
and jigging 8-inch or larger soft plastic jigs in a variety of colors to
concentrations of red drum. They can be spotted by troubled water, slicks,
breaking fish, or by picking them up on a depth finder. Dropping cut spot or
soft crab baits down to schools of red drum is another popular option, and
trolling large spoons and hose lures is another. They are being found near the
Target Ship, the Middle Grounds, Cedar Point, and Tangier Sound.
Speckled trout are being caught in Tangier Sound, Pocomoke
Sound, the Hoopers Island area, and the lower Potomac River. Casting 4-inch
plastics and topwater lures in the early morning and late evening hours near
grass beds, stump fields, marsh edges, and Bay shoreline is the ticket to this
show.
Anglers and boaters in the vicinity of Barren Island, located
off Hoopers Island, should be aware that the Army Corps is on schedule to
begin rock, sill, and jetty placement at Barren Island in September. This will
be like the Hart-Miller and Poplar Island projects.
Cobia fishing has been a bit slow lately, but they are being
caught by anglers sight-fishing or chumming near Smith Point and Point Lookout.
Casting large soft plastics or live eels to cobia when they can be spotted on
the surface is an exciting way to fish. Chumming is another option, as is
drifting a live eel to the back of the chum slick. However, anglers do tell of
bluefish nipping off eel tails. Drifting a few pieces of cut spot with a hook
can help pass the time and put some bluefish in the ice chest.
Fishing for spot in the lower Patuxent and Potomac rivers as
well as Tangier Sound has been very good. Bloodworms are the most popular bait
for spot and the few kingfish that show up now and then. Peeler crab is a good
bait for white perch, which can often be found mixed in with the spot. White
perch are also being caught in the tidal creeks and rivers on oyster beds or
near docks and piers.
Recreational crabbing is good. Crabbers can catch
a full bushel of large crabs in the tidal rivers of the middle and lower Bay
regions. In the upper Bay, crabbers are doing almost as well in rivers such as
the Gunpowder and the Elk River near the entrance of the C&D Canal. The 10-
to 12-foot edges are reported to be some of the best waters to set trotlines or
collapsible crab traps. Chicken necks work, but razor clams are more
productive. A lot of female crabs and small crabs are showing up on trotlines
and in collapsible traps.
Some of the best striped bass fishing to be found in the lower
Bay is along the deeper shorelines that have structure. Docks, piers, rock
jetties, and seawalls are all good places to cast a mix of paddletails and soft
plastic jigs for a mix of striped bass and speckled trout. The best striped
bass fishing is on the western side of the Bay, and the speckled trout tend to
be more plentiful on the eastern side. An early start before dawn is best and
the action tends to shut down by mid-morning. A good tide is always important
and the late evening hours also offer some success.
Small bluefish are spread throughout the lower Bay this week and
Spanish mackerel are becoming more common. The bluefish are in the 14-inch to
16-inch size range and are chasing bay anchovies, which often presents the
opportunity to cast into breaking fish. Casting a small metal or plastic jig,
letting it sink a bit and then speed-reeling is the best way to target the
Spanish mackerel.
Trolling small Drone and Clark spoons behind inline weights or
No. 2 and No. 3 planers is the best way to target the bluefish and Spanish
mackerel. A slower trolling speed of about 5 knots will allow the bluefish to
catch up to lures, while 7-9 knots is the best speed to target Spanish
mackerel.
Catch-and-release fishing for large red drum is good for those
who take the time to target them. They can be targeted by looking for slicks or
cloudy water conditions, or by picking them up on a depth finder. The area
around Buoy 72A and the Target Ship are good places to look for them. Red drum
have a large and thick air bladder, so they often show up on a depth finder
like submarines. Casting and jigging into likely looking waters are a favorite
way to fish with heavy spinning outfits. Others choose to drop a large piece of
soft crab on a circle hook into the mass of fish. Trolling large silver or gold
spoons behind heavy inline weights is another way to target red drum and a good
way to cover a lot of water during the search.
Fishing for spot has been excellent at the mouth of the Patuxent
River and in Tangier Sound. Most anglers have no problem catching a good mess
of them, they tend to be medium in size but are very tasty. Fishing for white
perch is good this week in the tidal rivers, most are using bottom rigs baited
with grass shrimp or pieces of bloodworm near deep-water piers or oyster bottom
out in the rivers.
Fishing for a mix of channel and blue catfish in the tidal
rivers offers some fun and productive outdoor experience. The channel catfish
can be found in every river and creek within the region; blue catfish concentrations
are at their greatest in the Potomac, Patuxent, and Nanticoke rivers. The edges
of the channels tend to be the best place to fish for them during the summer
months.
Recreational crabbing continues to be worth the
effort. In many areas the 10-foot edge seems to be the sweet spot for trotlines
and collapsible traps. Both razor clams and chicken necks are working well. You
will have to work for your crabs but most who stick it out can catch a full
bushel of large crabs per outing in the middle and lower Bay. Upper Bay
crabbers are averaging a half-bushel per outing. Be advised that female crabs,
light crabs, and small crabs – all of which are thrown back – are reported to
be hogging up trotline baits.
Northern snakehead fishing
is best during the morning and evening hours, and anglers are catching plenty
of them this week in the tidal Potomac and Patuxent. Casting buzzbaits or frogs
over grass is an exciting way to fish for them; casting white paddletails
probably accounts for more snakeheads than any other lure. If rigged weedless
it can be worked through thin grass and spatterdock fields.
3 Oz. Purple Head White and Purple Hair
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