Chesapeake Light Tackle

There are a lot of things that get in the way of fishing, but rain should not be one of them.  Some of my most productive days on the water have been when skies are drizzly and gray or even when it’s pouring.  In the Chesapeake, where fishing pressure has a significant impact on fish-feeding behavior, rain keeps the crowds at home and opens up those over-fished hot-spots where the bite can be impossible when the weather is nice.  This weekend however, out-fishing the crowds was not part of the equation.  My boys and I had planned a stream fishing trip in the East Tennessee Mountains, and we were not about to let a little thing like a forecasted 4-inch deluge stand in the way.

It may seem out of context to post a southern Appalachian stream-fishing report to a website dedicated to fishing in the Chesapeake Bay. I hope you’ll grant me the indulgence because most of the techniques I use to fish the Chesapeake were honed over many years of fishing in the southeast. One of the most important secrets to my Bay fishing success has been using the tidal currents to my advantage.  I learned to do that in the rivers and creeks of the mountains.  For example, Read More!

Big fish are rare in mid-September, so it’s somewhat surprising that we’re turning up a few.  I’ve had at least one fish over thirty inches long in each of my last six jigging trips to the Bay Bridge. As long as that’s happening, there’s no need to fish anywhere but right here at home.  I made it out to the bridge the past three evenings. The water has cooled to the mid-70s and the recent unsettled weather has the fish thinking about feeding up for the winter.  Tuesday, my friend Rich was nice enough to pick me up below the bridge on my way home from work.  The tide was slack when we started, but picked up to a strong flow just before dark. We broke the 30 inch mark on two fish, lost a couple more when they wrapped around the pilings and broke off,  and I hooked into something huge and slow. It might have been a skate, but it felt more like a fish, possibly a big drum. Read More!

I mentioned in an earlier “How-To” article that I would write about interesting jigging situations when I encountered them.  We’re in the middle of some amazing summer fishing.  I’ve been chasing breakers over hard bottoms on both sides of the Bay.  This is a typical Chesapeake hot-weather pattern which will usually last and even intensify until fall.

The challenge presented by blitzing fish is not in finding the right lure.  Almost any lure will catch when fish are in a wild surface-feeding frenzy.  I’ve caught rock and blues with a bare hook using only a cut-off piece of a pink soda-straw for bait.  I know other fishermen who routinely use a church-key can-opener with attached hooks as a fishing lure for casting into breakers.  When working a blitz, the difficult part comes in getting larger fish, especially keeper-size stripers out of the schools. Read More!

Just when I thought the western shore was going to turn into the Summer striped bass hotspot, the fish showed up back over on the east side last night.  Tim & Mike joined me on Crockett’s Reel for a 5:30 PM launch from Shipping Creek on Kent Island.  We buzzed the Eastern Bay stopping only once when a flock of diving least terns alerted us to bait, then continued through Poplar Narrows south to an area that occasionally holds fish this time of year.  My original plan was to cruise on across to the oyster flats off Chesapeake Beach, but it was soon apparent we had traveled far enough.

A few seagulls over a steep drop-off put us on a some small bluefish.  As we were playing around with them and watching the fishfinder, bigger marks showed up.  Stacked fish near the bottom is usually a sign of rockfish.  We all three hooked up about the same time with some respectable summer 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!