It was a very enjoyable week, especially for me watching father and son teams, along with friends, catch a countless number of striped bass with a few bluefish mixed in.
Keith Fleming and I met at Sandy Point State Park at 7am. From there we moved south on the western shore looking for working birds or any nervous waters. The birds weren't working and we had no luck finding fish on structure making it a slow morning. Keith did catch a few stripers before lunch, but nothing to write home about. Big John called and we went back into Sandy Point State Park to pick him up. I was counting on the ebb (outgoing) current to pull me out of the hole and that it did. Around 1:30pm there were working birds on the water from the Bay Bridge to as far as the eye can see.
Working Birds (My Buddies)
Catching stripers on fly rods, one after the other, was a lot of fun until 4:30pm when we headed home.
John & Keith Fleming
I also had the pleasure of joining Sanil and Nikhy Nath on a early morning trip later in the week. They are both excellent anglers - dad with the fly rod and his son on light tackle equipment. After catching some on a shoal close to shoreline we moved over the shipping channel where the action was really hot.
Nikhy & Sanil Nath
Catching Fish at the Same Time
With good weather and slight winds forecast to come out of the south tomorrow, enjoy your day fishing and please put on your PFD.
One of my services is to help anglers split the cost of a trip and to enjoy the company of another angler. Yesterday's trip was just that as Wayne Thomann, from NC, and John Kapral, from MD, enjoyed a day of light tackle fishing on the Chesapeake Bay.
It was a flood current in the morning making catching fish on lures tough. After lunch things changed around and with a swift ebb current catching became more productive.
Wayne was casting a ZMan 5 inch, Scented Jerk ShadZ, in Shiner, rigged on a BKD, 3/4 ounce jighead and the rod doubled over. I watched the line ripping off the reel and hoping it wasn't a cow nose ray. It wasn't as Wayne was able to retrieve some of the fiber line. I thought it was a nice striper, but Wayne said it didn't feel like one. Unfortunately he was right as I netted a large channel catfish. It put up an excellent fight and is excellent table fare.
It wasn't long before John's rod was bent to 90 degrees with the line going under the boat. The striper finally came up after taking drag and putting up an excellent fight.
Nice Catch John
Most Productive Lure: ZMan 5 inch, Scented Jerk ShadZ, in Shiner, rigged on a BKD, 3/4 ounce jighead
Most Productive Technique:Jigging the Bottom - Cast the lure.Let it drop to the bottom,
then lift your rod tip swiftly from 9 o’clock to 10 o’clock while taking up the
slack line.Repeat this again and
again, until the lure is back at the boat.Striped bass normally take the lure when it stops or starts
to fall.
Ethan Wendle, Robbe Reddinger, and Andy Campbell met me at Sandy Point State Park and were looking forward to catching some striped bass on light tackle equipment. The current was headed north and we decided to fish in the Upper Chesapeake Bay. Fortunately we located fish suspended between 10 and 20 feet deep over 60 to 45 feet of water most of the day.
Not in the Normal Locations--Look Deep
Plenty of stripers were caught on a various ledges. Look for quick breaking depth changes that occur close to each other. There is a good example of this at Brickhouse Bar. It is located on the eastern shore, south of the Bay Bridge and R"88".
The Most Productive Technique:Horizontal
Jigging: The lure will be jigged while moving horizontally back toward the
boat. Cast the lure and count it down to the desired depth (on average lures
sink 1 foot per second). With the rod tip parallel to the water and
pointing at the lure (12 o'clock position), start moving the rod, horizontally, toward the 9 o'clock position while jigging the lure.
Take all the slack out of the line when moving the rod tip toward the 12
o'clock position. Repeat this again and again, until the lure is back at
the boat.
David Heath and I enjoyed a 6 hour light tackle fishing trip on the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River. We launched at Buzz's Marina and headed southeast to the east side of the shipping channel where the Potomac River dumps into the Chesapeake Bay. We started picking up small bunches of stripers, which we call wolfpacks, on the sonar unit in 45 to 55 feet of water where most were locked to the bottom.
No birds were working all morning. The stripers ranged from 17 inches to 26 inches in this location.
Most Productive Technique:Vertically Jigging the Bottom - Open
the bail until the lure comes in contact with the bottom. During the drift, jig the lure off are as close to the bottom as possible.
David wanted to check out the Potomac River after lunch so northwest we headed and started running structures until the sonar unit lit up...
Water Depth 42 Feet
Sonar Bottomed Out on the Top of the Stripers 27 Feet
Some of the stripers caught on the Potomac were in the upper 20 and low 30 inch class. They had sea lice on them and put up an excellent fight. I almost got spooled one time.
