Fly Fishing on the Chesapeake Bay - Fall Run Just Starting

Steve Wells and I met at Sandy Point State Park on 09/12/18. He has been using the light tackle equipment with lures to catch striped bass and other species, mainly on the Chesapeake Bay, and wanted to learn how to fly fish the salt.

He needed a casting lesson, which was part of the trip, so we moved away from the docks, but  stayed in Mezick Pond. I rigged up a 9w saltwater series Orvis Helios Rod, teamed with a Mirage Large Arbor Reel that was spooled with floating line. During the casting lesson there was no fly attached to the leader. Once Steve understood the method and could cast around 30 foot of line, we stopped the lesson and headed for the fish.

It didn't take long before Steve caught his first ever striped bass on a fly.

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There were plenty blow-ups and watching Steve catch striped bass on topwater was exciting.

The Most Productive Topwater Fly:  Blados Crease Fly in Gold with 1/0 hook.
The Most Productive Technique: Popping the Fly – Cast the fly out as far as possible. Move the rod tip down in sink with the line on your final forward cast. Start stripping immediately, in one to two foot increments, swiftly, when the fly hits the water.  Do this until the fly is taken or back at the boat.

After lunch the ebb current was ripping out and we moved over water 45 foot deep. Steve had no trouble casting 350 grain  sinking line. A 3 inch Clouser Minnow was attached at the end of a 4 foot leader of 20# test.
NOTE: Keep the leader short approximately 4 feet so the fly is in line with the sinking line.

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Steve was a swift learner and should have plenty of productive trips when fly fishing on the Chesapeake Bay in the future. 63 percent of the stripers and bluefish were caught on sinking fly line. 

One Trip to Remember!

The Mook family surprised Emily's father, Bob, with a Gift Slip for a Half-Day Fishing Trip on his birthday. Bob selected 06/16/18 to fish, accompanied with Emily's husband, Will, and brother-In-law Nick. We left the dock at Sandy Point State Park at 7:15am and headed east. The current was flooding and moving swiftly, and the fishing started around the Bay Bridge. On our 1st and 2nd stops we had no takers for soft plastic baits fished on 1/2 ounce jigheads. At our 3rd stop, on the east side of the Bay over 25 feet of water the fishing changed into catching. Will Mook is Holding the 1st Striper He Has Ever Caught Click On Any Picture to Enlarge After the bite slowed down we moved to the bridge pilings.  That turned out to be somewhat productive. The stripers caught were schoolies that ranged between 16 to 17 1/2 inches. This was good practice for what was coming up later today. Nick and Will caught a few big skates after an excellent fight. The Crew - Nick Lumpp, Will Mook & Bob Niffenegger Well all and all, everyone had an enjoyable Half-Day Trip on the Chesapeake Bay. Oh, i the part about the One Trip to Remember almost slipped my mind. What occurred in the next 20 minutes was something to witness. I was heading toward Sandy Point State Park and decided to stop at one more location in approximately 23 feet of water on a quick breaking ledge. I looked up and in front of the boat were breaking stripers in the 30 inch class. I said, "Cast out toward the front of the boat and once the lure hits the water start bringing it back immediately while doing the jig jig, crank crank." What a sight to see. In the next 15 minutes The Crew had 3 overs and 3 unders. The largest striper was 36 inches and the unders were from 25 to 27 1/2 inches. Bob, Lilly, Reese, and Will Note: View a variety of 30 pictures of fishfinder/chartplotter units from last year. More to come in the future. Fly & Light Tackle Fishing Trips Understand Your Fishfinder/Chartplotter

Book a Trip

Fish Again - Wear a PFD

One for the Books

This was our 2nd trip this winter.  It turned out to be 'One for the Books'. Doug Schopman and I headed south on the Bay aboard his new rig. It was a Kencraft 215, 21'6" long monohull. It planes out fast with the 4 blade stainless steel prop mounted on a 250hp Yamaha. We cruised around 38mph as the seas were smooth.

We started catching stripers on our first drift.  This continued for the next 5 hours. The current was flooding and the skies were cloudy as it rained most of the day.

