Slow at 301 Bridge, 7/21

[ictalurus]

I met up with Ron (ronaultmtd) at around 5pm at the Aqualand Marina off 301 to fish the pilings of the bridge to see if the action there was as hot as the Bay Bridge. We fished until just before 7:30pm because we had to be out of the marina by 8pm, which is unfortunate. We were fishing the beginning of flood tide, the surface water temperature was a balmy 87-88*, and salinity was 6.8.

I started jigging the pilings with a white BKD while Ron was live lining perch. There were tons of marks around all the pilings I visited. Most of the marks were around 20-25ft, and the bottom depth was 70-80ft. I'm not very good at jigging, and I'm even worse at jigging on suspended fish. However, I managed to jig up a little white cat that absolutely slammed the BKD on one of my early drifts. It wasn't much longer than the lure itself.



How can a little fish hit something so hard?

Menhaden were breaking here and there, and something was harassing them, so I threw a Rattletrap and my popper/bucktail combo to see if I could pick up something closer to the surface. No dice. Later, something either bit off or slurped off my BKD from my hook, and Ron had a perch bitten in half, so blues were around.

I foul hooked a bigger white cat while a cormorant looked on:





And that was that.

Ron by the bridge:



I forgot my Smelly Jelly, which probably would've enticed more cats to hit the jig. I was hoping for a Memory Maker-style big blue cat. We probably could've clobbered them with some bait rigged on a slip bobber drifted by the pilings. I also wish the place would stay open later because it would've been good to hit the pilings by the coal plant as well as some of the places Capt. C-Hawk recommended. Anyway, it was good fishing with Ron again, and it was much nicer on the water than on land, which made for a nice evening.

[MetroMan]

Glad you guys had a good time out. The little fish impress me with some of the big baits they go after. Greedy bastards.

[Redfish12]

Looks like a nice night down there! I have given up on 301 rock till the fall and I don't think many croaker made it up the river that far this year. White perch and catfish are plentiful down there usually though. Squid strips is usually all you need.

The park on the VA side closes at sunset so it's not any better and it is a longer paddle to deeper water.

[ronaultmtd]

I used my cast net wading in the shallow water off the beach to fill the bait bucket- had plenty of the perfect size baits, nice and lively- We beach launched within a hundred yards of the bridge- could not have been an easier paddle to eighty feet of water- fish finder had fish stacked at the 25-30 foot level everywhere around the pilings- from the 25 foot depth to the 82 foot depth there were big crescent shaped fish symbols showing up on my Hummingbird 570 screen- I live lined with one oz egg sinker and 4/0 6X treble hook on 50 pound mono leader around the pilings, changing baits to keep frisky baits on the rig- jigged soft plastics and buck tails tipped with plastic. One big stinking skunk for yours truly- and my God was it HOT! I kept dipping my Cabelas River Drover hat in the water to cool down and hanging my feet in the water- Did not worry about the possibility of Bull Sharks taking a nip off the foot- although I know they frequent the area-

The theory I had of stripers being caught at area long span bridges regardless of the location went down in flames- like real estate- location, location, location-

Still- getting the hull of my yak wet was fun and beat hiding in the air-conditioning from the heat...always fun to fish with Bill-

[mmanolis2001]

Thanks for the report. You guys were brave taking on that heat. I walked around my building at work around 3:00 pm and i returned a soggy mess. It was nasty out there yesterday.

Good job on the cats. It is amazing how greedy the little fish are. I need to figure out the trick to suspended fish as well. I can guess the depth pretty well in slack water by counting down the time it takes for my jig to hit bottom at a certain depth and doing a little math. But when wind and current is involved it makes the whole guessing thing much harder. Its much easier when you are jigging vertically and you can see your jig on the FF.

[Grilled]

nice report as always.

[jffoley]

Haven't been down that way at all this season. Was wondering what might be happening. Thanks for posting!

What? No perch? How does that salinity rate compared to "normal", Bill?

That's too bad about the lack of catching but any time on the water is a good time! BTW, if you didn't know, there's a little park on the VA side where you can launch and wouldn't have to worry about leaving before dark.

[Memory Maker]

Man ........ you guys were troopers in that heat ....... glad you got out and caught something

[ictalurus]

I've never fished that area before, there are no data buoys around, so I'm just speculating. I would guess that it's probably pretty close to normal, finally. The Nanjemoy and Mattawoman aren't that far away, and they have really good tidal largemouth bass fishing. From what I've read LMB abundance tends to drop off as salinity gets above 4-6. The tribs below the 301 bridge are not know for the LMB fishing, so I would guess that the 301 bridge area might be the typical downstream limit for bass. The salinity at PLO according to the buoy now is 11, which is pretty average, I think.

[Capt C-Hawk]

The theory I had of stripers being caught at area long span bridges regardless of the location went down in flames- like real estate- location, location, location.

That's my bridge, grew up fishing the area on weekends. Location does matter, the rock are more likely to be on the VA side in shallower water right now and mostly small. Try where you were fishing after the first frost. Time of year trumps location near the bridge. If it's keepers you want try throwing 3" and 4" shad along the MD shore starting at the plant discharge and ending in front of the house below the creek. Chugbugs are another option after the sun touches the trees across the river.You need water so tide half way in to half way out is a plus.

Ten years ago there weren't any cats near or below the bridge, now they're everywhere. Anything smelly on the bottom will attract them. Two weeks ago there were a lot of croakers on the VA side of the channel in about 20'. I was surprised they actually out numbered the cats. Too hot for me this week, maybe next.

[surfdog]

thanks for the report Bill, those small ones go after the prize hard. ive had yearling rock hit like a 18" HH disappointing and big ones barely make the tip move

[EdE]

I have had good luck with the blues using a bottom bouncer and a worm harness, have caught many in 5 to 10 range and one over 30

[tufnik]

Never tried that type or rig before. Is is good for flounder?

[Grilled]

never seen that rig either is that something u made or bought!

[kanvery]

That rig looks pretty sweet I've always wondered if you could just bounce bottom while drifting and have any real luck. BTW Bill (Ichtalarus) there is a really nice rip on the VA side. I've caught rock and redfish there in late August. They didn't show up last year or the year before but that rip usually produces something. I make sure to check it everytime I go out. It's labeled Dahlgren Creek on the nautical charts and tide charts. There's a point and there is a sand bar that extends from that about a mile out and is only about 6" - 2ft deep which causes a really strong rip. I caught everything on gulp shrimp out there and have witnessed some pretty cool blitzes. Along with the rock and redfish there are your usual croaker, perch, and mutant catfish that are a lot of fun.