Live Lining for Striped Bass - A New Arrow in the Quiver for Mikey D Fishing 14 July 19

One of the many reasons that Stripers are a premier gamefish are the many ways that they are caught.  Stripping a clouser minnow with an 8 weight fly rod in hand, tossing plugs in the middle of a feeding frenzy, jigging bridge pilings, or chumming with alewife and soft crabs are part of a mosaic of striper fishing thrills for every season.   Onboard Mikey D Fishing we enjoy each technique from spring through late fall; although success has eluded us from one method that is popular up and down the Chesapeake.  Live lining for stripers is popular among charter captains and light tackle specialists.  It is exciting, produces an unforgettable strike, and it is easy to rig.  White perch work well until spot show up in the main stem of the bay in mid June.  Spot are to rockfish what chips are to teenagers.  While Capt Felker and I have briefly flirted with live lining over the past few years during the summer months, it was too tempting to go back to the tried and true method of chunking and chumming to fill the cooler.

With it being such an odd year for stripers, and a special at Anglers featuring 12 spot for $24, I thought I would give live lining another shot.  I invited fellow angler and former colleague Brian Gant aboard Mikey D Fishing to catch an incoming tide on Sunday afternoon.  And just to be safe, I bought a pack of fresh alewife as a Plan B.  

We set anchor near one of the large cement bridge pilings on the northern span.  There was good tidal flow.  Brian tossed a spot near the piling and felt a hit almost instantly.  Encouraged but not convinced, I set up to chunk with 3 rods.  The bottom fishing resulted in 1 keeper after about 45 minutes.

Now that the "skunk was off", we focused our attention to live lining again.  I hooked the spot just behind the dorsal fin.  We casted just above the piling to allow the spot to dive to where the rockfish were holding in about 15 feet of water.  Just like chumming with bait runner reels, patience is key.  Brian again felt the unmistakable tapping of a nervous spot followed by a bent rod.  However, before setting the hook and commencing the fight, we waited for the striper to flip the spot to inhale it headfirst.  And then, finally, it was on.  Within 30 minutes we brought 2 keepers to the net, the largest was 22".   The filet table confirmed the rockfish spot addiction.  One of the keepers still had 3 spot in its belly.  While the stripers weren't the biggest we have dragged across the gunwale, it was still cause for celebration as Mikey D Fishing added another arrow to the fishing quiver!

Tight Lines,

Mikey D Fishing