Fishing Tips

Updated: 09/13/03 11:41 AM

Here is the spot to look each week for informal fishing tips. Most of the time we will have short simple tips that come to us from all sources. You may submit a fishing tip if you like, and we will be glad to publish the worthwhile ones. We suggest Latitude/Longitude readings instead of Loran readings because Loran has become so outmoded, since the arrival of GPS.

Chumming

Chris

From: Chris65fish@aol.com

Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2000 6:28 PM To: bayfishing@csi.com Subject: Missing out on the action

This is for all those poor souls out on buoy 62 sitting there catching one fish every two hours. Let me help you! When you chum and use cut bait, DO NOT use any weight. Tie your hook straight to the line and free spool the bait with your chum slick. I promise, If you do it right you will have one hell of a day. Remember NO weight, No leader, When you do this hang on cause you will catch fish. I watch everyone sending there bait to the bottom when the fish are in the top half of the water. On any day I do this and lose count on how many rocks and blues I catch.

Good Luck!

Webmaster note:

I don't usually comment on someone else's tip, but this is a tip I especially agree with.  Too many people use weight on chum lines.   The idea here is that chum creates a situation where fish compete for food.   Obviously the largest fish are going to work their way back to the source pushing away (or even eating) the smaller fish.  The front of the line is up at the surface at the back of the boat, and that is where the big boys are.  Often we see the large stripers showing their tails at the surface as they turn away, when feeding is active.   I often wonder why people cast away from the source of their own chum line.

Crab Bait

Capt. Scott

From: Meiersa1@aol.com

Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2000 11:45 PM To: bayfishing@csi.com Subject: crab bait

For any crabbers out there: If you are a fisherman and a crabbier, never buy chicken necks again. I always use the heads for fish I've cleaned. You can put the hand line wire from mouth through gill or through the eyes and never lose your bait. Also, chicken is not as natural smelling, is bacteria ridden and the packages will eventually blow away from anyone (it's windy on the Bay) causing litter. I have used both chicken and fish and pulled more crabs up with the fish.

Good Luck Scott, Deal Island

Best Bait Is Free

Capt. Scott

From: Meiersa1@aol.com

Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2000 11:37 PM To: bayfishing@csi.com Subject: Spot: Best Bait is Free

I know it's a little early for this tip, but when the spot arrive, everyone should try this. Spot strips (especially from the white underbelly) are one of the best baits in the Bay. I usually have an ultralight with a small sinker, #8 fresh water hook, and some worms with me. (bloodworms are best but nightcrawlers are cheaper) I catch a few spot every now and then with the ultralight and cut them up for bait. I never run out of bait and spot seem to hit in high or low tide. I've caught rockfish, blues, weakfish, flounder, speckled trout and croaker on cut spot. If you have a youngster with you so much the better. Put the kid to work catching bait for you while you catch some nice fish from bait that you didn't pay $16.00 a dozen for.

Captain Scott Deal Island

Croaker Tip

Capt. Scott

From: Meiersa1@aol.com

Sent: Sunday, April 16, 2000 12:45 PM To: bayfishing@csi.com Subject: croaker fishing tips

I started out fishing for croakers with a top/bottom rig but had trouble with tangles. I decided to try out a one hook method. I chose the fish finder rig. I use a 2 ounce sinker with a barrel swivel about 2 feet from the hook. I use half blood worms slid over the shank of the hook. I get just as many, if not more, croakers this way than with the top/bottom rig. I also hook almost all fish that bite.

Captain Scott Dames Quarter MD

Night Fishing

Laura

From: laura00@starpower.net

Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 1999 10:41 AM To: bayfishing@csi.com Cc: bayfishing@csi.com Subject: nightlights

My boyfriend and I have been fishing in the river at night.  We fish around piers with lights on the end of them .  We use rattletraps.  Within a 30min.time limit we had 8 keeper rock 20\26inch.  All 4 of us had our limit.  If you want good fast action try fishing at night around piers with lights.  But be very careful not to spook the fish with boat. And make sure you have a lot of lures.  The fish hit so hard they break them.  My man goes out every night and gets his limit.  

Till next time and good luck.

Spinners

Ron Miller

From: kamakazi@corner.net

Hello everyone!

Just wanted to share a little of what I have learned in using spinners in salt water. A lot of people say that using spinners are a waste of time, but I have found that the best little spinner to use and least expensive is one that I have found in a store locally here called "Fish-Bones". You get three to a pack for only $2.49 which I thought at first was not very good because of the price, but found that the gold looking little inline spinners seem to bag white perch,yellow perch and pike.  I have noticed that I can use all the other lures I have and waste a lot of time casting and retrieving and not even getting a strike but when I use these little wonders I average between 25-30 white perch a day and about half that in yellow perch and near the cold water springs I bag loads of pike.  Just a little thing I noticed I would share with you all.

Good Luck!

