Trolling for bluefish has been good at the mouth of the Potomac River and channel edges of the Bay, and in Tangier and Pocomoke sounds. Trolling small spoons behind planers and inline weights has been popular. Anglers are also mixing various sizes of surgical tube lures in their trolling spreads.
Anglers working the shorelines of the tidal rivers, Bay shores, and sounds are catching a mix of striped bass, speckled trout, bluefish, and puppy drum. For casting, soft plastic jigs, paddletails, twitchbaits, and topwater lures are good choices. The morning and evening usually offer the best fishing, but with recent cloudy conditions the action can last through the day.
Large red drum are being encountered this week near Point Lookout, near the Target Ship and Middle Grounds, and in Tangier and Pocomoke sounds. Locating slicks or paying careful attention to depth finders can reveal their presence, and jigging with large soft plastics is a great way to enjoy exciting catch-and-release action.
Fishing for spot at the mouth of the Patuxent River remains good, but anglers could see this fishery come to an end in the next week or so. The spot are as big as they’re going to get, so anyone desiring some tasty fish should not wait much longer. White perch will hold to their typical summer habitat until the end of October unless water temperatures drop rapidly.
Recreational crabbers were doing well before the winds of Ophelia drove them off the water. In most tidal rivers throughout the Bay, the best quality crabs are coming from waters 12 feet to 16 feet deep. Many recreational crabbers are deploying net rings or collapsible crab traps as well as a trotline to explore different depths to find the best concentrations of quality crabs.