Doug with a Fat Hard Fighting Striped Bass

We used spinning and baitcasting equipment with braided line, 30# leaders and soft plastic baits. The most productive lures for big fish were; 10" Bass Kandy Delight and a White Pearl 7" Zoom Magnum Super Fluke.  Both were fished on 1 ounce jigheads.

Only Nice Size Stripers Were Caught on this Bait

The Most Productive Technique: Keep the Lure Close To the Bottom

Use soft plastic baits rigged on a V-shaped jighead that have a wide-gap nickel-plated hook.  Consider these factors when sizing the jighead; the speed of the current, the lure buoyancy, and the depth that the lure will be fished. Adjust the depth by the weight of the jighead.  The majority of larger fish are normally close to the bottom.

Cast the lure up or across the current.  When the lure hits the bottom, snap the rod tip swiftly from 9 o’clock to 11 o’clock, then keep a tight line as the rod is lowered to 9 o’clock as the lure hits the bottom again.  Do this again and again until a fish hits or the lure is back at the boat.

 Thanks Doug for Putting Us on Large Stripers

Fishing Tip: Install Gorilla Glue just below the jighead before installing the plastic bait. This allows your baits to last longer.

Nice Stripers Caught - The Fall Run Has Started

Bill Johnson, John Schlaffer (AKA plasticfish23) and I met at 9am yesterday to fish both the flood and ebb currents. We cruised out on the Chesapeake Bay at 9:30 am. The water temperature was 72 degrees and was flat, with the flood current moving slowly.  Since there were no birds, we checked out 6 structures. We did have some scattered marks, but no takers. We only caught a few white perch and small stripers before lunch.

Once the water starting ebbing swiftly, the birds started to work helping us get on active stripers. From 1:50 until 4:30pm it was non-stop catching. The average stripers ranged from 18 to 28 inches. They were healthy and hard fighting.

John Wasted No Time Catching this Nice Striper

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The most productive lure was a 5" ZMan Scented Jerk ShadZ rigged on a 1/2 ounce BKD, White, 3D Red Eye jighead.

I Enjoyed Catching This Striper

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The most productive technique: 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. 

Thank you Bill Johnson for allowing me to join you and John fish the Chesapeake Bay yesterday.

Stop working fishless waters. Contact me so I can set-up and teach you the features on you fishfinder/chartplotter. I have done a variety of 13 units to date this year.  Please see: http://www.capttomhughes.com/Trip_Information/Index_GPS_Sonar_Plotter.htm

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Topwater Action!

Brendan Mulholland and I met at Sandy Point State Park on Saturday at 7am. He had fond memories of Sandy Point from the times he fished the Chesapeake Bay with his dad. We both felt that the State of Maryland did an outstanding job on the design and construction of this spectacular Park.

We needed to be south 15 miles or so by 7:45am to catch the flood current at its peak flow. We did see plenty of blitzing stripers, but from fishing them last week, they were probable dinks. To catch the topwater action with a larger school of stripers, we kept on course until we arrived at our destination.

It didn't take Brendan long to start landing some nice stripers on topwater. 

Nice Striper Caught

on a Crease Fly

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On the way in we stopped at the Western Rockpile to see if any stripers were around and hitting topwater...no such luck. It was a great trip and Brendan was a pleasure to guide.

Most Productive Fly

Crease 3 1/2" Olive/Pearl

Equipment:

Rod:     9w, 4p, Tip Flex Orvis Helios

Reel:    Orvis Mirage, Size V, Large Arbor

Line:    Orvis Hydros, Saltwater All-Rounder, Floating 

NOTE: I will be giving a seminar, Light Tackle Fishing on the Chesapeake Bay:

Day/Date: Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Time:        07:00pm

For:           MSSA, Kent Island Chapter

Location:  American Legion Hall, 800 Romancoke Rd., Stevensville MD 21666

5 Different Species Caught on Fly & Light Tackle

We originally planned to fish topwater flies and lures in the Upper Chesapeake Bay on blitzing stripers. After checking the current speed prior to the trip,  it was changed to fish the Middle Chesapeake Bay. Knowing the current speed at the locations you plan to fish, and making adjustments, can make a trip productive...and this one was that and more.

