Love Point Rocks

The Love Point rocks, off the northern tip of Kent Island where the Chester River meets the Bay, are one of the upper Chesapeake's classic striped bass spots and show up in DNR's weekly report nearly every week from spring to December. The rocky bottom and strong current around the point hold bait and stripers, and it's also a place to catch spot for bait in summer.

When to fish

• Spring: catch-and-release stripers on paddletails and soft plastic jigs (the harvest season opens in May). Stay on the Bay side: the Chester River, inside a line from Love Point to Eastern Neck Island, is a spawning river that's off limits to striped bass fishing from March through May.
• June through July: live-lining spot is the top method. August is closed to striped bass fishing baywide.
• September through November: live spot or eels, jigging, and casting; stripers stage around the rocks to ambush young menhaden leaving the rivers.
• December: jigging with skirted soft plastics until the fish move deep.

Where to fish

• The rocks themselves: fish them when the current is running.
• Nearby channel edges: watch the depth finder for stripers suspended off the bottom.
• Podickory Point, across the Bay: a nearby channel-edge spot DNR often pairs with Love Point.

How to fish it

DNR's go-to methods here are live-lining spot (and eels in fall), bouncing soft plastic jigs along the bottom in the current, and casting paddletails. Some anglers troll the channel edges. Use non-offset circle hooks when live-lining, and don't use eels during catch-and-release periods.

Getting there

Love Point is boat-only water. Queen Anne's County's Kent Narrows landings (a county permit is required) put you a short run away around the north end of Kent Island, and Sandy Point State Park's ramps are just across the Bay. Watch for other boats; this is a crowded spot. You need a Maryland Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Sport Fishing License.