Ron Miller Pasadena, Md. Bodkin Creek

Bridge Fishing

Dr. Dan

From: drdan@pinn.net

Sent: Thursday, June 17, 1999 9:24 AM To: 'CAPTAIN DENNIS' Subject:

When I'm anchored up to the the bridge,(I usually get 50 or 75 yards off the bridge-drop the anchor and by the time it catches I'm within 30 or 40 feet from the bridge- going for the drum or the cobia you don't want to be that close-but if you get too far off you wont attract the stripers) I will use a 4 gallon frozen chum bucket and I like to use menhaden. I buy the menhaden at Long Bay Pointe bait and tackle, I buy it in bags that contain 5-7 lbs., I have different moods so if I have some small menhaden I'll use the whole fish, if they are big I'll cut them in thirds. I use a 9 '0 hook with a 5 foot leader, if there are blues around I use wire if not heavy duty mono. I use what people call a fish finder, I call sinker slide so the strippers don't feel the weight when they investigate. I use the same rig and the same bait for the drum and cobia. Some people use live bait but I find that a pain. Some people use peeler crabs also. I use my big rod and trolling reel, on free spool with the clicker on. When the fish plays with it you hear a click, click, click, I may or may not pick up the rod at that point, you begin to get a feel for whether or not it is a good fish or a  skate or shark, but once the fish really takes off with it that clicker goes crazy. Then I take the rod out of the holder and hold it parallel to the water, flip the switch and crank back and set the hook. Sometimes a big stripper will head straight back at you, so as soon as I set the hook I crank like crazy even if it doesn't feel like he is hooked. I don't know if that was your question or not but also when I'm around the spines of the islands I use a 1 1/2 ounce bucktail with a pork rind. I also like a wind cheater with one of the treble hooks cut off, they are easier to remove from the fish that way. When the fish are hitting like popcorn at the surface a creek chub is great plugging along the top. Anyway happy fishing.

Dr. Dan

The Right Chum Depth

Pat Weis

From: pat.weis@eds.com

Sent: Monday, June 14, 1999 2:45 PM To: 'bayfishing@csi.com' Subject: Mixed Reports

Here is something to think about while chumming...monofilament. It took me a little while of daydreaming about fishing, but this makes total sense - to me anyway. I am a die hard largemouth and smallmouth bass fisherman who occasionally gets down to Tilghman to Striper fish (notice I am from PA so I catch "stripers" and not "rockfish"). On Sunday the 5th we chummed the Gas Docks and boats in the area were for the most part on a slow catch. We on the other hand were averaging anywhere from 6-10 hits per hour per man. We caught plenty of fish on the short side of the slot and wound up running out of bait while playing C&R for a few hours. So my point is this...while bass fishing with baits like crankbaits you can vary your depths by switching line diameters. For example, a normal 8-10 foot running crankbait will perhaps hit 11 feet with 8lb test line where on 20b test line may only reach 7 feet. This has to do w/line buoyancy. The thing about this that makes it interesting is that generally w/a crankbait you are using some sort of opposing force to get the c-bait down (i.e: your rod and reel, as well as your retrieval speed) However, there are two other factors when fishing small, light pieces of cut-bait without any weight into your chum-slick, and those factors are water temperature and tide-speed. The colder the water the faster your bait will fall simply b/c of smaller molecules will offer less resistance than larger ones when the water is warm. The tide-speed will also play a role - but not as big b/c you want your bait to fall with the chum. So did you ever wonder that the reason you're catching fish and the guy next to you isn't is b/c your tackle better matches the conditions than his? In all seriousness, how many of you are chumming w/the same rods and reels (w/40# test) that you used for trolling this spring - without success?

What I noticed on the 5th is that my bait - when dropped in the chum slick - fell right along with the chum pieces - not faster and not slower, but at the same pace. That day I was fishing with 10lb Berkley Big Game (green) - and catching fish. Trust me, it had nothing to do with me, it was all in my tackle and I believe in the mono that I was using.

The only reason that I bring this up is b/c MD DNR says the stripers are best on the troll - and I think that is wrong! I also don't see a lot of reports on the chumming, especially when we are 8 days after a great day of chumming for our boat. Again, this is just a suggestion, but try this. Buy some line in 100 yard spools of 8,10,12,15,17,20 and 25 LB test line (a local tackle dealer can probably give it to you for around 1-3 cents a yard.) and cut sections of 10-15 foot leaders and tie your hook on one end and a barrel swivel on the other and put it in a baggy w/some masking tape on the outside stating its contents. When you get to your spot, drop your line right into your chum slick and watch it fall. If it falls at the rate of your chum - you're set to go. If not, take a 30 second break and try something either lighter or heavier. You never know...it may make your day.

Tight Lines....

Shads on the Bottom

Jesse Smith

From: thesmiths1@home.com

Sent: Wednesday, December 09, 1998 9:12 PM To: bayfishing@csi.com Subject: Sassy Shads on the Bottom

Throughout the past two or three years I have discovered the greatest way to catch stripers. My personal favorite lure is a 4" Blue/Pearl Sassy Shad with a 1 oz matching jig head. I live in the Norfolk area and do not know about bridges up the Bay but this structure is the key to my technique. Anchor your boat up-tide of the bridge (so that the stern is 10-15 feet away from the bridge piling). Cast your shad parallel to the bridge and reel it in as slowly as possible. You should feel the lure bumping across the bottom and then off the piling. Off the piling is where the fish are. be careful, the strike can feel almost exactly like the bottom. This technique works best when in 25-30 feet of water and at night. Follow these instructions and I guarantee a cooler (well your limit) of fish. I have caught some of my best stripers using this method at the James River Bridge. Give me an e-mail if you want more info.

