Choptank Report8-4

[BigJeff823]

After fishing from 10am-5pm at my secret spot;and having bug on every inch of my legs.I went to the Choptank;I caught Perch,Catfish and 6"Bunker in a cast net.There was alot of Catfish and Spot as well as White Perch caught.I left at 11pm and headed home.

[Dogg Fish]

I am anxiously awaiting the first reports that the Croakers are hitting at Choptank pier. Isn't it about the right time of year for the salinity level there to be high enough for the Croaker and Rockfish to start showing up there? We've had enough dry weather recently, it would seem. I have a group I want to take there (I wouldn't take a group to any of the other piers which get so damned crowded as I see from other postings.) Any guesses how much longer I will have to wait?

[Andrew]

Hi! It's good to know somebody had more luck last weekend at CT -- my fun pretty much centered around rays hitting on cut and live bait with a regularity of one per hour... Lifted one up using a neighbor's bridge net (mine was too small to fit the beast) to entertain my 6-year old son. It weighed in at 29 lbs (the ray)... An even bigger one tore a swivel off, and still another one broke a 30 lbs test braid. A couple of small croakers found their way back to water, as did a half dozen cats -- but nothin' worth taking out the frying pan for.

I also have to say that the arrogance factor is creeping up at Choptank as well, with personal space shrinking from yards to feet. :(

-A.

[Dogg Fish]

Thanks for the post, Andrew. I have posted a few questions about the Choptank over the summer, and I have gotten very few responses, for some reason. (memo to Oliver Stone: Are pierandsurfers trying to keep the Tank a secret, perhaps?) So a few small croakers, eh? Maybe that means they are on their way there. Sad to hear about the crowds and arrogance there. That always was one of the benefits of the Tank. You may not get near your favorite spot on the pier, but you usually could get enough space. I m probably gonna give it a try on Saturday. Can't decide whether to go early in the afternoon to claim some territory on the pier, or to just wait until maybe after 10 P.M. when the crowd may have thinned out a bit.

[Orest]

Most likely your question went un-answered were because probably most of the regulars on P&S have not fished it for 2 or 3 years. That was the last time the Tank was good and a year or 2 before that it was really good. It has gone down hill for Stripers, Trout, and Croacker not many of us fish it any more. I know I have not been there for at least 2 years.

What were your questions?

For one it get pretty dirty out on the pier; people don't carry out their trash with them.

[SeaSalt]

Thanks for the post, Andrew. I have posted a few questions about the Choptank over the summer, and I have gotten very few responses, for some reason. (memo to Oliver Stone: Are pierandsurfers trying to keep the Tank a secret, perhaps?) So a few small croakers, eh? Maybe that means they are on their way there. Sad to hear about the crowds and arrogance there. That always was one of the benefits of the Tank. You may not get near your favorite spot on the pier, but you usually could get enough space. I m probably gonna give it a try on Saturday. Can't decide whether to go early in the afternoon to claim some territory on the pier, or to just wait until maybe after 10 P.M. when the crowd may have thinned out a bit.


choptank is the place to be, if you like catfish. :D

[Dogg Fish]

Really???!!! Bummer. I used to LOVE that place, but I didn't go last year. I have caught dozens of big croakers and some big Stripers there, much more consistently productive than the other piers I tried in years past. So it is not just the time of year to go there, but the pier itself just isn't as productive, you say? Bummer. Well, I am going to give it a try anyway on Saturday. But I am unfamiliar with how best to catch catfish there. Any advice? What baits are best? How big do they run? Should I use heavy rod/reel/tackle or more mid-sized? Thanks.

[Orest]

http://mddnr.chesapeakebay.net/bay_cond/bay_cond.cfm?param=sal&station=et52


When I did fish the Tank the catfish would hit any bait I was using; Chicken Breast, BW, Squid.

A good 7 - 9' rod will do. Might invest in a good pier net, just incase you hook a moster. Most of the cat's I caught were in the 12" range.

[Dogg Fish]

Orest: Thanks! Wow, that salinity link is awesome! Obviously, the huge drop in salinity in June was caused by that incredible amount of rain we had (It looks from the graph that they take observations the first of each month, but the August reading isn't yet posted.) The graph also makes it appear that one shouldn't hope to catch salt water species there until at least September, perhaps particularly this year. I'll give it a go with the catfish . . .

