Fishing the Mid Atlantic region and beyond for all manner of salt and fresh water species. We cover the lower Chesapeake Bay aboard the "Mikey D Fishing" in search of stripers, redfish, speckled trout, flounder, cobia and chase trout across the classic freestone and limestone streams of Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia.
With Hurricane Florence bearing down on North Carolina, 1st Lieutenant Salt Life was given the opportunity to "self evacuate" from Camp Lejeune. The deluge that engulfed North Carolina slowly weaved a path that wrapped around but mostly avoided the Chesapeake region. Rising waters eventually made their way into the Bay via tributaries and rivers in Pennsylvania and New York requiring the Conowingo Dam to open 15 flood gates. The detritus that accompanied the fresh water made navigating the Bay a risky proposition but the water also cooled and re-oxygenated the upper and middle Chesapeake. Those conditions combined with the end of meteorological summer meant it was time to test shallow hot spots for top water fishing.
1Lt Salt Life and I got underway just before sunrise. Temperatures were in the low 70s, water temperature was 75 with overcast skies. Great conditions to induce a bite on the surface. We headed to the shallows around Hacketts point. Setting up on the east side of the point, wind and current carried us around the rocks along the shore toward Whitehall Bay. Our first casts were unproductive. As the boat drifted leeward of the tip of Hackett's, 1Lt Salt Life launched a topwater plug up against the rocks. A keeper striper hit the floating lure almost immediately. Over the next 30 minutes almost every cast resulted in a strike. The fish were ravenous; relentlessly exploding out of the water two and three times before getting hooked.
Within an hour we had landed over a dozen fish including 4 keepers from 21" - 23". The perfect size for the grill! Most were caught on topwater plugs such as "Smack-It Jrs", "Heddon Super Spooks", and the tried and true "Atom Plug".
It is easy to overhype the fishing conditions this time of year. When you find the fish and they are feeding, it is tempting to believe it is easy. However, the fish can shut off and move just as quick as they appeared. A day later, the fish were nowhere to be found around Hacketts. The good news is that as the days grow shorter and the bay waters cool, the fishing should improve and become more consistent. Bring on Rock-tober!
Last Wednesday we had another opportunity to fish with Captain Kenny Louderback of Fish Freaks Guide Service (https://www.facebook.com/fishfreaks2014/). Our original outing was scheduled for mid-July, but had to be postponed due to weather. Fortunately, Kenny had a couple of available dates in August, so we booked him, hoping that the weather would cooperate and the Cobia would still be around.
Booking a quality (and consequently, really popular) guide like Captain Kenny means looking far down the calendar. The problem with that is the unpredictability factor is pretty high the further away you book the outing. So many things can conspire to frustrate a day on the water. Weather, winds, the presence (or lack thereof) of the fish, are all unpredictable. What is not unpredictable is Captain Kenny. As we first discovered last year, the man flat out knows fishing, and is driven to put his clients on fish.
So, joined by my brother-in-law and noted Salmon and Walleye fisherman Ed Wagner, Captain DiPaola and I lit off from Annapolis for Cape Charles on Tuesday. We stayed at the Cape Charles Hotel, a place with a 60s retro look. The hotel is right on the main drag, rooms are very comfortable, and close to excellent eating and drinking establishments. After checking in and enjoying a Dogfishhead Agave IPA at the hotel, we walked down to Kelly's Pub for dinner. Dinner was fantastic; clams and mussels appetizers, followed up with burgers and crab cake sandwiches. The only way to top that off was with cigars and 1792 bourbon back at the hotel, setting the stage for what we hoped would be another great chance at big fish.
Wednesday looked promising. Winds were forecast to be around 10 knots under sunny skies and temps in the 90s. Not great for humans, but according to Kenny perfect for Cobia. When we met Kenny at the ramp in Kiptopeke State Park, the winds were a bit higher than forecast, and the bay looked kind of nasty. This time of the summer the fish are schooling just outside the bay in advance of their migration south. But to get to the fish, we had to make out way through 3-4 foot waves, which made for a bumpy and wet ride. Once we got to the other side of the bay-bridge tunnel, however, the water calmed considerably. And as Kenny predicted, the increasing heat would calm the winds and further calm the seas.
Those sunny skies and calm seas are important to Cobia fishing at this time of year, because the most effective means of targeting these fish is spotting them near the surface. Fortunately, at this time of year, the fish, for reasons unknown, are often latched on to schools of Cow-nosed Rays and even big Loggerhead Turtles. A tower on the boat is essential to see both out and down. The tower is so important, that we saw more than one boat out there with a DIY step ladder lashed to the forward section. Probably not the safest way to spot Cobia. That's why you hire a guide.
We got past the bridge-tunnel and into the shipping channel off Virginia Beach around 0930, and began the search for Cobia. Ed joined Kenny in the tower, and we immediately began spotting schools of rays. Some had Cobia on them, but casting live eels failed to attract a strike. It was just too early, Kenny concluded. He was certain that once the water started moving the bite would come on.
And he was right. Around 1130 we had out first hook up of the day. Kenny cast to a school of rays, and had 3 Cobia charge the eel. Unfortunately, while the frenzy resulted in a hookup, the fish was foul hooked just above the dorsal fin. Anyone who's foul-hooked a 6 inch trout knows that it fights like a 15 incher. Well, hooking a 40 inch Cobia in its back turns that fish into an 80 inch monster. And after 20 minutes of muscle-aching runs, I realized that I'd be really fortunate to tire this fish out enough to get it in the boat. And as it turned out, my prediction was unfortunately realized when the fish came to the boat, shook its head, and the hook popped out of its back before Kenny could get the gaff on it.
That could have been a harbinger of a tough day on the water. But Kenny wasn't fazed, and assured us that there'd be more hookups and fish in the boat. Having fished with him before, we didn't doubt him, but also didn't miss an opportunity to razz him from time to time. I'm not sure whether we broke some kind of guide etiquette, but Kenny just puts you at ease in the boat.
And, as the evidence demonstrates, Kenny did not disappoint. Checking the numbers from last year, we spotted 20 fish, had 5 hookups, boated 4, with one keeper. This time we spotted over 30 fish, had 8 hookups, and boated keepers measuring 42 and a 51 inches. The only down side, if you can call it that, is that we were one shy of the limit. And, true to form, Kenny stretched out the day well after all of the other guides had departed to get that last fish. He gave us one more shot, spotting 7-8 Cobia swimming around a Loggerhead. His cast resulted in a solid hookup with drag screaming off the reel. But the fishing gods intervened one more time and freed the fish, a sign that it was time to head to the ramp.
Another fantastic trip, and we're already looking ahead to next July, and even a fall outing with Kenny for bull Redfish. And to Kenny's buddies at the tackle shop, don't look to the guide for missing our limit. Just chalk it up to operator error.
