In the Severn Risver, when can we start to keep Rock fish??

[manlystanley]

Is the minimum still 20 inches?? max two??

Thanks,
Stan

[yakscientist]

For the majority of the MD tribs, including the Severn, the keeper season starts June 1. The limit is unchanged from last year, 2 fish between 20-28" or 1 within the slot and 1 above 28". So yes, the minimum is still 20" and the max is still 2, but you must be mindful of the slot. IMO 2 fish might not seem like a lot, but you get a lot of meat off 2 20"+ rockfish, enough for 2-3 solid meals for a couple. I'm very happy with the size and creel limit.

[manlystanley]

For the majority of the MD tribs, including the Severn, the keeper season starts June 1. The limit is unchanged from last year, 2 fish between 20-28" or 1 within the slot and 1 above 28". So yes, the minimum is still 20" and the max is still 2, but you must be mindful of the slot. IMO 2 fish might not seem like a lot, but you get a lot of meat off 2 20"+ rockfish, enough for 2-3 solid meals for a couple. I'm very happy with the size and creel limit.

You need to realize that I am a fisherman in training..... I didn't get a single keeper rockfish last year. So, 2 20+ inch rockfish seems like a dream come true.....

Thanks for the help.

Best Regards,
Stan

[yakscientist]

I would look into launching at Smith's Marina on Little Round Bay in the upper Severn. I think it's 10$ per kayak launch, but you might want to call them to see if you can get like a discount on launching a few times. It's a medium sized area with lots of shoreline and structure that can hold a lot of 20-25" fish during the summer and fall months. The morning bite is best. Troll bigger/deeper paddletails too, if you like to use those. I have a 1/4 or a 1/2 on one side, and a 1/2 or a 1oz on the other, sometimes up to 2 oz if it's deeper than 20 feet and it's not real windy. Persistence is key, and also if you've got a gps/ff combo, just mark points where you're catching fish bigger than 17 or 18", and keep going back and forth over those spots, it'll pay off. Also the area around bloody point is really good right now to fish, I was out there on a charter boat and we ran into many schools of fish that were 15-20" comingled with fish above 30". That won't last more than a couple weeks though as the water warms.

[mchottie]

C&K (catch 'n' keep) starts tomorrow. Expect it to be crowded, even moreso on this coming weekend.

Creel size and limit has already been listed above, if you want to link up on the severn, there are several members (me included) who are local and frequent regularly. Similar to you, I only landed a few keepers all year 2016, i'm looking forward to a productive savory rockfish dinnertime for plenty of 2017.