Swan Point and Tolchester (Rock Hall)

Swan Point and the Tolchester area, off Rock Hall on the Kent County shore, are the upper Bay's main striped bass grounds between the Bay Bridge and Pooles Island. DNR's reports keep pointing to the 30-foot outside edge of the Swan Point bar, the Tolchester Channel and its lumps, and the Triple Buoys just south of Rock Hall, where stripers hold along steep edges from early summer into late fall.

When to fish

• Late May: the harvest season opens below a line from Hart-Miller Island to Tolchester first; water to the north is catch and release until June.
• June and July: live-lining spot on the Swan Point edge and the Tolchester lumps. In the heat, low oxygen can keep fish shallower than 15 to 25 feet. August is closed to striped bass fishing baywide.
• September: find suspended fish on the depth finder at Swan Point.
• October and November: trolling deep along the outside edge of Swan Point, the Triple Buoys and the shipping channel edges.

Where to fish

• The 30-foot outside edge of Swan Point: DNR's pick for live-lining and jigging.
• The Tolchester Channel and the Tolchester lumps.
• The Triple Buoys just south of Rock Hall: a trolling area in fall.
• The main shipping channel edges.

How to fish it

Locate fish on a depth finder first, then live-line spot or drift cut bait, or jig soft plastics. In fall, troll deep along the channel edges where stripers suspend near the bottom. Use non-offset circle hooks for live-lining and bait.

Getting there

Rock Hall's Bayside Landing, off Bayside Avenue, has a paved lot and concrete ramps (fee) and puts you right on the Bay; Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge's Bogles Wharf ramp is just south. From Route 301, take Route 213 through Chestertown and MD 20 to Rock Hall. You need a Maryland Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Sport Fishing License.