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The closest I've heard them caught is the Cambridge area in the spring for puppy drum. Bigger fish have been rumored to have been caught up as far as love point..maybe even farther up?You need to go pretty far south for reliable drum fishing, in my opinion. The CBBT holds good quantities of Bulls during the fall. My go to spot is inshore around the outer banx during the summer or fall for pups up to 30'.
John Hostalka
Delaware Paddlesports and
Hobie Fishing team member
I've heard of a few caught at the bay bridge and personally caught one in the Harbor Hospital area but usually you need to head a bit south. Point Lookout, Crisfield or even further south towards the CBBT as mentioned above. Seems to depend on the year just how far north they will go.
I can chime in here a little and say that the furthest north I've heard of them caught this year in any numbers (on the Eastern Shore, anyway) is Saxis, VA area. That's not to say you wont find one around Crisfield area, but I can say that between my trips and friends trips in the shallows, we have not seen a single pup. The bulls at the CBBT are just about done for the year.
You can always head south to the OBX and have a great time through November, but if you are looking locally, your best bet is to research all winter and try your hand at a spring bull in VA.
Last edited by RavensDfense; 10-09-2015, 09:47 AM.
I got this one out of Crisfield this past Sept. It was the only one though. https://www.facebook.com/chesapeake....type=3&theater
So while you can get them, they're rare. A few years ago puppy drum were everywhere.
2012 was an anomalous year for reds. Small redfish (12" to 15") showed up in early summer in the lower bay and steadily marched up the bay. I caught several in the Severn, and recall reports of catches in the Patapsco. I had never caught reds in the Annapolis region until that year. The following year I caught some larger redfish in Eastern Bay, but not many. Since then, I have not found any in the mid Bay.
Last summer, larger redfish showed up in the lower bay for a few weeks around Labor Day. I caught a personal best in Virginia waters in late August, and others found them in Maryland waters (like Yak Fish noted above). We had long cold winters during the past two years. If we have a milder winter, the redfish may move farther north.
If you really want redfish, plan to fish farther south in the bay or in other southern waters.
John Veil
Annapolis
Native Watercraft Manta Ray 11, Falcon 11
Author - "Fishing in the Comfort Zone" , "Fishing Road Trip - 2019", "My Fishing Life: Two Years to Remember", and "The Way I Like to Fish -- A Kayak Angler's Guide to Shallow Water, Light Tackle Fishing"
Redfish remain an elusive catch for me even after several trips south to VA and FL in hopes of catching one.
Each year I think "this year" will be the one where I catch my first red.
Somewhere I read an interesting theory on their unusual presence here in the mid-Chesapeake in 2012. The idea was that Hurricane Irene in August of 2011 pushed a large number of reds into and up the Bay where they stayed through 2012.
No reds for me thus far in 2015. But the year isn't over yet!
Mark
Pasadena, MD
Slate Hobie Revolution 13 Hidden Oak Native Ultimate 12 Lizard Lick Native Ultimate FX Pro
When the salinity in the bay is higher than normal for a long period of time during the warmer months, reds will usually show up north of the bay bridge. 2012 was one of those years, and the same reds returned in 2013 although less in number but a lot more within the keeper slot. Since I started keeping a log in 2000, I've noted 2 other seasons where similar conditions caused the puppy drum to show up in the middle Bay Area. There are also a few charter boat captains that target big redfish every year in The Mid Bay region during a certain time and they are very tight lipped about it.
2014 Hobie Pro Angler
2018 Viking Profish 400 Lite
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