Striped Bass Summer Pattern Has Set In

I enjoyed a fishing trip on the Chesapeake Bay with a good fishing buddy, Bill.  We motored southeast out of Mill Creek on the western shore.  The 1st structure we went over was a ledge breaking swiftly south of Bloody Point.  With no baitfish or gamefish showing up on the sonar we kept on moving south.  As we cruised slowly over another ledge in 36 feet of water, we sighted a quick blurb on the sonar.  The boat was put in reverse and a soft plastic lure was cast out, where the first 18-inch or larger striped bass for the day was boated.

Our next stop was at the mouth of a river where it entered the Bay.  The current was outgoing and moving swiftly at this location.  Baitfish and a variety of crustaceans were available for the striped bass and other gamefish to eat.  Once we hit 40 feet of water the motor was slowed down to 1,000 revolutions as we moved north looking for fish.  It didn’t take long for us to find them.  

Bill with a Nice Striper

The sonar unit lit up in 36 feet of water with large stripers in the high 20, low 30-inch range.  At one time the sonar bottomed out at 23 feet.  This meant that the school of stripers was from 23 to 36 feet deep, an anglers dream!  Bill and I kept on catching until the current slowed down and the fish moved.

Striped Bass In Summer Pattern

For those of you who’s Susquehanna Flats Trip was cancelled, please feel free to now book a replacement trip.

Also available are trips where I can do all manual adjustments needed to your GPS/Sonar/Plotter unit.  

Set Up by Capt. Tom Hughes

This will allow you to identify gamefish from baitfish, drift over active schools more than once, and stop you from fishing dead water.

Understanding Your Sonar Unit

Factors influencing target (fish) display - The shape and size of this mark is influenced by a combination of factors:

Boat speed - The shape of the target changes along with your speed. Slower speeds return flatter, more horizontal marks. As your boat’s speed increases, the target will tend to thicken and arch slightly; until at fast speeds the mark resembles a double vertical line.

The depth of the target - The closer the target to the surface the larger the mark on screen.

The frequency of the transducer - The same target will appear differently when the transducer frequency is changed. The lower the frequency the broader the mark (50/83 kHz).

200 kHz - scans a narrow area but produces more detail. Use this setting when you are in deep water and the 200 kHz signal is so strong that you want to retain this higher resolution picture. It is good for finding fish that are near the bottom or close together.

455 // 800 kHz - excellent frequencies to identify baitfish from gamefish and to read structures.

NOTE:  Read and re-read your Owners Manual.  Then make the manual adjustments needed to maximize the use of your sonar unit.

Stripers were caught at all the locations shown on the pictures below.

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NOTE:  Dec 3rd & Dec 6th, 2012 Open for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT) Fly or Light Tackle Fishing