It appeared to be a good day to go striper fishing. The skies were gray, variable winds to 5 knots, and we could keep in moving current throughout the entire day.
The crew met me at Sandy Point State Park around 6:45am. After a safety briefing and putting on the PFD’s, we headed east on the Chesapeake Bay. Robert Weeren, Kirk and Evan Schmidt, were excited with the hope of landing some striped bass while using light spinning tackle and lures.
The flood current was moving swiftly as we cruised around the Western and Eastern Rockpiles, but no stripers showed up on my Garmin. We cruised on the west side toward Tolly Point. The water at Tolly Point was dirty so we crossed the Bay to the eastern shore.
There were a lot of boats chumming when we got there. To catch stripers on lures you must move away from these boats. You’ll mark stripers, but they are keyed on nothing but chum. Using the chartplotter, I found the closest place that had clean water and moving current. We cruised there and found stripers on the 30 foot line…plenty of them. Once we arrived there catching went on for the next 3 hours.
Nice Stripers on the 30 Foot Line (top picture).
The fish caught ranged between 17 and 30 inches. All were healthy and fought hard before coming to the boat.
Kirk Landed this 30 inch striper. Above.
Most Productive Lure: Z-Man, 5″ Sented Jerk Shadz in Pearl attached to a 1/2 oz. BKD jighead.
Most Productive Technique: Crank-Crank, Jig-Jig
This is a 2-step technique where you jig the bottom then move the lure off the bottom and up through the water columns in a jigging motion. It’s highly productive on striped bass that are on the bottom or when suspended. Accomplish this technique by snapping the wrist rather than moving the rod using just the arm.
NOTE: The boat will be drifting down current with the motor off.
1st Step-Jigging the Bottom
From the up current side of the boat, cast the lure out, put the rod at 9 o’clock and let the lure hit the bottom. Swiftly snap the rod to the 10 o’clock position lifting the lure off the bottom swiftly. When the line starts to descend again move the rod tip downward in sync with the line until the lure hits the bottom again. Do this 2 or 3 times.
2nd Step-Jigging the Water Columns
The lure is still in the water after completing the 1st Step and on the bottom. Swiftly crank on the reel handle twice (**Crank-Crank**), then swiftly jig the lure twice (**Jig-Jig**). Do this until you get a hook-up or the lure is back to the boat.
Thanks Kirk, Robert and Evan for allowing me to enjoy your trip on the Chesapeake Bay.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Tom Hughes
Learn Your Fishfinder/Chartplotter