If you would like to book a trip to fish this area of the Chesapeake Bay please call or TEXT me on 433-690-3164. I will be booking trips from now until the fish leave normally some time in early January.
If you are looking to do a Walk-On Trip, please call Capt. Brady Bounds at 301-904-0471.
I've been looking forward to this since last spring...a chance to land some large and hard fishing striped bass in Maryland Chesapeake Bay. It finally happened.......
Dave Heath contacted me on Monday asking me if I would like to join him light tackle fishing out of Buzz's Marina in Ridge, MD. We would meet at a Royal Farms Store (we use it as a Park & Ride) on Rt. 97 approximately 2 hours north of the ramp. Once we arrived I had an opportunity to meet and talk with the owner, Mike. I've heard he's a character and that he is. He will give you a up-to-date fishing report, help you launch your boat, and act as a doctor giving first aid to those when needed.
We headed out to the fishing grounds just off the shipping channel where the Potomac River meets the Chesapeake Bay. We had 2 hook ups within 3 minutes after we stopped over a large school of healthy, fat, hard fighting, and drag pulling stripers.
Just look for some large birds, like gannets or sea gulls working the water, come in up current from them, and start a drift. It won't be long before your screen lights up and you have the opportunity of catching one or more of these stripers. Light tackle equipment with a large, heavy jigging spoon or a 7 inch soft plastic baits, rigged on a 1 or 1 1/2 ounce jighead, are very productive. Don't waste any time getting the lure to the bottom and start jigging it immediately. Watch the sonar screen if all the fish are on the bottom keep the lure close, or on the bottom. If they are suspended, start jigging the lure on the bottom and then jig it through all the water columns.
We landed fish from 23 inches to 32 inches with only one little 17 inch striper, which I had the pleasure of catching. It was well worth the drive 'down south'. Thanks David for the memorable catching trip.
These fish should stay around through December. If you do plan to go down, dress warm and be safe on the water. It is cold enough to give you hyperthermia if you fall in. If you've put your boat away, call a local guide to enjoy a day on the Chesapeake Bay.
On Monday, Jan 12, 2015 I will be speaking for the Pasadena Sportfishing Group. The meeting will be held at Earleigh Heights Volunteer Firehall, 161 Ritchie Highway, Severna Park, MD. It starts at 7:30pm but come early and eat dinner.
This Tuesday was one beautiful day to be on the Chesapeake Bay and Terry Busby, Mitch Neitzey, and I were there to enjoy it. We left Sandy Point State Park at 1:00pm and headed south. The western shore had been good for holding a large amount of large baitfish from the Bay Bridge south to the West River.
The current was flooding when we started, but not fast enough to get any stripers active. We checked a variety of locations that hold this time of year, working birds with nice fish under them. A good pair of binoculars allowed me to cruise between the shoreline and the shipping channel while having excellent vision to pick up birds; flying, sitting, or working the water. They save running in and out which cuts down on non productive time and vessel fuel.
Around 2:30 pm the current was moving swiftly. There were a lot of birds around, but still not much happening until the clouds covered the sun. From then on catching was just a cast away.
Most Productive Technique: Short Striping (with
sinking line)-Cast the fly out and count it down to the desired depth.With a weighted fly and 350 grain sinking line it sinks
approximately 1 foot per second.If
the line gets tight during the countdown get additional line off the reel and
in the water.This allows the fly
to sink close to where your cast landed.To accomplish this put the rod tip just above the water and figure 8 the
tip to let more line out.Start
stripping the line in 1-foot increments, swiftly, back toward the boat.
This Saturday, Oct 25th, just opened up. The weather looks good with west winds forecast to blow 5 to 10 kts. Feel free to call or TEXT me at 443-690-3164 if you would like to book a fly or light tackle trip.
Yesterday was cloudy and the seas were smooth. It was one of those day when you would enjoy fly fishing for striped bass. Mitch Neitzey and Ralph Mitchell planned to go out with me for weeks to do just that.
With the current moving slow from the Bridge north we headed south on the western shore looking for working birds. It took less than an hour to find them, but once we did catching was on until we ate lunch at 11:30am. Both Mitch and Ralph were using 9w, 4pc, 9 foot, flex tip fly rods with 350 grain sinking fly line. Half and half flies, 4 inches long were productive in blue and white along with chartreuse and olive. All of the stripers caught were between 19 and 23 inches, with the exception of one that was approximately 14 inches long.
Once the current slowed down we started fishing structures where only one striper was caught on topwater.
