4th of July Severn River. White perch bonanza.

[steventhehistorian]

I fished for about 4 hours on July 4th, from about 2-5PM and again about 8-9PM. I pulled in more fish than I could count. The exceptionally low tide made getting my lure under piers very easy. I used primarily a 1/2 oz silver Kastmaster spoon. I'd throw it down the center of the pilings under the dock and let it sink all the way down. Almost every single retrieve I'd hook up. Most perch were in the 5-7" range, but I got a few in the 10"-12" range, as well. Seems that the big boys like to hold a little lower than the homogenous sized schools.

I also put a gopro camera on a stick and held it underwater while jigging. I got some cool footage of fish striking my lure. I'll post it as soon as I get it clipped and edited.

There are hundreds of perch circling every dock in the Severn, as far as I can tell. If you can get deep under the docks, you will get fish.

That being said, I was really hoping I could uncover some striper, but I didn't see any evidence of those guys. Oh well, it was a wonderful 4th and this is really a great place to be.

[Shady]

Great thanks for the report!

[Mark]

Good to know the perch have finally arrived in numbers.

Can't wait to see your video.

[AbuMasgouf]

Very cool! Yeah Friday was a beautiful day to be out on the water!
I am not sure if this was always the case and maybe I didn't pay attention before. But I saw this year that there is no size or creel limit on WP in MD with hook and line. 8" size limit applies when you catch them with "other gear"
http://www.eregulations.com/maryland...ession-limits/

Little fish are awesome when you fry them whole (cleaned and scaled of course). Everything becomes crispy and the bones are crunchy!

This may also mean that we have an alternative to live line if we don't get spot.

[Shady]

There have never been regs for recreational fishing for white perch. We've been using the small ones for crab bait since I was a kid

[AbuMasgouf]

There have never been regs for recreational fishing for white perch. We've been using the small ones for crab bait since I was a kid

That's good to know. For whatever reason I used to think the 8" limit applied to hook and line...

[Shady]

Nope, but they're not really worth keeping to eat smaller than 10". That's what I usually set as my personal minimum for the table...

[Capt C-Hawk]

Sure nice to hear the perch are turning on. If you're fishing the Potomac there's a 6" minimum set by PRFC. MD's DNR gladly enforces that size.

[AbuMasgouf]

Sure nice to hear the perch are turning on. If you're fishing the Potomac there's a 6" minimum set by PRFC. MD's DNR gladly enforces that size.

Thanks for the info Bob!

[Skidsteer]

I used primarily a 1/2 oz silver Kastmaster spoon.

What kind of action do you put on that lure? Straight retrieve - or something else?

The 1/2 Oz. looked big to me so I got a 1/4 Oz. one to try.

Thanks.

[steventhehistorian]

What kind of action do you put on that lure? Straight retrieve - or something else?

The 1/2 Oz. looked big to me so I got a 1/4 Oz. one to try.

Thanks.

Good question. I like to saddle my boat almost up to the deepest section of the dock (usually the widest part, also) and then cast the lure as far as I can under the dock. Fish are all going to congregate in and around the pilings, bottom structure, and overhead shelter. Therefore, getting your lure in that area as much as possible is the logical technique. My method is to let the lure sink all the way to the bottom and then steady retrieve it back (the Kastmaster's shape waggles and refracts light on a steady retrieve). This way, you're retrieving diagonally all the way through the water column, maximizing time in the strike zone.

For you visual learners, here's a picture:



fishing map.jpg

[Skidsteer]

Got it - thanks. Looks good, I'll give it a try. Nice pic too