Adjusting to the Conditions - Upper Chesapeake Stripers - July 28 2018

This entry was intended to be a prelude to Cobia fishing in the lower Chesapeake Bay.  However, when the Captain of your charter tells you that the fishing is not likely to be productive and the forecast includes severe thunderstorms, the wise angler heeds the advice.  The same approach of gathering all of the information at hand enabled Capt. Felker and Capt. DiPaola to limit out on stripers in less than 2 hours the day before.

The weekend fishing trip started as most do with a visit to Anglers to stock up on fresh alewife, soft crabs, and incidentals.  As locals, friends, and frequent customers we usually chat with the staff to see where the bite is and how that compares to other reports to formulate the best fishing plan.  Word was that stripers had been holding in large numbers in an area defined by Rock Hall north to Pooles island in the Upper Chesapeake.   Charlie and Mike Ebersberger of Anglers added that they had seen success near the bay bridge rock piles live lining with spot and chunking with soft crabs.  A plan to try some live lining on our way north to Rock Hall naturally came together.

On the western rock pile we were encouraged to see three charter boats tossing norfolk spot.  A swift current and only a few hits without takes on the chunking rods indicated it was time to head north.  The course to Swan Pt was punctuated by the heartbreaking sight of huge debris flows coming from the Susquehanna river and the Conowingo dam.  Mixed in with the flotsam were logs, barrels, tires, and other assorted trash.  It was a sad and hazardous spectacle.  The crew wondered aloud whether all of the good work to improve the health of the Bay would be for naught unless efforts are made to address the runoff from the Chesapeake's tributaries, particularly from our neighbors to the north.

After playing dodge ball with logs and trash we eventually spotted the charter fleet.  Dozens of boats were anchored in 12 - 15' of turbid 79 degree water.  With the anchor set, the two Captains wet four lines baited with soft crab and alewife.  Within minutes rod tips began to twitch.  Multiple fish to the boat followed.  At one point  two fish were hooked with a third rod getting hit.  A lot of action always equates to a lot of fun.  The bite remained consistently good until we had our limit of 4 keeper stripers in the 20" - 22" range.  While not record setting in size, they make for excellent table fare.  While the grilled cobia will have to wait, the plated stripers make an excellent substitute.

Tight Lines,

Mikey D Fishing