09/05/17-One for the Books

Last Thursday, was 2 days _before_ the _cold front_ from Hurricane Harvey was to cross the Chesapeake Bay. If you have a choice of days to fish,  this was one of them.

Pat O'Connor, his brother Greg, and Jeff Beardsley, met me at Sandy Point State Park. We cruised out on the Chesapeake Bay at 7:15am and headed south on the western shore. We had until 7:39am to catch the maximum ebb current at our 1st stop.  To make this happen I put the throttles 3/4 of the way down and my power catamaran was riding smooth at 33mph. We made it on time; the current was ripping out, and the birds were working everywhere we looked. From that time on until 2:45pm, even during slack current, nice size, hard fighting, striped bass were being caught up to 28" on fly and light tackle equipment.

Pat landed this striper on a 5" ZMAN, in Pearl rigged on a BKD  Jighead.

This set-up caught all the stripers when light tackle was being used this trip.

Jeff caught this striper using the most productive technique of the day...Crank-Crank, Jig-Jig.

This is a 2-step technique where you jig the bottom then move the lure off the bottom and up through the water columns in a jigging motion. It’s highly productive on striped bass that are on the bottom or when suspended. Accomplish this technique by snapping the wrist rather than moving the rod using just the arm.

NOTE: The boat will be drifting down current with the motor off.

1st Step-Jigging the Bottom
From the up current side of the boat, cast the lure out, put the rod at 9 o’clock and let the lure hit the bottom. Swiftly snap the rod to the 10 o’clock position lifting the lure off the bottom swiftly. When the line starts to descend again move the rod tip downward in sync with the line until the lure hits the bottom again. Do this 2 or 3 times.

2nd Step-Jigging the Water Columns
The lure is still in the water after completing the 1st Step and on the bottom. Swiftly crank on the reel handle twice (**Crank-Crank**), then swiftly jig the lure twice (**Jig-Jig**). Do this until you get a hook-up or the lure is back to the boat.

This is the most productive jigging technique I use to date.

Greg caught stripers on light tackle and fly fishing equipment this trip.

Most Productive Fly
Half & Half -5" in Chartreuse & White

Most Productive Fly-Fishing Technique
Short & Swift Strips - Cast the fly and countdown to the desired depth.  350 grain sinking line on a 9w rod with a weighted fly sinks one-foot per second. Keep the fly in line with of just above your target.

Start stripping the fly swiftly, with the rod tip just above the water, pointing directly at the fly, in two-foot increments. Do this until the fly is back at the boat.

NOTE: During the drift, since there is current, keep the rod tip just above the water and move it horizontally to keep it pointed directly at the fly. This keeps all the slack out of the fly-line needed for a good hook set.

The cool weather in Sep, Oct, Nov, and Dec each year normally brings quality size striped bass into Chesapeake Bay.