Our first location was the mouth of Eastern Bay. Normally there will be some fair to nice striped bass busting early in the morning there, but not today. So we headed south to deeper water on the southwest end of Poplar Island, again no breakers.

We moved over to the western shore between West and South Rivers. Still no breaking fish and only bait fish showing on the fishfinder. We were heading north for 3 miles and I stopped the boat and picked up the binoculars for a look see. Oh yeah! There they were blitzing 5 miles away. The fly and light tackle catching started once we were on them and went on strong for about an hour before we left the water.

Dori & Chris Villator Sr. with 

Chris Villator Jr. and wife Vicky

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The ladies were jigging a one ounce Specialized Bait Li'l Bunker Spoons, one gold, and one in chartreuse. Both rigs had a chartreuse and white 3"clouser teaser fly tied 18" up the line for the spoon. On one drift Dori's rod bent under the boat as the drag was singing. I'm thinking it has to be a big bluefish by the speed the line was coming off the reel. Nope...it was a 25" spanish mackerel that took the fly. There were a countless number of fish caught this trip including; spanish mackerel, keeper size striper, bluefish, white perch, and a couple of weakfish. Thanks Dori, Chris Sr., Vicky, and Chris Jr., for an unforgettable day of fishing.

Catching Striped Bass & Bluefish on Topwater

We left Sandy Point State Park at 07:00am on a calm day last week. It's that time of year where you can use your binoculars to locate working birds with active striped bass feeding under them. One of the most productive lures is a topwater popper with all the hooks and hardware removed. Tie a 18" piece of fluorocarbon line between the back hook holder and a 3" clouser fly as shown in the picture.

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We headed south and located stripers on topwater from waters of 40 feet to 18 feet deep. The catching started on the fly rod, floating line, and a crease floating fly in gold and silver. The lure described above was productive on light tackle equipment. This catching lasted throughout the morning until 11am. 

A proud father, Juan Morillo, and son enjoy the first ever striped bass caught by Matteo.

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We moved back north and started fishing structures with sinking fly lines teamed with a clouser fly, along with a Specialized Baits Li'l Bunker 1 oz. spoons in pearl, on the light tackle equipment. It was a good day as we caught countless numbers of striped bass, and a few bluefish.

Thanks fellows for an enjoyable day on the Chesapeake Bay. 

Matteo and Juan Morillo with Good Friend Mark Hopson
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Catching Quality Stripers-It was all in the Technique

David Heath and I hit the water around 7:30am this past Tuesday. The skies were cloudy, the water rough, and it was foggy out. Most anglers would consider this to be a good day to go to work or stay home and do a project. No way.

We started in the channel and looked for fish between 70 and 40 feet. The Raymarine GPS/Sonar/Plotter/Radar Unit lit up with large schools of menhaden, and right behind them were plenty of nice striped bass. We started out jigging soft plastics baits with no success. They were there, but not active. We both changed over to some heavy metal. The most productive lure was a 3 1/2 ounce Specialized Bait, Li'l Bunker, in chartreuse.

Nice Catch Dave

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The fish were holding tight to the bottom most of the time in 70 to 50 feet of water. They were close to the shipping channel since there were large schools of menhaden schooled up there.

The Lure-Specialized Baits

3 1/2 ounce Li'l Bunker

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Most Productive Technique: Jigging High-You must be on the upcurrent side of the boat during the drift. Open the bail and get the spoon to the bottom ASAP. Close the bail and with the rod at 9 o'clock steadily move the rod tip up to 12 o'clock on a 30 degree angle away from your body. Once the rod is at 12 o'clock start dropping the rod tip back to 9 o'clock rather swiftly so there is some slack in the line. Watch the line, watch the line, watch the line, and if it stops moving downward 'set the hook'. If the fish are suspended, crank the spoon up swiftly to just below them, and then start this technique.

Note: The line will tighten up when the lure hits the bottom, or during a fast drift it will tighten up when the spoon has descended as far as possible.

