Shiver me timbers

[Big Mike]

I went out yesterday in the lower Patuxent looking for stripers. Let’s just say the stripers weren’t looking for me. After trying shallow, deep, fast, slow, you name it, I went back to an area where at least I’d had a tug earlier. It was a channel about 15’ deep and 100 yards across. I put on a 3/8 oz jig with a smaller fine wire hook and a 3” chartreuse Gulp swimming mullet. I thought I was going for some perch hanging in deeper water. Instead I found myself catching more Cutlassfish than any human should. I put 6 in the boat, lost at least the many at the side of the boat and got bit dozens of times without a hookup. All I did was troll with a sweeping motion on the rod across the channel and back. If I felt a tick I’d drop the lure back and do a hook set. For a fish with as many teeth as they’ve got you’d think they’d be better at grabbing a small lure.

I’ve caught Cutlassfish in the same spot the past 2 weeks. They aren’t particularly great fighters but they vibrate like heck out of water and you feel like you could get cut by their body. I guess it’s time for me to hoist the Jolly Rodger and break out the sabres to battle the cutlass.





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[J.A. Veil]

It is great to find a spot where fish hold for several weeks. You can have confidence returning to visit many times. It sounds like you figured out cutlassfish central. Enjoy the fun while it lasts.

[bignose]

re: Cutlass fish

Google up: There was an old pirate named Bates............Lol

[dsaavedra]

That's cool you were able to get on them so consistently! You make me want to make another trip down to St. Mary's and try for a new species I'm all booked up for the next couple weekends but maybe I'll check back in in a few weeks and see if they're still around.

[LC3]

It doesn’t appear that the Maryland DNR recognizes a state record cutlass fish, yet. You should apply. Last year they recognized the long nosed gar for the first time.

[Mark]

They are really odd looking fish.

Prehistoric -- like they fell off of the evolutionary tree millions of years ago.

I've never caught one. Not sure that I want to either given those teeth.

Congrats Mike. You're the Snaggedline Cutlass Fish record holder for certain.

Stu -- I Googled it. Ouch -- That's nasty.

[Big Mike]

re: Cutlass fish

Google up: There was an old pirate named Bates............Lol

Fortunately I’m already useless on dates. There was one fish that came close to making that limerick truer than you’d think.

[bignose]

Looking at pictures of Snaggedline anglers with good sized Bluefish or big Catfish in their hog troughs that are across their laps.........causes me to mentally cringe.

Old Pirates, indeed!

[Oldbayrunner]

when I lived in Florida we used to catch those and filet them into 6" strips then split the strips in the middle, so they would flutter and use that to jig for bluefish. One of the best bluefish jigging baits I've used.