Cape Charles Fishing Report, 16 August: An Epic Cobia Trip, in Three Acts

Cast of "Characters":

Capt. Joe DiPaola

Capt. C.C. Felker

John "Rat Catcher" Hupp

And starring ... Captain Kenny Louderback, Fish Freaks Guide Service

ACT I: A Night in Cape Charles

After two phenomenal outings with Capt. Kenny Louderback over the last couple of years, it was a no-brainer to get out on the water with him again.  Joining us on this trip was childhood friend and long-time Mikey D angling client John Hupp.  We warned John that, despite his mastery of Striper fishing, that out quarry in the lower bay was going to test his abilities.  Time to put on the big boy pants and tie into one of the toughest pulling and best-eating saltwater fish out there.

Capt. DiPaola and I departed Annapolis early Thursday afternoon to meet John in Cape Charles.  As we were in no hurry, we decided to stop in Chincoteague for lunch, and hit a chain restaurant called "Ropewalk."  While the venue was what we were looking for, the service was good, and the menu looked promising, the actual meal was a bit disappointing, not to mention the $8 oyster shooters.

Shrugging off lunch, we continued down to Cape Charles and arrived around 4 in the afternoon.  The town has definitely upped its game over the last three years that we've been fishing with Captain Kenny.  After checking into the Hotel Cape Charles (right in the heart of Cape Charles), we stepped across the street to enjoy some tasty beverages at the newly-opened Cape Charles Distillery.  With some time before dinner, we rented a golf cart from the hotel (who can get into trouble driving a golf cart?), and headed to the Cape Charles Brewery, another relatively new establishment, and enjoyed a couple of their local craft brews.  The brewery is also a restaurant, and the fried clam strips and fried oyster specials looked inviting.  But we had planned on dining at "The Shanty," a casual waterfront restaurant at the Cape Charles marina, and had a phenomenal meal.  From there it was off to Kelly's Gingernut Pub, where we sat outside, enjoyed a bourbon and cigar, and planned out the next day's action.

ACT II: Cobia Hunting

After a great breakfast at Stingray's restaurant, we met Captain Kenny at 8:30 at the boat ramp at Kiptopeke State Park.  Kenny quickly got the boat in the water, and we were off by around 0845.

While last August the fishing was south of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, the Cobia this year were still above the bridge.  So we spent nearly the entire day "hunting" off Cape Charles.  I say hunting because  at this time of year that's what Cobia fishing is about in the lower bay.  With water temps warm, the fish normally hang near the surface, and usually in the vicinity of stingrays and sea turtles.  Even thought the fish are near the surface, seeing them is work.  Low winds, calm seas, abundant sunshine, a spotting tower, and a seasoned guide, are essential to finding these fish.  Once a fish is sighted, the guide takes a rod pre-baited with a live eel, casts in front of the fish, and waits for the take.  Almost as soon as the fish sees the eel it almost immediately chases down the bait.  Once he senses the take, the guide then lets the fish run with the eel before putting a solid hook set, then hands the rod down to the angler to fight the fish.  It might appear easy; all the angler has to do is fight a fish.  But these fish pull hard, swim to the boat, jump, and when they get close to the boat dive like there's no tomorrow.  Although I'd say 80% of the work is done up on the tower, there's not a lot the captain can do until he gets down there to net or gaff the fish.  The last 20% is on the angler.

Conditions were great for seeing fish.  Early cloud cover had burned off by 10:00, and seas were almost dead calm.  This year the ray and turtle sightings were spotty, so Captain Kenny focused instead on large bait balls of Menhaden (also called Bunker), another favorite haunt for Cobia.  Sure enough, Kenny's instincts were right on.  We saw Cobia throughout the day, with the greatest number of sightings occurring after 1100 or so.  Unlike last year, where we lost several fish, we boated every fish that Kenny hooked up.  John more than held his own and took honors for 4 fish landed, all in the 30-plus inch range.  Captain Kenny calls these fish "Rats," because they were under the minimum keeper size of 40 inches.  I get it, Kenny is driven to catching big fish.  But more often than not he was casting to a group of Cobia, and the "smaller" ones were just quicker to the eel.  Still, these fish still gave one drag-pulling fight; a thirty six inch fish is pretty big my book!.  We did manage two keepers, a 43-incher and a 46-incher, which each weighed well over 35 pounds.  Captain DiPaola also got close to a first for Mikey D Fishing, when he induced a follow from a Cobia on the fly rod.

