Bigger reds- far and few between

[ronaultmtd]

The redfish that were so abundant the last two years aren't this year- although those that survived the killing freezes of the unusually cold winter are now too big (over 27 inches long) to keep; they are sure a lot of fun to catch- I caught a 28 inch fish last year that I released...and there have been some 28-30 inch fish caught this past week in Southern Maryland waters...the big speckled trout are back but like the redfish they are not abundant, either- the pesky damn bluefish are out there- use metal lures or you will lose a lot of plastic...if you are persistent and lucky you can still catch both, big redfish over 27 inches and gator trout over 24 inches...but you will catch a lot of white perch, croaker, small stripers and those pesky bluefish trying...

[Fishinfool]

Maybe those years were the exception, and what we have now is more the norm. I fish the Severn mostly, and up here we're contenting ourselves this season with perch for the most part. There were a few rockfish caught earlier in the season in the River, but not in numbers. I am still waiting for my first keeper this year.

Shawn Kimbro wrote a recent piece about reds, vs declining rockfish #'s, in the mid-Bay region. I'll find and post.

[Fishinfool]

Here is Shawn's piece

http://www.chesapeakelighttackle.com...edfish-rising/

[gillplate]

time to fire up the smoker! I never in a million years would have dreamed of enjoying a oily, greasy ass bluefish until i smoked them. bluefish are perfectly suited to smoking, and in my humble opinion better than any smoked salmon i have ever eaten. Dont knock the anoying bluefish,he has scales and fins there for he is biblicly clean. smoke his butt, you'll be suprised!

[jsquare]

Thanks for keeping our hopes up Ron. I was just at Janes Island, and I am already yearning to get back to the saltier water.

[hale3333]

time to fire up the smoker! I never in a million years would have dreamed of enjoying a oily, greasy ass bluefish until i smoked them. bluefish are perfectly suited to smoking, and in my humble opinion better than any smoked salmon i have ever eaten. Dont knock the anoying bluefish,he has scales and fins there for he is biblicly clean. smoke his butt, you'll be suprised!

AMEN.... Haven't had a Bluefish in yrs, but I remember my Dad outside smoking Blues.... people didn't know what they were missing.

[hale3333]

I Fish from Mid Tangiers Sound occasionally down to the CBBT and ocean side, Assateague and south. The only positive I've noticed about this yr is the ratio of small Specks to big one is nice. I'd say half the Trout we've caught this season have been in the 20-26 inch range this yr.

[ronaultmtd]

Yeah, you can smoke a horse turd and make it taste better...Tinker Bluefish are the best...and I mean best live bait for King Macks I have ever used...fish one under a float rig a few hundred yards off the beach at Virginia Beach or the Outer Banks and watch the action...big smoker Kings and Cobia eat them like popcorn- best use I can think of for the pesky blues...I have heard they make roses grow great, too...

[rwh]

The puppy drum bite here in VA is a bit strange so far this year. I'm no subject matter expert, but from my own observation, there are plenty of upper slot range fish being caught from Rudee Inlet to the mouth of the Mobjack Bay (not sure about the Eastern Shore side). They are all over the flats, but the further you go past the Mobjack, they seem to be not quite abundant. I had good luck in Mathews County last year when I started fishing the area in August, but not so good luck there yet this year. Something seems to be keeping them hanging around the lower portion of the bay. The two things that I think could be the cause is 1. Too much rain lately. Maybe the salinity levels are a bit too low. We need a good week or so of straight dry weather. 2. Most of the fish last year were averaging 22 to 24 inches. This year it seems more like 25 to 27. Those fish should be about ready to migrate out to sea with the big bulls this fall. Maybe they are just hanging around the lower bay until then. Those are just a couple ideas that come to my mind. It would be great to see the population at least stay as good as it has been last year and this year.

[J.A. Veil]

Bluefish can be strong and oily and have a bad taste reputation. However, when cared for properly they can be delicious. I really enjoy catching and eating a bluefish from 12" to 18". I keep one fish per person having dinner with me that night.

At the end of the trip I fillet the blues (one of the easiest fish to fillet) and put them in the refrigerator until dinner time. If the fillet has a large dark red line, I typically cut that out. At dinner time, I take a baking pan, add a bit of olive oil or Italian salad dressing to keep the fillet from sticking. I make sure both sides of the fillet are coated in the oil, then sprinkle with some Old Bay and blackened seasoning. I put them under the broiler for a few minutes until the flesh is flaky. It is simple and delicious. You can do a true blackened preparation using cast iron skillet and melted butter, but I prefer the lower-mess approach.

I do not eat bluefish larger than 20", nor do I freeze bluefish fillets. I make sure I eat them the same day they are caught or, at the latest, on the following day. Last summer I caught a 24" redfish and several 16" blues on the same day. I prepared the bluefish and the redfish in the same way. Both my wife and I agreed that the bluefish tasted better than the redfish.

[MetroMan]

The last time I kept blues, I poached the fillets. (just dropped them in near-boiling for like 1 minute) I took the meat, flaked it out, and prepared fish cakes just as if they were crab cakes. Delicious

[dhawk]

The last time I kept blues, I poached the fillets. (just dropped them in near-boiling for like 1 minute) I took the meat, flaked it out, and prepared fish cakes just as if they were crab cakes. Delicious

That sounds good I'll have to give it a try.