Cape Charles Fishing Report, August 14-17: Summer Festivus

 There are two days highlighted on the Mikey D Fishing calendar.  The first is the High Holy Day; the opening day of trout season in PA.  The second is our annual Cobia trip with Capt. Kenny Louderback (https://www.facebook.com/fishfreaks2014/).

This year's summer festivus took on a bit more meaning, for two reasons.  The first was that weather cancelled our 2023 outing.  The second had to do with a "little" surgical procedure I had in mid-June, which turned this:

Into this:

My only goal through the recovery process was to get the new ankle in good enough shape to get into the boat.  Fortunately, the procedure went well, and for the next 7 weeks Mary went full RN and pushed me in the right direction.

So when we arrived in Cape Charles I was confident that the ankle could take a boat ride.  And joining Capt. DiPaola and me on this trip was our good friend and former squadron mate Curt Toomer.  An avid angler himself, Curt hails from Jacksonville, Fl.  So much so that getting him north of the Florida-Georgia line is almost impossible.  But the prospect of tying into a big Cobia lured him north.

The weather for the week was as good as it gets.  High temps, no clouds, and light winds.  Wednesday afternoon Joe and Curt spent a couple of hours warming up by wading off Plantation Creek.  While they saw Reds swimming around, the bite was not on (low pressure perhaps).  But Joe did manage to catch and release a keeper Flounder.

Fortified by dinner at the Oyster Farm (food was good, service not so much), and after dinner drinks and cigars, we boarded Capt. Kenny's boat at 0800 the next morning.  

Conditions on the bay were great.  Light winds from the northwest, clear skies, and temps in the 80s.  There were some swells, but not bad enough to keep from spotting fish.  Which is what Capt. Kenny is all about.  We headed down to the bay bridge tunnel, where the fish were beginning to pod up prior to their fall departure. Lots of Rays and Sea Turtles around, which Cobia like to hang around.  Unfortunately, we only spotted a few fish, got casts to only 2-3, and no hook ups.  Kenny covered a lot of water, along with 60-70 other boats looking for "the man in the brown suit."  There might have been a couple of boats who hooked up, but not many reports of fish landed.  

We've been fishing with Capt. Kenny for 9 years and never got skunked.  If he's not catching, no one is.  It was getting late, and Kenny decided to move closer to the shoreline.  About 4:20 in the afternoon, not long before we would be heading in, he spotted a bait ball of Menhaden and blind-casted a live Croaker under the bait.  Within seconds the line went tight, and the fight was on.  The fish came in at 39 inches, one inch shy of the limit.  But we at least kept the streak going.

Some days the fishing is just hard, and Thursday was just one of those days.  With Friday though came renewed optimism that we'd tie into some fish from the Mikey D.  It has been a few months since we'd put the boat in the water.  But it fired right up, and we lit off to find some fish.

Casting under a bait ball right off Cape Charles harbor, Curt landed a nice 15 inch Bluefish, his first off of the Mikey D.  

We then drove down to Plantation Creek and searched the area for Reds, heading well up into the creek.  Despite throwing a variety of lures and soft plastics, we couldn't score a fish.  It was getting late, but Capt. DiPaola deftly maneuvered the boat over some sand bars and into a cut that paralleled the beach.  Water was 2-3' deep.  With clear skies and no wind, you could easily see the bottom.  

And that's when things turned on, at least for a brief time.  We spotted Reds right next to the boat.  Curt got a shot and immediately hooked into a nice fish that took him around the boat before it spit the hook.  The remaning Reds beat feet, but it was apparent that we were in the right spot.  A few minutes later Joe spotted some skittish bait, and directed my cast.  Fishing a Strike King spinner bait, it only took a few cranks until a Red hit the lure hard.  A good fight ensued, and we boated our first Redfish from the Mikey D, a thick 24 incher.

We released the Red, and fished for a while longer until it was time to head home and clean the boat.  While the catching was so-so, it was a great time fishing.  I think we turned Curt into a convert, and hopefully we'll see him back in VA soon.  So it's time to put the aluminum pole back under the crawlspace until the next Cobia Festivus.  But, with fall around the corner, the fishing will pick up.  October is the month to be on the water in Cape Charles.  And I plan to be continuing my physical therapy wading for Reds and Trout.

Tight Lines,

Mikey D Fishing.

