getting bored with perch

[dtandrade]

So here is the deal, I am having no issue catching perch but I guess I am getting a little bored with that being the only fish I have been catch (other then a small yellow and a small spotted sea trout). Dont get me wrong they are fun and a good go to when I get skunked when fishing for other species. I have been fishing the jetty hard at the end of back creek on the severn(a spot dogfish told me about) and I have tried everything from top water to shallow divers with zero success my last few trips out. I paddled out past the jetty to a 26ft drop off and jigged a 3/4oz bucktail and trolled with storm shad until my arms burned, again nothing. I am coming from a history of bass fishing and I know some times you catch them and some times you dont. Anyone have any ideas on what I can try to produce some bigger fish then just perch in the area I am at?

[Mark]

I have caught a number of 15 to 18 inch stripers close to structure in shallow water and swimming with the white perch in the Severn this year. The perch and the stripers hit the same lures. Admittedly it was earlier in the year and I probably caught a dozen white perch for each decent sized striper. But the two species must forage together based on my catches. I haven't been to the Severn in a couple weeks so I do not know if the shallow water pattern has continued there.

My go-to lure is a jig spinner combination. I use a 1/4 oz. jig attached to a spinner and I place a 4 inch Mister Twister grub on the jig. If the fish are present I do not believe color matters very much but I tend to use lighter colors like white, silver, yellow or chartreuse.

My next choice of lure is a Rat L Trap. I favor blue, silver and yellow but again I think it's the noise and motion of the Rat L Trap that works more than its color. A 1/4 oz. Rat L Trap will catch white perch and stripers. If you step up a to 1/2 oz. Rat L Trap you may avoid the smaller perch but some of them are tenacious and will hit the 1/2 oz. Rat L Trap even though they are too small to swallow it.

My third choice is an X Rap. I use them the least because they cost the most. But they are very effective.

I don't troll much but I have caught stripers in the Severn on the above lures doing so. The oyster beds in the Severn are public knowledge (and marked) and are good places to troll.

I prefer to cast to structure (docks and riprap) and into current like I am bass fishing and have done well with that method.

Good luck,

[DOGFISH]

Depending on your range and tolerance for boats, there is a channel on the Naval Station side of the river, marked by yellow buoys. The channel is about 20+ feet deep and is a good place to troll.


Also, I have thought about this, but not gone yet. I have been thinking of fishing Spa Creek at night, out towards the mouth of the creek. All of those lights on the water draw bait. Where the bait goes, so does the stripers. In the past, while walking over the Spa Creek Bridge, I have seen stripers smacking bait. That may also be an idea. You can launch at Truxton Park and paddle out to the mouth of the creek. It is a bit of a paddle, but if with friends, it is not that bad. While you are bored with them, there are lots of perch in that creek also.

PS: Don't go this week or next weekend, boat shows.

[dtandrade]

Thanks for all the info guys. Im going out tomorrow morning and im going to try trolling from the jetty south along the shore line and see what I can come up with. I usually try to go out a few times a week and only have about 4 hours as the sun is just starting to come up to fish before I have to go to work. Hopefully I put a striper on the kayak tomorrow. Going to troll some storm shad off the back and paddle like crazy!. If anyone wants to join let me know.

[chimo]

Was once in a similar situation when I started kayak fishing. Caught plenty of perch but only tiny stripers. 1st thing I did to switch it up and catch my first keepers was to switch locations and hit the BB. Generally there is a pretty good chance at a keeper there. While I was there I met a bunch of guys from this forum and was shown the ropes of live lining. Just take one of those small perch you are catching or a spot, put a 4/0 circle in his nose and drop him in some deeper water. Since then I have learned a lot and caught fish on many other techniques. My favorite is jigging. Find a break, preferably one with current flowing over it and jig spoons/bucktails/bkds on jig heads along the break. Also, I have better luck trolling diving baits instead of baits like bucktails that ride up the water column as you paddle.

Keep after 'em and you will find something that will work for you.