Magothy River--Snag a Spot, Catch a Rock!

[Magothyman]

Put in at 4:15 pm today at my neighborhood launch with no breeze and flat water showing breaking baitfish out near South Ferry Point. Water temp was 70 degrees. Somehow I snagged a 5" spot with my paddletail on a bright orange jig. Took the paddle tail off and hooked the bright orange jig-head to the spot and threw it over into 12 ft of water. Sat there for a minute and then WHAM! A nice two minute fight that pulled the Hobie around in circles. Landed my biggest fish so far this year--25 inches. Took it straight home, grilled it up, and shared with neighbors for dinner. May go out again in the morning!
Al
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[Yak67]

Good deal! The big ones are showing up, just staying in the deeper water with these still high water temps. MMMMMMM........ Nothing like fresh fish on the grill

Yak67
2017 Hobie PA-12 Camo
2016 Hobie Outback LE#217

[ronaultmtd]

So what does that tell us? 25 inch rock ate a spot...maybe time for bigger baits?

[baitball]

Took it straight home, grilled it up

Nicely done Al!

What's your recipe for grilled RF? I'm always up for learning new ways to cook this delicious fish.

[J.A. Veil]

So what does that tell us? 25 inch rock ate a spot...maybe time for bigger baits?

That is a reasonable theory, but there are exceptions to any rule. Yesterday a guy fishing with me on my boat caught a 28" striper in 3' of water in a stump field. He was casting a 1/4-oz or 3/16-oz jighead with a 3" paddletail. That was the largest striper to come over the rails of the Small but Perky this season.

Earlier in the trip, the same guy caught 22", 24", and 26" stripers using a heavier jighead and a 4" deeper-bellied paddletail while fishing in deeper water. That plastic (12 Fathom 4" Shadzilla) closely matches the menhaden that are all over Eastern Bay right now.

When I troll from the kayak in spring and fall, I try to use a variety of sizes of soft plastics. The fish generally tell me which size and color they like on each day.

[Rhino]

So what does that tell us? 25 inch rock ate a spot...maybe time for bigger baits?

Adding to the theory that bigger is often better, yesterday a fat 25" rock slammed my 5" spook in 2' of water. This is what was in his belly: two undigested white perch, 9" and 8.5".
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[ronaultmtd]

A few days ago I was recovering my kayak at Piney Point launch..I notice a small dark green eel lure next to the piling in six inches of water and started to pick it up when it swam away...about six or seven inches long...so there are a lot of natural baits that we can mimic

[Magothyman]

Baitball: I slather the fillets in mayo and butter, sprinkle on a little Old Bay, drizzle some lemon or pineapple juice on and place on double-folded aluminum foil over backyard propane grill rack. Loosely cover fillets with aluminum foil and cook on med-low heat for a few minutes. Thanks for asking!
Al

[baitball]

Baitball: I slather the fillets in mayo and butter, sprinkle on a little Old Bay, drizzle some lemon or pineapple juice on and place on double-folded aluminum foil over backyard propane grill rack. Loosely cover fillets with aluminum foil and cook on med-low heat for a few minutes. Thanks for asking!
Al

Sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing.