It is simply amazing the number of dolphins that are visiting this summer. I've been getting multiple reports for the past three weeks.
More and bigger bluefish have been caught in recent days, both trolling and on the chum, as well as on lures when they bust bait. There are lots of really fat perch but almost all of them I hear about are caught in the rivers or creeks. Rockfish have scattered some from the hotspots in the upper Chesapeake Bay, and as a result more guys are trolling hoses and spoons and some are live lining now that a few spot have shown up this week.
In several rivers — Choptank, Severn, Chester, lower Wye/Miles area — anglers are enjoying a good shallow-water rockfish bite but you have to be there before the sun comes up. I heard second-hand of a bull red drum caught at the mouth of the Choptank River, and cobias continue to be chummed up just over the Virginia line in Maryland's part of the bay. Back bay, near coastal and offshore fishermen continue to enjoy some good action for a variety of fish.
Here are some more details:
Rich, from Totchermans and CCA Baltimore chapter, reports there are "lots of small stripers in the Patapsco River. Tons! I was out last Sunday, (and caught) 40-plus stripers with all undersized but two. Lost a keeper at the boat and kept one at 24 inches. Lot of reports like this coming in the shop."
It was pretty much status quo in the upper Chesapeake Bay for many anglers fishing out of the Magothy or Patapsco rivers, says Bud at Fishbones. He echoes the dolphin reports, and adds a little bump in spot and croakers with more blues though the striper bite remains pretty much the same.
Capt. Jeff Popp continues to find the fish for customers trolling and jigging the upper bay, from Triple Buoys and Love Point to the bridge pilings. Mike Killelea took part in last weekend's "Wish-A-Fish" event held out of Sandy Point. He said overall the fishing continues to be "phenomenal. (We) crushed the white perch and small rock fish with bloodworms on bottom rigs then took everyone over the bay bridge pilings and live lined spot for a limit of rockfish up to 32 inches. It was an awesome morning."
Fishing out of Kentmorr Marina on Kent Island, Capt. Jeff Eichler on the charter boat Southpaw reports the striper fishing "has been good. It's that time of year for trolling hoses. We still have a little time for bucktails before the blues show up in force."
When I caught up with guide Richie Gaines, he confirmed that there are "quality rockfish" in the shallows, with the better bite early in the morning, or on cloudy days. He also said that the schools of breaking rock are scattered in Eastern Bay. I also heard there are occasionally some bluefish mixed in, but not many yet.
The summer fishing out of Chesapeake Beach, says LJ from G-Eye Jigs, "is starting to heat up. The bluefish can be found breaking the surface with small rockfish mixed in. The surface temperature reached 81 degrees last weekend and the action is starting to heat up too." LJ adds that Capt. Shawn Gibson on the headboat Miss Lizzy put a couple of his clients onto some weakfish this week while bottom fishing. LJ believes the action will "only get better as the summer gets hotter."
When I heard from Captain Harry on the charter boat Kingfish II, it was better news on bottom fishing than it has been: More spot and hardheads are finally showing up in Tangier Sound, thankfully.
"It is still nothing spectacular but everyone (customers) seems to be satisfied," he said. "The spot are small and the croakers are 10 to 13 inches with most anglers getting their limit."
Mike Henderson of Buzz's Marina sent me a photo of a few of his customers with really nice cobias they caught in the lower bay on Tuesday, though no specific location was given. I have heard the better bite for Mr. Brown Suit has been closer to the Virginia line yet still in state waters.
MSSA's Rob Pellicot told me that the chunk bite "slowed to nothing at Lumpy for tuna but dolphin are still around." He speculates it may be related to the high water temps.
"Last week the bite was hot at Massey's and has slowed but the fish are there," he said. "Some yellowfin tuna and bigeye were caught in the Washington this past Friday as well, on the troll with others bailing dolphin on the chunk at the Parking Lot. Believe it or not the hot lure was a good old cedar plug."
Fishing out of Wachapreague, Dale Dirks helped us out with his offshore report: Danny Collison of Mayo caught a big wahoo on Saturday fishing the 30-Fathom Lumps inside the Washington Canyon aboard Dale's boat Heatwave.
One of my Virginia bluewater friends told me there has been a slug of white marlin showing up at the Norfolk Canyon.
Captain Monty on the head boat Morning Star reports the "sea bass fishing is holding up surprisingly well. Sunday I thought Robert would catch his third limit in three trips, but, alas, 13 was his final count. Some days c-bassing is sweet; other days it is most definitely not!" Monty also thinks "good size flounder will rock-up soon and begin feeding on our reefs and wrecks. We are seeing sub-legal flounder in abundance from 145 feet (deep) 35 miles out to nearshore and back bays. There's a lot of really small flounder. A crazy lot. It bodes well."
Elsewhere I hear some bluefish are being caught at Isle of Wight Shoal and Spanish macks hooked at Fenwick Shoal.
OUTDOORS CALENDAR
Through Sept. 17: Chesapeake Summer Slam. Five species, throughout the Bay. Sign up at technicalfisherman.com.
July 21: Annual MSSA Northwest Chapter Perch Tournament. 7 a.m. at Podickery Point & Snake Reef, weigh-in at Sandy Point State Park at 12 p.m. Register at mssa.net/perch.
July 23: CCA-MD third annual Baltimore Kids Catch. Canton Waterfront Park, 3001 Boston Street, Baltimore at 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Visit ccamd.org.
July 23: Pasadena Sportfishing Group Kid's Fishing Derby, Downs Park at 7 a.m.-noon. Register at pasadenasportfishing.com
July 25: CAPCA Meeting, Annapolis Elks Lodge No. 622, 2517 Solomons Island Road, Edgewater. Open to the public meeting starts at 7:15 p.m. Info at capca.net.
July 29-31: Huk's third annual O.C. Big Fish Classic, Talbot Street Peir. Call 410-213-0325 or visit bigfishclassic.com.
Aug. 8-12: 2016 White Marlin Open, world's richest billfish tournament. Ocean City, MD. Register at whitemarlinopen.com.
Aug. 13: MSSA's KI Fishing club's annual Youth Fishing Derby, Romancoke Pier, Route 8 south. 9-11 a.m. Awards and lunch at Kent Island American Legion No. 278 from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.