Jesse Smith thesmiths1@home.com

Proper Catch & Release

rditzler@redrose.net

From: rditzler@redrose.net Sent: Saturday, November 21, 1998 2:52 PM To: bayfishing@csi.com Subject: Catch and Release

Everybody who practices catch and release knows how great it feels to let that fish go. But how many of you realize the mortality rate of catch and release due to improper handling?

I was appalled at how many recreational anglers I have observed improperly handling fish.

BARBLESS,BARBLESS,BARBLESS......! To all fisherman, please use barbless hooks or at least squeeze the barbs down. My catch rate has not gone down at all since I now go barbless. As long as you keep tight lines, barbless will not effect your catch either. For those of you who want to keep a few fish for in the frying pan, you can pretty much tell if you have a keeper when you get the fish next to the boat. If not measurable, do not take the fish out of the water and do not handle the fish. Instead, use a pair of long nosed pliers and grab the shank of the hook and with a gentle but quick twist of the wrist the fish will be released virtually unharmed. I urge all of you to try this. Please, do not unintentionally kill any fish.

One other thing. If you MUST bring a fish into the boat, DO NOT use a rag to handle the fish. I continually see this done on other boats and it makes me cringe. I guess the best way, other than not handling, is to wet your hands first and keep from handling the fish as much as possible. Most people that use rags to handle fish don't realize that they are removing the protective slime from the fish. Maybe I am being rude when I say this, but if you can't handle a fish bare handed, you shouldn't be fishing.

Jigging for Stripers

Joanne Broskey

From: Joannebroskey@expresshost.com

Sent: Saturday, November 07, 1998 4:29 PM To: bayfishing@csi.com Subject: 11/7/98 Choptank River Fishing

Fished the Choptank River From 9:00 to !2:00. The water temp was 54. Weather was cold and the winds high, but this is the time of the year we wait for. Caught 38 rockfish in depths of 20 - 25'. Size range 16 -24", most were legal. The secret is vertical jigging, keeping the lure right on the bottom. Try a fairly heavy white bucktail tipped with a chart. or white 4" sassy shad fished to 10 lb. test "thin" line. Fish in the general area were you see birds working, you do not need to be right in the birds. Drop the lure straight down until you feel it hit the bottom, do not cast. Jig up/down approximately 2'. The strikes can be quite subtle. Let out line to keep in contact with the bottom. After about one minute reel in and start again. I fished the area between Oxford and Tilghman Island. Good luck, fish hard, I hope this is useful to someone. Please treat the resource gently.

Chum What They Eat!

Rinker Joe

From: jkbeale@erols.com

Sent: Friday, October 30, 1998 9:48 AM To: bayfishing@csi.com Subject: Lower Bay fishing

I was chumming by the target ship last Sat. and the people in the boat next to me were catching fish every time they threw their line in. I wasn't catching anything, even though I had freshly ground chum from Courtney's ( he ground it while I waited). I was using large chunks of cut alewives. This went on for about an hour and I couldn't figure out what they were using for bait. Then I remembered an old saying - give them what they are eating. So I used a small piece of chum. Wham - I caught a 21 inch stripper as soon as the line hit the water. I also found out that you have to vary the depth as the chum sinks. I had nothing but the hook tied to the line and my partner had a snap swivel on and his would sink a few feet lower than mine. I would get a couple of fish on and he wouldn't, then he would get a bunch on and I wouldn't. So we started to vary our depths and we got so much action, we got tired (we were releasing them and only kept our four). The moral? - Very subtle changes can make the biggest differences whether you catch fish or not.

Cheers, Rinker Joe

Noodle your leaders!

Steve

From: SoaperSJ@navair.navy.mil

Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 1998 10:09 AM To: 'fishing reports' Subject: Fishing Tip

I've tried for years to come up with a way to keep leaders and rigs organized. Here's my latest development. I went to WalMart and purchased what I call a "Pool Noodle". You know those things that people use in the swimming pool to float around on. The one that I purchased had a 1/2 " diameter hole through it. My original idea was to use a 1 foot section of this to slip over the handle of my dip net so the next time I forget it's on top of the boat and it blows overboard it will float. This worked great. I still had a five foot piece of the material left over and stowed it in the cabin. What struck me next was to cut some two to three inch long pieces of this "Noodle" and use them to wrap my leaders around. This also works great. They are a little cumbersome but really handy. I just throw mine in the live well with the minnow bucket when I'm not using the livewell and put them in the minnow bucket when I am using the well. I also cut a piece about 14 inches long and use it to stow my bottom rigs. When switching from an in-line rig to a drop leader rig I simply unwrap the new leader that I want to use and use the same small piece to wrap the leader that is coming off. It sure saves me a lot of time when changing setups. I hope some others find this handy.

Steve on the "Overnite Sensation"

Shrimp Baiting

Paul Pelland

From: search@scsupernet.com

Sent: Sunday, September 13, 1998 11:07 AM To: bayfishing@csi.com Subject: Shrimp Baiting in The Low Country

Having just moved to this area, I'm finding a myriad of new ways to goof off. Last night I discovered the quintessential Nirvana, albeit the Holy Grail of good-ole-boy activities. In the past I've hunkered in a wet and freezing blind on Maryland's Eastern Shore hunting fat Canadian Geese or crunched through frozen salt marshes pass shooting ducks. I've sipped cheap whiskey in many a smoke-filled hunting camp in the wilds of North-central Pennsylvania, swapping lies about the buck I had in my sights but let him go because I was waiting for that trophy I spotted the day before. The warm fondness remains in my heart as I recall the many trips off of Swan Point, "The Trips" and Hickory Thicket Lump cranking in big Rockfish during "The Early Season". Guys, I think I hit the jackpot last night.

