Severn 7/30

[fil]

Hit the USNA area (as usual) around 3 p.m. and stayed till about 8:30. Perch were much bigger this time out. I've got a beast in the cooler, not sure, haven't measured it yet. It's got to be over 12" and is FAT...will clean him up after work today. Also caught my largest striper to date. Again, haven't measured yet, but my cooler is 18" long, and he hung over that by about 4 or 5 inches. Last cast of the night caught an 18".

Tally: 3 stripers (one was a baby), a baby blue (threw up fish puree all over me), and a mess of nice perch.

* Saw to guys in yaks out there, a yellow OK and a guy in a greenie. If that was you, how did you guys make out when you left the mouth of College Creek?

[Fishinfool]

That's a nice report. The perch may be a citation if it's 13 inches or bigger. John Veil won a bass boat last year in a contest sponsored by Bass Pro shops just by entering a citation perch. Hey, you gotta play to win.

I had good luck last Sept./Oct off the rocks there at USNA with larger perch too, and along an oyster bar in the channel.

What lures/bait were you using? Were you on or near the bottom? Same for the rockfish as for the perch?

[fil]

All perch were caught off rocks. In fact, as I've said in an earlier post, I have little to no success fishing docks or structure. Given that, I don't even fish piers/docks at all now. I only fish riprap. There are a number of areas of rocky shoreline where I can stick my 6' paddle down a few feet off the rocks and not touch bottom. These areas hold nice perch. That said, I catch plenty where depths are just a few feet, too. Bottom line, rocks for me.

All the perch were caught on a no. 1 Mepps Aglia, but that's mainly because that's what I used 90% of the time. I also use a 1/16 Road Runner with chartreuse or white twisty tail. Those work very well also. In fact, those are the only two lures I use for wp, no bait.

I was fishing the Road Runner near the wooden walk bridge between the USNA campus and ball fields (hospital point) and noticed a huge fish trailing it just before I lifted it out the water for another cast. I then grabbed my striper pole with a Storm Shad on it and 20lb braid and made a few fan casts in the area. On my 5th cast or so I hooked into the beast (or his buddy). Measured him last night, and he was 21.5. Caught the 18" on the Road Runner, last cast of the night while perch fishing on the 6lb ultralight.

Nothing near the bottom except for a few on the Road Runner. As you know, the Mepps just simply won't get down there as it rides a foot below the surface if you're retrieving slowly.

[Fishinfool]

Thanks fil. Great story on the rock or his brother! We all have our favorite lures/techniques based on what we've each had success with. But it's always good to spread around the knowledge so as not to get into ruts, like I had been in as pretty much an exclusive bottom fisher/live bait guy. That's fine if you want only perch and nothing else but the occasional spot or croaker.

I am making a mental note of your Storm Shad for the keeper rocks.

The USNA is a pretty long hike from Jonas Green and tough duty if it's windy. Send me a p.m. if you'd like another spot to launch that is much closer to that area.

[J.A. Veil]

I fished a 6" Storm Shad in the Severn (within sight of the USNA) last May and caught rockfish up to 26". I took a buddy out for his first ever kayak fishing trip to that same location and told him to troll a 6" Storm Shad. On his first pass through the area, he caught a 28" rockfish. I think a 4" Storm shad is a good match for the peanut bunker in the river at this time.

Congratulations on your good catch and on your awareness to try different tackle to attract different species.

[Fishinfool]

Is it the Storm Shad surface popper/rattler, or the Storm Shad swimmer? Thanks

[J.A. Veil]

I am referring to soft plastic paddletail minnows with the jighead molded into the plastic. See the middle lure in the photo.

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[fil]

FYI, I was using the 4". I also tried trolling the whole length of USNA, both Hospital Pt and the main campus. Didn't get any strikes, but I don't think it would have mattered anyway since I'm in my canoe, no rod holder. I just leaned it up against the stern right behind me, but put the drag real loose so I didn't get the rod yanked out. The fish would have surely spit the shad had I hooked up.

[fil]

FYI, I also paddled around the point toward downtown (Ego Ally) to try the large rocks along the seawall. Nada. Pretty sketchy, too, as these big arse cabin cruisers throwing monstrous wakes came by. Reminded me that when fishing a seawall, the swells bounce back and hit you from the other side, too. When they converge, it gets dicey, at least in a canoe.