As the first cold front moves across the Chesapeake Bay, anglers’ minds wander to thoughts of fall fishing – rockfish in particular.  It’s been an odd summer with epic rain, some hot days and very warm water. Everything said, the fishing has been productive for the resident rockfish and the rains and floods have kept the water oxygenated and the fish have thrived. Live lining spot over hard bottom or against structure in moving water was superb in areas of the mid bay.

Chesapeake Bay Light tackle rockfish

Commonly called “Rocktober,” fall is considered the favorite time for anglers in Maryland.  There has been a great crop of resident fish in the middle section of the Chesapeake Bay with fish up to 30 inches that have been hanging around structure. These guys will be moving into the deeper water as the water temperatures start to drop along the channel edges. It is not uncommon to find a school of these guys ambushing bait in mid channel. Jigging big skirted baits 20- to 30-feet deep when the current is ripping will light up these fish. Look for pods of these fish suspended or near the bottom on your fish finder, set yourself up current, shut down your engine and jig hard as you drift through. A fast action, stiff spinning rod loaded with braid is essential to locating these fish. I use a 4-foot section of 20-pound fluorocarbon leader to fool the wary ones. As you drift, “feel” the bottom and jig hard. Pay attention as many fish will strike on the drop. Alternatively, at dawn, getting in shallow along the grass banks and rip rap throw large surface plugs which can yield a vicious strike and fun battle on light spinning tackle.  For the schooling fish 4-inch paddle tails on a half-ounce jig head have been deadly this year, matching the peanut bunker, slow retrieved with a “twitch” to elicit a reaction strike.

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When the water temperatures move below 70 degrees, the schoolie rockfish will be busting the surface on balls of silversides and small Alewife. Use good binoculars to search out birds hitting the water, get in front of the moving school and drift through the breaking fish The bigger fish tend to be deeper and behind the pack.  This is definitely time to break out the light tackle spinning rods, loaded with braid for endless bent rod fun, mixed in with the rockfish are voracious chopper blue fish, ready to tear up any baits thrown into the melee.  Switch baits out to metal spoons or use specialized plastic baits such as the Zman 10X which are “bluefish” proof as the sharp teeth cannot bite through them. The bluefish are wonderful table fare when grilled fresh or very tasty treat when brined and then cold smoked. South of Poplar Island, there is a fair shot at Spanish mackerel chasing a fast moving spoon thrown into the mix – a real thrill in the mid-Chesapeake region.

Stars and Stripers, Project Healing waters. from Tom Weaver on Vimeo.

Opportunities with a fly rod abound. The frenzy as the schooling fish attack everything are fun on a 6-weight set up, or stalking big fish in the grass beds at the river mouths. Throwing big fly’s on sink tip or full sink line to target the bigger fish will produce an explosive strike and energetic tussle with these healthy fall fish.

Chesapeake Bay A fall-caught rockfish on the fly

As the weather cools and if wind picks up, trolling is a great way to cover ground and find the bigger rockfish cruising the channel edges. Set out a mixed spread with some deep baits trolling in water over 30-feet deep – tandem baits are effective with in-line weights the old time classics of white and chartreuse work well.  Putting small spoons in the spread will catch the marauding Bluefish and maybe a Spanish mackerel or two.

Chesapeake Bay Spanish Mackerel

Any way you like to look at it, fall presents some wonderful opportunities to catch a lot of fish. The weather is typically on its best behavior with long mild spells and low humidity and plenty of daylight for a quick evening trip after work.

 

***Note: To reduce the mortality rate of rockfish, Maryland Department of Natural Resources introduced revised regulations that include the required use of circle hooks, which catch fish in the corner of the mouth. These hooks cause less internal damage and also mean less time out of the water. The department recommends using circle hooks in sizes of 9/0-10/0. 

 

This post was written by Captain Tom Weaver of Fish With Weaver charters
Images and video courtesy of the author