South River, 10-3-2013

[DOGFISH]

I went out for a few hours yesterday afternoon. I trolled the river and out to the lighthouse and on the north side of the point. I found fish mostly in the river. I was using small crankbaits, Rapala, Glass Shad DD and YoZuri, Hardcore Drum, lipless crankbait. I ended catching 5 stripers and 1 bluefish, with two stripers being keeper size, on the small side. All of the stripers were caught back in the mouth of the river and the bluefish north of the point, on the Fishing Creek side. It looks like the fish may be moving back into the river to pig out on the small bunker. The river temps are continuing to drop, so the feed bag is on. I probably should have stayed back in the river. Although, the north side of Thomas Point has been hot this summer.

10-03-2013.jpg

[sparky1423]

Abumasgouf, Goody, and myself fished the South River today. We launched out of the new location on Homeport Dr into Church creek. We peddled all the way to Thomas Point and back. All caught fish, rockfish with a few blues in the mix. I ended up with the only keeper rockfish at 21" and a bluefish to add to the stringer. Hard plugs, rattletraps, and gold kastmaters saw most of the action.

Action was very spotted, we would hit small schools then nothing. At one point I was trolling four rods and they all bent southward at the same time...must have been a school. All rods had different lures, but they did not matter...all fish made it to the yak and then released one by one.

[daddyg]

Thanks for the update see you at the M&G

[DOGFISH]

Abumasgouf, Goody, and myself fished the South River today. We launched out of the new location on Homeport Dr into Church creek. We peddled all the way to Thomas Point and back. All caught fish, rockfish with a few blues in the mix. I ended up with the only keeper rockfish at 21" and a bluefish to add to the stringer. Hard plugs, rattletraps, and gold kastmaters saw most of the action.

Action was very spotted, we would hit small schools then nothing. At one point I was trolling four rods and they all bent southward at the same time...must have been a school. All rods had different lures, but they did not matter...all fish made it to the yak and then released one by one.

That is a long way to peddle, paddle or otherwise.

[J.A. Veil]

Man, you guys are diehards. That is a long haul.

I stopped by the Homeport Dr. launch yesterday to get the lay of the land. For those of you who have not been there yet, here is summary of my observations. You enter an upscale suburban neighborhood with large houses on large lots. After driving to the end of the road, you ride around a traffic circle then return halfway back to the main road. There will be a gravel/dirt road heading to the right. You can see a run down barn on the property. You drive back through an access road for about 1/4 to 1/2 mile until you reach a small parking area delineated by a fence. There is not a lot of space here -- I estimate there is space for about 10-15 vehicles. There is not a space for a trailer unless you disconnect your trailer and roll it next to your tow vehicle. From here you follow an unimproved dirt trail for about 150 yards downhill to the water's edge. You launch from a small beach into the upper portion of Church Creek. The water was glassy calm when I visited at 9:30 am. It looks like a good place to fish on a windy day. With the lack of rain for several weeks, the trail was dry dirt. But if you visit after a recent rain, you may find muddy conditions.

Keep in mind that at the end of your trip, you will have to traverse the 150-yd long trail uphill. Make sure you save enough energy to do that. Unless you have a very light kayak and can carry it, you will need a good set of wheels to traverse the trail.

[Reelaxin10]

Thanks for the report, Matt and I fished around the lighthouse yesterday evening and I ended up with only 3 dink stripers. John, thanks for the detailed account of the launch site. Great heads up for people to know what to expect if they plan on launching there for the first time .

[AbuMasgouf]

Thomas point felt like a mirage! Man I'm sore this morning! It was a long haul and although fun at times when we got into the schools of fish, most of the time it was endless peddling with nothing. Any advice (or maybe sympathy LOL) for a better launching spot would be paid with eternal gratitude!

It was awesome seeing Sparky hooked up with all four rods. When he hooked up with the 21" Goody and I saw him and we were chatting to each other wondering what it was. For a while we both decided that it must be a snag... then out of the water that beautiful fish pops out! Here is Sparky with his proud catch!

PA040127.jpg

I couldn't ask for more than great memories with great friends... more fish would be nice, but not necessary

PA040126.jpgPA040125.jpg

PA040123.jpg Posing with the Sparky rig!

[sparky1423]

^^ +2 on a launch closer to Thomas Point/light house. Thomas Point park looks like all riprap bordering the water, is this where you guys are launching?

[J.A. Veil]

Unless you have access to a private community launch or can launch from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation beach (with their permission), you will have a long trip. There are some options that are closer than the Homeport launch. Ellen Moyer water park is slightly closer but still a long haul. You can pay to launch from one of the marinas around Turkey Pt. You can try to get access to one of the county parks on the south shore of the South River (Mayo Beach Park, Beverly Beach Park). Another alternative that is not intuitively obvious is to launch from the Eastern Shore side at places like Kentmoor Marina. You will be in open water, but the linear distance is shorter.

For me, I am too old and tired to paddle all the way to Thomas Point light. If I want to visit there, I will use my Scout instead.

[DOGFISH]

It is a little late for this year, but Beverly Beach Park is a good alternative. There is a $40 yearly fee for a launch permit. Check the county web site for the actual details. It is still a bit of a paddle/peddle, but within reason.

[Goody]

The day outing in a new place with friends was nice indeed. If you are launching from Homeport Dr. launch make sure you save some energy to pull your yak back up the hill to the car as John mentioned.