Patapsco Fall Stripers
By Tim Sherman

Brian Esteppe shows that Patapsco River is worthwhile for the fall fishery with this large striper caught near the Key Bridge.

The end of September starts the beginning of autumn. We often forget about it because of the warm weather patterns we sometimes encounter well into October. In as much as we repress the thought of the incoming season, there are waterways that we often blank out when catching stripers. One such river is the Patapsco. It’s a river of industry and a gateway to the Baltimore’s Inner Harbor for the cruising and sail boating set. For anglers other than those who live in the area, the river is an untapped resource in the upper bay.

Brian Esteppe grew up in eastern Baltimore County and has fished the Patapsco all his life. Now the owner of Bluefin’s Bait and Tackle in Dundalk, Maryland, he preaches about the bounty of rockfish in the river. “When the fish are in your own backyard, there’s no reason to run around,” Esteppe says emphatically! He has learned that there are several ways to entice rockfish throughout the fall season.

TAKE THEM BY TROLLING
Many anglers troll in the Patapsco all year long. A good portion of the river, from the Dundalk Marine Terminal to Fort Howard, is good for this technique. However, it is more involved than just pulling lead behind the boat. Brian particularly keys on areas where the main channel and side channels come together. Curtis Creek, Penwood Channel, and the Italian Buoy are areas where rockfish wait for forage to funnel through, thus making them great locales for trolling. Tackle doesn’t have to be extravagant, just strong enough for the task. Esteppe’s step up includes Penn 320 reels, 20-pound class Shakespeare Sturdy Sticks, 30-pound test Power Pro line, and 50-pound test leader material for rigging.

In the early part of September -- the late summer days -- Brian says that your spread of lures should cover the entire water column. He trolls with tandem banjo eye bucktails from 1 1/2 to 4 ounces. He prefers white heads with yellow hair and white sassy shad trailers in 3 to 6-inch sizes, depending on the size of the bucktail. Esteppe feels that the double color variation has more of an appeal than trolling with solid hues. He will also troll with short-wire umbrella rigs and work in tandem Tsunami swim baits. Throughout a given trip he moves the majority of his lines to the section of the water column where he is getting his strikes.

Anglers accustomed to trolling the river know that bottom bouncing rigs are the way to go by mid-October. Bucktails in the 1/4 to 1-ounce sizes are the common lures used for trolling along the bottom. This is to best match your lure to the size of the bait in the river at this time of year. Esteppe doesn’t troll with numerous rods when bottom bouncing. Because all lines are trolled at virtually the small depth and close to the boat, more lines means a great chance of major league tangles on turns or when fighting rockfish through the spread. If Brian’s meter shows baitfish near the surface, he will adjust the weights on his line to target that depth.

LIVE LINING TACTICS
Fuel prices can make trolling rather unappealing for budget-minded anglers. Live lining white perch and bunker is an effective way of bringing big rockfish over the gunwale in the summer months through October. Fort Carroll, Sparrow’s Point, and the pilings of the Key Bridge are three of the best locations. To keep the fun in the technique, Esteppe starts with medium power tackle. He spools his reels with 12 to 20-pound test braided line and employs a fish finder rig with just enough weight to get the live bait into the feeding zone -- 1 to 2 ounces is usually sufficient. His leaders are from 3 to 6 feet in length and tied to a beak hook in sizes 3/0 or 4/0.

Brian has a definite theory on where to hook live lined bait. He hooks them behind the dorsal fin back toward the tail. His reasons are twofold. Live bait, whether it be spot, perch, or bunker, needs to breathe properly to swim and stay lively. Hooking them in the mouth does not allow that to happen. Plus, by hooking them in back toward the tail, he says that you ensure yourself a better ratio of hooking your rockfish in the mouth. They prefer swallowing a meal head first, which puts the hook in the mouth on a striper’s first gulp.

LURE THEM IN
The Patapsco is one river that is far overlooked by light tackle enthusiasts. Throughout fall, lures are very effective. Jigging with slab spoons is always a possibility. Esteppe carries jigs of this type in sizes to 4 ounces. He watches his fish finder intently for pods of bait. Rockfish are never far away. He will also cast a jig to breaking fish, yet he’s not trying to target the stripers on the surface. He allows the lure to sink below the surface feeding fracas to target larger fish that often lurk below.

Fall weather patterns also bring rockfish into shallow water. Soft plastic jigs like Bass Assassins and Tsunami Split Tail minnows are ideal. Topwater plugs also come into play. Brian targets riprap banks with deepwater access. He credits the new riprap at the Brandon Shores Power Plant and the rocks along the north end of the Key Bridge as being two productive areas. He even ventures into Bear Creek for riprap along the banks of waterfront homes. Casting to open water can also yield high results. Esteppe says that you can count on rockfish to stack up on shoals like Sollers Flat, between Fort Carroll and the north side of the bridge. Anglers who prefer evening fishing venture over to the lighted piers of the marine terminal to tempt rockfish stalking baitfish in the glint of the surface water.

Anglers can catch plenty of stripers in the Patapsco River by several different methods. Those who haven’t fished this diamond in the rough river may have wondered where and how to proceed. You can’t go wrong when using the advice of Brian Esteppe, a life-long Patapsco River fisherman with a passion for catching rockfish.