tonight's sunset

warm this february day: about 65°... 8 weeks til fishing season in the bay... i need to head out to the atlantic if i want to catch a striper legally...

today's problem: record or not?

74 pound, 57-3/4" inch striper caught in the ocean off of virginia beach...large!

new state record?

big game

i love fishing: preferably rock; never tiger!

stripers

the weekend fishing for stripers was excellent! i met up with john at point lookout and we cruised southward to below the great wicomico. we caught our limit, made it home by sunset and ate rock fish for dinner!

world record striped bass

certified yesterday as the new world record striped bass catch is this 81.88-pounder caught in atlantic waters: monstrous!

how to catch a rockfish

apparently it is as easy as dropping my line...this week! after a long, hot summer, the fall striper action has been sweet. now these arent trophy fish, more eating fish. i cut out the filets and the wife grilled them with olive oil and salt and pepper: delicious!
(that's a blue above, which were also running heavy.)

gill net fishing

last week the dnr police finally raised a 1400 pound gill net near bouy 82 off of tilghman island. the illegal net-which had been in the bay most of the winter-held three tons of dead fish, including 450 rockfish weighing 6750 pounds. please report the a-hole(s) who did this if you know their name(s)...and please sign the pound net petition to eliminate legal nets from our waters...i've been fishing the last two weekends and havent caught a thing...now i know where they went: to the landfill!

petition to ban nets in the chesapeake

did you know there is a petition to ban pound nets in the chesapeake and its tidal tributaries? i did not, but i think it is a great idea. these gill nets are a navigational hazard and a lazy tool that does way more harm then good.

how to catch a rockfish

good fishing in the bay this weekend at the choptank: hubbard reeled in this nice striper saturday.

serious fishing

the ramp at kiptopeke was out of control...cleared out when the gusts reached 40kph...

guilty as charged

this year i prepared for our annual kiptopeke fishing challenge by tagging the boat appropriatly: word!

post turkey day fishing

i fished yesterday...i fished today: i didnt catch a thing...the fish finder said they were there, but they really werent. still had fun.

rockfishing

we slaughtered 'em yesterday on the debra christine.

middle bay fishing report

according to tidal fish, there is a lot of fish to be had in the middle chesapeake bay-my area! i can look forward to striped bass and bluefish "eating the paint off the bottom of (my) boat"!  apparently, boats are catching their limit of stripers and 1-3 pound bluefish in less than an hour, with decent bluefish action at buoy 62 and the smith point light. there are still flounder being caught at the middle grounds and at buoy 42, and speckled trout and grey trout (up to 10 pounds) are hitting at the tangier target ships. there are lots of stripers (and lots of boats) being caught near the route 200 white stone bridge, and trolling near windmill bar catches a few spanish mackerel with small gold spoons. 

diamond jim: still on the loose

you have less than a week to catch diamond jim or one of his 599 tagged impersonators, so get out there to the fishing hot spots and catch something! diamond jim is worth $25,000 and the imposters are worth $500 a piece. if you dont catch the big money ones, at least you will have dinner.

playing hook-y

a lot of people called in sick, or took off or didnt show up today because i counted about 60 boats out there on the horizon...you cant really make them out from my photo from the crappy iphone camera, but trust me: they are there, between point lookout and smith point...wish i were too.

MSSA Spring Rockfish Tournament

i was a little under the weather this weekend and did not take the boat out or go fishing...hopefully, this weekend.  i could see all of the boats fishing out on the bay, though... there were a lot of sailboats, too, as it was really breezy. still no word on who won the 27th annual mssa spring rockfish tournament: guess they're waiting for certifications. this thirty pounder was caught early friday morning of the competition.

rock fishing

i dont think im going to enter the largest rockfish tournament in the country on friday. the weather  is supposed to be great though, so i do hope to drop the boat in at some point. great photo of fresh fish from governmentality's photostream on flickr.

trolling for rockfish

i usually troll for rock by myself early in the morning, or late in the afternoon. but this weekend-opening weekend for trophy rock and flounder-the water and the wind were brutal! i put my boat in where the potomac feeds into the bay, and 40 mile an hour wind gusts combined with a high tide to produce relentless 3 foot surf. i was worried about getting back  in on the boat ramp, so i took the kayak out...it was a tough paddle. 

largest rockfish tournament in the country

the 27th annual championship on the chesapeake- april 30-may 2, is the largest rockfish tournament in the country: did not know that. last year 560 boats carried 3,000 anglers, the trophy fish weighed 47.2 pounds, and over $180,000 in prize money was handed out: this year the total payout will be $200,000! you can register on line and attend one of many captain's meetings held at various spots throughout the maryland bay. last year, i caught a 54"-the haters say it was 44"...wonder how much it weighed?