# Choptank bridge report 5/28



## Leopard1138 (Jul 1, 2004)

Got down there about 545pm sunday (talbot side) and fishing til 1230am. When i first got there it was still pretty dead, saw ALOT of skate cruiseing the waterline. After not haveing any bites i decided to move down a bit not really sure what light i was but id say i was quiet a ways out but not to the middle yet(tossing my line towards bay side of the bridge). Action started around 830 as the sun was going down saw about 5 people land croakers. Then i started getting hits and missed 2 fish (was useing fresh shrimp w/heads from annapolis seafood market). Action was sporatic when some1 would catch one another would then it died down til about 1030 or so i got a 14" croaker. Catfish were everywhere, anyone useing worms was catching 1001 cat. I purposely didnt take any worms for this reason  . The craoker are scattered but are comeing in hopefully in a week or 2 they will be thicker. Was my first time trying the tank but deffinately going to make more trips out there.  

pics of the croaker

http://www.pierandsurf.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=2394

http://pierandsurf.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/2393


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## Big Rad (May 19, 2003)

*That aint no croaker*

That looks more like a snakehead


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## ABluesman (Mar 28, 2005)

*Choptank question*

Speaking of snakeheads ...last week while croaker fishing at the Tank I caught quite a few fish as the tide was almost out that I could not identify. They were all about 5-6" long and were olive brownish green with an elongated dorsal fin and a soft body. Their heads had a croaker shape without the armor. They also had a row of white dashed shaped patterns near the top sides of the fishes body on each side running from behind the head back toward the tail. There were no other white markings or patterns anywhere else. They seemed to enjoy hitting shrimp just as the croakers and cats were.

Has anyone else caught these near low tide?? My research indicates they may be Bowfin but I can't find any pics of Bowfin with those white blanked stripes running back on each side. Could these possibly be snakeheads? They don't really have all those characteristics either. Whatever they are, it is apparent they are not the adult version.

I welcome your comments ...


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## Leopard1138 (Jul 1, 2004)

LOL Rad, well i plan on fry him up soon so if my tounge starts to fork and i grow scales, i know it must have been a SH  . Not really sure what those fish are u describing bluesman i kept getting small fish nibbling on my shrimp as the tide was going out perhapes that was the culprit.
Doubt it was SH though from what i read they cant tolerate salt but who knows maybe a crossbred :--|


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## TunaFish (Aug 16, 2001)

*Olive brown Fish?*



> olive brownish green with an elongated dorsal fin


These could be ling, however, I've never seen one in the Bay, only by the ocean (caught plenty of them in Delaware. BTW, excellent eating) and sometimes at PLO. I could be wrong though!!

BTW nice catch though, Leopard...


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## fish01265 (Mar 14, 2001)

this is correct tuna small ling are all up & down the eastern side of the bay


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## Huntsman (Mar 6, 2003)

*Ling - Spotted Hake*



fish01265 said:


> this is correct tuna small ling are all up & down the eastern side of the bay


Saw a few smallies pulled in @ Solomons late Saturday...


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## Dogg Fish (Jun 2, 2006)

I'm itchin to hit the Choptank pier this weekend. Anyone been out there in the last few days? What's the story?


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## hengstthomas (Mar 11, 2006)

sound like a kingfish or sea mullet or perhaps a red hake a.k.a. ling . My bet would be kingfish.


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

If it looked like this it was a kingfish and are excellent eating.


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## ABluesman (Mar 28, 2005)

*No It wasn't*

The small fish at the Tank are definitely not kingfish ...they may be a ling but I don't think so either. Not mullet either.

They were all about 6" long and shaped almost like an eel ...didn't wiggle like one though, but rather like a croaker when it hits the pier. They were a greenish brown with soft scales and had white blanks in a single stripe pattern (each about 1/8" wide and about 1/2" in length each separated by 5/16" of the greenish brown body color ---the pattern ran back on each side from side of neck/head back to tail. The head had a somewhat gaping mouth and a half moon shaped upper lip with a fairly horizontal lower lip. The head was no wider than the body and the elongated dorsal ran back to the tail.

I have seen lots of different "could be's" suggested and on the net, but yet to find a fish that works????


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

Could it have been a Banded Killifish?


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## TRIGGERFISH (May 21, 2001)

will be hitten the Tank in a few weeks,decied to take a day or so off from work need to get some down time and some pullage..........


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## fish01265 (Mar 14, 2001)

Enough already!!!!!!!!!!!!! have seen them at the tank for 20 years now and alot larger than that.


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## fish01265 (Mar 14, 2001)

fish01265 said:


> Enough already!!!!!!!!!!!!! have seen them at the tank for 20 years now and alot larger than that. they are ling


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## Penn626 (Jun 24, 2005)

*Ling*

I fished the choptank last week, I caught 2 lings about 4" long. Never seen that happen so far from the coast. But yes, those are ling!





 
Penn626


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## kingman (Apr 4, 2003)

Sounds like it could be a lizardfish. They kinda look like a juevenile snakehead.


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## Talapia (Apr 27, 2003)

They are baby ling. We saw one in the
Rapp river a week ago.


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## Tchockey1 (Mar 15, 2006)

*Report 6/3*

Fished from 10am to 4 pm. Saw some very big skates caught , other than that we only had luck with 2 toad fish and 1 striper at 21" on shrimp. It was a windy nasty day, but anything is better than working. Talked to many others there, and no-one had much luck with anything besides a few perch , and some rays.


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## Dogg Fish (Jun 2, 2006)

Yeah, not surprising day fishing report. I think most of us have had much better luck at the Tank at night. Anyone been oiut there in the last few days at night? Any reports? I'm thinking of going tonight or tomorrow


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## louieb (May 31, 2006)

Fished tank saturday night. Few catfish and white perch and one croaker. Friend caught a 6" spotted hake-could that be your mystery fish?


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