Beverly-Triton Beach

[yakscientist]

I'm in...

Awesome! Random question, but would you say you've got a good handle on how to LTJ for rockfish or other species? If so, when we are anchored up fishing for catfish, can you give me some quick pointers? I've been wanting to learn how to properly LTJ for a little while now, and I feel like it's a necessity in colder water/weather. And brianisoutside, the more the merrier. Rockchaser, are you in as well? I plan to get to Marshall Hall around 1030 which should give me plenty of time to set up/get my suit on and all that.

[ronaultmtd]

Depends on your definition of LTJ- there are many different jigging techniques depending on the lure you are jigging- I used to fish a lot of Mirrorlure 52M lures in the dead of winter at the hot ditch on the Elizabeth River to catch speckled Trout...twitching was what some called it- and vertical jigging over suspended fish with metal Hopkins lures was a flutter jig fishery- going offshore for codfish we used "Tin" jigs tipped with squid but with pretty heavy gear- we called that deep jigging...fishing the Bay for stripers most folks call bottom bouncing 3/4-1 oz. jigheads with 6-10 inch BKDs or Hogies jigging...light tackle to a salt water angler is a lot different than to a fresh water angler...just about everything I fish with would be considered light tackle for salt water...I personally like smaller, lighter jigs rigged with 6-7 inch BKDs or Zoom flukes hot rodded with the garlic flavored dye dip in chartreuse or green color for just the tip of the fluke on my spinning outfits- I try to locate the fish on my electronics, then cast to them allowing the bait to settle on the bottom and then retrieve with a hop, hop, hop, pause, hop, hop, hop, with the pause to allow the jig to get back to the bottom- I reel in the slack of the hopping jig unless we are vertical jigging over suspended fish- then I try to keep the jigin the depth of the suspended fish with a rapid lifting of the rod and a following the falling jig down motion- most hits come on the fall and you cannot have a totally slack line to feel the hit....in Spring trophy season I up scale to the 10 inch Hogies and still like the garlic dye dip- but I rarely just go with one technique- usually vary my fishing techniques between casting, jigging and trolling...that is why I have my different rods rigged for the different styles of fishing- if one is producing for me I stick with it- last year one of my most productive techniques was casting the big XR14 Rapala jerkbaits into schools of fish and reeling fast- pause, jerk, jerk, reel fast and hang on for dear life to a screaming drag...

[Rockchaser]

I'm in for Sunday.

[AintMisBehavin]

As of right now, I'm leaning towards fishing on Sunday Jan 1st. I am up for a start time around 11am, since that would let me sleep in a little more, and it's a 2 hour drive for me anyway. I usually prefer an early start, but in this case, I think a trip of 11-4:30 pm would be a good idea. Who's interested? Also weather looks to be possibly rainy but low winds, as of now, but the forecast changes daily.

I'm in for now gents. hoping for great weather
gdm

[moc]

Wow, I am not sure if I can make it depending on obligations, but I may come down and see you guys off on the water.

[yakscientist]

Wow, I am not sure if I can make it depending on obligations, but I may come down and see you guys off on the water.

Yeah always good seeing you. The more the merrier, if you can fish. We can really spread out along the river to figure out where the good spots are, though hopefully they're everywhere. I just want to anchor up and relax for once, or even drift, I've been trolling every trip since early spring, so it'll be a good change of pace.

[yakscientist]

