Summertime Blues...or at least Stripers

Late Entry.... July 11, 2020....Summer in the Chesapeake.  Heat, humidity, crabbing, and stripers.  Well, stripers if you can find them.  As the heat builds, the cownose rays tend to overwhelm the chunking.  Jigging can be sporadic.  The good news is that it is usually prime time to live-line with spot.  A visit to Anglers is our preferred means of requisitioning our allotment of spot.  However, I was headed out solo to scout for an oasis or two of stripers and along the way fill the live-well with spot as a passed hard bottom.  I tossed a top and bottom rig with a 1/2 ounce weight that was tipped with bloodworms in about 6 feet of water in Whitehall Bay.  As I drifted across the bottom, I immediately began to pick up perch, spot, and croaker.  After 10 minutes or so, I headed over to the can buoy at the mouth of the Severn.  

The pattern continued as I picked up baitfish on every pass.  The spot, a member of the drum family, were almost too big to use as bait and would have made good table fare had I been so inclined.  As mesmerizing as  catching spot after perch after croaker was, I knew that I had to find the stripers.  The Bay Bridge, sewer pipe, and Podickory Point were all dry holes.  Eventually I realized that my best bet was to follow the charter fleet up to Tolchester Beach.  That meant another 45 minute voyage north of the Bay Bridge.  

Hard to miss Tolchester.  A dozen or so charter boats were mixed with another 15 recreational fishermen in a 1,000 yard box defined by the shipping channel and the shoreline.  I parked in about 17 feet of water and after casting the bait runner rods with soft crabs, the reels soon began to scream.

Nothing big mind you, but I picked up one rockfish after another between 16 - 18 inches.  Problem is, the limit is 1 fish at 19 inches.   So after multiple fish and no bait (soft crabs and spot).  I headed back to homeport knowing that I found the fish and hoping that there were a few lunkers left behind.  

 

Our next entry continues with the challenges that summertime fishing in the Chesapeake presents.  

Tight Lines,

Mikey D Fishing

Happy Independence Day!

Freedom and Fishing.... 

Tight Lines,

Mikey D Fishing

Potter County Fishing Report: Trout Derby Preps

We own you, "Trout Whisperer"!

Better bring your A-Game, "Trout Whisperer"!

Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, 08-14 June: Dialing It In

The lock downs associated with the COVID virus basically kicked Mikey D Fishing to the right by a month.  Under normal conditions we would have had the boat in the water by mid-May, and figuring out the fish shortly thereafter.  This year, though, we launched the boat a little over two weeks ago, and really haven't had a chance to spend much time out on the bay.

We got that first shot this past week.  Although the tide charts were less than promising, sometimes you just have to go out when the schedule permits.  Aside from Thursday, when thunderstorms rolled in and put the fishing on hold, we got out on four days.  Air temps started out in the high 80s, but cooled off on Friday.  Water temps were in the mid to high-70s.  A bit of a chop at times, but not too uncomfortable.

Monday afternoon we were accompanied by long time pro bono client Mike Shina.  Since this was really our first time out, we decided to hit "the can," a buoy just off Hacketts Point, and south of the Bay Bridge.  We marked fish, but aside from a catfish, the fish ignored our cut Alewife and soft crab baits.  

We headed back out Tuesday afternoon. We checked the can, but interestingly did not mark any fish.  So we pointed the bow north and headed above the bridge.  After a quick scan around he sewer pipe, we continued north to Love Point, a few miles north of the bridge.  The number of boats in the vicinity was a good indicator that the stripers had begun their mid-summer move north of the bridge to find cooler and more oxygenated water.  We set up with the fleet, and began marking fish.  Not great numbers, but consistent.  Soft crabs were the bait of choice, as we boated a 27 incher  and a 22 incher in about 45 minutes of fishing, the first two keepers of the season.

The tides pointed to an early morning departure on Wednesday.  So we left the dock around 0530, and got up to Love Point around 0600 or so.  Had the boat anchored and baits in the water around 0610.  By 0630 the anchor was up, two keepers were in the box, and we were headed back to the dock.  We seemed to have things dialed in.

But ... not so fast.  On Friday, my last day in town, we were joined by Dad, sister Amy and brother Jeff.  Of all the days of the week, Friday was theoretically the best, with good tidal flows, cooler temps, and light winds.  Unfortunately, the fish don't seem to pay attention to the forecasts, which aren't all that accurate anyway.  The light winds turned out to be about 15 knots, which made for a choppy ride up to Love Point.  The winds died down eventually, but the fishing never picked up.  We had some decent hits on soft crab, but the fish were't running with the baits.  We did pick up a couple of shorties on metal jigs, but that was it.