Again, Captain Kenny was the fishing machine.  We can't say enough about his ability to find fish.  In fact, while we were fishing above the bridge, there was a Cobia tournament going on off Virginia Beach.  Kenny reported that no one south of the bridge was catching fish.  Even the 2-3 boats that were in our vicinity weren't having much luck.  That tells you something.  But just as importantly as his ability to put folks on fish, Kenny has a passion for fishing and great repertoire with his clients.  He let us hang out up in the tower (which put a second set of eyes up there), carried on conversation throughout the trip, and had a great sense of humor.  You can tell the man just loves being on the water, which is all you can ask of a charter captain.

ACT III: This is What Victory Looks Like

Although I swear Captain Kenny would have stayed out until the next morning to put a third fish in the cooler, we opted instead to head back to the ramp.  We transferred the fish to our cooler (may have to get a bigger cooler next year!), iced them down for the trip home, dropped "Rat Catcher" off at his car for his drive to Delaware, and hit the road for Annapolis.  We kept the fish iced down overnight, which firmed the flesh up and made filleting much easier, not to mention the fact that they were huge fish!

It was another epic trip.  The two keepers were the largest so far.  And not losing a fish was an improvement on previous years.  But there are bigger fish to be caught, and we can,t wait to head out there again with Captain Kenny!

Tight lines,

Mikey D Fishing

Chesapeake Week July 2019

To adapt the novelist Norman Maclean for those of us who have yet to reach the zen state, fishing is about figuring things out.  Key to that, I think, are three maxims:

1. You have to adapt to changing conditions, and not the other way around.
2. Watch what other anglers are doing, and if you can, ask.
3.  Fish with what your target species is eating

Follow the three and the chances of fishing turning into catching is increased dramatically.  And the last week and a half gave us the opportunity to put those maxims in practice.  With bay temps in the mid to high 80s, and oxygen levels dropping, the Stripers have only a few places to go; either to the northern bay, or under the shadows of the bay bridge pilings.  Add to that the presence of Cow Nosed Rays on their annual spawning run, and chunking Alewive becomes less and less productive.  Instead, bay anglers move to jigging around the bridge pilings, or live-lining Spot.

Both seem relatively east techniques.  Jigging is just that; you toss a Gotcha metal jig or a weighted soft plastic at the piling, let it sink, then pop the rod hoping to entice a bite.  Live lining is a bit more involved.  A standard jigging rod with 20-30 lb flouro leader and a circle hook.  You hook the Spot (part of the Drum family, and pretty good eating in its own right) behind its dorsal fin, chuck the fish close to the piling, allow it to swim down, and wait.  The Spot swims down to find cover, but that puts it in the feeding lane of the Stripers.  You know something's gonna happen when you feel the Spot swimming nervously, which is soon followed by a sharp and noticeable bend in the rod.  That first take would normally elicit a rod set, but in this case you're probably going to lose the bait.  That's because the Striper has an interesting way of eating a big baitfish.  Rather than immediately swallowing its quarry, the Striper instead grabs the spot by the tail (the first pull), re-positions the bait fish to place it head first, then swallows (the second pull).  Patience is key to successful line lining, but the rewards are a great fight and big fish.

Joining us for several outings over the previous week were friends Mike Shina, Tom Cosgrove, and for his first outing, Tom's son Thomas (who caught the only keeper, and his first Striper, on Sunday).  While we were armed for both chunking and live lining, it became obvious that bottom fishing was not going to be productive.  We caught a few small fish on Alewive, but all of our keepers (and we caught keepers on every trip) were on Spot.  The one exception was Monday.  Departing the dock at 0720 or so, and heading to the Bay bridge with a live well filled with baitfish, I sensed the boat turning abruptly away.  My confusion was quickly gone when Captain DiPaola said "birds."  Sure enough, birds were working behind us, from just below the bridge to Whitehall Bay, and about a half mile wide.  It looked like fall conditions had arrived early; a huge school of Stripers working the surface, and even better, keepers.  We limited out in about 30 minutes with fish measuring 20 inches.  By 10:30 the action stopped, which was fine, since air temps were quickly approaching the 90s.

