Wild Weather

[ronaultmtd]

Just when things started looking up on the local fishing scene we get hit with wild weather...I know the climatologists tell us that abnormal weather patterns will be our new “normal” in Global Warming...but damn, it suxs and screws up kayak fishing...that may seem trivial in the grand scheme of things, but I really enjoy our usual Southern Maryland summertime fishing for speckled trout and Redfish...this Summer both species has been extremely scarce and very few fish has been caught. The extremely cold we experienced during February and March seems to have had consequences...here it is raining like a tropical storm in series of heavy rain bands that is dumping inches of rain per hour and it has been doing this all day long...this much fresh water will have effects in the bay...

[Mark]

We've been deluged here in the Baltimore/Annapolis region today also. Rain is forecast each day through Friday. We need the preicp, but I prefer it one day a week rather than a week at a time.

[DanMarino]

Getting slammed here in the OBX as well boys.

[archeryrob]

You think its bad in your area, up here in the mountains with rivers and creeks fishing about done and hardly started. Dreaming of hunting season and then the creeks will go down.

[ronaultmtd]

My friend on St George’s Island has flooded roads just about every day for the past two weeks...and reports all the Purple Martin’s have all left...

[Mark]

My friend on St George’s Island has flooded roads just about every day for the past two weeks...and reports all the Purple Martin’s have all left...

I have chimney swifts nesting in my chimney. I can hear them chirping as I type this. I wish they would leave. Also I wish this frequent rain would stop!

[belairfishing]

Talked to my brother in State College last night. All of the streams up there are blown out too. No trout fishing for at least another week.

[ronaultmtd]

Can’t wait until this lousy summer is over...fall fishing will be better because it can’t get much worse...been my worst season in memory....

[clm]

Can’t wait until this lousy summer is over...fall fishing will be better because it can’t get much worse...been my worst season in memory....

Just chiming in to vent too....I travel a lot for work...when I've been home...all rain...the day I leave...sun...all summer...then when I can run out to the water...all swollen and debris filled...looking forward to the fall..guess I will be targeting cats this year primarily...they don't care😀

[Mark]

..guess I will be targeting cats this year primarily...

I think the cats have targeted us this year.

My buddy John Rentch and I launched at Downs Park yesterday.

John caught two while trolling for stripers:

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[clm]

I think the cats have targeted us this year.

My buddy John Rentch and I launched at Downs Park yesterday.

John caught two while trolling for stripers:

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They are definitely becoming more agressive....due to the larger numbers (blue cats) I guess...I've caught them.on spinners and read more LM bass guys are hooking up on them too.

[ronaultmtd]

The weather or climate is changing...October is coming to an end, early voting has begun...and being retired, I can fish during the week when weather permits...and this year, I have fished significantly fewer days due to lousy weather...Big Mike, Yak67 and I, (SMOG) fish together...we have had a few exceptional days of fishing...got a 30” Striper earlier this month on light spinning tackle throwing a top water popper that was a blast, but overall this has been a real disappointment of a year...and it is all weather related...

[Mark]

...but overall this has been a real disappointment of a year...and it is all weather related...

I agree that striper fishing has been difficult this year. Even on other local fishing forums, anglers are lamenting poor striper catches or bemoaning the fact that they have not seen working birds or bait schools in locations that predictably held stripers in past years.

We can't discount the weather which has indeed been odd this year. Excessive rain caused swollen dirty water in many of the areas where we kayak. Worse than that from a personal perspective was the searing heat and oppressive humidity which lingered from July through much of October. Like you Ron, I'm retired. I can fish weekdays. But there were times when I refused to battle the temperature and sticky air even when the tides were right. In fact, this year was the first time since I've been kayak fishing where I actually felt ill due to heat after a session on the water. I was glad my son was present to load and tie down my boat upon departure. I may not have been able to do it alone.

Also, I believe we cannot ignore the poor 2016 striper spawn which produced about 25% of the stripers that a normal spawn produces. Assuming that metric was true, we were chasing far fewer fish of the size we prefer. Fortunately, 2016 was an anomaly sandwiched between good spawns in years prior and after. We should have more sizable fish to pursue next year.

Thus far in 2018, I've had only four good sessions striper fishing in my kayak where I've caught between 20 and 40 fish. By far most of those catches where shorts. Each of those days were on the Eastern Shore. The Severn and Patapsco which are closer to my home have not produced well for me. I've caught only two legal stripers in those latter locations and I caught them while perch fishing. I wasn't even targeting stripers.

The year is not over, but clearly 2018 will not go down as a memorable year for catching stripers. Like most anglers (and baseball fans, even Oriole fans like me), hope springs eternal. Looking ahead our Nor'easter this weekend may actually help to drive bait and stripers into the tributaries I like to fish. That would be welcome change.

[Daniel-J]

I never forget to hunt if it's an opportunity. I love eating fish, but eating fish with fresh meat is even better!

[ronaultmtd]

If you can get past the slime...our “monster fishing” has gotten awful good...really big catfish (over 35 pounds) are plentiful in the Potomac River, Pax River and their tributary creek mouths...and they are year round residents that do not migrate..