Here in South Carolina it's legal to 'bait' shrimp. Long ago outlawed in Florida and Georgia, here, "The Shrimp Baiting Season" marks the High Holy Days of the fishing seasons. You need a special license ($25.00) on top of your regular fishing license ($6.00) to bait shrimp. The season starts September 1st. Baiting is performed by mixing fishmeal with clay and rolling it into softball-sized balls. The clay acts as a medium to keep the fishmeal concentrated in a small area. Some folks mix dry dog food into the clay rather than the smelly fishmeal. Baiters, using anything from 12 foot john boats and up, place 10 to 12 foot PVC pipes in the river mud parallel and about 10 to 20 yards from the sides (depending on the drop-off rate of the bottom) of the bays and rivers here. This is done on a falling tide and as each PVC marker is placed, a fishmeal/clay ball is dropped near the marker. Just after mean low tide, (as the tide starts to rise) the shrimp move from deeper water and work themselves shoreward in an attempt to get into the grass line that edges the water. The shrimp pass the baits and start feeding in earnest. While baiting goes on all day long, it seems that your luck is always better after dark.

This is when the baiters strike. Armed with circular cast nets from 5 to 10 feet in diameter (monofilament mesh nets that flair out like a ballerina's skirt when properly thrown and costing anywhere from $30.00 for the cheap, machine-made to $60.00 and up for the hand-made versions), the netter stands in the front of the boat and the engine man slowly aims the boat at the first PVC Marker. Wind, tide and current is critical here and teamwork is paramount. Just within casting distance of the PVC stake and against the current, the motorman slows to a dead crawl. The netter swings and releases the net (hopefully over the mass of feeding shrimp). As the net settles, the motorman places the motor in reverse. At the netter's signal, the motorman guns the engine in full reverse to aid in the net closing faster. It's all over within a few seconds.

If the netter's cast was accurate, and if the net was thrown and set properly, and if there were shrimp feeding over the bait, and if the motorman reversed in proper sequence, now's the time when the excitement starts. In a rapid hand-over-hand motion, the netter quickly hauls in the net. The motorman now has the engine in neutral and works his way forward to open one of the 40 quart coolers aboard to store the catch. The netter can immediately feel what's in the net. He'll say it feels heavy or in our case last night, "You'd better open two coolers." On the cast over the first PVC-marked bait, we pulled up enough shrimp to fill our first 40 quart cooler half way to the top.

Mixed in with the shrimp are all kinds of stuff; baby flounder, crabs of all sizes, mullet fingerlings and an occasional Spot, small Sea Trout or Redfish. You cull these as you go making sure to handle the small fish so as to get them back in the water safely. The Spots went into one 5 gallon bucket and the big crabs into another.

You make a cast on every PVC marker and repeat the process. After you finished with your string (we call them "licks" on The Eastern Shore when using a trot line for crabs) you drift back with the current and let the shrimp come back to feed. This is always the best part for me. This is when the cold beers come out and a pinch of snuff or chew goes in. Just like in the deer hunting camps of Pennsylvania and the duck blinds of Maryland, the stories start flowing. One's about the shark that was hooked that was so big (longer then the boat) the line had to be cut. Another is about the Turkey that roosted above the sleeping hunter and the quail hunt that ended up with an interview with the Game Warden. Same old stuff........

I'm a transplanted Yankee. I'm new here. Here the Civil War is referred to as "The War of Northern Aggression." Main Landers and "outsiders" here on Johns Island are viewed with caution and coolness. I'm working myself in very slowly with the local good-old-boy population and I seem to be doing pretty well. I learned very quickly never to use the words "how we did it up north" when in their company. I keep my mouth shut and just listen and only interject if I have something to say that perhaps may be more funny or shocking into a conversation. This seems to be working fine.

We had our limit well before high tide and just as the beer ran out. The Milky Way dimmed as the pale orange quarter moon rose in the east. With three coolers full of assorted shrimp, a half 5 gallon pail of Norfolk Spots and a full pail of big male crabs, we pulled up our PVC markers and called it an evening.

Normally my wife would have greeted me (smelling of beer, chewing tobacco, fish, a belly full of beer and a beet-red face) with a cold reception after one of these outings with my buddies. I walked in the front door with my big blue and white Igloo and told her to look inside. Even down here, shrimp in the store are very expensive. Her eyes lit up when she looked in.

She asked me when I was going out baiting again and I think she really meant it.

Adjusting in The Low Country and loving every second of it.

Tight lines,

Paul Pelland, Johns Island, SC YANKEE DOODLE

Broiled Fish Ingredients

From: finquest@juno.com

Sent: Thursday, June 18, 1998 9:34 PM

To: Bayfishing@csi.com

Subject: Broiled Fish Ingredients

Olive Oil

Oregano Flakes

Minced Garlic

Lemon Powder or Juice Paprika

Old Bay or something similar

" Directions"

In shallow pan lay fillets out on a piece of aluminum foil made into a boat of some sort to keep olive oil contained and save on making pan too dirty.  Coat fillets with olive oil,just enough to wet them with oil.  Lightly sprinkle the fillets with equal amounts of all of the other ingredients.  Go easy on old bay and the garlic.

