One season closes, another one opens
The cobia season came to a close on Sept. 30. The very next day, the public oyster harvest season opened.
Any Maryland resident can harvest oysters without a license. The minimum size is 3 inches and the limit is one bushel of oysters per day for personal use only. Recreational oyster harvesting is permitted weekdays from sunrise to 3 p.m. and weekends from sunrise to noon. The season closes March 31.
Pretty soon I’ll be announcing the fall trout stocking in our local waters. Yes, the seasons are changing, and I don’t mean just the fishing seasons. When it hasn’t been raining, the weather’s been downright beautiful. Don’t waste these perfect fall fishing days.
Next Wednesday is the last day to register for the Fishin’
Buddies Derby at Gilbert Run Park in Dentsville. It will be held rain or shine on Oct. 13. Register online at www. charlescountyparks.com.
And one last reminder: October is the last month of the Reel Report for 2018. Southern Maryland lakes and
ponds — Anthony Hancock, manager of Gilbert Run Park, asked me to pass along that the park is now open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.
Since the weather has improved, there have been more people trying their luck at Wheatley Lake. The bass are biting in the shallows, with topwaters working early and late in the day. During the daytime hours, you can take your pick of lures.
Hancock recommends trying spinnerbaits, crankbaits and even soft plastics. Most of the bass he’s been seeing are on the small size, however every now and then a decent 3- to 5-pound bass has been landed.
The bluegill and redear sunfish are biting well in the shallows on small pieces of nightcrawler or mealworms. Some of the redear sunfish are good sized and would make a tasty dinner for those who want to keep some fish to eat.
Patuxent River — Ken Lamb of the Tackle Box in Lexington Park (301-863-8151) has bloodworms in stock for anglers who want to bring home a mess of perch for the freezer. There are
plenty of rockfish in the mouth of the river.
In the upper Patuxent from Sheridan Point to Half Pone Point, trollers are finding rockfish on the oyster bars and lure casters can catch them on high tides in the shallows around structure.
Potomac River — The T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Shenandoah Division tournament launching out of Smallwood State Park wrapped up last weekend.
The winner was Otis Darnell of Linden, Va., with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 32 pounds even. His most productive baits were
a swimjig and a Z-Man Chatterbait. Aaron Dixon of Bel Alton in Charles County placed eighth with his 10 bass weighing 23 pounds 13 ounces.
This weekend there are a few smaller tournaments launching out of Smallwood State Park.
Reel Bass Adventures guide Andy Andrzejewski (301-932-1509) reports that stripers are becoming more abundant now. The beginning of an outgoing tide can provide fast topwater action around bridge pilings and bulkheads.
On the low end of the tide, Andrzejewski recommends working rock structures with shallow-running crankbaits and swimbaits. Topwater poppers, hard and soft jerk baits and plastic craws work well for bass in grass beds or spatterdock fields.
Life Outdoors Unlimited guide Kenny Penrod III (240-478-9055) reports that grass beds are breaking up, so now is the prime time to throw frogs to matted grass where the dying grass
has created clean water beneath the mat.
Penrod said snakehead fishing has slowed down because either high water has allowed them to push deep into the marshes or the bite is just naturally slowing down for fall. Water temperatures are in the low 70s already.
Lamb said bottom fishermen are finding perch and spot on the 20- to 30foot edges. He said they love bits of bloodworm, shrimp or squid.
Shore fishermen at Piney Point on the boat ramp side loaded coolers with perch and spot last week on the high tides. Keeper rockfish can be found under the bridge to St. George Island.
Lake Anna (Va.) — High Point Marina (540-8955249) just released the final results of the 2018 fishing tournament season. Sixty different teams fished this season and 45 were eligible for the finale which launched on Sept. 22, a beautiful fall-like day with plenty of sunshine.
Eric Johnson of Partlow, Va., and Nate Sullivan of Fredericksburg, Va., won that day’s event with a 15-pound 2-ounce bag.
The weekly tournaments were held every
Friday evening from June 1 to Aug. 24. Throughout the summer over 1,500 pounds of fish were weighed and released. The biggest fish caught during the series of tournaments was a 6-pound 15 ounce largemouth caught by Nate Sullivan.
Crappie are active now on just about all the docks in at least 10 feet of water in the upper end of the lake. Slip bobbers and minnows set at 5 to 8 feet are deadly or you can jig under and around the docks. The uplake bridges are hot
spots now too.
Chesapeake Bay — Most of the stripers around Cedar Point are undersized, according to Lamb. There are tons of undersized fish breaking every dawn and dusk, but mixed in with these little guys are some keepers at 19 inches or more with some big guys close to 30 inches in the 8- to 10-pound range.
There are still a few big channel bass to be caught by trollers and sight casters from the Targets to the Middle Grounds.