Every year is going to be a little different but there are some consistent patterns and tactics that stand the test of time year after year. You can expect to find jumbo White Perch, Puppy Drum, Catfish, Striped Bass, and the occasional Snakehead.
The most consistent fishing in the late Summer and early Fall on the creek is for White Perch and Puppy Drum (immature Redfish). The White Perch will push 9-11 inches, the perfect size for eating. While the Puppy Drum will typically not tip the scales in favor of a keeper-size fish they are fantastic fun to catch on light tackle with their strong hits and runs. As a bonus, both fish are caught using the same tactics and frequent the same habitats.
It’s best to target hard bottoms in 3 to 5 feet of water along the shoreline (I can point you to these hot spots). Old laydown trees in the water and old wooden piers will hold fish. This pattern is very similar to freshwater largemouth bass fishing. Medium, light, and even ultra-light tackle will offer the most fun – 5 to 6-foot rods with 1000 or 2000 series reels with 8lb test line. I prefer to string my 2000 series reels with 20lb braid joined to an 8lb fluorocarbon leader.
Two baits work well – small spinnerbaits tipped with bloodworm and jigheads with soft plastic paddle tail or curly tail baits.
For spinnerbaits I recommend white, white/yellow, or black 1/4 oz Perch Hounders, which are a local bait and not readily found in all areas https://www.anglerssportcenter.com/product/berts-perch-hounder-1-4-ounce/. The 1/4 oz weight provides some heft combined with a smaller hook size for the smaller mouths of the Perch and Puppy Drum. Pro Tip: add a small piece of artificial bloodworm about the size of your thumbnail to encourage the stubborn fish. I recommend Berkley Gulp! Alive! Bloodworms – https://amzn.to/3SVgcE5 – as a great alternative to real bloodworms. Real bloodworms have gotten expensive costing at times $20 a dozen or more and don’t last.
For jigheads and soft plastics I recommend a 1/4 oz white jigheads similar to https://amzn.to/3WUPo85 combined with 3″ Berkley Gulp Paddleshad baits https://amzn.to/46SDVuo or 3″ Berkley curly tails grubs https://amzn.to/4cERw9Q fished slow on the bottom.
Early mornings and evenings that coincide with a falling tide are going to be the best times of the day to fish. Look for shaded areas as these will be the most productive waters.
Blue crabs are thick around the pier and can provide great fun, as well as provide a tasty dinner! I recommend hand lines (https://amzn.to/3Mdi72Z) with a single chicken neck or folding crab traps (https://amzn.to/3YNRSYz), again, rigged with a single chicken neck. Our local grocery stores sell chicken necks but you may have to ask. Hand lines are inexpensive and very effective. We also have a dip net and buckets on the pier for scooping them up and keeping them alive.