 

On Wednesday Capt. DiPaola and I headed back out, this time rigged for jigging and chunking, figuring that conditions would be once again ripe for jigging.  When the schooling fish didn't materialize, we headed to the bridge pilings.  Unfortunately, we had decided to not get baitfish, thinking it would be a waste of bait, and only had bait for chunking.  That was a big mistake.  While we had plenty of hits on the bottom, no fish came to the boat.  It was looking kind of grim, when the Breezin' Thru, a charter boat operating out of Kent Island (http://www.breezinthrucharter.com/), which had been fishing close to us, pulled alongside before departing and asked if we could use some Spot.  A class act by the captain, we were more than happy to accept his generous offer.  Some adroit maneuvering by the captain made the underway replenishment successful, and we were rewarded not much later by a nice 24-incher.

Still, there seemed to be something missing, because the fish was the only keeper up that we boated.  On Thursday we went out again, the chunking rods left behind.  We headed back to Piling 41, which seemed to be the go to spot for the charter guys, and started fishing.  Not much later another charter boat pulled up to fish the same piling, and we noticed once again that his clients were hooking up at a greater rate than us.  A closer examination of his tackle provided a clue; teardrop weights on a swivel above the leader.  Joe made some phone calls to other charter captains to confirm what was going on.  You had to help the Spot get down in the feeding lanes, especially if the water was not moving fast.

Friday was our "practicum" for the week.  Originally we had decided to crab that morning.  But our limited success the previous day, along with a forecast for morning thunderstorms, led us to decide instead to hit the bridge one more time in the afternoon.  The rain departed the area by noon, leaving air temps much cooler and water temps down in the low-80s.  We decided to hit the next period of moving water at 1400.   Joined by Mike Shina, and with plenty of Spot, we headed back to Piling 41.  This time we added weight to the rods, and immediately started tying into fish.  Mike's call sign quickly went from "Gilligan" to "Liveliner," as he boated five of the six fish that went into the cooler, with one fish going 28 inches.  By far the best day of fishing this season!

By 1600 or so we were leisurely heading back to the dock, enjoying Striped Bass pale ales along the way.  A great week of figuring things out.  And a big shout out to Captain Tilghman Hemsley of the Breezin' Thru, and Ark Angel Charters, for keeping the skunk off!

Tight lines,
Mikey D. Fishing

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

Back in the Rockfish Groove 13 Jul 19

I was glad that Bery Edmonston and his Coastie son Jonathan were able to come aboard Mikey D Fishing on Saturday.  Jonathan had liberty for the weekend, but I guess it is much better to be on the water with a rod in your hand versus a mop on the deck of a Coast Guard cutter.  Conditions were typical for July.  There was a 5 knot steady breeze from the west.  Temperatures were in the low 90s while surface water temperatures had climbed to the low 80s.   We were working the first part of an outgoing tide as forecasted by the Nautide fishing app.  It not only predicts tides and weather, but it also gives insight into potential fishing activity throughout the day.

Most of the charter fleet had transitioned to working the pilings on western side of the Bay Bridge.  Hoping to get back into our traditional method of chunking for stripers, we sunk alewife chunks and soft crabs in hopes of enticing some keepers.  As a refresher, chunking involves fresh bait on circle hooks (at least 8/0).  We use Penn and Okuma bait runner reels with 3 or 4 oz. weights.  The weights are attached to a sliding swivel allowing the enticed target to take the bait without feeling resistance as the bait runner drag readily yields line.  It takes some patience and discipline even for experienced anglers to let the striper peel line off the reel before setting the hook and fighting the fish.

After setting up on a spider piling, we consistently marked fish on our Simrad.  The fish finder didn't lie as we proceeded to bring 10 stripers to the boat including 4 keepers, the largest of which was 24".  Most of the fish were caught in a 45 minute window on the incoming tide.   The bait of choice was soft crab outperforming the alewife 2:1.  Bery and Jonathan both landed nice keepers within minutes of one another.  For a brief period we almost doubled up as fish began to bump multiple rods.

