Need Some Advice

[Noseeums]

Just found this site as it was recommended to me and I am looking for some advice from those of you who frequent the Scotlland area.
I am a South Jersey kayak fisherman but will be vacationing near Point Lookout State Park with my grandsons the week of August 15th. Looking for some input on what I may expect to catch this time of year.
Any advice would be appreciated. Looking forward to exploring the area and following snagline.com.
P.S. How's the crabbing?

[Big Mike]

You should find an abundance of undersized rockfish, good croaker and white perch. Flounder have been scarce but there may be some in The Potomac side of PLO. You can launch at PLO ($10) or St Inigoes/Smith creek which are both close to Scotland. The most consistent striper lures are 3/8 - 1/2 jig heads with a 4" paddletail in some variation of white, X-Raps or Rattletraps. Lots of fish coming in 4' to 8' of water, especially if you can find a point or oyster bottom. I've had great success with croaker by bottom bouncing a 1/4 jig with 3" white gulp curly tail in the same water depth. Others bottom fish a double drop rig with bloodworms or shrimp. Specs or puppy drum might be in Lake Conroy ( probably screwed up name but it's the lagoon area around the PLO launch) but reports are very sporadic and you shouldn't expect much.

Crabbing has been getting better and there are crabs around the Scotland area.

[Fishinfool]

Noseeums, welcome!

Prior to every trip, whether it's just a morning or evening getaway or an extended kayak fishing trip, the first thing I do is consult the local NOAA Nautical charts for the exact locale I'll be fishing. It's important to get an understanding of the bottom you'll be fishing. Ideally, I look for drop-offs around points, rocks, oyster bottoms (harder to find) and/or sandy bottoms (as opposed to sticky bottoms).

The second site I check are the tides. There's a great site called Tides4fishing and it's listed along with the NOAA Charts in the link I'll post at the bottom (which is also always the third thread in the Main Forum). You can cross reference the tide readings for any day with the NOAA charts where you'll be fishing. You can also cross reference the NOAA Charts with google maps to get a 3-D sense of the area you're targeting.

Also in the same thread are Maryland fishing regulations and license requirements. Being from Jersey, you'll want to make sure you're familiar with licensing and legal sizes and #'s of fish to bring back to the family for dinner.

Big Mike had some good suggestions for rigs and baits. I have heard that keeper rock are not as available near the mouth of the Potomac, but there are plenty of other species like perch and croaker to keep you and your grandsons occupied.

If you two are ambitious, you might try a launch near the mouth of the Patuxent River. Look in the list of Public Launches also in the thread below for a launch site near there. There could be more keeper stripers up there and it's not too far from Scotland.

I hear from multiple sources that the crabbing is picking up nicely, although crabbing is tough from a kayak unless you are pre-rigged with a trot line set-up. Moc has done a fair amount of crabbing off his Hobie, search Moc's post and add crabbing in the search line. Depending on the kids ages, you may find it easier to rent a rowboat and just chicken neck (individual lines with chicken necks or pieces of fatty chicken with a half ounce weight attached) with a crab net or two.

Good luck!

http://www.snaggedline.com/showthrea...-Links-7-24-13

[Noseeums]

Thanks for the responses.
Are there any good places that sell bait, tackle and licenses in the area or should we stop on our way down?
See you on the water next week!!!

[Big Mike]

The Tackle Box in Lexington Park is a good place to stop. They are on Route 235 a little bit past the Gate 1 entrance to the Navy base. There is a bait shop further down the road that you may hit mid-week for bait, but it is only a so-so tackle shop.