Bay anglers' best bet

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In reference to a popular Calvert County spot in the Chesapeake Bay, just north of the Patuxent River mouth, Ken Lamb of the Tackle Box in Lexington Park said, "The rockfish are stacked up at the Gas Docks."

It's not difficult to find fishermen who will agree with Lamb. Southern Marylanders Adam Wose and Sean and Tommy Hayden live-lined Norfolk spot at the docks this week, and each caught a two-fish limit without any trouble. Others echo the fine fishing to be found there. Some of the rockfish have been as long as 30 inches.

The hardest part for newcomers to master is live-lining the small fish known as spot. If you use a live spot on your hook and suddenly feel a tug, resist the temptation to jerk the rod upward. Allow the striper to run off with the baitfish until it's firmly in its mouth, then set the hook. That requires waiting at least for a slow count of five.

Elsewhere, the Patuxent River has been hot. On Thursday, Lexington Park's Justin Heath caught a 4-pound croaker at the Hawk's Nest, near the mouth of Cuckold's Creek. It was the biggest of about 20 croakers he hooked in less than an hour of fishing during sunset. If it's spot fishing you enjoy, the Patuxent and Potomac seem to be loaded with them. Bottom fishermen at Point Lookout State Park's fishing pier are finding plenty of croakers, spot, snapper blues and even some rockfish.

Back in the main body of the Chesapeake, the rockfish are widely scattered, with boaters finding occasional action from near Calvert County's nuclear plant clear up to the Baltimore Harbor Light, then across to the Love Point area of the Chester River and back down the Bay toward the Bay bridges and south toward Herring Bay and Chesapeake Beach. Live-lined spot, white perch, trolled umbrella rigs or individual bucktails will produce.

The better croaker fishing has been in the Choptank River mouth and down on the Middle Grounds and near buoys 72 and 72A and the Target Ship.

Virginia parts very fishy - Northern Neck charter fishing captain Billy Pipkin (captbilly@captbillyscharters.com) says bluefish are becoming more plentiful.

"Scattered schools are breaking on top of the water during morning and afternoon hours from Gwynn´s Island to Windmill Point and up to Smith Point," he says.

The blues generally are of the 1- to 2-pound variety, but larger specimens are found in chum lines from the channel edges above Buoy 62, the Asphalt Pile and on to the Southwest Middle Grounds across the state line in Maryland.

Pipkin also mentioned that Spanish mackerel are making a better showing now, particularly off the mouth of the Rappahannock River where a large 26 1/2-inch Spanish mackerel was landed last weekend. Farther south, the Spanish, as they're referred to by locals, are available in fine numbers. Ken Neill of the Peninsula Salt Water Sport Fisherman's Association said flounder fishing has turned on at Buoy 42, the Cape Henry Wreck and, of course, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. However, remember that the flounder season will shut down from July 21 through July 30.

Potomac bass and snakeheads - The tidal Potomac south of the District continues to turn up wonderful bass fishing, with topwater lures in the mornings and mostly soft plastics recommended when the sun is up. But some new excitement is added from Virginia across to the Maryland shore: snakeheads. The northern snakehead fish are attacking the bass lures more frequently with every passing day. Don't forget that you must kill snakeheads. Do not return them to the water - even when dead.

Fine fishing at Occoquan - "The fishing has been excellent at Fountainhead Park this past week," ranger Smokey Davis says. "The early morning bass bite has been very good with topwater baits and crankbaits, and Senkos and swimbaits worked well after sunup."

Davis said the crappie catches have never been better. Big crappies were hooked all week off the pier and boardwalk.

Wading in mountain rivers - The Shenandoah River is in great shape but low, Front Royal's Dick Fox says.

"The smallmouth bass bite continues to be excellent on a variety of lures. Now is a great time to do a float trip or get out and wade," he says.

The same is true for the Potomac River in many parts of western Maryland, as well as the upper James and Rappahannock rivers in Virginia. The smallmouth bass catches have been outstanding with small tubes on 1/8-ounce jig hooks, 1/4-ounce crankbaits and surface lures sure to produce action.