Article by Capt. Matt Abell
After a delightful preview of fall and fall fishing, we are brought back to reality with a September heat wave. However, the days continue to get shorter and the retreat of the heat is inevitable. So get ready to “fall” right into a bunch of fun and fish during this awesome autumn season.
The start of September brought us a nice drop in temperatures and a preview of a shallow water spectacular. Speckled trout and puppies actively have cooperated with skinny water action that verifies that we live in the most awesome place on earth! Prevalent puppies from a little below slot to the lower 30” range have engaged in shallow water battles from the Pocomoke sound south to the CBBT . Popping corks with paddle tails were the most productive offering to these spotted tail trophies . The specs seemed to key in on jig heads adorn with Old Skool and RumbleFish soft plastics. The areas in the southern part of Maryland’s Chesapeake have produced the best quality quarry while a much smaller class of spec has been found in the Virginia portion of the bay.
The leaves may still be green but the waters of the Chesapeake are red. The lower bay has still yielded some magnum spawning drum from their haunts around sloughs and shoals from Cape Charles to Watts Island and even farther north. Cut spot, kingfish and hardhead on fish finder rigs with 8/0 octopus circle hooks are all that is needed for a fight to remember. These bruisers have touched the low 50” mark and are truly a fish of a lifetime. Running tide in the evening sets the stage for drag screaming battles and bent rods. Unwanted by-catch has been pretty palatable as small blues and sharks have given us a break from the relentless bait heisting. While you partake in the awesome red drum bite you may be surprised with a cobia as a welcome bonus.
The seaside has been fairly tranquil except in regards to sea conditions. When anglers have made the way to the deep blue of the Atlantic, they have found a steep drop in flounder activity. However, the flatfish fillets have been replaced by a dinner of succulent sea bass from wrecks in the 100’ depth range. The hungry bass have taken both jigs and hi low rigs baited with squid strips.
The inland bite has also been stagnated by turbulent seas and turbid waters. The flounder bite has been fairly slow but not completely dead. Fish have cooperated around the time of high water when the water is the cleanest. The seaside surf has provided some good spot and kingfish action. Small float rigs baited with bloodworm have done the trick. A few puppies have washed up in the suds with the help of cut spot and mullet chunks on modified fish finder surf rigs .
This past Tuesday morning I slipped away from the shop after a hectic Labor Day weekend. It was just myself , my dog and my rod and a bunch of redfish. I got to enjoy a morning with skies as blue as a puppy drums tail. After several spot tails had been boated my dog “ Georgia “ started to get restless, and all at once she leapt from the boat and tried to retrieve my popping cork that I had been casting all morning. After help getting back in the boat and a refreshing shake, all the commotion had curtailed the bite. And at that very moment I thought to myself, how lucky I was to have opportunities like this and memories like that in this wonderful place that we call home! §
