Good striper bite in Severn creek

[J.A. Veil]

I reported about two weeks ago that I thought the fall pattern of stripers feeding heavily in Severn creeks was starting. I fished in the same location 7 times in the past two weeks and have watched the highest concentration of bait move gradually away from the back end of the creek to a mid-creek location. That transition had me catching well in very shallow water initially, but today I did far better in 5 to 15 ft depth.

This morning I spent three hours trolling two rods with white 3" paddletails. I also trolled a third rod that alternated three different lures. The 3" paddletail on a heavier jighead caught 4 fish, an XRap-10 caught 2 fish, and a Redfish Magic spinnerbait was not touched. I ended up with 25 stripers. 8 of the fish were 19"-21". Most of the others were fat 16"-18" stripers. I spent one hour in each of three sections of the creek to see where the fish were. The best clue was to look for the splashing bait (3" to 4" peanut bunker). When I trolled through those areas I had a good chance of a strike. Over the three hours, I explored the entire creek from 1' shallows at the back end to its intersection with the main Severn. Most of the creek did not produce any bites, but when I found a hot zone, the bite was excellent. The best bite was during the first hour, when I caught 13 stripers with 4 of keeper size. During the second and third hours, I devoted more time to covering all the other portions of the creek.

Now that the bait is moving toward the mouth of the creek, I don't know how much longer the bite will be good inside the creek. The past two weeks have provided my best Severn fishing in two years. I will be sad to see those fish move out.

[Big Mike]

Glad to see the wealth being spread. You guys up north have had a rough year and it seems to be turning for you. Nice details on what worked.

[J.A. Veil]

We still do not have the variety of species you guys have in southern MD, but the improvement in catching fish around here is very welcome. I like having a 10-min drive to the launch and then catching fish close to the launch. After three hours of steady paddling (and my paddling motion is modified somewhat when trolling so I don't bang into the rods) my shoulders were sore, but I was satisfied with the outcome.

[Yak67]

Good to hear a Great Severn Report John, much needed. Thanks for the lure strike-ratio, that's good to know.



Yak67
2017 Hobie PA-12 Camo
2019 Hobie Outback

[Fish123]

I picked up a few there as well last weekend on a 3in zman Minnow. The xrap 10 was untouched. I caught one on troll and 2 casting. I saw a lot of topwater action but I couldn’t get them to bite. I tried trolling through where breaking fish were but couldn’t get any strikes. Any tips? I was using the zman 3in minnow on a 1/4-3/8 jighead. Thanks

[J.A. Veil]

I picked up a few there as well last weekend on a 3in zman Minnow. The xrap 10 was untouched. I caught one on troll and 2 casting. I saw a lot of topwater action but I couldn’t get them to bite. I tried trolling through where breaking fish were but couldn’t get any strikes. Any tips? I was using the zman 3in minnow on a 1/4-3/8 jighead. Thanks

It sounds like you were doing the right things. Troll through areas where the bait is splashing. Your lures sound about right. Light colors have been getting more attention than darker ones.

Also you noted that you were there on a weekend. There will almost always be more boat traffic and other kayak anglers on weekends. I found that each subsequent time I move through the same area, I catch fewer fish. Perhaps the fish had dropped lower in the water column or moved elsewhere.

I covered almost the entire creek today, but found fish in only certain places. Because of my past experience there, including other recent trips, I had some ideas of where I would have my best opportunities. Without that local knowledge it is more hit or miss.

[Slobber Bob]

After three hours of steady paddling (and my paddling motion is modified somewhat when trolling so I don't bang into the rods) my shoulders were sore, but I was satisfied with the outcome.

It begs the question... why keep trolling once you located the fish instead of casting to those areas?

It's good to see you guys are starting to see a turn around in the fishing in your area.

[yakscientist]

I also have had a couple successful days fishing the Severn, with the first being about quantity and the second more about quality. I think I caught around 30 striper trolling my usual 4" paddletails but most were around 10" and only 1 was over 18". The second day I fished an area farther downriver from the first, this time in the evening, and caught half the striper (I wasn't out as long either), but almost all were 15-18" with a few 19s and 1 20". It was a much better quality of fish, and there's a huge difference in how those 16-20" fish hit a lure versus the smaller 10-12" fish. I might hit the Severn again this weekend or maybe go farther south in search of Spanish Mackerel, though my last 2 trips for them have only yielded striper.

[Mark]

It begs the question... why keep trolling once you located the fish instead of casting to those areas?

Actually, I often do that and it does work. It's a good approach. Since I don't have electronics a knock down is the best evidence of fish nearby. Also, I don't like to troll. Casting keeps me more focused and more interested in the mission. My mind wanders when I troll. I keep looking at the fishy structures in the distance that I'm passing and wondering if stripers are holding there.

[CarsonNash]

This is encouraging, and backs up everything I've been hearing from some friends. Going to fish lots this weekend... Boat or kayak, I'm not sure yet.

[J.A. Veil]

I returned this morning for 2 more hours of trolling. The wind made it much more difficult to see bait splashing. After catching 5 stripers in the first 15 mins, the bite slowed way down. I finished with 13 stripers for the morning, but the average size was smaller than yesterday.

We have all heard "match the hatch". One of the stripers I caught spit up this menhaden inside the kayak. You can see why my 3" white/pearl paddletails have been so successful.

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