Pre-heat oven to 550 degrees or Broil setting.  Put pan in broiler or oven for 8-12 minutes depending on thickness of fillets.  Keep an eye on them because olive oil can catch fire if it is too close to direct heat.

Marinated Bluefish Recipe

Capt. Chuck Jacobi of the "Slapshot"

For all those oily bluefish that annoy you, here's a good recipe:

- marinate all the fillets you need for dinner in a zip-lock bag with

Italian dressing and lemon or lime

juice for 4 hours.

- on a covered, charcoal grill, lay fillets in a shallow foil baking

tray, as high above the coals as possible

- add some hickory or oak twigs to the fire and cover, cook till

flesh flakes easily, water down the twigs as needed to keep the flames down.

Capt. Chuck Jacobi

SlapShot, Shadyside, MD

Quick Rigging!

Tony Boschi

From: Tony Boschi [SMTP:tonyb@thenet.net]

Sent: Sunday, September 28, 1997 5:09 PM

To: bayfishing@csi.com

Subject: Tip's for "Quick Rigging"

 

One of the easiest ways that I have learned about getting back to the

action after either having to cut the leader for a deep hooked

fish or having to discard a rig for other reasons is something I learned

while Dolphin fishing (Mahi Mahi) in Florida.

What you need is a piece of plywood about two feet in length and about

6 inches wide. Cover the board, Both sides, With indoor/outdoor carpet

leaving only about an inch on top uncovered with carpet. Cut slices in

the wood (The thickness of the saw blade will do just fine) about a half

inch from each other and about a half inch deep all the way across the

top of the board.

When you make your "terminal rigs", You connect the loop on one end of

the line to the notches in the top of the board, Wrap your line around

the board longways, And connect the hook into the carpet.

The indoor/outdoor carpet makes it easy for the hook to be removed

easily and wrapping the line around the board keeps the leaders strait

and also keeps them from being tangled like the become when they are

stored in bags or on the bottom of your tackle box.

Stretch 25s - Be Sure You Are Legal!

(Capt. Dennis Shepherd - "Montana Sky")

Yes, the Stretch 25 lures are sheer dynamite on stripers this year. BUT ....Stretch 25 lures are illegal if fished straight out of the box. You are not permitted to fish a lure with 3 sets of treble hooks. You are only allowed 2 hooks on 1 line. So the thing to do is get yourself a set of split ring pliers (Cabela's has them) and take the extra time to remove all 3 sets of treble hooks, and replace the forward and the rear hook location with nice large single hooks, leaving the middle section empty. Tyler's Tackle Shop has even gotten in an order with 2 spare single hooks already in the box. All you need to do then is change them once you open the package. And another advantage of going to the single hooks is that you will be able to release fish far faster, by not having to fool with those stubborn trebles.

Believe me this will not hurt your catch ratio one iota. We are getting plenty of large stripers on the re-hooked Stretch 25s. These are the best striper lures I have ever used on the bay, beating even the #19 white Tony and the parachutes, for all around effectiveness.

Losing your bait to the Throwbacks?

From: Tim Morton

 

Don't you get tired of losing your bait to whatever bunker, crab, or

mini-fish decides to have a free lunch? Especially when it's that live

soft crab that you really had a tough time deciding if you should use it

for bait, or just take it home and fry him up.

I like to bag my soft crab in a loose-weave mesh like nylon net sold in

crafts shops or even the old nylon-mesh laundry bags. The wife's

pantyhose will do in a pinch, but I prefer a more open mesh. The larger

mesh allows the pieces of bait to stick out. Cut yourself a piece of

net approximately 4"x4", put a nice hunk of bait in and weave a rubber

band through the mesh at the top of the bag. Pull the rubber band tight

and stretch the excess around the top of your bag. Hook the bag through

the mesh, leaving the barb exposed (great for circle hooks). This method

presents a nice large bait for those keeper rocks, draws other fish, and

makes your bait last longer.

BTW I was told circle hooks were developed for long lining Tuna not

Halibut. My brother-in-law saw how well they work last weekend. He was

catching a few throwbacks and suggested I switch to regular hooks. As

soon as he said it, my pole bent over with a 22-inch rock. Three keepers

later he switched to the circle hooks.

More on Circle Hooks

From: Tim Morton

I read most of your inputs concerning circle hooks and would like to

comment that everyone was pretty much on the mark with their opinions.

Circle hooks or as we called them in Alaska "commercial hooks" were

designed to allow the fish to set the hook itself. They were and are

used primarily on long line commercial fishing set ups and are

considered the hook of choice for halibut (quite a bit bigger than the

ones used for rock).

I agree this type of hook reduces gut-hooking but to use it effectively

you have to allow the fish to mouth the bait a bit and not set the hook

like you have been watching a Sunday morning bass fishing show. A slow

gentle pull that teases the fish will do the trick or just be patient

and allow the rock to hook himself. They do work and should be

considered if you want to conserve the fishery.

Bait - How to Get It Cheap!

