New to the Chesapeake
 

I just bought a fixer upper and plan on taking my grandson fishing this year on the bay but I need some help ! I don't know what , where , or when to fish for ! Can anyone help ? Much appreciated !

Willie
Great bunch of guys on this board. Most boats are still shrink wrapped and even when we get back on the water (April) things will be slow.
Best thing for you to do is "go back" into our easier posts to see (read) where we fished and what we were using.
Have fun
5th

Where do you plan to keep the boat? Where do you HOPE to fish? Many of us fish the Bay bridge area so if you are looking for help with the flats or the VA line, you may not find much here. If you plan to fish the mid-bay during the summer, we could probably lend a hand.
What boat did you buy? How much of a fixer upper is it? How old is your grandson? Have you fished much or is this new to both of you? Sooo many questions need answering to properly help. Welcome!!

5th Tuition , Thanks for your response . I'll go back and do some research ! Thanks for starting me off in the right direction .

Chessie27, I'll see if I can answer your questions . I'm going to trailer the boat . It's a '94 Bayliner Trophy 23' WA. Basically in decent shape . Was repowered in 2009. Replaced the fuel pump and power steering and some other small things . Runs great ! We did go out of Rock Hall a couple of times last year and loved it . Striper fishing really got us excited and we'll do a lot more ! But would like to fish for other kinds as well. Although my Grandson is 29 ( I know, I Know ! ) He's been my best fishin' buddy since he was 4! I wouldn't know how to fish without him ! Most of the saltwater fishing we've done so far has been on charter boats .Fun , but we would like to do it on our own ! Thanks very much for your help .

Buy some good charts.... Look for structure... Ledges...

White pertch will go for small shrimp, worms, etc... Don't need to go far for them... Cut bait in the shallows near rock hall can net you some nice channel cat fish.

Have to wait till summer to see blue fish, trout, spot, or others...

Thanks Mike . That's the kind of info I was looking for !

Sorry, I’ve been “off the grid” for a bit. Rockfish is the main target for most of us. Occasionally some bluefish, Spanish Mackerel, red drum, black drum, and once oddly enough even a mani mahi was caught North of the Rt 50 bay bridge. It’s not like the Keys were you never know what you might hook but there is a little variety available. The main fishing grounds above the bridge are Swan Point, Love Point, Triple buoys (just N of Love Point), Hodges Bar (N or Eock Hall) was the Hot ticket for quite awhile last summer for chumming, Baltimore Light (off the Magothy), and 7 ft Knoll in the mouth of the Patapsco. All easily reached from most ramps in Rock Hall, Kent Narrows, Sandy Point, etc.

Bottom fishing with crab, worms, clam snouts will produce catfish, perch, spot, and some other strange stuff. According to Facebook (a VERY reliable source) a snakehead was caught in the Chester River yesterday. :eek:

Thanks Chessie27 . That helps a bunch ! Can't wait till the weather breaks !