Ft. Smallwood 8/15

[mchottie]

Headed to Ft. Smallwood to launch at 530 and get a few hours in before dusk. Stocked up on live BW which had produced some nice spot/croaker from shore the day before. Windfinder looked good, and radar sky looked clear.

Got the water 545/6, wind was blowing way better then expected, with 1-2' chop. Re-checked windfinder, and 'dead calm' was listed as 8pm. Realizing I forgot my paddle and anchor, I was struggling in some good chop. Managed to land a handful of keeper size spot/croaker/perch. Not much action on the FF, but about every 15 minutes or so, a good size school with some big fish would zip by. 745 came, and the water was almost dead calm as windfinder predicted.

Weather was beautiful, had to try and get on the water as the weekend radar again looks terrible (which sucks for those of us who work M-F 9-5). One other gentleman in a yellow pelican sit-in was anchored up, and I asked how his day was, and he held up a gallon size ziploc chock full of perch, and his happy face was as expected.

This was also a practice run to prep for a future trip to OC coming up soon.

Looks like I need to re-visit the "pre-trip checklist"

[silasvirus82]

While I have never targeted spot or croaker from Smallwood, I've never caught one either. Are they this far up?

[mchottie]

If a spot croaks, is it automatically a croaker? I'm not familiar enough with the differences, but they are both in the same family as drum and whiting (kingfish).

[yakscientist]

Juvenile spot and croaker can look very similar, especially if the spot isn't too distinct. MD is one of the only states which has a size and creel limit for croaker, so charter captains have to be especially careful when they fill their livewells in the morning. Croaker of course get much larger, I love catching big croaker, but like John, I had no idea either of those species could be found regularly this far north. Good to know.

[J.A. Veil]

If a spot croaks, is it automatically a croaker? I'm not familiar enough with the differences, but they are both in the same family as drum and whiting (kingfish).

Spot and croaker are two different species. Atlantic croaker often make an audible croaking sound when at the surface and out of water. Smaller croaker are elongated and somewhat cylindrical in shape. As they grow longer (>14") their bodies get taller and wider. My largest was 21" caught at Wachapreague Inlet.

Norfolk spot are smaller fish that are shaped a lot like white perch. The largest I have caught is about 12". As the picture shows, they feature a prominent dark spot behind the gill.

For more information on Chesapeake Bay species, see https://www.chesapeakebay.net/discov...e/all/fish/all.

[Mark]

The drawing of the croaker looks like the profile of a redfish.

Come to find out, they are related in the fish family.

It's too bad reds aren't as prevalent in our area of the Chesapeake as their smaller cousins.

[Big Mike]

To add more confusion, speckled trout are also member of the drum family along with croakers and drum. However, I have never confused a speck for a croaker.

[Mark]

To add more confusion, speckled trout are also member of the drum family along with croakers and drum. However, I have never confused a speck for a croaker.

I didn't know that. Interesting. I knew it wasn't a trout. But I didn't know it was related to redfish. I've caught a whole lot more drums than I thought!