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Recommendations
“There is but one entrance by Sea in this County, and that is at the mouth of a very goodly Bay, 18 or 20 myles broad…. Within is a country that may have the prerogative over the most pleasant place ever knowne, for large and pleasant navigable Rivers. Heaven and earth never agreed better to frame a place for man’s habitation…” – Captain John Smith, 1608 ♣ I first heard the Chesapeake region called “The Land of Pleasant Living,” when I read it on the side of a Natty Boh can. I didn’t know at the time that the phrase goes all the way back to the 17th century explorations of Captain John Smith. While I might disagree with the good captain during the frozen days of February, there’s no doubt that August brings out the very best of the Bay he called, “Chesepioc.” Read More!
“Too slow!”
That’s the two words you’re most likely to hear on Crockett’s Reel these days. It means someone onboard has accidentally hooked up a rockfish or a bluefish. When casting for macs with light spinning gear, the second most successful cast is one that doesn’t catch a thing. Mac casting is one of my favorite summer pastimes because it takes Chesapeake Bay fishing to another level. For spaniards, you first have to find the blitzing schools of bluefish and stripers, then turn loose of everything you’ve been doing all year, and try not to catch them. Read More!
In a recent Chesapeake Light Tackle report, I talked about how thick the fish have been this summer in our corner of the Bay. To illustrate the point I joked, “I could catch them with a buzzard feather and a coat hanger.” The next morning, as is my usual custom, I poured myself a stiff cup of Eight O’ Clock and sat down with a book in a wicker chair on my front porch in Historic Stevensville. Just as I was savoring my morning jolt of caffeine, I noticed a paper sack full of home-grown tomatoes that had been left by a gremlin in the pre-dawn hours. On further investigation, I found on top of the sack a jet black buzzard feather and a note that said, “Prove it!” Read More!
Last summer I did a lot of fishing with my friend Bill. We worked over the breaking fish south of Kent Island pretty good then, but we haven’t had a chance to get out this summer. Fortunately, the stars aligned this evening so we could go fishing. We launched about 6:00 PM at the Shipping Creek ramp on Kent Island and ran south in search of working birds. We found them quickly. I wasn’t surprised to see my buddy Mark right in the middle of the fish when we arrived. We said hello, then decided to run a little farther south and out closer to the channel to see what might be happening there. We found some fish and also ran into my friends James and Michael. It sounded like they had been catching for a while as well.
I haven’t fished for over a week, a combination of work and play to blame, but I finally got home in time this evening to get a couple of hours on the water. Even though I had very good reports of breaking rock and blues to the south of Kent Island, I decided to launch at Matapeake and fish the Bay Bridge. There’s just something about jigging the bridge that I find very attractive. I guess mostly it’s the chance for an occasional bigger fish. The bridge can be a fickle mistress however, and although I haven’t been skunked there in 2009, she often disappoints me with only shorts. I cleared the fishing peer about 6:45 PM. Pointing Crockett’s Reel toward the bridge, I looked up to see breaking bluefish over the 8′ oyster bar just south of Bay Bridge Marina. I had anticipated the temptation and already decided not to stop. Tonight’s objective was quality, not quantity. Read More!
The bluefish blitzkrieg in the mid & upper Bay is full force with thousands of snapper blues in the 15-20 inch class invading all the usual rockfish hotspots. Blues are among the most aggressive fish in the world. They’re known to kill other fish just for the sake of killing and they will occasionally attack humans. Pound for pound, only the piranha can match bluefish in terms of raw fury. They’re voracious predators that will even eat each other at times. To prevent cannibalism, they’re known to travel in similarly sized schools. Their aggressive behavior makes them great fun to catch and their oily meat can be delicious.
When blues are actively feeding they’ll eagerly hit almost any lure. They especially like lures with a lot of flash. In 1993 a woman who was swimming at a New Jersey Beach had both her ears bitten off when a bluefish attacked her silver ear rings. Once hooked, they’re known for strong runs and acrobatic leaps that can make landing them on light tackle very Read More!