The forecast is calling for some strong winds this weekend. Check the surface wind forecast chart form time to time and lets hope it changes by tomorrow.
I picked up Frank and Marcia Stonebarger, from Stockton CA, at Baltimore's Inner Harbor, on the promenade just west of the U.S. Constellation at 6:00am sharp. It was still dark out and the bright red Domino Sugarslit up the water as we headed west on the Patapsco River.
This Sign Has Been Here Since 1920
The air was cool and the water temperature was 78 degrees, just right for some topwater action in the skinnys. Frank had 3 blowups before this nice striper finally took the fly in historical waters.
After the sun came up we left the River and headed south on the Chesapeake Bay. After trying a few structures unsuccessfully, we moved to Love Point where a strong outgoing current was ripping out of the Chester River. This was the 2nd time since I've been guiding where there were no fish on the ledges or up on the Point. No problem. We just kept heading south and once we hit the Bay Bridge there were plenty of stripers in the 16 to 17 inch class to be caught on a 3" Half & Half, blue and white, using sinking fly line. The majority of fish caught throughout the day were stripers with a few nice bluefish mixed in. All and all everyone had a very enjoyable day on the Chesapeake Bay.
With the days becoming shorter and the night longer, some nice stripers should start moving up the Bay, so don't winterize the boat or put the tackle away. The upcoming months can be the best fishing during the open season.
The weather was nice at 7:00am as we pulled away from the dock at Sandy Point State Park heading east to search for striped bass that wanted to be caught on a fly. Catching was non-existent in the Upper Bay until 9:30am, so we decided to head south of the Bay Bridge.
The only feedback from the 2 sonar units aboard, after checking ledges, underwater mounds, rock piles, deep holes, etc., were small and large baitfish, and a few scattered gamefish, probable stripers. We ate lunch early so we could be back at the Bay Bridge well before the maximum ebb tide of 1.33 mph.
After only catching 10 stripers on the first day and at the beginning of the second day everyone had a positive attitude. This, along with the ability to change location, flies, techniques, and other variables, is a must if you plan to catch fish. Everything came together on the second day when a lot of stripers were caught making fly fishing the Chesapeake Bay a real pleasure for all.
Most Productive Technique:Short Striping
Sinking Line (with sinking line)-Cast the fly out and count it down to the
desired depth.If the line gets tight during the countdown, get
additional line in the water. To
accomplish this put the rod tip just above the water and figure 8 the tip to let more
line out. This allows the fly to
sink where it hits the water. Start
stripping the line in 1-foot increments, swiftly, back toward the boat.
Most Productive Fly: Sinking Clouser, 3", #2 ss Hook, Tan & White, Gold Eyes
Fly Fishing Equipment: Orvis, 9', 9w, 4 pc. Helios Rod - Mirage Reel Size V, Hydros, 350 Grain, Depth Charge Sinking Line (using a 9w allow you to use large flies and the flies get down faster).
Fishing Tip: This is an excellent time to set up your sonar units for maximum use. Then you don't have to waste time fishing over fishless waters anymore. There should be some guidance in your owners manual to make this possible. If you need help having your GPS/Sonar/Plotter unit set up for maximum use please contact me.
Brian, Billy and I left Sandy Point State Park around 9:00am and headed south where some spot were being caught. We anchored ahead of a few headboats which were a giveaway that pan fish were around. Brian and Billy started catching some medium to large spot on light perch jerking rods almost immediately on bloodworms. They would do the catching while I was unhooking and putting the catch in the livewell.
We started running ledges until the sonar unit lit up before anchoring again. It was approximately 1 hour before the ebb current was to max out at 2:26pm at 0.70 kts.
Medium spinning rods were used with the spot, and medium heavy spinning rods were used when fishing lures. The most productive lure was a 6" Bass Kandy Delight soft plastic bait in chartreuse glitter rigged on a 1 oz. jighead.
Fishing Tip: To keep the bloodworm on your hook longer install a 1/4" piece of Fishbites after the worm.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of guiding Gary and Connie Kozlusky of Alexandria, VA for their first trip fishing on the Chesapeake Bay. It was a day for nice company, pleasant weather, and striped bass that wanted to be caught. We met at Sandy Point State Park and ran south on the western shore looking for clean water and working birds. The clean water was found, a very important factor when trying to catch fish, but my good buddies, the birds, slept late. No problem. Striped bass were located on a deep drop off that went from 30' to 26' swiftly. This structure had a hard bottom and on the 1st drift stripers were biting. When we arrived there it was a flood current (incoming tide) moving horizontally at 0.36mph.
