Tons of fishing reports this week from all over the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake. Reports from different tributaries around the Maryland bay region suggested a large amount of spawning activity took place. Once these striped bass “do their thing” in the tributaries, it generally means the stripers are hungry and heavily feed as they make their exit out of Chesapeake. This most likely is what we can account for the hot bite that has been happening up and down the bay.  We received our first reports from some light tackle jiggers who found good concentrations of stripers below the Choptank River. Trolling anglers have been having their best luck with fish hitting in the upper part of the water column and fishing in less then 40ft of water.  (in the pictures Paul S and his friend George took their daughters fishing. They fished out of Breezy Point and managed to catch some nice fish and as importantly had a great day on the Chesapeake with their daughters. Click on the image for a larger version. Check their full report.)

Weekend/Upcoming Fishing Events
The MSSA Spring Fishing Tournament is in full swing this weekend with over 600 boats entered. Also this weekend is the Rod and Reel Fishing Tournament.

Maryland Fishing Reports

Upper Chesapeake Bay Region (Susquehanna River/Flats to Bay Bridge Waters)
The Susquehanna Flats season is winding down ending on Sunday May 3, 2008. There were many reports that the stripers were spawning south of the flats area in the main part of the bay in shallower water on the western shore and the eastern shore in the Elk River all the way down in and around the Sassafras River. Usually this is good news in that after the fish spawn the males will return to the flats to feed for a day or two to fuel up before heading back to the ocean. The females on the other hand will also head to the flats to feed, but generally only stick around for one or two tides and then head back out to sea. This pattern has not played out as much as anglers have hoped with some slower then expected catches. There have been moments of excitement with anglers catching a good pod of fish they have been able to catch with plastics, swimming plug, flies and in some cases top water lures.  Remember, fishing on the Susquehanna Flats ends on Sunday when it is no longer legal to target striped bass.

There are reports that the hickory shad are in and around Deer Creek and up ni the Susquehanna River. I had lunch with a friend yesterday who has been going up to Deer Creek on a regular basis and he said the shad have really been thick, so thick that he said it was hard not to snag them. Small flies in chartreuse, rootbeer and off white have been the trick.

Striped bass fishing just above the Bay Bridge has been steady. Most anglers are fishing the Continue Reading »

On Saturday April 18,2008, the opening day of the Spring Rockfish/Striped Bass season I flew from the top of the Chesapeake at the Susquehanna Flats almost all the way down the bay to the Maryland Virginia line, making our turn to head back home at the Cove Point (aka the gas docks). What we witnessed was an incredible sight of the Chesapeake Bay filled with fishing boats chasing the elusive monster spring striped bass. It was an amazing sight. The pictures tell some of the story, but even they do not do the incredible amount of boats we saw justice. I shot over 500 aerial shots and a bunch of HD aerial video. Below are a sampling of some of the aerial photos. I will post more over the next two days as I get time to edit them. All the pictures are geocoded, however it was hard to be able to show you them in that format, so I took my handy Spot GPS tracker up and our entire trip is mapped as the last picture so you can see our route. Enjoy the sights.

* You can click on the photos and they will pop up in a new window. Each photo is 1200 pixels wide.
**Please note that all the photos are copyright of Brandon White and may not be used with out his express written permission.

The picture below is a view looking north up the Susquehanna River. Havre De Grace is on the left below the first bridge and extending left. The Rt95 bridge is the far bridge in the background. When you enlarge the photo by clocking on it you will see all the boats at the top of the flats easier.

The aerial picture below is a view looking northeast across the Susquehanna Flats. The point in the upper right is Continue Reading »

The spring season for striped bass, known locally as rockfish or stripers, opens tomorrow Saturday, April 18, at 5 a.m. in the mainstem of the Chesapeake Bay, stretching from the mouth of the Patapsco River south to the Virginia line and including the waters of Tangier Sound. Because densities of striped bass can be very high, especially during the first two weeks of the spring season, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is encouraging anglers to place extra emphasis on practicing responsible angling ethics.

“Based on current water temperatures, the conditions this year are ideal and the expectation of anglers is high as they countdown to Saturday’s kickoff,” said DNR Fisheries Service Director Tom O’Connell. “We ask all Maryland anglers enjoying what is sure to be an exciting weekend to minimize the catch and release of stripers when possible, and to carefully follow protocols when releasing fish to provide the best chance for survival.”

Anglers on private vessels, charter boats and those fishing from shore in the mainstem of the Chesapeake (tributaries excluded), including Tangier Sound will be allowed to keep 1 fish per person per day, 28 inches or greater in length. There are also specific striped bass catch and release areas that will remain open in order to provide additional opportunities to anglers.

DNR recommends minimizing the catch and release of striped bass once anglers’ daily bag limits have been achieved to minimize stress on striped bass. If anglers must release a fish, efforts should be made to release the fish at the side of the boat with a dehooking device, and avoid removing the fish from the water. If a fish has to be removed from the water, handling should be minimized and out of water time should kept to 15 seconds or less.