From: Johnny M Hogg [SMTP:hggwld@mail.ameritel.net]

Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 1997 5:34 PM

To: bayfishing@csi.com

Subject: Bluefishing in the Bay

 

One of the cheapest ways to spend a day fishing is to buy yourself a bag

of bloodworms and fish for spot. My friends and I often enjoy spending the

fishing for spot and then cutting them up and using the fresh fish for bait. The cool thing about

using spot as bait is that I've found that literally anything will hit a line with spot on it. I've

caught everything from bluefish to croaker. Some of the other fish I've caught on spot include: rockfish,

speckled trout, flounder red drum, and skate.

Bait - What Kind?

(Capt. Paul Pelland- "Yankee Doodle")

From: "Paul Pelland" <search@redrose.net>

Date: Mon, 30 Jun 1997 11:06:24 -0500

Teach, you wrote:

>>>>>

Paul, (I copied this to Captain Dennis Shepherd so he could put it on the HP)

I caught some of your fishing reports today, and had one question about your choice of bait...

You stated when chumming off Swan Point to use cut bunker fish. I’m new to the rockfish game and have never heard of bunker fish. Here on Kent Island, most guys tell me to use alewife. What are your thoughts? Are they similar, the same, or do I need to learn a lot more??? If they are different, which are better, and where can I get bunker fish?

I’m going to try to put my boat in Monday or Tuesday, to fish Love Point or Swan Point...I’ll try your 2-bag idea and see what happens...

Paul Tomassoni

"Teach"

teach@friend.ly.net

>>>>>

Paul:

Just like "weakfish, sea trout, speckled trout" have many names, so does "Bunker" , "Alewife," "Moss Bunker( New England)," "Menhaden," "Buggies" and I’m sure a bunch of other names. The Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and the Atlantic Menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) are in the herring family (as are the american, gizzard, hickory and threadfin shads). Both are use for bait and both are refered to as "Bunker."

The Bunker and Alewife are caught in nets and usually frozen. A block of "Bunker" can be purchased anywhere from $12.00 to $14.00 a "block." Before you buy your bait, (even though it is frozen) look at the fish's’s bellies. Do not but Bunker if the bellies are broken or show signs of deterioration, don’t buy them as they may have already started to decompose before they were frozen. Bait like this will be tough to keep on your hook. Be sure you Bunker is fresh. If you get a batch of bad bait, consign it to the chum line or bag.

I should assume your Kent Island "Elway" (folks talk funny on the Eastern Shore (8-}) ) is the same as a "Alewife."

Hope this helps.

Paul Pelland

YANKEE DOODLE

Rock Hall

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Gut-hooked Rockfish

(Capt. Paul Pelland- "Yankee Doodle")

Last weekend’s bumper crop (rockfish-wise) had its bad moments as well. Anyone coming up (down-current) on the "Triple Buoy Fleet" would have been saddened at seeing the line of dead (throwbacks) rockfish drifting down Bay from the fleet.

I notice this when fishing gets hot and heavy and anglers are hell-bent to get a small, gut-hooked throwback off his hook and get his bait back in the water.

If you have a rockfish hooked and you can’t see the hook, it’s best to simply cut the leader, release the fish and re-rig. A hook set anywhere in the gullet or lower should be left in the fish (the natural enzymes in the fish as well that of the salt water will dissolve the hook very quickly). Just reach down (don’t pull on the line) and snip off the leader/line. You should try to remove as much leader/line as possible....Just DON’T be pulling on the line as you snip.

None of us fish all week long. I take a few minutes during the week and make up a bunch of terminal rigs (roll them up and put each one in a small zip-lock bag). If I have a gut-hooked throwback, I snip off the line, release the fish, remove what’s left of my terminal tackle (after my sinker) and attach my new terminal rig at the swivel snap I have attached behind my slip sinker. It takes less than 20 seconds (I put what’s left of the tackle I snipped away from the fish and put it in the empty zip-lock).

If you mess with a gut-hooked fish, you’re going to kill it...PERIOD. That gut-hooked fish you wrenched the hook out of may have been a 500,000 egg female who would have been old enough to come back next year and spawn.

Let’s all "start thinking about tomorrow" and be a bit less greedy about getting our baits back into the action. Think about it.

Paul Pelland

Rock Hall

YANKEE DOODLE

More on Circle Hooks

(Capt. Dennis Shepherd - "Montana Sky")

I certainly do not want to undercut the DNR's enthusiastic support of circle hooks and their efforts to preserve the lives of fish. But I just would not feel forthright is I did not mention my latest view of them after trying them for a month. You will note that Capt. Paul Pelland came to a similar independent conclusion in one of his Upper Bay fishing reports, and I have talked with many other charter captains drawing similar conclusions. The MD DNR is correct when they say fish will seldom get gut hooked. For some reason the circle hook as a knack of rotating in such a way as to move back up to the jaw and then hook on the edge of the lip. When all is working well, you will either end up with a lipped hook fish, or the fish will escape. Unfortunately, many of us are discovering it is the latter which will most often happen. The DNR studies indicated that catch rate did not suffer materially by use of the circle hook. Many of us are finding that in practical application, the catch rate is dropping significantly.

I would still commend those who choose to use it nevertheless with conservationist interest. But in my case, I explain to my customers what the pros and cons are, and allow them to make the final decision.

Spinning & Chumming Tips

Louis Forrest

FISHING REPORT

JUNE 5

The fishing is changing daily it seems along with the weather. Most charter operators are changing over to chumming now that the size limit has changes to 28 inches. Many people enjoy the light tackle action and holding that rod when the fish strikes to set the hook. Many anglers are limiting out in the early morning chumming only to enjoy trying to catch some of the Hardhead at are invading the local rivers and sound.

