Bookends to a Chesapeake Weekend

First the Crabs! 
Now that Chesapeake water temps in the middle Bay are approaching 70 degrees, a 12 degree increase in 4 weeks, Captain Joe decided to break out the trot line and rig for a day for crabbing.  With Captain C.C. occupied in the northern climes exercising his dry flies, Captain Joe's daughter Rachel ably assisted.  

The trot line was upgraded in the off-season with high visibility floats and additional cord between the weights and the float to prevent loss of the rig in deeper water.  Mikey D Fishing employs a 600' line with snoods baited with chicken necks.  Yes, clams are preferred and eel or bull lips can't be beat; but chicken necks still work!  We set up on one of our historically productive spots in the Severn River.  The line was set and stretched to ensure a clean run by 0715.  Not the early start I had hoped for, but it had little impact on the end result.   The line was set in about 8' of water under mostly cloudy skies.  Rachel proved to be a natural at guiding the boat during the run and at picking crabs off the line.  A couple of our more productive runs produced upwards of a dozen keeper crabs (5" spine to spine).   Within 2 hours, we had a soft bushel ready for the steam pot. 

Mikey D Fishing Crabbing Tips:
-- 6' to 10' of water work best for trot lining 
-- Work the line into the wind for better control of the boat (speed and maneuverability)
-- Try not to cast a shadow on the line as it will cause crabs to prematurely release
-- Dip the net under the target as crabs will attempt to dive down and away from the boat
-- Catch the crabs in a separate basket and cull through the catch after every run

Then the Stripers!

On Sunday, Captain Joe was accompanied by his middle daughter Sarah for midday striper fishing.  A warm sunny afternoon brought winds around 10 knots and the weekend warrior fleet to stir up a 3' chop in the Bay.  Undeterred, we proceeded directly to a drop off near the northern span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.  Admittedly, my expectations were low.  High tide was scheduled for 1437, but a waxing gibbous moon meant a relatively low tidal coefficient of 60.  So while we might catch a nice outgoing tide, I didn't anticipate it to be sufficiently strong to entice an active bite.  On a positive note, reports indicated that stripers were in a feeding mood again with the end of the may worm hatch. 

Sarah and I anchored, and set up the chum bag in 28' of water.  I was hoping to grab some soft crabs from Anglers, but had to settle for the more mundane, bloodworms and fresh alewife.  Within minutes of getting the lines in the water, we caught our first fish.  A "Hupp" special, it measured a painful 19 3/4", just shy of the 20" minimum.  I figured we would be rewarded with a little fish karma later on so back to the Bay, the rockfish went.  The sun and wave action can be taxing on a fishing crew, so after a couple of hours with only one hit, we decided to take a break at Kentmorr marina over some appetizers and wait for the tide change.

We had a hard stop at 1815, so our break left only a short period to take advantage of whatever the outgoing tide would give us.  We situated the Mikey D in 30' of water off of Hacketts point.  Using a mix of alewife and bloodworms, it was a mere 10 minutes before the first tap on the rod and a run on the bait-runner reels.  The first short striper was soon followed by another.  Size was disappointing, but frequency was encouraging.  As Capt Joe waited to set the hook on another rod that was tapping like morse code --- It happened!  The middle rod tapped hard, bent over, and then the reel started peeling off line.  I told Sarah to grab the rod, gave her a tutorial on setting the hook, and watched her lift the tip as she cranked the handle.  The fish responded by turning and running.  I yelled to Sarah that she has, "A big fish, and for God's sake, don't lose it."  She worked it beautifully.  I assisted by adjusting the drag and after a few miscues, grabbed the beast with the net.  It was a 30" fatty!  Fish karma rewarded Mikey D Fishing with a battle won and 4lbs of striper filets in the cooler.  A great weekend with Rachel and Sarah on the Chesapeake!

Tight Lines,

Mikey D Fishing