Depends on your definition of LTJ- there are many different jigging techniques depending on the lure you are jigging- I used to fish a lot of Mirrorlure 52M lures in the dead of winter at the hot ditch on the Elizabeth River to catch speckled Trout...twitching was what some called it- and vertical jigging over suspended fish with metal Hopkins lures was a flutter jig fishery- going offshore for codfish we used "Tin" jigs tipped with squid but with pretty heavy gear- we called that deep jigging...fishing the Bay for stripers most folks call bottom bouncing 3/4-1 oz. jigheads with 6-10 inch BKDs or Hogies jigging...light tackle to a salt water angler is a lot different than to a fresh water angler...just about everything I fish with would be considered light tackle for salt water...I personally like smaller, lighter jigs rigged with 6-7 inch BKDs or Zoom flukes hot rodded with the garlic flavored dye dip in chartreuse or green color for just the tip of the fluke on my spinning outfits- I try to locate the fish on my electronics, then cast to them allowing the bait to settle on the bottom and then retrieve with a hop, hop, hop, pause, hop, hop, hop, with the pause to allow the jig to get back to the bottom- I reel in the slack of the hopping jig unless we are vertical jigging over suspended fish- then I try to keep the jigin the depth of the suspended fish with a rapid lifting of the rod and a following the falling jig down motion- most hits come on the fall and you cannot have a totally slack line to feel the hit....in Spring trophy season I up scale to the 10 inch Hogies and still like the garlic dye dip- but I rarely just go with one technique- usually vary my fishing techniques between casting, jigging and trolling...that is why I have my different rods rigged for the different styles of fishing- if one is producing for me I stick with it- last year one of my most productive techniques was casting the big XR14 Rapala jerkbaits into schools of fish and reeling fast- pause, jerk, jerk, reel fast and hang on for dear life to a screaming drag...

Thank you for all the advice! I realize it'll just take time for me to learn, just like it took time for me to get a handle on trolling

[ronaultmtd]

Drifting for catfish is not the most productive way to fish for them- I believe anchoring is essential in catching these fish- so a good anchor trolley setup is equally important as is a quick disconnect to ditch the anchor in the event of a sleigh ride from a large fish- I keep a float attached to the end of my anchor line for such an occasion...90% or more of the fish you can land without ever considering a sleigh ride, but you should be prepared in the event you hook up a monster...

[yakscientist]

Yeah I've anchored up plenty, especially in the beginning of the year when I was doing primarily bottom fishing. I've got my anchor line and a backup line/float all spooled up for just such a lucky occasion. Hopefully one of us gets a fish over 30" but really I will be happy with any fish, my last 3 outings have yielded only skunks.

[AintMisBehavin]

Drifting for catfish is not the most productive way to fish for them- I believe anchoring is essential in catching these fish- so a good anchor trolley setup is equally important as is a quick disconnect to ditch the anchor in the event of a sleigh ride from a large fish- I keep a float attached to the end of my anchor line for such an occasion...90% or more of the fish you can land without ever considering a sleigh ride, but you should be prepared in the event you hook up a monster...

When I was in Tennessee I actually preferred to drift fish for big cats in the Cumberland river. It was common to see other fisherman hookup in the 50 to 70lb range. I never did better than 44lbs myself. During this trip I am looking for fish to fill the freezer with. I have an anchor trolley on PA but no quick release or float system. Do you have a picture of yours?
gdm

[moc]

To all of the catfish experts here, does anyone know if the blue cats (which are fast growers) under 24 inches are safe to eat in this region of the Potomac? I am just curious since I have often had delicious blue cat dinners at area seafood and Creole type restaurants.

[yakscientist]

From what I've read, MD DNR recommends a max of 2-4 servings of blue catfish below 24" (4 for 12-15"). I think DC has a different consumption advisory, I think they recommend 3 servings per month max. It differs based on health of the individual, sex, age, etc. I intend to keep almost every catfish I catch, like I did back in the spring, since I probably will only eat them 2-4x a month anyway. Regardless though, I wouldn't keep any over 24" like you said, and wouldn't keep any channel cats from that region since they tend to be slower growing. The fish I caught in the spring were delicious btw.

[ronaultmtd]

I just use a spring loaded aluminum clip in the anchor trolley- just unclip and release the anchor line- the float on the end of the line allows the anchor to stay with in place while I chase the fish- afterwards, I come back to the float and reattach and clip in the anchor trolley.

[Rockchaser]

To all of the catfish experts here, does anyone know if the blue cats (which are fast growers) under 24 inches are safe to eat in this region of the Potomac? I am just curious since I have often had delicious blue cat dinners at area seafood and Creole type restaurants.

The MD DNR folks at the spring tournament say under 30" are good to eat. Blue cats don't feed off the bottom as much as Channle cats do. They feed a little higher off the bottom and eat more fish and less crap off the bottom. That's what they say. I personally still don't eat cat fish out of the Potomac. But then I don't eat a lot of catfish period.

[ronaultmtd]

I usually catch my catfish for the table at Mattawoman Creek...and like they say nothing over 30 inches...but the big girls are fun to catch- this time of year big fish of any type are hard to come by