All the signs of a productive fishing season are here. The Forsythia are blooming, water temperature is rising to above 52 degrees, the bait fish are here in large schools and so are the big ocean Gants. It is Trophy Striper season in the Chesapeake Bay. This is what many anglers have been waiting for after this past hard winter weather. Now is the time to get ready for opening day, which is always the third Saturday in the month of April by Maryland law, April 17 this year.
Most anglers held hostage by the cold and snow looked forward to opening day. They prepared all the tackle knowing how important it is to start fresh with new leader line as last year’s may be worn out. Checking terminal tackle also. Last fall when catching smaller size fish you may have used smaller terminal tackle and leader lines, now that the big fish are back step it back up. Those 30 to 50 pound trophy fish are tackle busters. Change those weights as well.
In the Spring the fish are up high in the water columns, so lighten up and come up to cover the first 30 feet with the lures. White is always right and using those 6 to 9 inch Plastic Shads are a must for catching Stripers. Chartreuse color is also effective on cloudy days and cloudy water from all the tree pollen. Good anglers remember the rule, big baits get big fish. Yes, I know that Elephants eat peanuts, but give him a watermelon and see which one he takes first. So breakout the big ones, parachutes, Bucktails like arrow heads, boxing gloves, bullet heads, ruby lips and those swinging hook models. Always pull a big # 21 Spoon on the longest line back. You can set the perfect speed for trolling with it. When deployed properly using a two ounce inline weight, inline swivel and with a 30 foot leader you can attach the Spoon. If you watch the rod tip it should be moving at a steady rhythm when trolled. No movement or going too fast, jumping or jerking of the rod, slow down. The rhythm method will work for you by keeping all the other lures running at the right speed. When the speed is right you can get them to bite.
The preseason anglers that have been out have found good fishing in the lower Bay. Capt. Gary Sacks has been working hard to get all ready for the season. There are fish being caught in the lower Potomac River now. There are Stripers showing up near the shore lines in the evenings. The Stripers often come in to shallow sandy bottoms to ingest sand which they flush through their gill plates to remove Fish Lice from the gill plates. These Fish Lice are parasites that are found on these ocean Stripers when they return to the Bay. Removing Fish Lice allows for more oxygen intake as they move into brackish waters to spawn up our rivers and creeks. This we need a lot more of to increase the young of the year index, a story for another time.
Capt. Greg Madjeski reported that the Stripers are being caught up and down the Potomac River up past Kitts Point. Also that there are Croaker or hardhead being caught as well. Most are near Point Lookout and Point No Point areas on that hard bottom near shore. So the fish are showing up more every day. The Patuxent River is also seeing Croaker and Perch near the month of the river. Those trolling early doing Catch N Release, like Fin Finder Charters, Capt. Andrew Turner are seeing large fish and as he said, “there is all you want”. There are many captains available in St. Mary’s and Calvert Counties and you can contact either county Office of Tourism for a full listing of experienced charter operators.
Now is the time to call the local charter captains and get in on the action if you don’t have a boat. Leave
