Striper Fillets on the Fly 5/31 - 6/2

Though May has been wetter than normal in the Chesapeake region, reduced size limits (19" minimum, circle hooks only) was sufficient enticement to take advantage of a break in the weather and confirm reports that the striper action in the Mid-Chesapeake Bay was getting hot.  Since my fishing window was limited to about two hours on May 31, I left the dock and headed straight for the nearest fishing spot, Severn River Green Can #1 buoy.  I marked scattered fish on the Lowrance and other boats working the dropoff  from 20 - 32'.   Since there was little action, I decided to head north to Podickory Point, which is often a frequent location for fish to hold near the mouth of the Magothy.  Because I was solo, I decided to chunk instead of chum and set a spread of four rods using a combination of alewife (frozen, fresh not available) and bloodworms.  

Normally 20 minutes is not a long time to wait for the bite to start, but with the clock ticking and few marks on the fish finder, I decided to pick up and set anchor anew.  The question with limited time was where?  As I headed south under the Bay Bridge spans, I saw a couple of charter boats set up for chumming 1/4 mile south of the bridge in about 32' of water.  Since one of the boats, "Becky D", is a mainstay in these parts, I decided to anchor down current a respectable distance and like a remora take advantage of the charter's residual chum slick.

The hunch produced action almost immediately and within a few minutes rod tips were bouncing with stripers hitting baits.  After 30 minutes, I caught my limit of 2.  I managed to handle a double` by working one fish to the boat while allowing the bait-runner reel to peel off line until I could land the second.  Both rockfish were 21 - 22"--- perfect for the fillet knife and the plate.  First fillets of the season!

More rain in the forecast on Saturday also limited the fishing window.  Boosted by the results from the outing a couple of days prior, I cruised by the green can buoy and the deep water near the bridge without much evidence of schooling stripers.  Recalling that we had good success in early June working the "old sewer pipe" in 17' of water north of the Bay Bridge (see Blog post, "Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, 10-11 June 2017),  I set a course for the Eastern side of the Bay Bridge spans.

I started marking clouds of stripers almost immediately.  The bottom rigs stayed silent so I decided to deploy the 12 weight fly rod with a chartreuse clouser  minnow.  (Capt C.C. Felker and I talked about using fly rods for stripers when anchored or drifting in a manner similar to our recent Nicaraguan tarpon trip)  Once the current took the fly 75' past the stern and the intermediate sinking fly line descended the fly into the water column, I began stripping the line in short bursts back to the boat.  On my second retrieve, I was rewarded with a strong take, an impressive pull, and a 24" striper to the boat on the fly!

Tight Lines,

Mikey D Fishing