I departed Annapolis on Saturday, and stopped in Coburn to hit Penns Creek.  I figured that, since the Green Drake hatch was done, the stream would be less crowded.  And I was correct.  I had my favorite section all to myself.  And the bugs were coming off, mostly Sulphurs.  Unfortunately, the trout must have known that it was me flailing away at the water.  When the sun dropped over the mountains, the fish started rising.  And I threw every Sulphur pattern I had at them, but couldn't buy a look.  About the only excitement was the doe that nonchalantly crossed the stream right above me.  

But that's Penns, at least for me.  To add insult to injury, as I was packing up to head back to God's Country Sunday morning, the fish gods were sending me a message.

The torture continued on Saturday down south for Capt. Joe and Capt. Salt Life down south.  The good news is that we had a chance to live line after we procured 8 spot on top and bottom rigs in Whitehall Bay.  They were almost too big for live lining and would have made decent table fare.  Nevertheless we headed to some of our historically productive bay bridge pilings only to get skunked.   

Capt Salt Life went out on Sunday with friends on Sunday and caught over 20 live lining and jigging.  It is good that fishing is a passion to counter the capriciousness of fishing success from one day to the next.   Overall, I am optimistic that the streams will bring trout to the net and the Chesapeake will fill the cooler throughout the season!

Tight Lines,

Mikey D Fishing

Nemacolin Brookie

Before my fishing focus turns exclusively to striped bass, I had the opportunity to head to the Laurel Highlands in Western PA to Nemacolin Lodge to experience a four star resort, restaurants, relaxation, and a sense of normalcy compared to the last few months.  Nemacolin also boasts access to incredible fly fishing through their guide center.  Within reach of the lodge, there are a number of classic freestone streams, spring creeks, and tailwater.  

I was fortunate to be posted with Mike Steiner who runs the fly fishing operations out of the lodge.  Mike asked all the right questions from the outset to understand my level of experience and goals for the day.  After a few minutes heading toward the river, we were swapping fish stories and tactics.  I could tell it was going to be a great day of fishing with Mike.  Our destination was the Youghiogheny river.  Near Confluence, PA, the water is a tailwater fishery.   Ph is near neutral with caddis and midges being the predominant insects near the dam.  It was a short wade down river just past a bridge with a single deep unobstructed channel that caught my attention with trout intermittently slurping bugs from the surface.  A quick glance a Mike revealed that this could be on of those double digit fish days.   

The slaps on the water and dimples from slurping fish were deceiving.  Our first caddis / midge dropper combo produced a false strike and several looks.  A pattern developed where we would change the size or color of the caddis, get a look, a refusal or a single strike to be followed by several casts of nothing.  Persistence and Mike's experience paid off with two nice takes.  Unfortunately, both fish went into the weeds and escaped the net.  When the next pattern induced a strike, I did not hesitate to aggressively turn the fish from the grass on the bottom and eventually landed the brookie who fought much stronger than a typical 12" fish.

Other than the two fisherman who failed to follow the unwritten rules of fishing etiquette and spent an hour or so casting into my drift directly across from me, it was a very pleasant and rewarding afternoon.  More than any other kind of angling, the rewards of fly fishing are not counted by the number of fish in the creel.  A healthy fishery, a great guide, unravelling the mystery of feeding fish, and a strong tug on the end of the line are more than this angler can ask for during a day on the river.

Tight Lines,

Mikey D Fishing

Mikey D Fishing Report, 30 May: Full Spectrum Operations!

A gorgeous Saturday in Potter County meant another day on the water.  Mary and I headed to the southern part of the county to fish Little Kettle Creek.  The Trout Whisperer and I had fished it a few days earlier with pretty good results.  Normally the longer you go in the spring, the lower the water levels on these small streams.  But with rain passing through the day before, I figured a dose of water would keep the stream fishable.  And we were not disappointed.  We got on the water around 10:00 am.  Temps were in the low 60s under partly cloudy skies and a bit of a breeze.  Mary had not been fishing in quite awhile, so she took some practice casts at the first fishy looking hole.  And within 3 casts she had landed her first native Brookie of the year.

