A Question...
 

...for all you 'seasoned' Upper Bay fishermen...

Given the current weather expectations for the rest of this week (rain and strong N/NE winds), where would you think the larger rockfish would be come Saturday?

In the rivers? Out in the major channels? Still near the ledges/drop offs where they seem to have been all year?

Would you fish the Eastern or Western Shore?

Ed,

Maybe its just me but I would head east and target dropoffs that are in the 30to 40 foot range with as tight a dropoff as possible...

Spreaders with spoons have been really good for me, and while not quite as good numbers wise tandems have give me bigger fish...

Blues are still on the surface so you may need to get down fairly deep for the stripers.

Mike

Ed; I'm not trying to be funny; but I would fish where I find them:) I would plan to use a decent (1/3) portion of my day running to several areas looking for fish either on the surface breaking or on the fishfinder deep.

It's going to be a crapshoot as to where they are to be found.

A few weeks ago, we were in a tournament out of Rock Hall. We did some pre-tournament scouting and fishing the week of the tournament. On the day of the tournament, a cold front came through the night before. Everything changed:mad: Only a few large fish were caught and checked in. We had two large fish on, but lost due to straightened hooks. However, it certainly wasn't wide open like it was during the week.

Look on a chart, section off the area you think you will be covering. Note where there is skinny water near structure or rips. Circle a couple places where there's deep water coming off steep drop-offs. Finally, check out the triple buoys area. This has been very productive for me this year.

Lastly, keep an eye on any charters. You don't have to even be near them. Just watch where they are working and note what kind of pattern they are using. Are they in a "search" mode where they continually work both shallow and deep water; or are they circling an area where they are marking fish?

You don't have to "run up their butt", however, note if they are circling deep water, drop-offs, or shallow water.

A good pair of binoculars is essential this time of the year. Keep an eye out for birds and boats. A radio was a big help to Boatdog and myself last week. We worked together to find fish, and when the bite turned off, we headed in opposite directions until one of us found a new bunch and called the other over to a new spot.

Good luck, post your success.
5th (Marty)

x2..............all excellent advice

Opted to chicken out today due to the weather, but thanks to all for the advice.