Finally I feel like we are back in the game.  While the numbers aren't as strong as the last few years and the probability of limiting out a bit lower; nevertheless we are catching healthy keeper sized stripers again!  Fingers are crossed that strong summer fishing will continue and eventually give way to robust fall top water action.

Tight Lines, 

Mikey D Fishing

Potter County Fishing Report: West Branch Fishing Creek Lost and Found

Mid-July means daytime temps in the mid-80s and low water in the small streams.  But with evening temps down in the upper 50s to low 60s, the water temps are cool enough in the early mornings and late evenings to wet a line and not stress out a trout.

So this evening I grabbed the flyrod and forceps, tied on a single foam hopper, and headed down to the Pavilion Hole at Camp Bearclaw about 7:45.  The stream had returned to its mid-summer form after torrential thunderstorms over the 4th of July weekend; low but with enough places for trout to hold.  Fishing upstream and close to the bank, I slowly worked the hopper up the right side of the hole.  Finally, at the top of the hole, a fish came after the fly, but slow reflexes after a fishing hiatus for a week scored a victory to the trout.  I decided to give the spot a few more casts, hoping that the fish had not tasted steel and might be stupid (or hungry) enough to take a second time.  Sure enough, a few casts later the fish hit the fly again, and a nice 10 inch Brookie came to hand.  I'm pretty sure that the trout was the same wild fish that took Elliot "Bearclaw" Felker to co-victory in the Extravaganza Trout Derby a week and a half before.

After a few more casts and a waterlogged hopper, I decided to walk down to the lower hole and give my fly a chance to dry out.  Fly fishing for trout is at best aspirational.  Anyone who expects to catch trout on a fly is either too new to the sport or too arrogant to realize how fickle the trout gods are.  The two Golden Trout are still in the hole, although a lack of recent catching got me thinking that the Goldens had chased off other fish.  Or perhaps Mr. Heron was filling his belly with the six Brownies that I had stocked two weeks before. So with my foam hopper semi-dry, I gave the hole a few casts.  The hole runs lengthwise about 20-25 feet, with a riffley entrance that churns up the water at the top of the hole, and moves fairly quickly down the rest of the hole.  On the far side is a sunken log that runs about the entire length of the hole, and has eaten many a fly.  As I only had one fly, and it wasn't in the best of shape, I tried to keep it afloat by putting it in the calmer water.  As the hopper got to the end of the log, I was surprised to see a fish, not a Golden, take the fly.  From there, though, it got interesting, as the fish wrapped itself around the lower tapered end of the log, leaving enough line for the fish to move a bit, but not enough for it to break off.  I tried to unwrap the line from the log, but that didn't work.  And I didn't want to lose my only fly (or the fish), so I hopped in the water, waded over, broke off the end of the log, and brought a 10 inch Brownie to hand. As it wasn't too colored up, I figured it was one of the stockies.  One down, five to go.

Since I was in the water, and my sandals (like my fly) were soaked, there really wasn't any reason to get out, and it allowed for a more concealed casting position.  So I gave the hole a few more casts.  By this time my hopper was sitting just below the surface, and no drying (again, I was minimalist fishing; no floatant) was going to save it.  But I figured a terrestrial is also likely to sink a bit, so I kept casting.  Sure enough another trout hit the fly just below the surface.  This Brownie was again 10 inches, but colored up, so am thinking that it was a wild fish.

A few more casts without a take convinced me it was time to head back to the tavern for a cocktail and blog entry.  But as I was climbing out of the creek, I happened to look down and saw a green foam hopper laying on the grass.  I noticed a few days ago that one had fallen off my vest, a routine occurrence for me.  So the trout gods seemed to be telling me that I would be rewarded by switching out my soaked hopper.  Which I did.  But, as I said, the trout gods are fickle.  And my attempts to pull one more trout from the stream went for naught.

So with the sun setting it was time for the tavern.  On the walk back a young spike buck and doe almost walked into me.  The field had just been cut, so the two might have thought they were still invisible, but recognized their camouflage as gone when they got within 20 feet of me.

Three trout and a found fly.  All in all a decent evening.