We headed downstream a bit and fished back up to the truck.  Saw a few Sulphurs and Drakes, but not a lot of bug activity.  The fish didn't seem to care.  We fished dries all morning; Drakes, Suphurs, Adams Humpys.  Just about every fly produced strikes.  The only problem, at least for me, was everything after the strike.  When I wasn't missing fish I was losing fish.  Mary, on the other hand, doubled up on her count with a 4-incher before lunch.

We were going to fish upstream from the truck after lunch, but the sight of another angler nixed that idea.  So we opted for Plan B and headed a few miles south to fish Kettle Creek.  There's a fairly extensive fly-fishing only C&R section.  It's big water, although very wadeable this time of year.  Yet, even with the number of vehicles parked in the pull outs, there was plenty of room to spread out, and I figured since it was catch and release, there'd at least be an opportunity to stick a few fish, and hopefully get the skunk off.

We pulled into a large parking area right next to a bridge spanning the creek.  A few trucks in the lot, but pretty light for a Saturday.  Mary and I rigged up and headed a short way upstream.  We came across decent numbers of fish.  Unfortunately, changing water did nothing to cure the malady.  Miss, miss, throw the fly, miss, throw the fly....  Had I known the disease was contagious, I would have kept more distance from Mary.  But she contracted the infection, and we both flailed away; you could hear the trout laughing.

We headed back to the truck, a couple of cold IPAs took a little sting out of the afternoon.  Then it was decision time.  Fish, or go home.  There was a nice stretch of water at the bottom of the parking lot.  The bank was steep enough and the water deep enough to keep anglers from directly entering the water.  It also looked really fishy.  So I figured one more try.

I was right about the fishy part.  The stretch held a lot of fish, and judging from a couple of the looks my flies got, some decent sized fish.  But, once again, the bad mojo continued.  If I wasn't missing the take, the fish were throwing the fly.  The ominous prospect of fly fishing remediation from the Trout Whisperer was in the back of my mind when I tied on the last fly of the day, a size 10 March Brown.  A few casts later and a fish actually took the fly, I correctly set the hook, the trout didn't throw the fly, and I got a decent Rainbow in the net!

Meanwhile, about 300 miles to the south in the salty water.... Mikey D Fishing was finally able to launch and complete an initial "shakedown" cruise.  Accompanied by Capt. Salt Life, we completed our checklist to make sure that all systems are working 4.0.  Usually, Captain Felker and I are well into the striper season at this point.  Covid, followed by a virtual fishing moratorium in Maryland which preceded a complete tear down and rebuild of the Mikey D Fishing dock all conspired to delay our first underway period.

It made everything better to hear the sweet sound of the 150 HP Mercury and feel of the Ultra Elite slicing through the Chesapeake; however, Capt. Salt Life and  I also wanted to feel a tug on the end of the line.  Given my son's proclivity towards activity, we decided to jig at the eastern end of the bay bridge.  It was a beautiful Saturday morning.  Temps quickly rose to the mid 70s.  Several boats appeared to be set up just north of the bay bridge span near the area known as the "sewer pipe".  Most likely they were chumming and chunking.  It served as a reminder that we are hopefully just a couple of weeks away from live-lining spot for keepers.  Speaking of keepers, this year we are allowed one fish per angler per day 19" or greater.

We worked bridge pilings at the start of the incoming tide in 6 - 13' of water.  Most boats don't work there that often.  We have found that early in the morning and just before dusk, the shallows can be very productive.  I maneuvered us between pilings, adjusting to tide and an opposing breeze.  Capt. Salt Life's went to jigging using purple BKDs. We were rewarded with two stripers that were not big enough for the box but were big enough to get the winter skunk off the boat.  I believe it is a sign of bigger and better fish to come.  Mikey D Fishing looks forward to hosting our clients this season.  Welcome Aboard!



Tight Lines (Fresh and Salt)

Mikey D Fishing

Potter County Fishing Report, 24-27 May: A Turning Point?

Conditions over the last few months have certainly made the fishing difficult.  It was beginning to look like spring was never going to arrive.  Add to that government-mandated travel and recreational restrictions, and it's a wonder that we could wet a line at all.

About a week or so ago things started looking up.  Mother Nature got things started by looking at the calendar and realizing that She had forgotten to throw the season change switch.  All of a sudden the weather warmed and the trees got into full spring mode.

Time to put the streamers aside and look for the boxes of dry flies and terrestrials.  On Sunday, Mary and I spent the afternoon just hanging out at the Pavilion Hole, sipping some vino, and watching the stream flow by.

