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Have you ever wondered why fish seem to turn on and off at different times during the day? If you’re like me you’ve probably gone for hours without catching a fish, hardly even getting a strike. Then, click, just like turning on a light switch every cast results in a fish. Fishermen refer to this phenomenon as “the bite,” as in, “The bite turned-on about 3:00 PM and off at dark.” Read More!
Like most anglers, I love to eat fish. One of my favorite family traditions is fish for breakfast. Occasionally when we have guests visiting, the fishermen in the house get up before everyone else and spend the daybreak hours on the water. If things go as planned, we’re back before the house starts to stir, preparing a delicious breakfast of eggs, grits, fresh tomatoes, homemade biscuits, and freshly caught fish. That being said, I don’t keep most of the fish I catch. By letting them go, I get the same satisfaction out of my fishing experiences while contributing to the sustainability of the sport I love.
The inclination toward releasing fish is fairly modern. Some Native American tribes believe that it is wrong to release a fish. According to their culture, the fish allows itself to be caught. It chooses to sacrifice its life to provide food for the angler. To release any part of it back into the water would dishonor the fish and result in poor fishing the following year. These beliefs were formed at a time when they speared, netted, trapped, or caught their fish with hand-made equipment, perseverance, and a little benevolence from the Great Spirit. Read More!
It’s sometimes said that good fishermen think like a fish. While no one really knows what fish think, it’s usually possible to predict where they might be located based on climatic conditions and the time of year. Two very important factors to consider when looking for fish in the Chesapeake Bay are water temperature and salinity. Sometimes stripers congregate near underwater structure, at other times they travel in schools out in the open bay, but they always prefer specific depth zones which vary depending on the time of year. Fish are cold-blooded, so they’re more likely to be active in water that keeps them warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. The “perfect” water temperature for stripers is around 68 degrees, but perfect conditions are rare. Since locating feeding fish is a fisherman’s primary challenge, it’s important to understand seasonally changing temperature zones in the Bay.
Salinity and temperature are closely related in the Bay. Striped bass are classified as anadromous fish, meaning they live primarily in salt water but migrate to fresh water to spawn. While they can live and thrive in fresh water, they prefer water with some salinity. Scientific opinions are mixed as to the optimum salt content, but there’s no denying that salinity influences the behavior of rockfish in the Bay. This is especially true in the spring and fall when many fish are traveling to and from the ocean. Read More!
Reports from the spawning grounds near the Susquehanna Flats have been sporadic this week as fish migrate back down the Bay toward the Atlantic Ocean. My brother Creig and I decided to head them off at the pass. We moved the boat to Taylor’s Island in Dorchester County, Maryland and fished non-stop for three days. Hardly even stopping to eat and staying out some evenings until midnight, our results were mixed. Although there were some long periods of inactivity, we managed to catch some very nice fish. Read More!
Following up the previous article on basic vertical jigging techniques, I want to share what I know for kicking it into the next gear. Most of these methods are a natural progression from vertical jigging. Jigging is an extremely productive method for catching Chesapeake Bay rockfish, so it’s something you’ll want to practice and learn well.
Most of my techniques have been honed over time by bass & striper fishing in fresh water situations. Bay fishing is similar in many respects, but there some special considerations.
The Chesapeake Bay is very shallow compared to many striped bass environments. While suspended fish are occasionally encountered, it’s more likely that they are either feeding on the surface or holding near the bottom. Read More!
One of the most effective techniques for catching striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay is vertical jigging with light tackle. It can be done in both deep and shallow water and will produce when all other methods fail. Rockfish in the Bay typically station themselves near underwater structure where they wait to ambush bait-fish. Since they often don’t move much it’s necessary to present a lure exactly where they are holding. Jigging is the way to catch them.
Basic vertical jigging technique requires stationing the boat directly over the fish. I never drop a jig unless I’ve either located fish on the finder, or feel confident that they’ll be nearby at any moment. Make no mistake, learning to find the fish is the hardest part of light tackle fishing. Read More!
