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I think its much more effective in the fall and I think they prefer Spot over perch. I was told to drive around slow watching the depth finder when you see the Rock fish you stop and drop quickly.
Get small ones, no larger then 7 inches. Use a circle hook, go through the bottom of the lip and out the mouth. This will keep the fish alive a long time. It works well but you are only fishing for larger rockfish when your doing this of course. Live lining eel works great too and you can get them in a trap in most local creeks.
I have been live lining for over a month now and we have been absolutely crushing them. You want to use spot instead of perch, they put out allot more commotion in the water and the rockfish prefer them since they don't have the spines. Second you don't want to use circle hooks. The fish have to swim with the bait for quite a while before you set the hook and because the fish average 22-30 inches and the bait is rather large you have to really set the hook hard. Circle hooks suck when livelining for stripers.
Please realize that I know nothing but I'd like to catch some fish. Do you just drop the spot striaght overboard on the rock? How much weight do you use? Do you use a downrigger?
There are a couple of ways of doing it. If you want the bait to go towards the bottom put the hook just behind the dorsal fin it will make the fish swim down. The second way is to put the hook through the lips of the bait fish. Keep in mind that rockfish swallow there meals head first. The dept of the fish is going to determine how you hook the bait.If I need to get the live bait down I use a 20lb flora carb leader about 24in then a barrel swivel a red bead and than a 2-4 ounce slip sinker.
DCroller said 2 important things..use a fish finder rig & the fluoro carbon leader..i make mine 30" long from the swivel..use a barrel sinker or a line sinker slides..i think they keep the fish from feeling the weight..i was using circle hooks, but now will try straight hooks.
I heard on another site that it is better to use no weight so that the spot doesnt just sink and look unnatural. I dont know if this is true, but it sounds right. Can you use other bait fish like menhaden or something for the same purpose? Why do you need a leader??
We have been live lining menhaden, casting them from a dock into 4' or 5'. No weights. Been using a leader just to protect from chafe from the gill-plates. Been using circle hooks--you gotta let the fish eat the bait and hook itself.
All this in the mouth of the Severn around high tide, esp in the evening. Menhaden come into the dock and we cast-net them. Rocks follow.
I've been using rubber core sinkers up to 2 ounces, attached above the leader. I vary the weights initially by switch to whichever gets the most hits (fishing between 2 and 4 rods by myself). I start the day with a 5-6' 30lb mono leader, trimming back and necessary (bluefish will tear it up pretty good, if they don't cut you off completely). I use circle hooks between 5/0 and 7/0, depending on the size of the bait. I have been fishing with bait runnerrs in the rod holders, using the second drag to control the bait. When the fish hits, I let it go for awhile and then start reeling. The circle hook gets them almost every time unless I started reeling too soon (then I get no bait or a dead bait). I have been hooking my bait through the nose. I tried in front and behind the dorsal at first, but the current was so strong that the bait just spun.
I don't really know much about the best areas. I have fished around the mouth of the Choptank with some success, but not tried it anywhere else. When I've seen breaking fish, they've been after minnows, so it would be a waste to throw the net (they'd go right through the mesh). Typically a lure will catch more fish faster when the fish are busting bait on the surface, in my experience.
yeah, i have been followiing birds around thomas pt. and they are all under a foot. Maybe i am being too difficult, but i was trying to find a way to get some bigger boys. I guess i will have to experiment... thanks though
yeah, i have been followiing birds around thomas pt. and they are all under a foot. Maybe i am being too difficult, but i was trying to find a way to get some bigger boys. I guess i will have to experiment... thanks though
Try just north of Bloody Pt for schools of bait, and east side of Poplar I.
i think i already replied here, but here goes.
Thanks us i will try that next time i am out. if i dont get bigger fish near bloody point poplar island, i will try live bait. Maybe near the bay bridge rock piles or thomas pt.
I'm directionally impaired. I meant the W side of Poplar. There are some structures that can hold fish there as well.
We've sort of given up on Thomas Pt; we never do well there. We have done well trolling between Thomas and Bloody. But mostly we head straight for the red bell just N of Bloody and work S.
If you don't have spot, you can try Storm baits. Blues will tear them up, but we havent had a problem.
i can get spot, i dont have a spot-spot though. Im probably going to try next year when it warms up. Alot of people try thomas pt. and i have never gotten anything there. When you say storm baits you mean lures right, not the dead fish in a bag. I have also been thinking about getting some reels to troll with and use live bait on, i just dont know where to start as far as trolling setups go. Do you use all the fancy stuff like outriggers and planers? I think the blues are finnaly starting to go away. If i find structure do you reccomend I try to cast around it, jig, or use live bait? Does it matter? Im sorry for all the questions, but im just starting to get into this.
You ought to stop by Marty's Sporting Goods in Edgewater, ask him about Storm baits (they are gummy plastic fish) and see what else folks are catching stuff with.
Live Lining 