“Maryland fishermen look forward to the start of another exciting spring striped bass season on the Chesapeake,” said Ritchie Gaines, Chair of the DNR Sport Fisheries Advisory Commission. “At the same time, sports fishermen need to be mindful of their actions and continue to practice good angling ethics to provide adequate protection of the striped bass resource and ensure that our traditional spring fishery remains available to future generations of anglers.”

Striped bass begin spawning in April when spawning reaches the Bay’s tidal rivers. Spawning occurs when water temperatures are between 54 and 66 degrees Fahrenheit. The majority of stripers that are caught during the spring season are fish that are migrating down the Bay after spawning.

To view a map of regulations, please visit this link . For further information, contact Martin Gary at 410-260-8289 or by e mail mlgary@dnr.state.md.us.

We welcome Charles  Hutchinson as a guest writer in the Lateral Line Blog today: Menhaden regulation is under the control of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Until 2005 there were no regulations on the quantity of menhaden harvested. However, 13 of the 15 states which make up the ASMFC prohibit “industrial fishing” for menhaden in their waters. Industrial fishing is generally defined as catching fish by means of purse seines for reduction to oils and fish meal. There are no restrictions of any kind in Federal waters. During 2003-2004 there was concern about a perceived shortage of Menhaden which resulted in some 25,000 comments after public hearings on limiting purse seining. This concern was directed primarily to the Chesapeake Bay and the end result was the adoption of a precautionary cap for harvest in the Bay by means of.purse seines for a five year period. During this time research projects were conducted to determine Continue Reading »

I received the below from Captain Chris Newsome today and thought I would pass it on to all anglers interested in saltwater fishing in Virginia this fall . Capt. Chris is a great guy and excellent guide. You can check him out here if interested

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Today marks the official start of the fall fishing season – my favorite time of year to be on the water!

I’m a little sad to see this summer go because we had some fantastic fishing.  Lots of pretty speckled trout were caught including 7 citation size fish of which 3 where over 28 inches.  We also had some big number days on puppy drum.  Our best morning produced nearly 50 redfish.  The stripers this summer where particularly fat and healthy which I attribute to the large year class of peanut bunker, the primary prey for all gamefish in the bay.  It has been many years since I’ve seen this much bait – a very encouraging sign as we head into fall!

I will be focusing my guiding out of the Middle Peninsula until late November when I will move down to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to take advantage of the winter striper fishery.  We will be fishing out of my new Andros Permit 22 which I picked up two weeks ago from the factory in Sarasota, FL.  The boat is a fantastic fly and light tackle fishing platform with the versatility to go from the shallows to the open water of the lower Chesapeake.

The next five weeks will produce a mixed bag of stripers, specks and reds in the shallows.  If the summer is any indication, we are in for a banner fall for all three species.  Fishing the shallows of the Middle Peninsula is probably my favorite form of fishing that our region offers.  Calm water, beautiful scenery, little boat traffic and quality fishing make for a great day on the water.  By early November, the majority of puppy drum and speckled trout will have moved south but large numbers of striped bass will be traveling through the shallows eating everything that crosses their path.  We will also see stripers blitzing in open water of the bay along the Middle Peninsula during the month of November.

By the start of December, I will be focusing my efforts out of Taylor’s Landing in Little Creek which is only a 4 mile boat ride to the CBBT.  The mass of striped bass along the bridge tunnel from Thanksgiving through late winter is unbelievable.  Fish by the million under acres of feeding gulls and gannets will flood the lower bay and ocean and we’ll be there to tangle with them on fly and light tackle.  January is my favorite month to fish the CBBT because the crowds are gone and fishing is at its best.  We had many days last January where we caught over 100 stripers per trip.  There were times when we surpassed the century mark in number of fish in under 2 hours.  Late fall and winter is also the time for trophy striped bass.  We catch numerous FAT stripers over 40” during this time.  With a warm winter we will see spectacular fishing into February.

With every newsletter, I try to provide a tip on tackle or technique.  This time I will cover how I like to replace the treble hooks on my hard plastic plugs with single J-style hooks.  J-hooks have several advantages for the light tackle fisherman over trebles.  First, J-hooks cause less damage to the fish than the numerous prongs of a treble hook lure.  Not only are J-hooks safer for the fish but also for the angler during those unflattering times when you accidentally catch yourself!  Another advantage comes when it is time to untangle a lure from the net.  Less time removing hooks from fish, nets and yourself means more time fishing.  Lastly, I find very little change in hook up ratio by switching to single hooks.

