St. Clements Island (Southern Maryland) Part 1 & 2

[Fishtank]

Part 1: Fished St. Clements Island Friday - 07/27 with my son Stephen and his friend John. Don't ask me where they launched from. Let's just say it had something to do with chucking kayaks off a pile of rocks. I hear, but not sure it’s true, there is a small public beach down the street from the St. Clements Island Museum….wouldn’t have mattered, that’s too easy anyhow. I opt to put in at Colton’s Point Marina about 2.4 miles from the island.

Steve and John picked a couple, shorts on the north side of the island. I went to the east. Caught a 22” striper, a few shorts and bunch of small bluefish. I stress small - biggest 15”. Things shut off fast like they usually do around the island and I moved off to Heron Bar. Bite was fairly constant there with a couple dozen shorts along with a 24” and 19” striper. (By the way, take a look at how thin the one striper is in the picture.) Steve/John caught some croaker as well that they cooked up for their lunch. There are some grills and picnic tables on the island. (See Pics) Thunderstorms started getting closer sooner than predicted. Did some third-grade math and figured it was time to get out of there.

Part 2: Went back to St. Clements Saturday - 07/28. On the water at 11:00. Went straight to the bar. (See pic) Caught about 40 shorts and a few perch. No keepers. Paddled over to the island for a walk and waited for the late afternoon bite. Once back on the water I jigged the shaded side of the old wharf pilings. Hooked up right away but it had a much different pull to it…. catfish,… slime and all...First one for me at St. C. Couple drops later caught a 23” striper. Had another fish on my 6lb test perch rod that screamed line off the reel until it made a sharp right around the pilings.... That my friends.. was that…. A few minutes later birds starting working and schoolies were all over the top. Pretty much just non-stop catching for an hour with one barely legal in all the mayhem.

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[ronaultmtd]

Nice report, Tim..yeah, bluefish are every where right now...you see baitballs, a few birds and the tailor blues come a chopping...usually there are Stripers mixed in...the sad part is that very few speckled trout and very few Redfish...no jellyfish either...must be something about the salinity levels...

[Big Mike]

Great report Tim. You put in quality miles and time down here.

[mchottie]

You are a fishing machine in that predator with a paddle! Nice report!!!

[Mk37dir]

Great report with interesting information.
Since I can't find any public kayak launching site there, launched near the currioman bay (opposite side of Potomac river).
It was not difficult to catch croakers or spots before (around currioman bay), but now catfish or perch only (three weeks ago).
If the small public beach is a small one near the museum, I'd like to give it a try soon.
Thank you.

[Fishtank]

As a side note. Cather Marine, is closer than Colton’s Point Marina. Both on St. Patrick Creek. I’ve stressed this before on here that water conditions around the island and bar can change in a hurry. Depending on the wind direction, there is a long fetch, deep water and shoals and a current that cranks at times.

[Mk37dir]

As a side note. Cather Marine, is closer than Colton’s Point Marina. Both on St. Patrick Creek. I’ve stressed this before on here that water conditions around the island and bar can change in a hurry. Depending on the wind direction, there is a long fetch, deep water and shoals and a current that cranks at times.

Thank you for the details.
Would you recommend Cather Marine or Colton's Point Marina rather than the small public beach?
2 mile is always too long to me, so the public beach is very attractive. But it bothers the residents there, Cather Marine might be better.

[ronaultmtd]

Fish Tank is giving some very good information...I have been fishing the Heron Island Bar when an unexpected and strengthing south wind gets up against an out-going tide...not my first time in washing machine chop with white caps, but coming back across the two miles of open water with water coming in the cockpit from breaking surf from the South can be some pretty exciting peddling in my Hobie Outback... pick your days...watch the weather...great fishing spot due to the shoals, channels and currents, but...

And if the winds do get up and you can’t get out to the big Island and Heron Island Bar, the white perch fishing back inside the sheltered creeks can be really good...