Strong winds along the Atlantic Coast and most inland areas have slowed the fishing efforts of local anglers, but that will change, and good days lie ahead. All the same, some hardy souls are on the water, and they’re doing fair.
We begin with Ken Lamb of the Tackle Box in Lexington Park, who said St. Mary’s County waterman Tommy Courtney has found croakers in his pound nets around the lower Potomac’s Cornfield Harbor and Smith Creek. That follows reports of a few hook-and-line catches of croakers in Virginia’s lower York, James and Rappahannock rivers.
That means the tasty fish are on their way up the Chesapeake Bay. If the netters don’t get them all, with a little luck the “hardheads” should be in the Bushwood sector of the Potomac’s Wicomico tributary within a week.
Farther up the tidal Potomac, anglers from Charles County, Md., across to Prince William County, Va., are scoring on largemouth bass with Strike King’s Red Eye Shad and various other “rattle baits.” The color red has been most productive. Try also Mann’s Baby 1-Minus crankbaits, tubes, craws and 4-inch plastic worms in red, electric blue or chartreuse. The Mattawoman Creek has been a steady producer, as have Virginia’s Aquia, Potomac and Quantico creeks and the Occoquan River. Check out the sunken wood in Prince George’s County’s Piscataway Creek, where bass are possible.
Tough days on Occoquan Reservoir — Smokey Davis, the Fountainhead Park ranger at Occoquan Reservoir, says the unstable weather has made fish hard to come by this past week.
“The bass have pulled back tight to cover in deeper water,” he says. “Jigs and weighted plastics such as Brush Hogs, pitched into deep blowdowns, have taken a few fish, but overall the bite has been tough.”
Davis says the pier at the marina has been put back in place and some small crappies have been taken on small minnows.
Herring, crappies in Occoquan River — Spawning schools of herring and some shad are found in the inside parts of the Occoquan River. If it’s crappies you like, check out any sunken wood, brush or dock pilings with small plastic grubs or live minnows.
Burke Lake shows bass — Expect a fair bass bite if you use small, red finesse worms or shallow crankbaits like the Baby 1-Minus baits at nearby Burke Lake. Charlie Taylor says a few muskies have been hooked on large inline spinners, but the crappie fishing is only so-so.
Susquehanna shad — In the northern Chesapeake Bay’s Susquehanna River system, the shad run inside Deer Creek is going to be much better if the temperatures rise. But white perch and catfish don’t care. They’re biting well in the adjacent river.
Lake Anna picking up — Bass catches are increasing if you fish the lake and creek points with grubs, drop-shot rigs, hard jerkbaits, crankbaits or slow-rolled spinnerbaits. Crappie chances are good if you fish live minnows along the edges of beaver huts or sunken brush piles.
Chickahominy herring run — Near Williamsburg, the upper Chickahominy turns up plenty of herring but only a few shad. Bass fishing has been slow, but fresh pieces of herring will draw lots of catfish strikes.
Lower Bay and Atlantic — From Virginia Beach, Ken Neill of the Peninsula Salt Water Sport Fisherman’s Association says, “The constant wind has all but shut down local fishing activity. There have been a couple of brief windows during the week when anglers have managed to sneak in a trip. Fishing has been good during these time periods. My dock mate tried one of the coastal wrecks and brought back a limit of tautog.”
Neill adds that tautog and flounder catches can be quite good at the various rock piles and abutments of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
Maryland rockfish season — Striper season in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay will run April 19 to May 13. One fish a day is legal, but it has to measure 28 inches or more. The season shuts down May 14-15, then restarts May 16 to December 15. Anglers then can keep two rockfish a day of 18 to 28 inches in length or one of 18 to 28 inches and one that is longer then 28 inches.
c Look for Gene Mueller’s Outdoors column Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday, only in The Washington Times. E-mail: gmueller@washingtontimes.com.
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