Type of Rod Needed: Extra fast tip, medium heavy, with plenty of backbone. You want a rod with very little to no flex in the tip. I use a 6' one piece spinning rod here.

Dec 4 to Dec 31st - Fly & Light Tackle Trips on the lower Chesapeake Bay.

Arms Aching From Catching Fish

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.

Great Day-Triple Figures on Topwater-Fly & LT

Jane Carroll and her brother, Tim Carroll, were light tackle fishing while her good friend, Val Walters, was fly fishing during this trip. 

It was somewhat difficult to locate any fish until 8:00am. As we were moving south Jane noticed a flock of working birds and pointed them out to me. From then until 11:15am topwater catching was constant and a sight to see. The action was on the western shore as the eastern shore was very murky from the northwest wind.

After lunch we headed north. We kept catching on topwater until 3:00pm. All fish were caught on a single hook.

Most Productive Fly - 4" crease fly, blue & white body (both on the fly rod and on light tackle)
Most Productive LT - Remove all trible hooks and hardware off a large Rattlin' Chug Bug - tie a 12 to 18 inch leader to the back eye on the Rattlin' Chug Bug - tie a crease fly or any other floating fly to the end of the leader. Very productive and only one hook.

I will be giving a PowerPoint presentation titled 'Fly Fishing the Chesapeake Bay' on 10/21/15. If you come you will have a chance at a donated trip. Please see:http://www.pptu.org/Meetings/meetings.shtml

Phenomenal Catching Last Week-Mid & Upper Chesapeake Bay

If you enjoy catching fish, any size of fish, last week the Middle and Upper Chesapeake Bay was the place to be. I was out on four fly and light tackle fishing trips last week, and the striped bass and bluefish just didn't stop taking flies or lures all week long.

This is one of the most beautiful sites you can see in the Maryland Sector of the Chesapeake Bay this or anytime of the year.

Menhaden Being Hit by Stripers and Blues

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Some locations held mixed sized stripers up to 23", while in other areas the largest fish caught were 17" and below. All locations had plenty of small size bluefish around them. There were quite a few charter boats trolling for spanish mackerels, where there were bluefish.

Frank Gilliam Caught this Striper on Topwater

Productive Flies:

Floating Line-Blados Crease Fly, 4”, Olive/Pearl, 3/0 Hook

Sinking Line-Clouser Minnow, 3”, Chart/White, 2/0 hook and Half and Half, 5”, Green/Chart/Brown, 2/0 hook.

Productive Lures:

Floating-Large Chug Bug with all hardware removed. Attach a 18” piece of 30# test fluorocarbon  to the rear of the Chug Bug on the other end tie a 5” Half and Half, Blue/White.

Jigging Spoon, Silver, 2 ounces

Fishing Tip: A good pair of binoculars can save you time and gas when trying to locate working birds or nervous water. 

Fly Fished the Upper & Middle Chesapeake Bay - Well Worth the Run

Our trip started out as planned. I picked up Craig Balzarin and Sheila Blakeman from Montrose, CO at the Inner Harbor at 6am. They wanted to fly fish for striped bass and bluefish.  Our first stop was Ft. McHenry and when using 9w fly rods with floating line, they had 4 blow-ups on a Blados Crease Fly in olive/pearl or a Mylar Popper in blue/white. The sun came up so we moved to another location close by where 3 blow-ups before the sun put the fish down.

This Striper was Caught on Topwater

We then moved out on the Chesapeake Bay and headed south. No fish showed up on the sonar units when checking the knolls; 6 Foot, 7 Foot, and 9 Foot so we kept moving south, looking for working birds or fish on structure. This didn't happen until we were well south of the Bay Bridges.

The catching started on 6 weight fly rods with 250 grain sinking line and 3" Sinking Clousers with the most productive color being chartreuse back/yellow body #4 hook.  This kept up until lunch time when the current went slack.  

Sheila and Craig Enjoying a Day on the Chesapeake Bay

On the way back up the Bay the sonar units lit up at locations on and around the knolls.  They were catching mixture of stripers, bluefish, and white perch for approximately 2 hours before heading home.