By using stainless steel J-hooks, your tackle box will not get covered in rust and you’ll replace hooks less frequently.  You will want to use short shank J-hooks.  My favorite for this purpose is the Tiemco 800S.  These hooks have a large eyelet which is important to allow the hook to swing on the split ring (try extra small stainless split rigs).  The problem with these hooks is that they are only made up to size 2 (they are big for size 2 – comparable to sz 1 or 1/0 in other brands).  For larger plugs where big hooks are required, I use Mustad C68S SS.  These hooks have smaller eyes but work fine in sizes 1/0 and up.  You will find that changing to single hooks will affect the sink rate of suspending plugs like Mirrolures.  If I need a plug to sink faster, I add strips of lead tape to the bottom of the lure to adjust the sink rate.

Contact me ASAP if you are interested in booking a charter because fall dates are going fast. You can email me at: chris@bayflyfishing.com

I hope everyone has a terrific season!

Take care,
Chris

Current regulations appear to adequately protect existing areas of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) against aquaculture incursions in the Bay area. But what about areas that have historically supported SAV, but are currently devoid of the critical grasses? That is the question that a VMRC public meeting on September 18 will explore. What should be done to protect those areas which have supported SAV in the past?  The meeting is at 1:30pm in the Commission’s 4th floor conference room, at 2600 Washington, Ave., Newport News.

Submerged aquatic vegetation is an important natural resource which provides a variety of ecological functions, including stabilizing sediments, physically baffling wave energy, reducing water column turbidity, recycling water column nutrients, and providing high levels of primary and secondary production. SAV is considered to be of extremely high habitat value to commercially and recreationally important species of fish and shellfish, and is considered to be the primary nursery habitat for young blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay.  This vegetation normally grows in waters less than 8 feet deep, and consists of species such as eel grass, watermilfoil, widgeon grass, redhead grass, and wild celery.

At the direction of the Virginia General Assembly, the Marine Resources Commission developed a regulation that streamlined the issuance of permits for on-the-bottom aquaculture structures which are used to cultivate oysters and clams.  CCA VA representatives met with Delegate Whitman while the legislature was considering the bill. Also they met with Commissioner Bowman and representatives of the Seafood Council prior to passage of the regulation in order to insure that adequate public notice of aquaculture permits was part of the process. CCA VA does support a moderate amount of this activity in the bay, and regularly sends out alerts regarding specific applications to insure that our members are given the opportunity to comment on them.

Existing regulations state that aquaculture cages cannot be set on existing SAV beds.  Unfortunately, there are a number of areas which historically supported beds of SAV that no longer do so.  In addition to the impact of degraded water quality, there was a die-off about three years ago due to an unusually hot August.  Now modified regulations are proposed to protect these areas from encroachment by aquaculture operations, and to fully define these areas based on Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) ongoing SAV mapping programs.  It is hoped these regulations will aid recovery of the SAV beds that will occur in parallel with water quality improvements and future SAV restoration efforts.

CCA VA Fisheries Management Committee representatives plan to attend and participate in the September 18 informational meeting. Other CCA members are encouraged to attend, and to become involved with the process.  The Commission plans a public hearing October 28th to consider the new regulations. The results of the September 18 information meeting and the October 28 hearing will be carried in future CCA VA Infonets. If necessary, an action alert will be broadcast prior to the Commission hearing.

The winter Virginia striper fishery has been nothing less then spectacular over the last several years. Catch and release anglers need not worry too much about the regulations other then to understand that you may not target striped bass beyond the 3 mile limit in the ocean. If on the other hand you are going to keep some stripers for the table you need to know the regulations for the two striped bass fisheries in Virginia: The one stripedbass fishery is in the Chesapeake Bay and then a seperate one with seperate regulations along the coast in the Atlantic Ocean. Each striper fishery has different regulations and it’s important to understand and know the rules when fishing in Virginia waters.

The Virginia Striped Bass regulations for 2008 are summarized below:

Chesapeake Bay fall striped bass recreational fishery:

• The open season for the bay fall striped bass recreational fishery shall be October 4 through December31.
• The area open for shall be the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
• The minimum size limit for this fishery shall be 18 inches in length.
• The maximum size limit for this fishery shall be 28 inches in length, except as provided in subsection F ..
• The possession limit for this fishery shall be two fish per person from October 4 through December 9. (A TWO FISH SEASON)The possession limit for this fishery shall be one fish per person from December 10 through December 31. (A ONE FISH SEASON)
• DURING THE ENTIRE SEASON, ONLY ONE striped bass 34 inches or greater. CAN BE IN POSSESSION.

Coastal striped bass recreational fishery. (Demarcation line to 3 miles out in Atlantic)

• The open seasons for the coastal striped bass recreational fishery shall be January 1 through March 31
• and May 16 through December 31, (FROM NOW TO END OF YEAR)
• The area open is Demarcation line to 3 miles out in Atlantic)
• The minimum size limit for this fishery shall be 28 inches total length.
• The possession limit for this fishery shall be two fish per person( two large fish can be kept in the
• Coastal fishery as opposed to only one large fish in the Chesapeake Bay fishery.)