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

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This Trip was One for the Books

Click on this URL to See Full Report:  https://gem.godaddy.com/p/fad42a

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.

Quick Report-Catching Straight for 5 Hours

Yesterday I enjoyed one of those 'one to remember' fishing trips with my good friend and fishing buddy, John Keeler. We both enjoy catching and eating white perch and couldn't wait to try some of the ultra light tackle techniques that Rick Long of Fish Off Gloves was kind enough to share with us last week.

John and I fished a river close by for a productive 5 hours.  We landed 60 white perch, where 55 were between 9 and 12 inches, 9 bluefish, 1 striper, and a 6# catfish, all on ultra light spinning equipment.

My Equipment

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If you have never caught white perch this way, please give it a try. I'm sure you will enjoy catching a variety of species during your trip.

John's Equipment

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We fished in waters from 1' to 18' deep. All the fish put up a good fight.  The following picture will give you a hint on what river we were fishing. Structures such as; rock piles, points, sandbars, pilings all held fish.

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Most Productive Technique: Cast the lure out.  Once it hits the bottom lift the rod tip, slowly, from 9 o'clock to 11 o'clock. Take up all the slack line as you drop the rod back to 9 o'clock each time until a fish takes the bait or until the lure is back at the boat. There will be no problem knowing when the fish takes your lure.

Thanks again Rick for sharing your knowledge on how to catch white perch.

Fishing Tip: Next time you are out shopping for fishing equipment consider purchasing some Berkley Gulp! Alive!.  The will catch a lot of fish and they are less expensive than a dozen blood worms.  

Last Weekend = Outstanding Striper Fishing

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.

Billy Mellendick a Happy Angler 

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Even I Get Lucky Once in Awhile

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After this freeze the next place I will be targeting for stripers will be in the tributaries.

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Ending 2013 on a Great Note - Catching Striped Bass

Billy Mellendick , Doug Schopman, and I decided to launch at Sandy Point State Park this past Saturday, 12/28/13.  It would be our last time on the water this year and we surely didn't want to end it by being skunked.

We started catching just prior to when the current was flooding the swiftest (0.99 kts) at the location we were fishing on the Chesapeake Bay.  We were in Billy's boat and during the 1st drift he put us on the fish.  The water temperature was 39.5 degrees so we went with, from our experience, the most productive lure in cold water...Z-Man Scented Jerk Shadz 5 & 7 inch.

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I have tested the above Z-Man lures against other soft plastic baits, both with or without scent. The one with scent ran a close 2nd, where the non scented plastic wasn't in the running.    The Z-Man, 5" Redbone, pictured above, landed over 15 stripers and is still ready for more.  There is no need to change them for a fresh one unless they are coming off the hook.

Doug Landed the Largest Striper for the Trip

I Also Landed a Nice One

If you would like to learn how to maximize your time on the water by locating and catching more striped bass, please attend my 2 Part Lecture Series on Feb 1 and Feb 8.  Please click on the picture below to see a short YouTube video explaining the agenda.

Click to View a Short Video on the Agenda

Be safe and enjoy 2014.

Tight Lines & Smooth Seas,

Capt. Tom Hughes

  

Super Bowl Sunday – Caught Stripers & the Ravens Won – One to Remember

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.

Enjoying the Action on a Late January Day

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.

Open Dates to Fly Fish or Light Tackle Fish the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT)

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I hope you have time in your schedule to fish the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel in early December 2012.  The largest striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay are available during this time of year, giving you the opportunity to catch that 'once in a lifetime' striped bass on fly or light tackle equipment.



Everything is provided: fly and light tackle equipment, flies, lures, licenses, lunch, and casting lessons, if needed.  I will share with you the most productive techniques used to catch striped bass.

You and your guests will be aboard a catamaran, especially designed for fly and light tackle fishing.  It is 22' long by 8' 6" wide, and will provide you with a smooth, dry ride throughout your trip.

Dates Available - Dec 3rd through Dec 8th

Trip Rate - 1 to 3 Anglers / Full Day Trips Only $600.00 (Total Cost)

To Book a Trip - Call 443-690-3164

All arrangements/hotel reservations, will be taken care of by Capt. Tom Hughes.  Your room will be ready when you arrive at Sunset Beach Resort Hotel, in Cape Charles, VA.