[Dogg Fish]

re-read the salinity chart and those observations are "monthly means," not individual observations at the first of each month, as I had incorrectly guessed. So that makes it look like the salinity is probably still very very low at the Tank. Too bad they don't show more frequent observations, like weekly, but that still is a terrific source of info. and not just salinity, but Ph, water clarity, etc. Cool

[Orest]

The Tank use to be soooooo good. But that was even before my time here on P&S.

[Huntsman]

I'm in agreement w/ Orest.. I used to frequent the Tank in hopes of that monster striper or even monster trout. Unfortunately neither was to be had. I've landed severl 17"+ croakers out of there and haven't fishted there in about 2yrs.

It has been very slow as most of the bay has, and considering it flows into the bay.. enough said.

Hopefully it'll reverse itself and the fish will be back in there in a year or two.

Until then.. fair winds and following seas..

[cygnus-x1]

Ditto to what Orest and Huntsman said. Before I was married I used to schedule a 2 week vacation to coincide with the trout run down there in mid september (and of course opening day for the NFL). At that time I did not know how to target stripers effectively so when I caught them it was by accident ... but ohhh the trout =) .... let me telll you something ... I got to try a whole lot of recipes for them weakies!

I wish it would turn around too. Its one of the few places where you can fish in peace most of the time.

[Dogg Fish]

Thanks for all the advice. How can we be so sure that the fishing still stinks there if all of pierandsurf's best experts haven't been there in years? ;) I just confirmed that I am definitely going there Sat and Sunday. You guys have lowered my expectations so far that I'll be happy to catch anything! If any of you might be out there, I'll be the short guy sporting a beard, teaching his girlfriend to long cast, and hauling in the big ones, as close to the end of the pier on the Cambridge side as I can get without getting into a crowd.

[cygnus-x1]

There are ALL the catfish you would ever want to catch out there. You will not be skunked. You will find some perch, some spot, and a croaker or two. It just has not been the way it used to be lately.

That being said, maybe there is a conspiracy and everyone is saying they did not catch anything to keep everyone else away :eek:

Personally and truthfully I have been dissapointed the last 2 years. I will be going again in the next 2 months. We have relatives in Easton and he discovered recently that he loves fishing so we will hook up with them.

Man I say go for it!! You can't catch fish sitting on the couch!

[Orest]

you might catch a Chevy and get spooled.:D

[zam]

Thanks for all the advice. How can we be so sure that the fishing still stinks there if all of pierandsurf's best experts haven't been there in years?
Thats the same thing I was thinking:D you never know unless you go;)

[Hat80]

has been all but dead for more then three years now. All it means anymore is a hour and twenty mins to AI. It's a shame, it use to be a great spot! ;).....Hat

[Dogg Fish]

"The Hat" is heard from! Great to hear from ya, man. You probably don't remember me, but we fished together a bit at the Tank and the Peak a few years ago. Could you offer your learned opinion about WHY the Choptank is "dead?" And by "dead," do you mean that big Croaker and Stripers don't go there anymore, or just HOW dead?

[TunaFish]

Stripers do go there during the spawning season (spring time), then they disappear.

When we say "Dead", we refer to things like Croakers, Blues, Sea Trouts, and yes, even stripers.

The croakers did made a brief showing this year, but not like it'll keep you occupied.

I hate to rehash what others say they used to catch, but I did well with Sea Trouts and that was 4 yrs ago for me. The vast majority of folks here don't really target white perch (which is always there) or catfish (some do though).

Why is it "dead"? We'll, this is just my opinion. ABout 3 or 4 yrs ago (man, I don't remember) when we had some tremendous rain up in the east coast, especially up river (in the Susquehannas, PA), they opened up the dam and the muddy, fresh, fertilizer and whatever in the water flowed into the Chesapeake bay and it has not been the same anymore.

This is should have been the prime time for Croakers in places like SPSP, Peake, Coke, and so forth, but it's nothing but white perch and teenie spots, and an occasion teenie croaker.

Heck, I have not caught a keeper trout in the bay over 4 yrs!!!

[murphman]

Too long of a drive for me to catch a few Catfish.;)