Tight lines,

MikeyDFishing

Paddling for Pescado - 1 July 2019

                                                                                                                                          1 JUL 19

Those of us who fish know the siren call of the water.  That call is even stronger on the ocean's edge.  At the start of our family's annual migration to Bethany Beach, Delaware; I woke Sunday morning, July 1, to find the Atlantic as calm as a lake.  It was perfect for a morning of paddle boarding enhanced with a fishing rod at the ready.

Right after I put in I was surrounded by sea life.  No sooner had I stood on the board and crossed the surf zone, a pod of dolphins swam toward and under me.   Calm winds enhanced the visibility down to 10 feet or so.  Perfect for sight casting.  There were several groups of dolphins within a mile or two of the shore and ospreys, terns, gulls, and pelicans patrolled overhead.

It wasn't long before I was able to ease up on a school of alewife and swap the paddle for a jigging rod tipped with a 1/2 oz jig head and a chartreuse paddletail.  Jigging for alewife is nothing to brag about, but feeling the tug of a snagged 10" forage fish is not a bad way to start the day.  I lost interest after a few fish were caught and released and began to scan the horizon more intently.  About 1/2 mile off of the beach I noticed all manner of sea birds diving on another school of baitfish.

As I paddled closer to the dark mass of fish being worked by fowl above, I saw the distinct flashes of snapper bluefish slicing through the school.  Even more interesting was that the school of baitfish was composed of thousands of silversides 1 - 3" in length.  As it goes in the Chesapeake in the fall, so it goes in the ocean in the summer.  Following the birds pays off.  Predator and gamefish prefer the smaller silversides this time of year and my first cast into the frenzy confirmed it as I was rewarded with a bluefish.  As I removed the hook, the snapper blue regurgitated a half dozen silversides. Without missing a beat, the bluefish chased more bait as soon as it was released to the water.   I caught two more before the blues tore up my paddletail, then attacked my jig head, before cutting my line.

Adding to the excitement, a 4' shark (probably a blacktip or a smooth dogfish) cruised through the bait in search of a quick and easy snack.  Given that I was occupied with paddling, fishing, and generally trying to stay afloat, my pictures are limited to a quick shot of the shore and a pic of the nervous waters generated by one of the massive baitfish schools.   I am determined to bring the GoPro next time to provide a better photographic perspective of the bounty just beyond the surf!

Tight Lines,

Mikey D Fishing

Potter County Fishing Report: West Branch Tavern Fourth of July Extravaganza Fishing Tournament

The highlight of the summer party season, the WBT experienced another great 4th of July extravaganza.

One of the reasons reasons was the main course:

We also had a pretty good fishing tournament.  Unfortunately Amy Coleman, last year's winner, was unable to attend.  But that opened up the water to the rest of the anglers, who spent the morning dunking all kinds of bait, both live and artificial, to the trouts lurking in the west branch of Fishing Creek.

Temps were in the upper 70s, with partly cloudy skies and high humidity.  Water conditions were normal for July; low and clear, although Bob "The Trout Whisperer" Volkmar, who arrived earlier to ply the creek (and wound up with a nice 14 inch Brown, although regrettably caught before the official start of the tournament), reported that the water was cold.

Success for the anglers hoping to have their names immortalized on the official tournament plaque proved mixed.  The "b-dults," as Elliot "Bearclaw" Felker calls them, could not put a fish in the net.  But, the stream was rewarding to the five-and-under-crowd, who each managed to hook and land a decent trout.

I had stocked the stream on Friday with a dozen and a half Brown Trout, all around 10-11 inches.  But Elliot and his cousin Lily Whitfield wound up netting holdovers, perhaps even wild fish; a 10 inch Brookie for Bearclaw, and a nice 12 inch Brownie for Lily.

Picking a winner proved difficult, as both fish met the criteria for victory.  After convening for several hours, the Rules Committee decided to name Bearclaw and Lily as co-winners of the 2019 tournament.

Of course, what made the extravaganza a success were the family and good friends who ventured up to the "high lonesome" to hang out, fish, ride the ATV, play some shuffleboard, quaff a few beverages, and of course enjoy some roast pig.  Looking forward to seeing everyone at next year's soiree!

Tight Lines,
Mikey D Fishing