I spent the last month in Cape Charles to see if the claims of great fall fishing are true. While restricted to wade fishing off the beach near Plantation Creek, it provided some consistency in the experiment.
In general, I'd say the fishing did improve as we moved from September into October That jives with the locals who said that cooler water temps would improve the bite. In September air temps were in the high 70s to low 80s, with water temps were in the mid 70s. By the first week of October air temps dropped to the low to mid 60s (lows in the 50s), and water temps dropped to the mid to low-60s. Too cool to wet wade, but a pair of cheap boot-foot waders did the trick.
If I compared the last week with the previous three, I'd say the Redfish bite improved. Prior to October we picked up a fish here and there, but no real consistent bite. By October, things improved significantly. With the exception of a few days of turbid water due to Ian's arrival and departure, I managed to land Reds ranging from 15 to 24+ inches. (Apologies for the poor photos. Tough getting a good photo while you've got a rod under your arm, the camera in one hand, and a fish in the other. Couldn't get photos of the bigger fish. Will invest in a GoPro and head mount for next season).
The trout bite, as well as the size of trout I was catching (not many, they're more finicky eaters, and tougher for me to hook) certainly increased, from 10-12 inchers in Sept, to a nice 18 incher I picked up yesterday,
There are some other factors that seemed to come into play:
Tidal flow: I consistently fished according to the solunar calendar, during the hours which predicted the best fishing (https://tides4fishing.com/us/virginia/old-plantation-light). While I did not have the time to hit both incoming and outgoing tides, I'd say the calendar accurately predicted the best time to catch fish on the outgoing tide. Doesn't mean you won't catch fish outside those windows. But you'll probably be doing more casting than hooking up.
Water clarity. If you can't see far down in the water, neither can the fish. If the water is turbid, pack it in and drink some bourbon.
Lures: Fished exclusively with soft plastic paddle tails (Z-Man shad suspended below a popping cork) and Paul Brown's Dyne XL swim baits. While the guys at Ocean's East tackle shop claim many colors work, I had success with the paddle tails in Electric Chicken color, and the Dyne XL in purple and chartreuse. (Note, if you're fishing alone, take two rods rigged with different lures. Saves time switching out, or when you experience a braided line malfunction.) At least for this piece of water, the Dyne XL in purple and chartreuse is the only swim bait you need, for Reds and Trout. Down side is that big Reds will bend the Dyne XL ($12 a pop) beyond its ability to swim correctly after 2-3 fish.
Scents: Captain Kenny Louderback turned us on to Pro-Cure gel during our recent Cobia trip. So I purchased a bottle ($7.99) of Mullet scent (there are many, from shrimp to Menhaden to garlic, etc.) at Oceans East:
Did it work? See last factor below.
Stay in one place or wade around: I had about 400 yards or so of beachfront to fish. Most of the time I'd just hold in one area, figuring that the fish would eventually swim through my casting range. But there was also ample space to walk around and look for fish. On occasion during the summer I would wander up and down the beach, and see Reds as singles, in pairs, and in small schools. But no success. Could have been warmer water, or spooky fish in the shallow water.
Yesterday, however, was a different story. I was fishing a "sauced up" paddle tail, and spied some fish moving behind me. Initially couldn't tell if they were Reds or big Mullet. I threw a cast to where I thought the school had gone and BAM!, 18-inch Red to the hand. So I started moving towards the school parallel to the beach, and saw that it numbered around 30 fish. Another 4 casts resulted in hook ups with fish ranging from 18 to 20+ inches. Then the school headed out to deeper water. Based on prior failed attempts stalking fish, the only difference (aside from water temps) was the scent.
Much more work needed on the experiment. But a fun way to work through a problem. Saturday it's back to Potter County. Hope to get some trout to the net before the snow shows up next week.
Tight Lines,
Mikey D Fishing
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