Chesapeake Light Tackle

Perhaps not for me, but for some fishermen this has been one of the best Decembers on record.  The mid-Chesapeake Bay has been red hot, especially at some of the more challenging jigging locations such as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.  Check out this hawg.  According to the report I got, it was jigged up at the bridge on November 29th.  The fish was weighed in at Anglers Bait Shop and officially checked in at 53 inches weighing 63 pounds.  That’s only 5 pounds short of the state record and easily the best fish caught on a jig I’ve heard of at the Bay Bridge.  Unfortunately, like most truly monumental fish, the details are sketchy.  No matter how it was caught, it’s obviously a fish of a lifetime for the angler who landed it. There have been some very nice fish caught on eels at the bridge recently, with some fishermen reporting 40 inch plus fish.  They are few and far between with most requiring hours of patience to turn up one or two trophy size stripers.  Due to a frantic work schedule, my fishing trips have been extremely limited, but I managed to get out Sunday afternoon for some light tackle fishing at the well-known location I frequently refer to as “light tackle university.”

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After a long weekend fishing and picking in the hills of East Tennessee, I finally got an opportunity to get back out on the Bay for a few minutes this morning.  It was a little tough to get up when the clock went off because we were out late last night in Annapolis. My son Daniel was in town performing with the Lovell Sisters at Rams Head.  If you haven’t caught up with this band yet, you might want to -  three gorgeous sisters from North Georgia who can flat out play and sing.  They’re just coming off a stellar festival season and two recent appearances on the Grand Ole Opry.  They’re on a short run through Phily and NYC, stopping at Annapolis last night then on to Roanoke tonight.  That left us about two and a half hours this morning to fish. Read More!

Lately I’ve been walking around with a big smile on my face humming Bob Seger songs. Fifteen knot sustained northeast winds with rainy, overcast skies since Saturday are enough to keep most people off the Bay.  If they only knew what they’re missing.  A low pressure system stalled off the Atlantic Coast is churning up the waves and driving them into the Chesapeake Bay.  Last weekend’s full moon pushed even more water into the area.  The end result is that there are coastal flood warnings posted for Annapolis, Baltimore, and all along the western shore.  The other result is that the fish are going nuts!  ♣  I’ve been hanging out the last couple of evenings at my very favorite fishing spot on the Bay.  The William Preston Lane Jr Memorial aka, Bay Bridge.  The fish are hanging out there too.  The northeast wind is pushing directly against the strong incoming so the net is that a boat can stay almost stationary at any given location.  There’s a little bouncing to put up with, but it creates the optimum situation for fishing the pilings and underwater structure near the bridge. Read More!

I thought I’d never get on the water today. Even if tropical storm Danny wasn’t offshore, a rainy day in August is hard to come by. Chesapeake Bay fishing is always at its best when skies are gray and there are big storms nearby. I lost sleep last night thinking about it. I had to work, but thought I might make the D.C. turn-around in time to get a half-day at least on the water. For a zillion reasons, that didn’t happen.  Nevertheless, I managed to get three quality hours in the rain at the Bridge.

The Bay was deserted. I never saw another fishing boat all evening; not one. It looked like January out there. Even the Matapeake Pier was empty. Instead of the usual Latino girls calling out “boat ride, boat ride,” I had to put up with these ugly dudes. I think they’ve been following me since that buzzard feather thing. Still, you know it’s going to be good fishing when you can see working gulls from from the boat ramp. Read More!

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 period around the Independence Day holiday is typically pretty tough fishing.  There’s a lot more boats on the Bay than usual, and the fish lay low until things simmer down.  I got out twice this past week.  My first evening was spent with a friend from the TidalFish board, Mark.  I knew Mark to be a good fisherman from what others have told me, and I’ve been looking for an opportunity to get out with him to show him what I know of jigging around the Bay Bridge.  He has previously tried jigging, but had more success by live-lining or trolling. We finally got the chance to go this week.   Read More!