Annapolis Area Fishing Guides/Partners

[wseitzer]

Hi all,

I've been trying to get into kayak fishing for rockfish this year and have had very limited success. I was wondering if anyone knew of, or are themselves, a guide in the Annapolis area who takes guys out as a service to learn the area, patterns, and techniques? Thanks!

[J.A. Veil]

In order to be a fishing guide in Maryland, you need to get a Coast Guard Captain's license and a guiding license from the DNR. These rules apply to guides or charterboat captains fishing from boats. There are a few of them in the Annapolis area. The licensing and boat operating costs are quite expensive, and the guides need to charge a high fee to make ends meet. A few years ago, the DNR created a new category of limited license for persons guiding from kayaks (Type L). For that type of charter, the Coast Guard license may not be necessary. I am not aware of very many guides who have gotten the Type L license. The only guide I know within an hour of Annapolis who does kayak trips is Capt Chris Dollar, who is also a licensed boat guide Captain Chris Dollar (tacklecove.com).

Fishing for stripers from a kayak may involve different tactics at different times of the year. I caught many stripers during May while trolling light tackle (paddletails) in water less than 6' deep. As water temps rise, the stripers typically leave the shallow waters and move deeper. Many boat anglers and some kayak anglers choose live-lining during the summer months. I personally do not fish with that technique. I'm sure I will find some stripers over the summer months, but will target them more seriously in the fall. Hopefully other Snaggedline members will offer suggestions on where you might find stripers now.

[Jigsup]

Never heard of a kayak guide in Annapolis. I have heard of a captain I believe on the eastern shore who takes kayakers along with their kayaks to different areas in the bay/ rivers and drop them off. He would come and pick them all back up at a certain time. I don’t know if it’s still a thing. May be someone that knows more about it will chime in.

Far as rockfish specifically I have very limited experience on the kayak. I would figure early morning/late evening would be your best bet where ever you are fishing this time of year. Water temperature plays a major roll. Rockfish are fragile in high temp water. During the heat of the day they go deep. Trolling would probably be best this time of year to locate them once sun is up.
Like J.A mentioned, fall would be the next best time to target rockfish. Hopefully others who are more efficient/knowledgeable in kayak trolling will chime in with a little more detail on kayak trolling. If not there are threads on that subject, and members whom wrote books on the subject.

Welcome to the forum. There is a wealth of knowledge on this site when it comes to kayak fishing. This is one of two “social media” outlets I’m part of. Mainly because of the experience and no bickering and arguing!

[wseitzer]

Thank you both for the responses! Definitely glad I found this forum.

J.A., you described my exact experience. Was catching a bunch trolling paddle tails and curly tails on jig heads in shallower water those first few weeks of May. In your experience, how deep are we talking in the summer months? I just picked up a deep diver crankbait which should get down around 13 ft trolling at ~ 3mph. Any chance that will get to the depths they like this time of year or not quite? Any other rigs you can recommend to get deeper on a kayak? Seen just about everyone on boats live lining the spot but not sure I'm well equipped to manage live bait on my kayak.

[J.A. Veil]

Thank you both for the responses! Definitely glad I found this forum.

J.A., you described my exact experience. Was catching a bunch trolling paddle tails and curly tails on jig heads in shallower water those first few weeks of May. In your experience, how deep are we talking in the summer months? I just picked up a deep diver crankbait which should get down around 13 ft trolling at ~ 3mph. Any chance that will get to the depths they like this time of year or not quite? Any other rigs you can recommend to get deeper on a kayak? Seen just about everyone on boats live lining the spot but not sure I'm well equipped to manage live bait on my kayak.

I don't troll deep water in the summer, and cannot answer your question about how deep. If you can find current moving past structure, even in the summer months, you are likely to find fish, including stripers. Around Annapolis, look for rock piles, bridge pilings, or rip lines. There are rock walls near Tolleys Point, Hacketts Point, the Bay Bridge, and Thomas Point. Getting there in a kayak from a public launch is not as easy as I had when I fished from a center console. Lower light conditions (dawn, dusk, heavy overcast) may improve your chances.

When I had my boat, I would fish at times along the shallow bars that led out from Tolleys or Thomas Points. I might be a half mile off the shoreline, but still could find hard bottom (oyster shell) in less than 10 foot depth. I could blind cast a paddletail and hop it back across the bottom. Some days I caught, and other days not. I also identified a few rock piles that were far out from shore along the Thomas Point bar. These often held fish. You can study marine charts to look for this type of structure or actually get out there and look around with your electronics.

The Bay Bridge pilings are a well known spot to jig for stripers. You need a fairly heavy jighead and a slender tail (like a BKD) or a metal jig. Jig around the pilings and you may catch stripers (I was never very good at this and did not spend a lot of time practicing).