Pacemaker Fishing Forum

Carl and I had originally planned to hit Fountainhead to catch some crappie (another fish on my list) but after reviewing the weather forecast, Carl was able to sell me on chasing some WP at Solomons, MD. Carl is a VERY capable salesman, it's easy to see why he chose a career in sales.

We were on the water shortly following high tide (Carl says this is the best time to catch WPs) and we started trying to fill the cooler. After a short while, we discovered that the perch had chosen submerged trees as their choice of cover for the day. Unlike the previous few trips when we caught them under docks, in trees, and along walls, the perch seemed to be insistent on hiding in trees. Once we discovered this pattern, it was easy to find them. I think we pulled around 10 WPs from one tree that Carl dubbed "Super Tree." Carl also managed a nice 14.5" rockfish on the UL gear that tried to take us out into the bay. We designated an 8" limit on our catches. The total count at the end of the day was 34 White Perch, one undersized rockfish, and a TROUT that I first thought to be a mangy WP from all the speckles on his back. Carl also caught a very ambitious little minnow that tried to eat his beetlespin. He almost casted it back out before he noticed the little guy hanging off the end of his lure. We easily released the same amount of WP that we kept. I believe the biggest WP was a nice 10.5" fatty.

All in all, it was a great day of non-stop action, little boat traffic, beautiful surroundings, and terrific weather (we were fishing in t-shirts at one point) and virtually no wind which was contrary to the weatherman's forecast. We were both very glad to be able to find the perch before the cooling water temperatures drive them out into deep water. Carl said it was a "last hurrah" for the year but I have a feeling that there might be a "last, last hurrah" to come if the opportunity arises.

Here is a picture of our bounty. You can't see it, but there are 34 perch in that cooler under the layers of ice. I will add some pictures of us on the water once I remember to bring Carl's camera home so I can transfer them.

Last edited by Dominion Dan (Oct-14-09 10:11PM)