On the way we stopped at the buoy where Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner so Craig and Sheila could touch this historical buoy, something that will stay with them forever.  What a great day, catching a mixture of countless fish on fly rods and seeing over 75 miles of our Chesapeake Bay.

Don't put your fly of light tackle equipment away quite yet. If fishing is anything like last year there should be some large striped bass staging at the mouths of the Rivers in the Middle Chesapeake Bay from late September to the mid November.  

A Good Day to Be on the Water

Cree and Melo Hamilton joined me yesterday to fly and light tackle fish the Chesapeake Bay. We left the ramp at Sandy Point State Park and headed east to do some topwater popping. The current was moving south very swiftly when we arrived at the first structure. A large Stillwater Smack-It, in white, was on the light tackle in which Melo used and Cree was casting an Orvis Mylar Popper in blue and white. Unfortunately we didn't see any blow-ups before heading west.

I'm sure some of you know catching has been tough in the recent weeks. It was no different today as we moved from structure to structure, heading from shallow to deep water, looking for some return echos on the sonar units. We headed north toward Love Point, on the 35 foot line, when some stripers showed up. They must have been feeding on May worms and were very difficult to catch. The most productive lure was a 5 inch, pearl, Z-Man, Scented Jerk ShadZ rigged on a 3/4 ounce jighead.

Cree Landed His 1st Striper Ever

Melo Also Caught Her 1st 

Striped Bass and the Largest on the Trip

Catching seems to be improving as I went out 4 times last week, and more fish were caught on 3 of these trips. We had some topwater action just prior to sunset and that's always exciting.

Fly Fishing on the Chesapeake Bay For Striped Bass - They're Starting to Show Up

Fly Fishing on the Chesapeake Bay has been a rather unpredictable this year. I've been fishing, except when there was ice on the Bay.   Until last Sunday locating striped bass while fly fishing on the Chesapeake Bay has been difficult. It now appears that the schooled stripers are starting to show up at the locations tas hey do each year in the Upper and Middle Chesapeake Bay.

This past Saturday, 05/16/15, I was joined by 2 father and son teams who were fly and light tackle fishing for striped bass.

Chris Johnson, Mark & Jeff Whitting, Don Johnson

Staying out of the south wind allowed everyone to fish at the same time. The mouth of the Severn River gave us some protection on the western shore.  Catching was possible, but difficult, due to the limited number of past productive locations that had been fishable.

Sunday turned out to be a productive trip for fly fishers from England. They were in DC for a conference and wanted to take a trip on the Chesapeake Bay and catch a striped bass. It would be the 1st for both of them.  George broke the skunk on his second cast by landing a nice 19" striper.

George's 1st Striped Bass

By the end of their trip they had caught a few doubles, and a good number of stripers.

Alistair Makin & George Webster - English Fly Fishers

There have been some good reports of nice stripers just south of Chesapeake Beach. They should be on the move to around the Bay Bridge and above....lets hope.

Saltwater Sport Fishing 2 Part Lecture Series

Cut Years off Your Learning Curve

Learn How To Catch More Rockfish in the Chesapeake Bay

Total Cost $59.00 for Both Saturdays

Saturday March 21, 2015                              (1pm to 4pm)	Saturday March 28, 2015                      (1pm to 4pm)
1) Introduction	8) Rods/Reels/Lines/Knots-LT & Fly Fishing
2) Understanding Weather & Water Conditions	9) Productive Lures/Flies/Techniques (a total of 6 videos showing techniques)
3) Identifying Productive Fishing Locations	10) When & Where to Use Specific Techniques
4) Think Current NOT Tide	11) How to Approach Working Birds
5) Fish Smarter NOT Harder (catch more fish in less time using less fuel)	12) Correct Way to Drift Back Over Fish (again & again)
6) Water Safety	13) Setting Up Your GPS/Sonar/Plotter
7) Live Lining for Rockfish (the secrets)*
*New for 2015

Held At

CCBC Essex Campus, 7201 Rossville Blvd., Essex, MD

Register: Call 443-840-4700 – Sign Up for CRN# 38092

On Line: www.ccbcmd.edu/flexreg Put CRN# 38092 in the Search Box

A Pamphlet of over 95 pages available on March 21, 2015 to those who attend this class-ONLY. Cost TBA.