Using light spinning tackle with light 12 to 15 pound test line you can attach a 2/0 swivel and about 24 to 30 inches of 30 pound tag line. On the end snell a circle hook or short shanked bait hook to hold your bait. You may do will in adding a sliding sinker of 1/4 to 1 1/2 oz. like a fish finder ring to hold it closer to the bottom were the bigger fish are holding. Then cast it as far away in the chum slick as possible to get away from the boat. Doing this should produce a nice days catch.

Trollers and chummers are doing well on most days. Trolling in the lower bay seems better then above the Patuxent River now.

Chummers are also catching a few nice Blue fish and even a Flounder now and then. Flounder are available in some locations but few are targeting them as they will be soon. Hardhead and trout are in the Tangier Sound in most all the known locations. Catching your limit of both is not hard to do if you go real early or stay late in the evenings.

The MSSA Tournament is this weekend and lots of boaters will be in the Bay. If you are trolling please stay out of the chummers area. Most times they have the fish close to their boats and you will not get them to take trolled baits when they are feeding. What you will do is cause hard feelings and people to talk poorly of you. It is a long summer and we all need to get along.

Umbrella Trailer Hooks

(Capt. Paul Pelland, "Yankee Doodle")

I noted that Captain Rich Manley on TRAVELER II had his Sassy Shad trailers (hooked to the back of white and chartreuse parachutes) rigged with a hook. In other words, in addition to having a hook on the ‘chute, he also had a hook in the trailer as well. The trailer hook was attached to the jig head of the ‘chute with a piece of heavy mono. The trailer hook was placed well back in the trailer.

Paul Pelland, Lancaster, PA

YANKEE DOODLE out of Rock Hall

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Umbrella Rigs How To

(Capt. Dan Honemann - "Bulldog")

Here are some ideas that are working for me very well this season. The umbrella has been a killer this spring and I have maxed out every day using them. I discovered that I do better with the small teaser sassy shads if I do not put any leader on them at all. I use 8 teaser shads, 2 on each umbrella arm. I use snap swivels ans clip them right onto the arm without a leader. Then , in the center, I use a 3 foot 50 lb. test leader and attach a trailing 9/0 Crippled Alewife. The best colors for shads have been the light green dark green back. The best alewife color has been the chartreuse / dark green combo.

Tight lines!

Capt. Dan Honemann - "The Bulldog"

An Opening Day Tip

(Capt. Dennis Shepherd - "Montana Sky")

Ok, so April 25th has finally arrived, and the weather is expected to be pretty good for opening day weekend.

There seems to be a thought out there on the bay that when you see a crowd of boats, there must be a lot of fish being caught at that location. In most cases, except when chumming, a crowd of boats is usually just the memory of a fish caught some time ago, and all that is really happening now is that a bunch of hopefuls are churning up the water. This is especially true this time of the year, when the big migrating stripers are widely separated and only have one thought on their mind ....Getting the heck out of the Chesapeake and trying to reach the coast of Maine by June!

Your best shot on this crowded weekend is to steer clear of crowds of boats, and head for open waters. Work the channels anywhere from the 40 foot edges on out to the deeper portions. Vary your trolling speeds and directions if you are not catching fish. And stay away from those other boats. The big ones are definitely NOT schooling, and you will improve your chances this time of year by striking out on your own. You will get a chance to get close to your fishing buddies when you get back on the docks. You don't need to spend time listening to their lies when you have serious work to do like trolling for that big one!

How Deep is your Lure?

(Steven E. Donaldson)

From: "Steven E. Donaldson" <mericalsd@chesapeake.net>

Date: Wed, 16 Apr 97 11:41:50 PDT

I ALSO ATTENDED THE SPORT FISHING SHOW AT THE SOLOMONS HOLIDAY INN AND

AGREE IT IS A GREAT WAY TO START YOUR FISHING SEASON. I WAS INTRIGUED BY A

FISHING AID THAT WAS INTRODUCED THERE CALLED THE "FISHERMAN'S DEPTH SETTER

GAUGE". THIS WAS AN 8 1/2 x 11" LAMINATED CARD THAT YOU HOLD UP TO YOUR ROD

TIP AFTER YOU HAVE SET YOUR TROLLING RODS AND IT WILL TELL YOU THE ANGLE OF

YOUR LINE. YOU THEN READ THE ANGLE ON THE CHART AND READ ACROSS TO THE

LENGTH OF LINE YOU ARE TROLLING AND IT WILL TELL YOU THE DEPTH OF YOUR

TROLLING BAITS.

I THOUGHT THIS WAS A GREAT IDEA BECAUSE WE SPEND HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS ON

FISH FINDERS THAT TELL US THE DEPTH OF THE FISH BUT NOT MANY OF US KNOW AT

WHAT DEPTH OUR BAITS ARE.

I BOUGHT ONE AND TRIED IT OUT IN A KNOWN DEPTH OF WATER AND IT WORKS.

I UNDERSTAND THEY WILL BE AVAILABLE IN LOCAL TACKLE SHOPS SOON BUT CAN ALSO

BE PURCHASED FROM SEDCO INC. 301-952-9100

Flyrodding Stripers

(Paul Pelland - "Yankee Doodle")

I have fished on Cape Cod where most of the locals there use 100% fly
gear. These guys surf fish (almost always at night) and use those line
baskets you wear on your waist (so your stripped line isn't in the
water). They tie their own flies which are all some variation of the
sand eel (darker patterns with a moon, lighter with no moon).

