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Lots of blues and rockfish

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  • Lots of blues and rockfish

    I launched my Scout center console from Sandy Pt about 8:00 am this morning. The seas were calmer than I had anticipated (always a pleasant factor). I fished various spots on the western side from the bay bridge to just north of the South River. I caught numerous rockfish and bluefish on structure and in open water, and in depths ranging from 7 to 50 ft. I found loads of working birds, including the largest flock I have seen chasing bait this year. The noise they made was remarkable.

    003a.jpg

    In one of the deeper spots, I found small pods of bluefish to 15" covering a huge area. The wind and current was mild enough that I did not need to move the boat very often to stay with them. I cast primarily jigheads with different styles and colors of soft plastics. I keep one tackle tray on the boat that has "expendable plastics". When I get into a batch of blues, I use up many of these excess baits. I did throw metal lures from time to time, but the bluefish paid little attention to them.

    001.jpg

    The blues are ferocious biters -- they bit off dozens of plastics, leaving just colored nubs on the hook shank. I saved all the nubs and took the following picture (it is more appealing to my eye than some art works I have seen in modern art galleries).

    006.jpg

    As I drifted over my shallow water spot, I found lots of rockfish to 16" lying on the bottom.

    005.jpg

    I cast out and worked a large twister tail back to boat with frequent hookups. Ironically, the twister tail that performed well in that spot was one from the batch I attempted to sell this week on the Buy, Sell, Trade board. I may have to reconsider that sales offer (or raise the price).

    I fished for about 4 hours and caught about 50 bluefish (kept two for dinner), and about 20 rockfish. I caught most of the fish by casting light lures, but also caught some by trolling the same lures, or by jigging BKDs. The places I fished today are reachable by the more energetic pedal-power yakkers, and certainly by the electric motor guys.
    John Veil
    Annapolis
    Native Watercraft Manta Ray 11, Falcon 11

    Author - "Fishing in the Comfort Zone" , "Fishing Road Trip - 2019", "My Fishing Life: Two Years to Remember", and "The Way I Like to Fish -- A Kayak Angler's Guide to Shallow Water, Light Tackle Fishing"

  • #2
    John,

    That's a good day on the water!

    I hope those flocks of working birds are a predictor of things to come.

    Mark
    Mark
    Pasadena, MD


    Slate Hobie Revolution 13
    Hidden Oak Native Ultimate 12
    Lizard Lick Native Ultimate FX Pro

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    • #3
      Nice, gotta love the pic of all the destroyed plastics...
      Ryan
      Blue 2016 Hobie Outback
      Chesapeake Bay Kayak Anglers, Inc

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      • #4
        what kind of rig is that? is that a plain 2 jig on a string?

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Gregtokoolman View Post
          what kind of rig is that? is that a plain 2 jig on a string?
          No. Those are single jigheads on two different rods that I laid next to the box to show the nubs. Years ago I used to cast into breaking fish with a double jighead rig or a jighead on the the bottom and fly on top. They do work, but often get tangled during casts or stowage.

          I can see now that it does look like a double rig.
          John Veil
          Annapolis
          Native Watercraft Manta Ray 11, Falcon 11

          Author - "Fishing in the Comfort Zone" , "Fishing Road Trip - 2019", "My Fishing Life: Two Years to Remember", and "The Way I Like to Fish -- A Kayak Angler's Guide to Shallow Water, Light Tackle Fishing"

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          • #6
            John - I fished the same area as you did today... and with the exact same results in both numbers and size. Launched at SPSP at 7:00am with guide Tom Hughes and 2 other friends (4 total) in a white catamaran CC with black canvas top. We encountered lots of breaking dink stripers and blues with birds overhead. Try as we may, we couldn't find a keeper striper among the breakers. I ended up with a whole baggie of BA nubs. Actually. I caught some my bigger stripers and blues by just casting nubs no longer than the bend of the jig hook. And I couldn't make silver spoons work either. But first cast with a 4" paddletail BA, chart/silver glitter and BANG , I'd immediately catch another dink blue or striper.
            Howard

            16' Oldtown Camper Canoe with a side-mount 40# thrust trolling motor.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by HJS View Post
              John - I fished the same area as you did today... and with the exact same results in both numbers and size. Launched at SPSP at 7:00am with guide Tom Hughes and 2 other friends (4 total) in a white catamaran CC with black canvas top. We encountered lots of breaking dink stripers and blues with birds overhead. Try as we may, we couldn't find a keeper striper among the breakers. I ended up with a whole baggie of BA nubs. Actually. I caught some my bigger stripers and blues by just casting nubs no longer than the bend of the jig hook. And I couldn't make silver spoons work either. But first cast with a 4" paddletail BA, chart/silver glitter and BANG , I'd immediately catch another dink blue or striper.
              On the way back in on that trip last Fri I saw Tom pull up near me north of Hacketts where a few fish were breaking. I idled over to tell him where I had found fish during the previous few hours. I guess he ended up checking them out. Even without large stripers, it sounds like you had plenty of pullage today.
              John Veil
              Annapolis
              Native Watercraft Manta Ray 11, Falcon 11

              Author - "Fishing in the Comfort Zone" , "Fishing Road Trip - 2019", "My Fishing Life: Two Years to Remember", and "The Way I Like to Fish -- A Kayak Angler's Guide to Shallow Water, Light Tackle Fishing"

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              • #8
                John - Ooops...I failed to notice the date of your fishing report. Thought you and my group were out on the the Bay the same day. I was out with Tom Hughes and friends yesterday, Sept 26.
                Howard

                16' Oldtown Camper Canoe with a side-mount 40# thrust trolling motor.

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