Someone Has To Do It - Slot Reds on Plantation Creek June 22, 2024

I was anxious to feel the tug from a redfish.  Hate to admit that it had been awhile, last year to be more specific since I brought a red drum to the net. Captain and Mary Felker were gracious in letting me set up camp at Cape Escape outside of Cape Charles.  This would be a solo effort as Captain Felker was out of commission as he recovered from ankle replacement surgery.   Wouldn't be the same without him, but someone has to do it.

First stop was the farm in Nassawadox, about 25 min north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel  (CBBT).  I brought the paddleboard along in hopes that I could sight fish or blind cast to a redfish in the shallows. I paddled in 4 to 5 ft of water using gulp baits.   I quickly tired of having to change them out with spot or needlefish consuming a gulp every minute or two.  As dusk approached and the tide changed, I noticed schools of bay anchovies skipping along the surface nervously.  Not long after and in quick succession,  a keeper red slashed through the bait.  I cast in and around the action to no avail, but it was exciting to know that there is great fishing to be had at the edge of the shoreline. 

My original plan was to start my day with the incoming tide aboard Mikey D Fishing, however high winds forced me to consider plan B.  So it was back to the flats at the confluence of Plantation Creek and the Chesapeake.  

Fishing was slow initially.   The near full moon brought spring tide that exposed more of a sandbar than usual.  It also formed a lagoon with one end opened toward the bay.  When I got closer, I began noticing a fair amount of bait moving about.  Even better I saw the telltale fins of a slot red working in the grasses.  A few casts later and...BAM, the popping cork disappeared in the submerged grass with a slot red on the business end of the line.  Another soon followed.  Despite the long walk, I wanted to see if I could land one or two on a spoon or the fly.  Twenty minutes later I was back in action.  A third red crushed a gold spoon about 20' away.   

 No luck with the fly, but plenty of action packed into 90 minutes.  For all the tactics and tips, there is just no substitute for time on the water!

Tight Lines,

Mikey D Fishing

Cape Charles-Potter County Fishing Report, 10-18 June: From the Salt to the Fresh to ... well....

 Capt. DiPaola and I had the opportunity to spend the early part of the week down in Cape Charles to chase Reds.  Joining us were good friends John and Heidi Hall.  The solunar calendar for the week predicted slow fishing.  But if you're not on the water, you'll never know.

We wade-fished off the beach down by Plantation Creek.  Weather was decent: partly cloudy skies, temps in the low 80s, water temps in the low 70s.  A bit windy, but the water was reasonably clear.  Both days we got on the water right as the tide started going out.  Which turned out to be a good thing.  Normally the bite turns on about an hour or so after the tide changes.  These two days, however, we hit fish at the top of the tide, but at prime time the fishing just turned off.  Again, the solunar calendar is a good guide, but the fish don't read it.

The good news was that our guests caught some nice slot Reds.  Just about everything we threw worked; Dyne XL, gold Johnson spoon, soft plastics under a popping cork.  I managed a couple of Reds and a small trout on the flyrod, tossing a Puglisi baitfish pattern (chartreuse and white).  Have been using that particular fly for the last year and a half.  It's gotten eaten quite often, but is still holding together.

Of greater importance, we picked up our first Reds for the year.  I was a bit afraid that some recently-acquired body art might have jinx'd me.

(Pro guide tip: Never thrown down a dare after a few too many adult beverages in a cigar bar in Ybor City.  H/T to Dr. Jim Beam)

Headed back to Potter County on Wednesday.  Streams up here are low.  Air temps in the 70s, but lows in the 40s.  On Sunday Mary and I headed south to fish Kettle Creek.  Figured there would still be enough water, and cool enough to sting some trout.  Fished from 9:30 in the morning to about 2 in the afternoon.  Water temps were probably in the low to mid-60s, close to the edge of no fishing.  But air temps were in the 60s-low 70s, and I needed to get my trout fix in.  

We fished the lower end of the C&R section for a few hours.  Water was ankle to shin deep, but a lot of fish in the stream.  Catching was tough.  We were down to fishing small flies on 6X.  Managed some misses, lost fish, and got one to the net.  Flies of choice were beetles, Griffiths Gnats (tough to see), and small Sulphurs. 

After lunch we headed upstream to Ole Bull State Park.  Found a run that held fish and managed a few underneath sight fishing with Feggs.    

A heat wave coming in on Tuesday will pretty much end the trout fishing for awhile.  That, and ....

The fish can rest easy for a spell until my new bionic ankle heals.

Tight lines ,SOMEBODY!

Mikey D Fishing

Potter County Weekend Report, 31 May-02 June: Doesn't Get Much Better

 The pics say it all....