Of course, with the warmer temps came the anticipation that bugs might come off the water and entice a trout to rise.  So the gear was nearby, ready to take advantage of the first dry fly action of the year on the West Branch.

The West Branch is not known for prolific hatches.  But the mayflies do come off at times.  And this evening we saw the first; a few March Browns and Sulphurs.  A little while later we saw a few splashy rises, so I grabbed the rod, tied on a Parachute March Brown, and after a few casts had my first trout on a dry from the West Branch this year.

On Monday I had a hankering for smoked trout, so decided to do a little meat hunting.  I hit the stocked stretch of Lyman Run.  By the time I got on the water around 10:00 am, the air temps were in the 70s and forecast to climb into the 80s. (Maybe Mother Nature had thrown the switch all the way to summer).  I managed one 12 inch Rainbow on a Wooly Bugger right off the bat, and into the creel he went.  Unfortunately, my assumption that a quick fish would result in a limit proved faulty, as I spent the rest of the morning fishing and not catching.  I gave up on Lyman Run, but still needed a few more fish for the smoker.  There were a couple of decent holes on the East Branch of Fishing Creek, so I made my way up to one of them, which we've called "The Lazy Boy Hole," because of the abandoned lounger sitting in the pull off.  The hole not only gets a heavy stocking early in the season, but is one of the few spots on the creek which holds decent water when the stream starts getting low.  Sure enough, I could see three fish swimming around in the hole.  But whether it was the heat or my anxiety about putting more fish in the creel, for awhile all of my attempts went for naught.  I had hookups, but nothing to the net.  Running out of options, I tied on a orange and chartreuse egg pattern, and managed to land a Rainbow.  I was thinking that three fish would make a decent smoked trout dinner.  But the heat drained the rest of my enthusiasm, and I left the hole with my two fish.  While the smoker is still unused for the year, we did make the most of the two trout the next morning on the grill.

Wednesday, Bob "Trout Whisperer" Volkmar and I lit out to explore some sections of Kettle Creek.  Kettle is one of the iconic trout waters in Pennsylvania, particularly this time of year when the hatches begin.  In the morning we decided to fish Little Kettle Creek, a small trib of its larger namesake.  While the temps were again to be in the upper 70s, cloud cover kept them down a bit.

You'd have a hard time finding a more beautiful PA freestoner.  It had all the classic characteristics of great trout water; riffles and runs, undercut banks, woody debris.  And while it's classified as stocked trout water, there was an abundance of native and wild fish.  There were quite a few bugs coming off the water; March Browns, Sulphurs, and even the first Green Drakes.  We fished attractors, such as Humpys and Stimulators, and took (or missed, or lost) Brookies in every spot that looked fishy.

I attributed the good mojo to my environmental good deed for the day.  Hearing what sounded like a rock rolling down a steep bank, I looked and noticed that the rock was actually a Box Turtle, on its back and having a difficult time righting itself.

For reasons outside the scope of this blog, I felt his pain, and offered a bit if a help righting the reptile and sending him on his way to the stream.

The it was back to catching....

After a quick lunch we drove a few miles down and fished Kettle proper at Ole Bull State Park.  I had brought along the Tenkara rod that Mary had given me for my birthday.  For those not acquainted (like me), Tenkara is a 19th century Japanese fly fishing method, comprised of a long (10-15 ft) rod, and no reel.  The modern Tenkara rods are collapsible, which makes them attractive for the hiking crowd.  Instead of the reel, a short (9 feet or so) section of line is attached to the tip of the rod, followed by about 4 feet of 4X tippet, and then the fly.  I suppose there's something to the story of its origins, although I can remember as a kid catching pan fish in Florida with a long bamboo pole with a section of mono tied to the tip.

Fishing this rig is essentially high-sticking a fly in close proximity to the angler.  Casting technique is a bit different than the conventional rod and reel.  The idea is to keep the line off the water.  It doesn't take long to master the casting, although it is a bit tiring.  What I have yet to figure out is the hook up.  So, while the Trout Whisperer continued to pound the Brookies, I spent the rest of the day missing fish.  Hooking a fish is essential to mastering the next step, which is landing a fish with no way to reel in line.  Will probably head up to Rainbow Paradise and report.

All in all a great few days.  With these temps the next few weeks are setting up to be prime time for fishing dries.  Even better news is that the governor of Maryland lifted his restrictions on recreational boating, the Mikey D has had its preseason maintenance, and should be in the water within the week.  A bit late, but it's looking like season is getting into full swing.

Tight Lines,
Mikey D Fishing