Connie's 1st Striped Bass Ever Caught
Click to Enlarge
All fish were caught on light spinning tackle.
Most Productive Lure: Z-Man, ShadZ, 5", Pearl soft plastic bait rigged on 1 ounce jigheads.
Most Productive Technique:
Jigging All WaterColumns
Note: The boat
is drifting down current, with the motor off.
From the up current side of the boat, open the bail and let
the lure hit the bottom. With the
rod tip just above the water, jig the lure off the bottom swiftly by moving the
rod tip from 9 o’clock to 10 o’clock.
Jigging the lure swiftly is best done by snapping the wrist rather then
moving the rod with the entire arm.
Move the lure off and then back to the bottom 2 or 3 times (this number
depends on the drift speed and the weight of the lure) while keeping a tight
line.
The rod tip is at 9 o’clock. After it hits the bottom for
the last time take 2 swift cranks on the reel handle, stop cranking, and jig the
lure swiftly 2 times. Repeat this
until the lure is back to the boat.
The 2nd part of this technique is called jig- jig, crank-crank. You will catch many fish using
this technique.
Connie & Gary with Thomas Point Lighthouse in the Background
Sorry for the late fishing report. Last week I was busy working on my 2 Part Lecture Series starting this upcoming weekend.
Last weekend, with the water temperature being 37.5 degrees, turned out to be an outstanding time to fish for striped bass with light spinning tackle. Billy, Doug and I started fishing around 1pm and left the water at sunset. Keeping the lure as close to the bottom as possible while moving it slowly was the most productive technique. Z-Man, 4" Scented PaddlerZ along with 5" and 7" Scented Jerk ShadZ in Pearl rigged on 1 and 1 1/2 ounce jigheads were the most productive lures. We landed over 50 stripers up to 27" in waters from 30' to 55' deep. They were all fat and gave an excellent fight.
The weather has been stable enough to bring the striped bass into the Middle Chesapeake Bay, allowing me to do more guiding than fishing. This June has kept me very busy since fishing has been very productive out of Sandy Point State Park.
It's really been a pleasure watching my clients catch some quality stripers while fly or light tackle fishing. It's still a little early to go out and count on seeing birds working the water. Search on ledges located from Podickory Point south to Thomas Point when the current is moving the swiftest.
I hope your schedule will allow you to book a trip 'while the catching is hot'.
Recently I have been launching my boat at Sandy Point State Park and haven't had to run past the Magothy River (on the north), or the South River (going south). Most of the large stripers have been located in waters from 20 to 42 feet deep.
Look for some quick flashes on top water whenever you are cruising (known as nervous water) and check you sonar unit. It will tell you how deep to fish.
Doug Landed this Nice Striper this Week
Click on Picture to see a Video
Most Productive Lures
Click on Picture to Enlarge
NOTE: The striped bass are now in a summer pattern.
I picked up my boaton Friday, 3/8/13, to put it on the water and run it, making sure everything was working properly before I head up to guide on the Susquehanna Flats next month.
On the following day, the winds were light and the seas were calm. My trailer was stilled hooked up to my truck so Doug Schopman, Bill Tucker, and I headed out to do some winter time striped bass fishing. We all used light spinning tackle with the reels filled with 20# test PowerPro fiber line.
Our first stop was in 20 to 26 feet of water. There were plenty of terns and seagulls close by, making the structure easy to identify. The pumps were running, keeping plenty of baitfish around to bring in the stripers. Bill was the first one to hook a striper in the mid 20" class on a 2 ounce chartreuse and white freestyle jig. The jig had to be cast out and returned while jigging the bottom. One more striper was caught there, about the same size, before me moved on.
We headed south and fished the next structure with Bombers Wind-Cheaters, in silver and blue, along with Yo-Zuri Floating and Suspended Crystal Minnows, model DBR and HT, and Yum Money Minnows in pearl on 1/2 ounce jighead. The floating and suspended stickbaits were productive fished in waters from 12' to 4' deep.
We headed back north to fish before going to the ramp. This was the best move of the day. Doug landed 5 nice stripers to 28", and Bill Tucker landed a large striper on a Wind-Cheater. There is a story of how Bill hooks and lands big stripers and I would like to share it with you.
The 37" striper Bill caught today was the 2nd big striper he has ever caught. It wasn't as large as his 1st one that was 49 1/4", a record catch on my boat. He enjoys sitting down on the cushioned seat in front of my center consol. From there he casts, works the lure, hooks then fights big stripers until landed them without getting out of the seat. Most anglers feel more comfortable when they stand up and fish, but according to Bill, "Sitting down just suites me fine when I fish". That front seat is now called as 'The Tucker Seat', where you can sit down and catch fish.
