Someone Has To Do It - Slot Reds on Plantation Creek June 22, 2024

I was anxious to feel the tug from a redfish.  Hate to admit that it had been awhile, last year to be more specific since I brought a red drum to the net. Captain and Mary Felker were gracious in letting me set up camp at Cape Escape outside of Cape Charles.  This would be a solo effort as Captain Felker was out of commission as he recovered from ankle replacement surgery.   Wouldn't be the same without him, but someone has to do it.

First stop was the farm in Nassawadox, about 25 min north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel  (CBBT).  I brought the paddleboard along in hopes that I could sight fish or blind cast to a redfish in the shallows. I paddled in 4 to 5 ft of water using gulp baits.   I quickly tired of having to change them out with spot or needlefish consuming a gulp every minute or two.  As dusk approached and the tide changed, I noticed schools of bay anchovies skipping along the surface nervously.  Not long after and in quick succession,  a keeper red slashed through the bait.  I cast in and around the action to no avail, but it was exciting to know that there is great fishing to be had at the edge of the shoreline. 

My original plan was to start my day with the incoming tide aboard Mikey D Fishing, however high winds forced me to consider plan B.  So it was back to the flats at the confluence of Plantation Creek and the Chesapeake.  

Fishing was slow initially.   The near full moon brought spring tide that exposed more of a sandbar than usual.  It also formed a lagoon with one end opened toward the bay.  When I got closer, I began noticing a fair amount of bait moving about.  Even better I saw the telltale fins of a slot red working in the grasses.  A few casts later and...BAM, the popping cork disappeared in the submerged grass with a slot red on the business end of the line.  Another soon followed.  Despite the long walk, I wanted to see if I could land one or two on a spoon or the fly.  Twenty minutes later I was back in action.  A third red crushed a gold spoon about 20' away.   

 No luck with the fly, but plenty of action packed into 90 minutes.  For all the tactics and tips, there is just no substitute for time on the water!

Tight Lines,

Mikey D Fishing