Any Questions Please CALL or TEXT Capt. Tom Hughes at 443-690-3164

Speaking on March 18, 2015 for MDTU

Tom Hughes, an Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide, will speak at the MDTU Meeting on March 18, 2015. Tom has been guiding on the Susquehanna Flats and the Chesapeake Bay for more that 15 years.  His experience rates him as a 5 Star guide on the Orvis website.  He enjoys guiding both fly or light tackle anglers from the novice to the experienced.

His PowerPoint presentation will cover fly fishing the Susquehanna Flats (spring) along with the Upper & Middle Chesapeake Bay (summer, fall) for striped bass.  He had a very productive year in 2014 and will go over what flies and techniques were used to make that happen.

The meeting will be held at the Towson Presbyterian Church, 400 W. Chesapeake Avenue, Towson, Maryland. 7:30pm-9:00pm, March 18, 2015. Free and open to the public.

A Lot of Baitfish = A Lot of Striped Bass

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.

It's Game On

When You See This

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Both Terry and Mitch enjoy fly fishing and they were using 9w, 9', 4pc, Tip Flex, Helios Fly Rods teamed with Mirage Large Arbor Reels spooled with 350 grain Depth Charge sinking fly line.

The most productive flies were half and half and shown below.

Made in USA

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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.

One of Terry's Nice Striper

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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.  

Topwater Action Available with Plenty Fish in the Chesapeake Bay

Sorry that I haven't had much time lately to write fishing reports. The reason being, because of the nice fish available in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, if I'm not guiding, I'm fishing. There has been plenty of topwater action at certain times, and there are some nice striped bass, Spanish mackerel, and bluefish available.

Plenty of Gamefish Available

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Topwater action has been great ,with stripers up to 25", and a few bluefish in the 19" range. The fish have been between the Bay Bridges and the southwest end of Poplar Island. I hope you can get out this weekend to catch a few.

Jim Maurer Landed this Nice Mack

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I will be at the BPS this Saturday, 09/27/14, from 9am until 3pm. Please click on the icon below for seminar titles and times. 

Do Fish Swim in Historical Waters? (w/pics)

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 Sugars lit 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.

Click Here to Enlarge

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. 

I will be at the on Sep 27, 2014 giving Seminars. Please see: http://capttomhughes.com/Seminars/Seminars.htm

Catching Flounder on the Atlantic Ocean

My good friend and fishing buddy, Doug Schopman, invited me to his summer home just outside of Bethany Beach, DE, to fish the Indian River Inlet and the Atlantic Ocean. I arrived on Wednesday at 3pm and by 4pm we were catching stripers and bluefish inside the Inlet. The blues ran from 3 to 6 pounds and put up an excellent fight on light spinning tackle. Both species were hitting 2 oz. metal jigging spoons, Bass Assassin 4” Curly Shad in Opening Night and ZMan 6” Sented Jerk ShadZ in pearl white.

The following day we went out on the Atlantic Ocean heading northeast toward Site 11. We were rigged for flounder with plenty of bullhead minnows and cut bluefish belly. If you need to know about bait, what type of species to fish for, where the bite is hot, etc. go to Hook’Em & Cook’Em in Bethany Beach, DE. The management and sales personnel are helpful, knowledgeable, and will head you in the right direction. We caught most of our fish at Site 10 a little closer to the Inlet.

I Caught the Largest Flounder

(Bethany Beach Bridge in Background)

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The Rig

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This past Monday I enjoyed doing a mixed guided trip. Live Lining with light tackle in the morning and fly or light tackle fishing after lunch or when all keepers are caught. Mitch and Terry caught stripers to 24” before lunch and 36 stripers ‘on the fly’ after lunch.

Fishing Tip: Don't put your boat in storage or your rods away after Labor Day. Normally the fishing gets better in the months of Sep, Oct, Nov, and Dec.