Has anyone fished Thomas Point Light?

[baitball]

I would like to fish Thomas Point Light from my yak, but not sure as to its accessibility. Does anyone have any experience?

Specifically:

Q1: What is the closest launch point to TPL? When I called Thomas Point Park, they told me they do not allow any boat launching because of the rocks and dangerous currents.
Q2: Is it worth fishing TPL at all from a yak? It seems TPL may be crowded with (powered) fishing boat traffic since it has relatively deep water around it and could be susceptible to main Bay fishing pressure.


Any insight would be much appreciated.

[J.A. Veil]

I have fished at TPL many times in a boat, but never in my kayaks. That location is too far for me to travel from any public launch point. Some of the younger and more energetic Snaggedline members have fished there -- they can add their details.

I find that TPL gets a lot of fishing pressure, particularly on weekends. I catch fish there maybe once out of every four times I visit. If the waves are large or the current is moving, it is challenging to hold position. I don't spend a long time there unless the fish are biting. I do a few drifts to see if anything is happening. If not, I move on.

If you do go there by kayak, you can troll the entire way. Thomas Pt shoal and the deeper waters off the edges should hold fish for much of the year, particularly in late summer and fall.

[baitball]

Thanks for the response John.

Like you stated, I've heard that TPL could be a finicky spot, so I was wondering if it was worth the long trip out there.

BTW, in your reply you mentioned trolling out to TPL, but then drifting once on the ledges. Is the drifting/jigging in the deeper water around the ledges where you have had your successful days? Or was it on the troll out to TPL?

[J.A. Veil]

Thanks for the response John.

Like you stated, I've heard that TPL could be a finicky spot, so I was wondering if it was worth the long trip out there.

BTW, in your reply you mentioned trolling out to TPL, but then drifting once on the ledges. Is the drifting/jigging in the deeper water around the ledges where you have had your successful days? Or was it on the troll out to TPL?

I guess I did not explain my approach very well. TPL sits more than a mile offshore from Thomas Pt. The shallow bar that runs out to just beyond the lighthouse is known as Thomas Pt bar or shoal. Recognizing that I have never traveled out to TPL in my kayak, if I decided to do it, I would troll during the entire trip out there and back, regardless of whether I was over the bar (<10 ft depth) or on the deeper areas outside the bar. Once I reached the lighthouse, I would cast to the rocks and steel structures. The closest I came was during the Nov 2014 meet and greet, when we launched from Hillsmere Beach (a private community beach made available that day by Dogfish). I trolled out the river and half a mile toward the lighthouse. It was cold, windy, and drizzly, so I turned around and came back in the river.

When I am there in my center console, I position the boat on the upcurrent direction and try to drift along the edge of the lighthouse without the motor running. Some days it is rough enough there that I cannot safely turn off the engine.

In 1993, one of the first years I owned a boat, I often drifted over the northern edge of Thomas Pt bar from deep to shallow, or shallow to deep depending on the wave and current direction. I had great success that year bottom fishing using standard bottom rigs and bloodworms or squid. It was not uncommon for me to catch 5 or 6 species of fish in an hour or two. The largest trophy flounder registered with the DNR in the Chesapeake division that year was caught from my boat by my neighbor's son at that location. Sadly, after that banner year, the bottom fishing never returned to that level.

If you are out along Thomas Pt bar in the late summer and early fall, it is not uncommon to find birds working over mixed stripers and blues. Finally, at the outer end of the bar (east and southeast of TPL) the bottom drops off from 10 ft to more than 30 ft. Stripers can congregate along the dropoff or in the deeper water. I know of several boat fishermen who do well jigging up those fish.

For me, TPL is fun to visit for its scenic value and to make a few casts, but it is too far over open water for an old guy to visit in a kayak. There are plenty of other spots closer to a launch where I have found lots of fish to catch.

[baitball]

Sounds like sage advice. Thanks John!

The winds and temp seem extremely cooperative for Saturday (at least the last time I checked the forecast) so I imagine this might be a good time to try the long trek out there.

I guess if I go, I would launch from Bev Triton State Park. Head east until I found the transition from shallow (<10ft) water to deeper stuff and then troll along that edge in a northeasterly direction while making my way to TPL. Once at the light, I would put away the trolling gear and break out with the jigs and cast along the rocks/structure located there. Also, if a drift is called for (because of current), then one could always throw out a drift sock or just position their bow into the current and pedal to hold position.

[Cowpokey]

I have fished TPL many times, but not this late in the year. Closest launch that I've used is Beverly Triton Beach. It's about 2.5-3 miles from launch to TPL, depending on what route you take...lots of times I troll through the mouth of the South River on my way there, which adds some distance.

If you want to get a good look at the bottom structure there, take a look at the Navoinics Webapp*, click on the sonar icon, and it will add contour lines for greater definition.





*you will need to adjust the measurement type for to your liking:

[Mark]

A nice summertime catch for me casting to the TPL rocks from John's center console:

D.jpg

To make it even nicer, it was my birthday.

[baitball]

Cowpokey,

Thanks for the Navionics web app link, that's a pretty cool and useful tool!

Since you've fished it quite a bit, is the trek out to TPL in a yak worth the effort, or would you go elsewhere?

[Dimo]

I fished out of BT last Saturday and went out east 4 miles and was about 1.5 miles south of the lighthouse. It was a hard trolling day but the fishing was excellent. The depths and underwater features were similar to what you might find at the lighthouse. The only way it worked however was due to the very favorable conditions and lighter than summer traffic. If we're lucky enough to have another day like that, I'd probably try to go again.


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[baitball]

So what depth were you fishing Omid if you were 4miles east?

BTW, have you seen the forecast for Saturday? It's calling for 50deg, no wind, and waves less than 1ft.

Feel like trying it again?


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HOBIE
Ivory Dune
13ft Revolution

[Cowpokey]

Cowpokey,

Thanks for the Navionics web app link, that's a pretty cool and useful tool!

Since you've fished it quite a bit, is the trek out to TPL in a yak worth the effort, or would you go elsewhere?

I've caught good fish there, it's always worth a try.

[Dimo]

Has anyone fished Thomas Point Light?

I didn't mark anything before 30', just east of G1 buoy. This was my recap: http://www.snaggedline.com/showthrea...ff-that-turkey!

I haven't checked the forecast, but Saturday sounds promising. Will know closer to the weekend if I can make it work schedule wise.




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[LivinTheDream]

Interesting...I fished from BT several hours the morning of Thanksgiving (a very nice day on the water) and got just four, biggest a bit over 21", but I went no further east than that G1 buoy. I have no fish finder and paddle a Ride 135, but I would have kept going east if I thought it would have helped. What I did catch were much closer to the shore. I get up at 3:30 and drive 3 and a half hours from central PA for the pleasure. You Annapolis area folks are blessed.

[Cowpokey]

I have fished TPL many times, but not this late in the year. Closest launch that I've used is Beverly Triton Beach. It's about 2.5-3 miles from launch to TPL, depending on what route you take...lots of times I troll through the mouth of the South River on my way there, which adds some distance.

If you want to get a good look at the bottom structure there, take a look at the Navoinics Webapp*, click on the sonar icon, and it will add contour lines for greater definition.





*you will need to adjust the measurement type for to your liking:

Is the Navionics Webapp working for anyone? It was functional at work, but when I click on it from home the map doesn't fill in?

[baitball]

It worked for me on my phone when I tried it a few hours ago.