Evening star., 1962-10-05
FISHING
Lunker Rockfish
Bite on the Hill
BY CHARLES COVELL
20 Oufdoor Editor

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Outdoor Editor
Fall is the time for lunkel
rockfish in Chesapeake Bay anc
it looks very much as If they
had started biting.
Harry Manifold at Deale. Md.
said the charter boats hit the
big fish trolling No. 81 spoon:
Wednesday on The Hill of
Poplar Island. One brought ir
five weighing UP to 20 pounds
They were biting again yester-
day with. Jimmy Shupe or
Eileen III reporting four bus
ters hooked at one time.
Earlier, the Tidewater Fish
cries Commission. in its --latest
advisory, said that rockfish ur
to 20 pounds were being taker
drifting soft crabs and chum-
ming with clans near the Bay
Bridge.
Inside Thomas Point, rock uI
to Is pounds were being caught
on trolled eels while off Tolley
Point, rock up to the same size
were taking both trolled eel'
and bucktails.
Pan Rock Plentiful
Elsewhere, there are reports
of good catches Of pan-sized
rockfish, particularly in tht
mouth of the Choptank anc
off Solomons. Blues, too, are
still around although fewer ir
number and large haulS of trout
can still be made off Point
Lookout.
Unless there has been 9
radical change in the last cou-
pie of days, fresh water condi-
tions should be excellent this
week end. The Potomac just
above Washington is cloudy but
the rest of it is in good shape
and so are all the other popu-
lar bass streams. They are pro-
ducing fish. If not too large, at
least in quantity.
AS the rivers cool, fishing
should be very good throughout
the fall. Bob Abraham, regional
fish culturist for the Maryland
Game Commission. suggests q
Mepps spinner and a small
piece of either black or white
pork rind as tempting COM
bination.
Ocean Fishing Good
Over on the ocean side, fish
ing is still good although par
ties are few. Why this should
be is puzzling because, wit b
sunny days and cool nights
October can have some OF the
finest weather Of the year.
There still are plenty Of al
bacore, bonito and blues and
probably some marlin offshore
Trout are running heavily in
shore and an occasional chan
mel bass is being caught, al
though the fall run Is not uI
to par.
Starting with the lower Po-
tomac, the bay situation shapes
up like this:
Small rock continue plenti-
full off Tall Timbers and PtneJ
Point and some are being
caught on bucktails while 9TH
ers are being taken at night
on peeler crab. Only trouble
with the latter is that it is
scarce and expensive.
Good catches of small to
medium spot were made in the
st. Mary's River and off Tai
Timbers on bloodworms.
Big Hardhead Taken
Rockfish continue to bite over
the grass beds in Smiths Greek
if you know how to fish for
them but biggest news in the
Point Lookout area is the catch
of several big hardhead on the
trout grounds off No. IA buoy
at the edge of the ship channel
One private boat brought in
seven that weighed up to 5
pounds and the same individual
had several blues scaling 5 to
6 he had caught bottom fish
ing. Most of the trout and
blues being taken run l1a
pounds.
Off Solomons, the catches on
good days run to $50 or more
with rockfish from keeper size
to 6 pounds predominating
Until last week there were more
blues than rock.
Big Perch Plentiful
This is mostly heavy trolling,
with wire line and big sinkers
although some schools have
been found on top in Cedar