By james art 
As summer weather unexpectedly lingers in early November, Maryland fishermen and local fish populations are feeling the effects. Daytime highs stay in the 70s, with overnight lows rarely dropping below 50, keeping the cold and rain at bay. The water temperature in the Chesapeake Bay is 63.9°F – just a degree below the decade’s peak temperature of 64.9°F recorded in 2017. This mild, dry weather has left fish and fishermen uncertain, as Ken Lamb of St. Mary’s Tacklebox notes erratic fishing patterns.
While warm, sunny days may please those looking for extended outdoor adventures, the lack of classic fall conditions is not conducive to peak rockfish activity. Rockfish, known for their affinity for cloudy, rainy and cool conditions, seem disoriented by the prolonged heat and sun. Although fishermen report some successful catches, there is little consistency. Lamb advises adopting a summer strategy focusing on dawn and dusk for fishing, as the fish seem to stick to a similar routine.
“It was confusing,” says Lamb, explaining how fishermen have had sporadic luck, often catching rockfish in one area only to return the next day to find them gone. “The key remains to get your lure in front of a hungry rockfish.” For those looking for rockfish on the Patuxent and Potomac Rivers, trolling with tandem rigs and small umbrellas in colors like white, chartreuse, John Deere green and school bus yellow has produced results . Shore and pier anglers have also had success with swimbaits, topwater plugs and jig heads rigged with a variety of plastics. Additionally, single tails drifting along the edges of falling objects continue to attract rockfish.
Further up the bay, from the Bay Bridge to its northern reaches, the rock bass population appears to be more active. Anglers using live-line techniques using live bait as bait have reported consistent feeding patterns among striped bass, adding some predictability for those fishing these waters.
While rockfish remain elusive, whitefish have made a definitive seasonal change. Having migrated from shallow streams to deeper river areas, white perch are now being schooled in large numbers. Experienced anglers can spot these shoals on depth sounders, then reel them in with a jig or deep bait.
The continuation of unseasonably warm conditions may soon give way to the cooler weather anglers are hoping for. Forecasts call for rain through Thursday, bringing a long-awaited cooling trend to the region. This change could prompt a more predictable pattern for walleyes and other seasonal species, potentially providing the ideal fishing conditions many have been waiting for.