I have duplicated these same patterns and have been very successful
working sand bars (casting with the current, stripping and
"walking-the-dog" against the current). I position my boat (I'm using
my 10 foot inflatable) in deeper water, up-current from the sand bar
and almost every time, get a strike when the fly meets the drop-off.

Man!!!!!! A 20 inch Rock on a flyrod.........You'd better have plenty
of backing!!!!!!!!!

I seem to be the only one out of Rock Hall. You should see the looks I
get from the watermen. The "Bubbas" refer to my fly gear as "sissy" or
"girl's tackle."

I have a few buddies who are commercial clammers. I'll follow them
around and cast my fly right off the transom of the clammer where the
shells are falling off the belt. I'll get a hook-up almost every time I
use a clammer as "bait."

Is there anyone out there who has been fooling around with fly gear for
Rockfish on the Upper Bay? I'd like to hear from you.

Paul Pelland
Lancaster, PA
YANKEE DOODLE
Rock Hall
search@redrose.net

More on Chumming with Circle Hooks

(Paul Pelland - "Yankee Doodle")

We bottom fish the Swan Point area during the mid and late season and discovered a sure-fire chumming method that produced hook-ups and daily limits on every outing. This method also precludes "hogging" other boat's chum lines and crowding other boats.

Prior to anchoring (we are always in 15 to 20 feet of water here and on a shell bottom), tie one 5 pound chum bag (partially frozen and slit well) about 4 to 5 feet up the anchor rode. Drop and set your anchor. Now tie another bag from the transom. It won't take you too long to see
where the two chum lines meet (it all depends on how hard the current is
running). We adjust the sinker weight to allow our baits (cut bunker
and/or peeler halves) to bounce along the bottom. Your hook-ups usually
occur where the two chum lines intersect. We drop our baits straight
down and let the current move them to where the double chum line's meet.

We used the 11/0 circle hooks all last season (per a recommendation by
DNR). We don't know why, but we very rarely caught a gut-hooked fish.
Most fish were solidly lip or jaw-hooked with the big circle hooks.

Another plus with the circle hooks was that you could catch multiple
fish using the same (expensive) peeler half. The BIG 11/0's allow you
to pass the hook through three of the peeler's leg sockets (legs and
hard back removed).

Using the double chum bag method, once you know where your two chum
lines intersect (and you start hitting fish), we'd go to 100% cut bunker
(and save the peelers when chumming got slow).

We also have moved to lighter tackle during the mid/late season; "Ugly
Sticks/Flipping Sticks" and light "Spider Wire." Fish in the 18 to 24
inch range give you a real run for your money on lighter gear. We'll
also use surface lures (jointed "Rebels" and "Rattle Traps") if we get
bored bottom fishing. Lot's of fun!

Paul Pelland
Lancaster, PA
YANKEE DOODLE
Rock Hall

Circle Hooks for Striper Chumming

(Capt. Dennis Shepherd - "Montana Sky")

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Solomon's Charter Captains Sportfishing show at the Holiday Inn in Solomons MD. What a nice show this is and I recommend it to anyone looking for a good but uncrowded show in a scenic location. I have not missed this show since its inception.

I was intrigued by one of the seminars hosted by the Chesapeake Research lab at Oxford MD. They made a very strong case for the use of 11/0 circle hooks when chumming for stripers. These hooks sound large, but the sizes for commercial circle hooks are misleading. This size is about equal to standard chumming hooks for striped bass. The primary advantage of these hooks is the ease with which fish can be released. The circular construction of the hook permits gut hooked fish to more easily be released without additional hooking as the hook slides back up towards the mouth. But the catch ratio is also improved, when the hook is properly baited and the point well hidden. The fish will swallow the hook, feel it, attempt to regurgitate it, then throw its head as the hook slides back towards the mouth. Invariably the striper will hook itself in the corner of its jaw as it throws its head in an effort to throw the hook. We will be giving these hooks a good test on the 'Montana Sky" later in the summer when striper chumming goes into full swing off the Stone Rock.

NOTE: See update listed above

Striper Trophy Season Hotspots on the Middle Bay

(Capt. Dennis Shepherd - "Montana Sky")

Old Gas Buoy (83 green) - depth 56 - N38-45-2 W76-26-7

Bloody Point Light (The Hole) - depth 65 - N38-50-0 W76-24-0

The Ice Box - depth 45 - N38-42-0 W76-27-0

The False Channel - depth 74 - N38-35-3 W76-22-7

The Power Plant - depth 44 - N38-26-7 W76-24-7

Troll slowly using sassy shads on either parachutes or bucktails, green and white are best colors. More often than not, the trophies will be up close to the warming spring surface, in the top 15 feet of the water column, but cruising along the main channel edges. Be sure to have some surface lures out. However, occasionally a striper will grab a surgical hose (black or purple) that is trolled below the 15 foot column. A downrigger line works well for this. The striper will often nail the hose on days when nothing else works. The reason is that the striper considers the eel a natural predator of their spawn, and they are particularly likely to attack eels at this time of year, even when they are not looking for food!

Tight lines!

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