Late Somerset County Report

[Slobber Bob]

Late Somerset County report from last week. The weather was terrible with off and on rain and too much wind, but it was the only chance I've had to fish in several weeks so I went anyway knowing I could always duck into a creek if need be. Fishing open water I caught 5 specks up 21", but the fishing was tough and I had to bail for the creeks. If the conditions were better in the open water then I'm certain I could have caught many more specks.

Every creek I went up had plenty of stripers in it. And it seemed like the mouth of every smaller feeder creek dumping into the main creek would have 1 keeper sized striper and 5 or 6 smaller ones staged there. After catching 6 or 7 fish I wouldn't catch anymore so I'd go to the next small feeder creek and repeat catching another 6 or so fish.

By the launch there is a deeper hole and a guy fishing the bank earlier in the day showed me a picture of a pompano he caught there a few days earlier. Of course on my way back in I had to try for one too so I worked a pompano jig in the hole. No luck catching a pompano but I did catch a Northern kingfish. I've caught thousands of Southern kingfish up and down Delmarva but that was the first Northern kingfish I've ever caught south of NJ.

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[ronaultmtd]

Northern Kingfish are delicious! The guys in the Outer Banks of NC catch a cousin they call "roundheads" and they taste exactly as delicious!

[Slobber Bob]

Southern kingfish (aka roundheads, whiting, or sea mullet) are very common on the Eastern Shore too. Northern kingfish not so common. I imagine both taste the same. And you're right - southern are excellent table fare! Save the fillets for the table and save their heads for bait. Whole kingfish heads make fabulous bull red drum bait for those times you want to soak meat on a big circle hook.

This little guy got lucky and was allowed to swim off to get bigger

[rugbyfish]

Thanks for the report. I’m glad to hear the fish are still around in good numbers. I’d like to make another trip down there before they head south. And I agree wit you guys, kingfish are one of my favorite fish to bring home.

[scorchy]

Thanks for the report. Still trying to find a way to get down to Crisfield for a combo parental visit and kayak trip before the weather and fishing turn cold, but life and work seems to keep getting in the way. Your wind experience sounds all too familiar. When I was last down in July, I made the seemingly endless paddle from the Jane's Island ramp out to Island Point in wind and waves that were much worse once I got outside of the creek. And then when I finally got to the spot, the kayak kept getting beat back into the shore and the situation was totally unfishable for a novice like me. That was one demoralizing paddle back to the inside.

[rugbyfish]

I’ve found that I really need to pay attention to the wind down there. I find it is often stronger than the forecast. I pick my launch based on wind speed and direction, launching wherever protection is best. Luckily there are plenty of places to launch in that area, all with similar structure to fish.