Light Tackle Trolling

Doug Schopman and I wanted to catch some striped bass even though the wind was blowing swiftly out of the southeast against the outgoing tide. An ebb current only means one thing...2 to 3 footers on the Chesapeake Bay just outside of Chesapeake Beach, MD.  We stayed on the western shore and motored as far southeast as Green Can "79A" while keeping a close eye on the sonar unit. There was plenty of bait on the 30-foot line, but after moving around for approximately 2 hours and not finding any stripers bunched up enough to jig on, we decided to change our method of fishing to light tackle trolling.

A 2-ounce freestyle jigging spoon was replaced with a 6" paddle tail soft plastic minnow, where the weight and single hook were all part of the lure. The lure was tied directly on the fluorocarbon leader and then cast out so it would be approximately 75' aft the transom.  The MH, fast tip, 6', 1 piece, spinning rod, teamed up with a 2500 series spinning reel was placed in the starboard rod holder mounted on the front railing. This lure would run 10' deep at 2.6 to 3.0 mph.

We wanted a lure to run at 15' and at 20' deep. To make this possible on 2 rods, a small fishing planer was attached directly to the 30# test fiber line. A monofilament leader was then tied on each planer, 10' in length. A spoon and a paddle tail soft plastic minnow were then attached before entering the water.

A nice striper was caught and then released before we headed back to the dock. Thanks Doug, for another enjoyable trip on the Chesapeake Bay.

Special Discount: On Thu, June 21st and on Sun, June 24th I have half-day trips available with a $50.00 discount off the normal fee. The total half-day trip will cost $350.00 for 1 to 3 anglers. Everything is provided for you and your guests to have a enjoyable fly or light tackle fishing trip on the Chesapeake Bay.