It’s a good time to be one who enjoys the outdoors here in Southern Md.

Friday, Sept. 28, 2007

Right now, Spanish mackerel, flounder, croaker, spot and pretty much all the bluefish and stripers you care to handle are all in our local waters, and the fall feed is most definitely on.

In addition to all that, there are eager smallmouths in the upper Potomac and feisty largemouths hanging around the big grass mats in the upper tidal sections.

Add in the dose of this beautiful weather (we need that rain!) and life is pretty darn good for Southern Marylanders.

Southern Maryland lakes and ponds — As our smaller waters continue their gradual cooling off, the fishing should only be getting better and better in the weeks ahead. It’s no longer an early morning and late evening kind of deal, but overcast days most definitely give you an advantage to some of these truly ‘‘bluebird skies” we’ve been seeing recently.

A little piece of worm suspended a few feet under a bobber should be a sure thing for the resident bluegills, while I love to toss those Gulp! plastic worms looking for a few hungry largemouths.

Live minnows should work on the crappie.

There has been a huge alga bloom at Gilbert Run, Anthony Hancock, park assistant manager, tells me. He suggests you go deep for the bass there with crankbaits or jigs until conditions improve.

Mattawoman Creek — Ken Penrod of the Life Outdoors Unlimited guide service, 301-937-0010, says he’s using up to 1.5 ounces of weight now to ‘‘punch” through the heavy grass mats in here. He also mentions that the thick grass around the mouth has been his best location.

Nearby Chicamuxen Creek is also holding a decent bass population.

Upper Potomac River — The level at Point of Rocks has been about 1.9 feet, say the LOU guides, and the water temps now have dropped into the low 70s. It’s hard to motor around, but the bass are definitely there and aggressive; plus, they’re concentrated now in the scarce deeper holes.

Magic Stiks and Mizmo ‘‘teaser” tubes have been getting the most bites.

Tidal Potomac River — It’s not great fall fishing yet, but that time is surely getting closer.

For now, the LOU pros suggest the grass in and around Belle Haven Cove, the outside edge of Piscataway, Bulltown Cove and Little Hunting Creek are giving up some decent fish using frogs, Case Stiks and Buzzin’ Frogs.

The guides with Reel Bass Adventures, 301-932-1509, say they’re getting a pretty fair bite throwing crankbaits along the grass-covered creek ledges adjacent to water seven feet deep or deeper.

The points in creeks are also worth a stop. The most productive crankbait this past week has been a Norman, Deep Baby-N in any color, so long as it has a little chartreuse on it.

Small poppers or a white, quarter-ounce buzzbait should get a little notice early in the morning if you’re working grass beds at the mouths of creeks and other areas where the water is flowing into those creek channels.

Lower Potomac River — There are some rockfish around and that’s pretty good news.

Not much is happening on the bottom-fishing front. Not that many people are out there trying.

George Quade of Quade’s Store in Bushwood tells me that the best fishing pattern now should switch around to afternoons from mornings. George has also noticed lots of big skates in the water, but maybe they’re getting ready to move out.

Down at the mouth, Spanish mackerel are a distinct possibility and there are flounder to be had in Cornfield Harbor.

There are more flounder nearby at the mouth of St. Jerome’s Creek plus a few stripers and porgies.

Patuxent River — Some very nice spot are being caught all around the mouth on bloodworms.

‘‘Twenty-four hours a day,” Ken Lamb of the Tackle Box in Lexington Park said.

Trollers working upriver are finding stripers along the ledges and more in the shallows.

Deep Creek Lake — Pleasure boat traffic is not the issue anymore like it was this past summer, and that news has the fishermen smiling. Lou guide Brent Nelson (bbnelson@comcast.com) is finding bass now along the grass beds, floating docks and even some vacant dock sites.

Lake Anna — This water remains low and dangerous. From High Point Marina comes word that the stripers are schooling and the Pamunkey branch seems to be the hottest location for many lake species.

The largemouth bass are moving into shallower water while the stripers seem to be holding near the mouths of creeks such as Plentiful, Terry’s Run, Christopher Run, Gold Mine and Duck in Hole.

The crappie are moving shallower every day, with docks and rocks holding good populations in the North Anna from Gold Mine Creek to Waddy’s Point.

Chesapeake Bay — Lamb says the Spanish mackerel are ‘‘prevalent” throughout the bay and are chasing Clark and Drone spoons trolled pretty fast.

Rockfish are plentiful and the bluefish seem to be everywhere.

Lamb reports those bluefish are ranging from the smaller snappers to choppers up to 8 pounds, and surf casters from Point Lookout are ‘‘having a ball” on a trio of spot, blues and croaker.

Christy Henderson of Buzz’s Marina tells me that some fishermen there are ‘‘loading up” on bluefish in the 8-to-10-pound range and folks are catching fish by live-lining, trolling, chumming and jigging.

Christy also says a surprising number of speckled trout have come from the Tangier area and more were found around the Target Ship.

She also mentioned the oyster sanctuary just off Point Lookout has been giving up good numbers of both striped bass and bluefish.

Atlantic Ocean — Sue Foster of Oyster Bay Tackle in Ocean City reports a whole lot of small bluefish for surf fishermen around there while flounder and tautog are being caught near the inlet and more flounder and some bigger blues have been taken off the Oceanic Pier.

The charter boats working the back bays are seeing a typical day of about a dozen keeper flounder to maybe 80 (or more!) throwbacks.

When the winds allowed offshore fishing, the near offshore wrecks were giving up a mix of croaker, pan-size blues, flounder and sea bass.

Out the canyons, some yellowfin have been caught.

E-mail James Drake at zbasser@aol.com.