The Catch
OPEN DATES for the Susquehanna Flats (2 Days Left)
Each year I dock my boat at Havre de Grace Yacht Basin, located in Tydings Memorial Park at the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay. This is a unique location where fly or light tackle anglers have an opportunity to catch that 'once in a lifetime striper' in skinny water throughout April into early May each year. If you enjoy catching stripers on topwater, the last 2 weeks of April to May the 3rd is the time to be popping the top. I hope your schedule will allow you to enjoy a day fishing 'on the flats'.
I pulled up to Billy Mellendick's house this past Wednesday around noon. He had just finished re-installing the transducer on his boat that came loose in the Patapsco River when we fished two weeks ago. On the way to the ramp Billy said, "I just need to catch one good striper today". As things turned out, his wish came true.
On his first cast the rod bent and the drag started zinging. We both knew it was a big fish as it stayed deep while the boat drifted away from the structure. Once the striper came to the top and was ready to be landed I slid my hand down the line, pulled up on the jighead, put my whole left hand in it's mouth, and my right hand just behind the stomach then handed the fish to Billy. After taking a quick picture we measured the striper before gently placing it back in the water to revive it. The striper swam away under its own power heading back toward deep water.
I caught a few stripers, but they were nothing like the one Billy caught. It weighed approximately 17 pounds, was 32" long, and turned out to be the largest striper he's caught on light tackle to date.
Thanks Billy, for a great day, and congratulations on your catch.
The water has warmed up to 43 degrees, an increase of 4 degrees from last week. The most productive lure was a Z-Man, StreakZ, 5", Redbone, scented soft potbelly-minnow design lure, fished on a 1-ounce jighead.
In March I have a few trips planned to fish the Susquehanna Flats, on light tackle and fly-fishing equipment. I hope you can join me this April or early May to fish the flats.
Doug Schopman and I decided to striper fish before Sundays Super
Bowl. We loaded up and headed south out of Catonsville at 12:00pm. We were
worried about ice on the water on the way to the ramp, but when we arrived the
water was moving, with no ice in sight.
We located some fish in approximately 45 to 55 feet of water and started
drifting over them while vertical jigging soft plastic baits, again and again, with
no hits. The water was somewhat dingy so we decided to fish a 6” thick body,
twister tail, in white, and to change the technique.
We were fishing ebb current with good moving water and more fish started
showing up on the sonar unit. On the first drift with the larger bait on, I
started moving the bait very slowly, with the rod tip moving horizontally
instead of vertically. Fish on…and again…and again…until we left the water. In
fact, we left active fish since we didn't want to miss the kick off. We headed
home by 4:15pm. We fished for approximately 3 hours and landed 14 nice stripers,
ranging from 18 to 26 inches. All the fish were fat and provided an excellent
fight on light spinning tackle.
Most Productive Lure: Gulp, 6”,
Fat Body, Twister Tail in White fished on a 1-ounce white and orange jighead.
Most Productive Technique: This technique is very productive during the
colder months when the stripers don’t want to chase bait. Horizontal Jigging – Cast the lure out and make sure it’s on
the bottom. Place the rod tip just above the water, and with a tight line,
start moving the rod horizontally very slowly while keeping the lure on the
bottom. There will be no problem for you to feel when the fish takes the bait.
Fishing Tip: Color does make a
difference. Doug was fishing the same lure in chartreuse and I was out catching
him on a 4 to 1 basis. Once he changed from chartreuse to white, we were
busting them together.
We headed to the water around 12pm and fished with light spinning tackle until just before dark. It was a sunny and warm January day so fishing for striped bass took precedence over my HD list.
The air temperature was in the 60's and the water temperature was around 38.6 degrees with no chop on the water. There was plenty of bait around, and the stripers were caught in waters from 45' to 55'.
Bill and I had doubles on the first 3 drifts, and the catching was on. All the fish we caught and released were fat and healthy. We took our time when bringing the fish up from deep water. 5" scented soft plastic baits rigged on 1 ounce jigheads were the most productive lures throughout the trip. I fished a scented 8" plastic eel, for about an hour, without any luck.
I Know.......
Got One.....
When to Fish the Location.....
Nice Fish Bill....
Thanks Doug for joining us later and to Billy Mellendick for the enjoyable fishing trip.
Fishing Tip: If the air temperature becomes warm during a colder month - and you go fishing - dress for the water temperature. It was nice outside yesterday but much cooler when moving across the water that was 38 degrees.
