Skunked at Bushwood, 1/16

[ictalurus]

With all the yellow perch action going on up on the Susquehanna, I thought I'd look for some deep holes here near spring perch spots. The channel out in front of Bushwood Wharf ranges from 20 to 40ft on the chart (never found the 40ft hole), and I thought the yellows might be there preparing for the March run.

I fished from 11 to almost 3, which was from late flood to early ebb. Water temperature according to my fish finder was 35*. I forgot my salinity meter, but the water tasted less salty than my blood (I split my finger unloading the yak), so I'll guess the salinity was around 7, or so. I probably should've launched at Chaptico Wharf, which is farther upstream, but the water isn't very deep around there.

I scanned all over the channel from 15ft to 35ft. I saw 2 marks in 20ft on the way out from the launch, but that was it. I drowned some nightcrawlers on a bottom rig in a couple spots hoping for errant perch or catfish, but I didn't even get a nibble. There a couple small creeks within a couple miles of the launch that might be worth checking out in the spring as less crowded perch spots.

After I landed the boat and started wheeling it back to my truck, I noticed my feet sounded extra squishy. I took off my dry suit and saw that the right foot leaked a lot. I guess I'll be sending that back under warranty, too.

[Capt C-Hawk]

Thanks for the report. With the perch run Allen's Fresh has you can bet there's a mess of perch holding somewhere. I know they hold up at the cedars waiting for the right temp, but doubt that's deep enough this early. You migh be right about Chaptico.

[Grady-Black]

Ah, the old blood/salinity meter. Thanks for the report Bill. Holla when you find them! Lol
Mike

[ictalurus]

Bob--I've never had much luck at the cedars, but Michael (Grady-Black) did pretty well there when we fished it together. I'm not sure what tide is best for that area. I've caught them pretty well closer to the bridge at low slack. I always figured they would ride the flood, but I'm not sure if that's the case. I've caught some perch in the creek that turns into Chaptico Bay, but that was during the main run.

Michael--My blood/salinity test (I impressed myself with that one) was also backed up by my nightcrawler salinity meter--they didn't look like raisins even after soaking for 15min or more.

[Capt C-Hawk]

Michael--My blood/salinity test (I impressed myself with that one) was also backed up by my nightcrawler salinity meter--they didn't look like raisins even after soaking for 15min or more.

Had me worried for a second, I was afraid you were gonna compare their taste to the blood and water. I have heard that if you keep your worms warm they will catch more fish, but I've never held them in my mouth.

What little I remember about the cedars is there's always an eddy out from the trees. Used to be THE spot when hickories would stage. Seems it should hold perch as well.

[surfdog]

sorry about the skunk bill, at least u got out there, i think most of the yps are in the suski

[ictalurus]

Bob--My wife thought the same thing when I told her about the nightcrawlers. I'm not that curious.

Sam--Thanks. It was a recon trip, so I knew a skunk was likely. Plus, I haven't been in my yak since the November M&G, so I was itching to get out. That might be the longest dry period for me since we got all the snow last winter. Anyway, I've never heard of much action there before February. That could mean that nobody knows and I would've been the first to discover the super secret perch staging ground (unlikely), the old timers know but keep quiet (somebody probably would've piped up sometime), or nothing is really happening yet. I'd love to know where the yellows go after the spring run. They can handle higher salinity than I thought, so I wonder if they head out to some of the deeper water in the Potomac. There are some deeper spots down by Colton Point and elsewhere that might be likely. It would be fun to have a boat with a sonar that could read at full throttle and just cruise around looking for marks.

[surfdog]

bear grilis would have no problem putting worms in his mouth, only he might eat them

[DOGFISH]

What's wrong with nightcrawlers? Just use a little ketchup.