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Slow in Jutland Creek, 6/26
Between thunderstorms and other conflicts, I didn't get to my Father's Day fishing trip with my father until yesterday. He doesn't like to get up early and doesn't want to drive in the dark, so that can make finding fish difficult. I decided to launch at Bluhaven Piers on Jutland Creek, which is a small trib of the Potomac. I've found plenty of 11-12" white perch there in the past, and I figured there would be nice scenery and minimal boat traffic.
We got in the water around noon and fished until about 4pm when it got really hot. That was most of the ebb. I forgot my temp/salinity meter, but I bet the water temperature was close to 80* if not more. I couldn't tell much difference between the air and the water when we first got there, and my sonar didn't read below 83* the entire time.
The perch weren't playing along. I threw a variety of small grubs and bottom rigs with Fishbites and even tried J.A. Veil's ultra slow trolling technique. I picked up one perch around 10-11", a few in the 6" range, and a half dozen croakers around 9-10". The only thing that worked for me was a 2" white twin tail grub on a silver spinner arm with a piece of Fishbites on the hook. The croaker were fun on the ultralight. Dad took a skunk, unfortunately, despite using the same set up.
We ran into another pair of kayakers when we launched, one of whom, Chip, asked about my sonar set up. I directed him to the forum here and told him about the duct seal technique.
In all, it was a good day on the water, but I'm not sure I'll fish there in the summer this year. There isn't much deep water, almost nothing over 10ft, and the current seemed slow, so I wonder if the fish just completely shut off during the heat/sun of the day. Shady spots and docks were even less productive than where I caught most of the fish, which were on flats with fallen trees in the water. I'll have to try my perch spots in Breton Bay and Piney Point to see if they're any better.
We got in the water around noon and fished until about 4pm when it got really hot. That was most of the ebb. I forgot my temp/salinity meter, but I bet the water temperature was close to 80* if not more. I couldn't tell much difference between the air and the water when we first got there, and my sonar didn't read below 83* the entire time.
The perch weren't playing along. I threw a variety of small grubs and bottom rigs with Fishbites and even tried J.A. Veil's ultra slow trolling technique. I picked up one perch around 10-11", a few in the 6" range, and a half dozen croakers around 9-10". The only thing that worked for me was a 2" white twin tail grub on a silver spinner arm with a piece of Fishbites on the hook. The croaker were fun on the ultralight. Dad took a skunk, unfortunately, despite using the same set up.
We ran into another pair of kayakers when we launched, one of whom, Chip, asked about my sonar set up. I directed him to the forum here and told him about the duct seal technique.
In all, it was a good day on the water, but I'm not sure I'll fish there in the summer this year. There isn't much deep water, almost nothing over 10ft, and the current seemed slow, so I wonder if the fish just completely shut off during the heat/sun of the day. Shady spots and docks were even less productive than where I caught most of the fish, which were on flats with fallen trees in the water. I'll have to try my perch spots in Breton Bay and Piney Point to see if they're any better.
A heavy work load this year is the only thing that keeps me from fishing three days a week like I did in previous years. 
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