Lows in the 30s, highs in the low 70s.  Sunny skies

Obligtory Basic Rifle Marksmanship training

Smores for the underage ... a little sumpin' sumpin for the adults

When the Allegheny is not cooperating with the grandkids, there's always Rainbow Paradise

And, as a side benefit, a few for the smoker

Home waters did not disappoint

Fewer bugs coming off, but enough to keep the fish coming up.  Time to grab some terrestrials and hit the water before it gets too warm.

Tight Lines,

Mikey D Fishing

Potter County Fishing Report, 11-13 May: Trifecta

 April fishing in Potter County can be a crap shoot.  When good friends Clare and Bery Edmonston visited the West Branch Tavern for the 2024 opening dayof trout season, the weather more favorable for eating and drinking than fishing, and especially catching.

This past weekend they returned to the WBT to give the trouts another go.  By early May we finally saw warmer temps, the trees leafing out, and Hummingbirds on the feeders.  But even in May weather can be fickle.  Two days before their arrival we saw over an inch of rain.  The weekend pointed to temps in the 50s to mid-60s, cloudy to partly cloudy skies, and intermittent showers.  

Not ideal, but certainly fishable.  And the rain came down slow and steady, so when they arrived the streams got what WVa fly-fishing legend and good frend Dave Breitmeier would have described as a "good level bounce."

Mary and I had scouted some potential spots the week before.  Saturday we settled on the First Fork of the Sinnemahoning, about 45 minutes from the WBT.  We first parked at the picnic section at Sinnemahoning State Park and geared up.  But within a half hour it was clear we needed to move.  Nothing going on on the water, and too many anglers on the stream.  So we drove up a short way, and parked in the lot where Logue Run empties into the stream.  Only one truck there; an older gent waiting on his grandson and a buddy who were fishing.  We crossed paths with the youths, who said they hadn't caught anything.  But I overheard them saying that they saw fish rising.

And they were!  Water was up, but a nice greenish color.  Air temps in the upper 50s with cloudy skies.  Bugs coming off the water, and fish consistently rising to them.  We started with Caddis's, and picked up a couple of fish.  But then we noticed Sulphurs coming off, so we quickly re-rigged and it was game on. 

Everone tagged fish.  Stockie Bows and Browns, all around 10-12 inches.  And Clare hooked her first trout on a fly rod!

The plan for Sunday was to fish Kettle Creek, hoping that this iconic Pennsylvania freestone stream wouldn't be mobbed.  It wasn't, because the water was too high and fast.  So I called an audible and we fished Little Kettle, a stocked stream, which also holds good numbers of wild Browns and native Brook Trout.  When we first hit the water we got doused with a couple of showers.  But eventually the clouds parted and the weather warmed up, and with it came a decent hatch of Sulphurs, Cadddis, and March Browns.  Not much in the way of catching.  We missed some Brookies, I netted a 12 inch stocked Rainbow.  Fish of the day, though, went to Mary, who landed a pretty 6 inch wild Brown on a Caddis.

Of course, the Pavilion Hole on the west branch of Fishing Creek is a good place to get the skunk off, and enjoy the amenities of the WBT.

Bery makes a helluva fire

On Monday the ladies decided to take a field trip to the Kinzua dam.  So Bery and I headed to Upper Kettle to search for native Brookies.  Cloudy skies and intermittent rain greeted us when we got to the parking area on the lower stretch.  To make matters worse, the stream was also up and moving fast.

So, we moved upstream, looking for fishable water.  We finally found some about a mile or so further upstream, where Leetonia Road crossed the creek.  By now the skies had cleared and temps rose into the high 60s-low 70s.  And, as I looked down from the bridge, I saw the welcome sign of a fish rising.

For the next hour and a half we enjoyed consistent action fishing Sulpher dries.  Bery worked the run below the bridge and picked up several nice Brookies, including one that went about 6 inches.  A nice fish for this stream.

Meanwhile, I spotted some soft water downstream, and hooked 4 fish in rapid order. 

No pics of the fish, but you can tell this was a great holding spot.

We finished at a beaver dam a bit further downstream.  Despite the mucky bank, we managed a few more trout to the net.

What these fish lack in size they more than make up for in aggressive takes and beautiful colors.  

Despite some challenging weather and water, we found fish and hit the trifecta of stocked, wild, and native trout.  Gotta love May in God's Country.  It almost makes me forget Old Man Winter.  .

Almost....

Tight Lines,

Mikey D Fishing