Suggestions for Lower Bay Eastern Shore?

[jjyak]

Going to hit up Janes Island for the first time on 9/20, any tips or suggestions? Looking to launch from janes island.

[rugbyfish]

I like to troll 4” paddletails on 1/4 oz jig heads in 2-6 feet of water, especially where grass beds are present. If you’re out at first light, I always like to try topwater against the sod banks. Generally, I troll around until I find fish and then try to replicate whatever pattern was successful. Keep an eye out for breaking fish too. I also like to cast to creeks and guys where water is flowing out on a falling tide, as these areas often hold fish. Good luck, and let us know how you do.

[jjyak]

Thanks for the tips. Will post a report for sure

[Rudy]

Thanks for the tips. Will post a report for sure

Good luck check out daughter creek or north side Janes and Annemessex. The feedback you got on paddle tail was good don’t be afraid to change up colors if no bites and slow down on the troll.


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[jjyak]

Thanks, Rudy. Will keep that in mind.

[ronaultmtd]

One tip that could help a lot of folks..downsize...lighter line, lighter tackle 1/8 oz jighead 3 inch swimbaits, slow down your troll...

[scorchy]

Lots of great advice here. My family is from Crisfield so I try to fish Jane's Island a couple of times a year when visiting - I've had some of my best days ever fishing there but also got humbled a few times. The good news is that even if the fish aren't biting, Jane's is absolutely beautiful. Sometimes I just paddle to the beach straight up the cut (on weekdays at least, I'm usually the only one there) to enjoy a packed lunch and enjoy views of endless water. If it's calm, you can portage your kayak across the sand and paddle to island point, where I've caught bigger specks in the past (always from a boat, unfortunately). I've made the mistake of kayaking there in higher winds before and just kept getting beat up - it's a really long paddle to not even be able to fish the spot. A couple of other suggestions:

1) After a couple of subpar outings, I started bringing some squid and/or fishbites and a bottom rig. If the fishing is slow, it's not the worst thing to take a break from trolling/casting to catch some croaker or spot.

2) Bring bug spray. One shift of the wind can turn things miserable if you're fishing near the banks. Loading your 'yak if the greenheads are swarming the parking lot is pure misery.

Good luck!

[Mark]

Regarding Janes Island, I will be at the campground in two weeks. I have never fished from there.

1. Is it far from the campground to productive water?
2. Should I bring a paddle kayak or my Revo? (Are submerged grasses going to be prevalent that may impede my Mirage Drive?)

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[scorchy]

Mark -

It's not far at all to productive water. If you check out google maps, you can head right (northeast) out of the launch towards the Big Annamessex Sanctuary and find spots where I've caught rock and specs and a few reds within a 10 or 15 minute paddle. You can also go straight out of the launch (west) for about the same distance - several years ago, I caught a bunch of reds and bluefish in that area once the water got bigger. If you keep heading straight, you'll hit the beach I wrote about in the earlier post. Google maps makes it looks like a cut-through into Tangier Sound but you would actually need to portage 50 feet or so across the sand to get there. If the winds are calm and the tide not running hard, Island Point is a long trek southwest from the beach - not worth it for me anymore, but I also don't have pedals.

Lot's of the areas around Jane's are shallow and have grass. I love to paddle up into the guts but, not having any experience with pedal yak, can't say for sure whether you would get hung up in the grass.

[Mark]

Scorchy,

Thank you for the details.

I just checked Google Earth. I saw both channels you mentioned and measured the distances -- certainly within my range via paddle or pedal. It looks like excellent fish habitat in both directions.

I have been to the general area. I visited the Big Annamessex River last summer. I was glad I paddled on that trip due to the large patches of SAV near the surface. It definitely would have fouled my Mirage Drive. Maybe it won't be as thick by the end of this month as it was last summer. But I think I'm inclined to paddle.

[Rudy]

If you troll don’t run too deep and check often to make sure no grass on you baits… one small piece of anything on it will shut you down. And yes fluorocarbon leader the water can be crystal clear at times here.


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[ronaultmtd]

We had a "meet and greet" there a few years ago, Moc and I had our outbacks...no problem with the mirage drives and when the wind shifted it was a godsend getting back...

[scorchy]

One other thing I should mention because I've been known to rely too heavily on google maps in the past. At Janes Island, just because google shows that you can cut through the guts to get from one spot to another - don't believe it. I've come to the end of the line on a couple of occasions trying to use a shortcut and ended up having to turn around. Luckily I had marked waypoints and signage with my phone b/c it can be a maze back there.

[Oldbayrunner]

Although I don't live there I do go at least once or twice a year for a few weeks. Most of the time it has been pretty productive but not in the summer heat. The water temps should be coming down so it should pick up. There are some very good spots on the main channel across from the launch that can yield either striper or specs. I've found the tides play a big part of when the bite turns on.

[Slobber Bob]

I did a family paddle trip out of Janes Island just yesterday (in other words I only brought 1 rod and 1 lure with me to troll as we paddled along ). Our destination was the beach, so we just went straight west through Daugherty Creek. If you want to portage over to the front side it's an easy drag < 100 ft. over a flat beach. I saw a couple Spanish sky out front while we were hanging on the beach, but too far to reach casting from shore so I never bothered trying. If you want a break from fishing, the beach is a great place to eat lunch or take a walk - I found an arrowhead on our walk that was still in good shape.

IMG_1150 (2).jpg

We took one the water trails to the north from the beach as a round about way back to the launch. I caught a couple small striper and small speck just trolling along as we went, but nothing special. The water trails are marked very well and it's always a good idea to have google earth handy, because like scorchy said, it can be a maze of creeks and needle grass back there.