Skunked on Severn today

[john from md]

Another bad day on the river.

I trolled paddle tails, hopkins and hard baits from Jonas up the east side to Rt 50 and then down the west side to the Academy and David Taylor. I threw bucktail spinners at baitballs but no takers. I sat over several sections of the old railroad bridge and the new oyster beds and only got dead oyster shells. I also tried jigging the 450 bridge with no luck. Fishbites and Gulp didn't fare any better than artificials.

Considering this is July and the water salinity is only around 6, that may have something to do with it. I also think the bad winter may have killed off a lot of juveniles. Last year at this time I was picking up dink rock, hard head and perch at any place I decided to fish.

On the good side, the weather was perfect and there was only one M$*^$!F*&$*&g A hole that buzzed by me within 15 feet. There was also one crabber that wasn't watching anything but his pots and I had to yell at him before he hit the bridge.

John

[sparky1423]

We all have had a day like yours this season. I'm still waiting for my first keeper!

[Cowpokey]

Dang, sounds like a rough day. Surprised you couldn't pick up some spot over the oyster bars with Fishbites. I trolled from Jonas Green out past the USNA and back up last Monday with out a single bite. Then fished some shoreline with a spinnerbait for some white perch and finished up bottom fishing for a few spot.

[J.A. Veil]

Pc4Sun and I trolled a long way in the Severn last Monday without a bite. The fish don't seem to be interested in trolled baits at the moment. There are perch along the shorelines. They are not as thick as I have seen them in past years and are not distributed uniformly in all shorelines. With some searching in tributaries like Weems and others within reach of a Severn launch point, you should be able to find perch. Try a 1/8-oz spinner (like Woody's or Bignose), a beetle spin rig with a small twister tail or Gulp, an inline spinner, or a plain jighead with twister tail. Small lures seem to attract more attention than larger ones. Or you can jig lures under docks. I see lots of small bait schools in open water but don't recall ever actually catching a predator near the bait.

[Fishinfool]

Pc4Sun and I trolled a long way in the Severn last Monday without a bite. The fish don't seem to be interested in trolled baits at the moment. There are perch along the shorelines. They are not as thick as I have seen them in past years and are not distributed uniformly in all shorelines. With some searching in tributaries like Weems and others within reach of a Severn launch point, you should be able to find perch. Try a 1/8-oz spinner (like Woody's or Bignose), a beetle spin rig with a small twister tail or Gulp, an inline spinner, or a plain jighead with twister tail. Small lures seem to attract more attention than larger ones. Or you can jig lures under docks. I see lots of small bait schools in open water but don't recall ever actually catching a predator near the bait.

Generally, I would concur with John. I went out Monday as well a bit farther up River. I launched very early@5:45 am. I recall the high tide at Brewer Point was 7:56 am. I did manage four perch @ 10', and many more dinks right away. The bite stopped @7:30 am near the peak of the tide change. There was nothing for the next couple of hours trolling and casting a rattletrap and a quarter ounce white jig w/ a 4" chartreuse curly tail (that combo caught no fish). The rattle trap caught three of the four keepers and most if the dinks earlier.

The key is launching at first light. If the tide is incoming so much the better, but I think dawn or dusk trumps tide unless there is extreme low water. I probably wouldn't fish those days during summer patterns.

On the troll back I jigged the Rt 50 bridge pilings with a heavier jig and they weren't there. I switched to a smoke curly tail, and that worked trolling with one keeper.

My skunk insurance is grass shrimp freshly caught, and I hit a couple if boathouses on the way back to the launch. Perch under piers will bite almost regardless of tide with good bait like grass shrimp or blood worms. I caught my last keeper at my last stop after a couple more dinks. Hi-lo bottom rig with a quarter or half ounce of lead, the bait on a hook with a small red bead is most effective for me.

[dsiekman]

Right there with you. I think it has something to do with the ludicrous amount of bait in the water. I snagged one small bluefish last night but that was it.

[SeaDog]

Fished Weems Creek last night after work. Launched at dead low tide. No action until the tide started moving. Caught a bunch of small white perch and one small striper. I did better along shorelines than around piers. Saw a few schools of bait near the mouth.

[Fishinfool]

Right there with you. I think it has something to do with the ludicrous amount of bait in the water. I snagged one small bluefish last night but that was it.

Hi Doug. On the lack of rockfish, I chatted up an experienced Bay angler at a social event last night. He says there are also so many bait balls in the main stem of the Bay that the stripers don't need to come in the rivers yet. He thinks it likely won't be until October when the water temp starts to move into the low seventies. I hope he's wrong.

It is very good news that there is so much peanut bunker now in the Bay and rivers. Let's appreciate that for what it is; a cleaner Bay, and better gamefish and bird life going forward.

[AbuMasgouf]

My skunk insurance is grass shrimp freshly caught, and I hit a couple if boathouses on the way back to the launch.

Hey Fishinfool. Any tips on how to catch grass shrimp? I've never done it. SAw a couple of videos on youtube but whated to get your input about the local waters.

Thanks!

[Fishinfool]

Hey Fishinfool. Any tips on how to catch grass shrimp? I've never done it. SAw a couple of videos on youtube but whated to get your input about the local waters.

Thanks!

Sure. Get a $4 bait net at Wal-Mart (white net, wooden handle, about three feet long, net is about 10" or so across). Look for old bulk head near grassy areas. You have to beach the kayak and sneak up in the water on foot from the side up to the old bulk head. Dip your net fast and scrape the net across the wood near the bottom. If they're there, you'll get a mother lode. I keep 'em in River water in a small bait bucket with air holes, and change the water about once an hour or they will die.

They are jumpy little critters, so keep the lid on and make sure you hose out any dead ones back at the launch site. They stink up the boat otherwise. They're fun to catch, especially very early in the am when no one is around. You might have to anchor the kayak in shallow water, otherwise you may be trespassing on private property depending on where you are.

[AbuMasgouf]

Thanks bro!

Just realized all the typos I had in my first message

[john from md]

You can also use the net on any rock pile that touches the water. Just reach back and scrape the rock and you will catch them. Scape the bottom of rocks as well as it produces the same as the tops.

John