Over the past several days texts and emails were flying, relaying that, in the fishermen vernacular, anglers are "muggin'!" stripers. Others said the bite was "On fire." Wide open." A hot bite by any other name is still a hot bite. Best to get out and enjoy what pros or sports alike have been calling the best rockfish action in decades.
My kayak fishing clients have been catching stripers and white perch fairly easily (cdollaroutdoors.com), working shoreline and rubble piles in Eastern Bay and creeks of Chester and Wye River. Ron Shealer from Pennsylvania fished with me for a couple hours at first light along the shoreline on Prospect Bay. We had nice conditions but some roiled water (rays I guess?) and did pretty good on topwater (Smack-it Jr. with a trailer fly) for rock and then used small Woodie's spinners on 8-pound gear to pound heavy white perch. And when we have fished the lower bay, (Honga, Big Annemessex, Tangier Sound) speckled trout and stripers are cooperating. Hadn't hooked a puppy drum yet, however.
In the mid-bay bluefish have been caught off the Sharp's Island, CR Buoy, Stone Rock and a few north of Poplar Island. But they swim fast so I expect by the weekend they could be around Annapolis. Anglers are both trolling spoons and jigging, though those live lining for rockfish are cussing the blues.
Live lining hasn't slowed a tick. The usual suspects buoys 82 to 84, The Hill, Radar Towers, Eastern Bay, and False Channel-are holding keeper rockfish, some better than 30 inches. Chumming, live lining on the lumps Podicory Point, Hacketts Point, and southeast of Thomas Point has worked, too.
The bottom fishing is good early and late in the day before the heat gets going. Bloodworms for the spot, plenty of perch and although the croakers are around they're on the small side from what I'm hearing. Tolleys, Hackeets, lumps in Eastern Bay and above Bay Bridges at Snake Reef and Seven-foot Knoll all good for bottom fish. Crabbing should pick back up after the full moon.
Jim, owner of Marty's Sports in Edgewater, said on Thursday they jigged up rockfish from 22" to 31" inches on the lumps near Poplar Island. The action never slowed for three hours. And this is what Captain Jeff Eichler on South Paw (Kentmorr Marina) has to say: "Fishing is still "off the hook" We are catching wonderful large rockfish right now. We are trolling, but others are having great success with chumming and live lining. Tandems, and billy bars are small bunker baits 5 and 6 inch are working great. 30 to 36 foot edge off of both sides of the channel are good. The fish still seem to be deeper, and there are some 30 inch plus fish mixed in the schools. Early and evening bite seems best."
And Captain Buddy Harrison, Jr. filed this fishing report from Harrison’s on Tilghman Island:
"Fishing is the greatest it has been in 25 years! Live line action within 20 minutes of leaving the dock. We are catching 24-36 “ rockfish live lining in the hook( south of poplar island), west and northwest of poplar, but you don’t have to go all the way to the Hill. Bottom Fishing in the Choptank, the Sands, Barneck Point , buoys 7 & 9 & 10 producing spot, croaker. A few trout being taken on the Airplane Wreck in the early morning and evening."
On Virginia's middle peninsula, Captain Chris Newsome says speckled trout and redfish continue be the headliners for the 2013 season. "Recent charters have seen catches of 50 reds one morning and 50 specks another morning," he said. "It is very rare to see this caliber of fishing for either species on the Chesapeake Bay."
Most of the redfish Captain Chris' clients are currently hooking range between 16-22 inches. Fairly fast growers, many of these reds could be 22-28" reds by mid-October.
Friday, June 28, 2013 - 13:57
Over the past several days texts and emails were flying, relaying that, in the fishermen vernacular, anglers are "muggin'!" stripers. Others said the bite was "On fire." Wide open." A hot bite by any other name is still a hot bite. Best to get out and enjoy what pros or sports alike have been calling the best rockfish action in decades.
My kayak fishing clients have been catching stripers and white perch fairly easily (cdollaroutdoors.com), working shoreline and rubble piles in Eastern Bay and creeks of Chester and Wye River. Ron Shealer from Pennsylvania fished with me for a couple hours at first light along the shoreline on Prospect Bay. We had nice conditions but some roiled water (rays I guess?) and did pretty good on topwater (Smack-it Jr. with a trailer fly) for rock and then used small Woodie's spinners on 8-pound gear to pound heavy white perch. And when we have fished the lower bay, (Honga, Big Annemessex, Tangier Sound) speckled trout and stripers are cooperating. Hadn't hooked a puppy drum yet, however.
In the mid-bay bluefish have been caught off the Sharp's Island, CR Buoy, Stone Rock and a few north of Poplar Island. But they swim fast so I expect by the weekend they could be around Annapolis. Anglers are both trolling spoons and jigging, though those live lining for rockfish are cussing the blues.
Live lining hasn't slowed a tick. The usual suspects buoys 82 to 84, The Hill, Radar Towers, Eastern Bay, and False Channel-are holding keeper rockfish, some better than 30 inches. Chumming, live lining on the lumps Podicory Point, Hacketts Point, and southeast of Thomas Point has worked, too.
The bottom fishing is good early and late in the day before the heat gets going. Bloodworms for the spot, plenty of perch and although the croakers are around they're on the small side from what I'm hearing. Tolleys, Hackeets, lumps in Eastern Bay and above Bay Bridges at Snake Reef and Seven-foot Knoll all good for bottom fish. Crabbing should pick back up after the full moon.
Jim, owner of Marty's Sports in Edgewater, said on Thursday they jigged up rockfish from 22" to 31" inches on the lumps near Poplar Island. The action never slowed for three hours. And this is what Captain Jeff Eichler on South Paw (Kentmorr Marina) has to say: "Fishing is still "off the hook" We are catching wonderful large rockfish right now. We are trolling, but others are having great success with chumming and live lining. Tandems, and billy bars are small bunker baits 5 and 6 inch are working great. 30 to 36 foot edge off of both sides of the channel are good. The fish still seem to be deeper, and there are some 30 inch plus fish mixed in the schools. Early and evening bite seems best."
And Captain Buddy Harrison, Jr. filed this fishing report from Harrison’s on Tilghman Island:
"Fishing is the greatest it has been in 25 years! Live line action within 20 minutes of leaving the dock. We are catching 24-36 “ rockfish live lining in the hook( south of poplar island), west and northwest of poplar, but you don’t have to go all the way to the Hill. Bottom Fishing in the Choptank, the Sands, Barneck Point , buoys 7 & 9 & 10 producing spot, croaker. A few trout being taken on the Airplane Wreck in the early morning and evening."
On Virginia's middle peninsula, Captain Chris Newsome says speckled trout and redfish continue be the headliners for the 2013 season. "Recent charters have seen catches of 50 reds one morning and 50 specks another morning," he said. "It is very rare to see this caliber of fishing for either species on the Chesapeake Bay."
Most of the redfish Captain Chris' clients are currently hooking range between 16-22 inches. Fairly fast growers, many of these reds could be 22-28" reds by mid-October.