Springtime Striper Fishing in the Chesapeake Bay

A few weeks ago, Kayak Kevin Whitley, Virginia Marine Police Officer Ron Cagle, and I were invited to the Hampton Appomattox River Company location speak on springtime striper fishing in the lower Chesapeake Bay.


Officer Cagle was awesome, speaking to the changes in striper regulations, and rules in general if you plan on keeping any striped bass in particular.


Kevin and I presented in more of a forum type style, which was really enjoyable.  Whether you are interested in the conventional or fly fishing aspect of springtime striper fishing, Im sure you will enjoy the video.

Video courtesy of Kayak Kevin

Below you will find some information I came up with to aid the kayak fly angler.  I hope you enjoy it!

Double Vision

Thankfully, I have a lot to write about.  Unfortunately at this point, it would be way too much for one post so I'll keep it quick.

Low pressure, scattered rain, and a crap ton of wind put a damper on my 2015 Labor Day weekend.  What originally started out as an amazing 3-day period of big water and even larger fish turned into a period of sadness when I felt there was a legitimate forecast.  Fishing was put on a hold, and I had to deal with it.  Sometimes safety comes first!

So, before the weather turned to total crap on the friday leading up to the weekend, I was given an hour off work to rush to the water.  I met up with my bro Tommy Dewitt, and joined him in his chase for his first VA Release Citation Sheepshead.  He had been out for a bit before I launched and ended up with a few nice fish, but not quite what he was looking for...

Tommy's Sheepie just a hair shy of 24" and a VA Release Citation
(Photo - Thomas DeWitt)

Tommy with a consolation prize - Dinner
(Photo Thomas DeWitt) 

While Tommy got to enjoy some decent conditions, I launched into total garbage with a stiff NE wind, and lots of chop opposing an outgoing current.  While these are not enjoyable conditions to fish, the sheepies do enjoy them.  I made a few drops on a couple of pilings and was plagued by the Sheepshead fisherman's worst enemies; Black Seabass, Puffers, and treaded Portsmouth Tautog (Oyster Toad).  I move on and get the bite I was looking for.  I didn't set the hook, and brought up my rig to find a missing fiddler.  I smiled to myself, re-baited and dropped, and immediately found myself setting the hook onto what would become my Personal Best Sheepshead.

25.75" VA Release Citation Sheepshead

Unfortunately, the conditions were such that Tommy didn't hear my calls, and there was not a proper picture taken of this hog.  No worries...  Shortly after landing this guy, the conditions got too snotty to effectively fish, and we called it a day.  A personal best to end a long weekend of fishing before it started lessened the sting a bit.

Fast forward to Saturday Evening.  No fishing, just talking fish with Kayak Kevin and Lee.  Prior to starting, I just had to get on the beach and see how bad it really was in the bay.  After seeing this view, I knew staying landlocked was a good decision.

Sunday consisted of great company and amazing beer from one of my "Unofficial" (ok, DREAM) sponsor Back Bay Brewing.  Almost a growler of IPA in, the talk shifts to fishing.  After exchanges over the conflicting forecast (in which Tommy and I were referred to two "Bitches"), I caved and we made plans for the next morning.  The wind was still clipping which made me unexcited to wake up early and experience a day where I would be getting a whoopin'.  I make it to the launch at sunrise, to find excitingly and unexpectedly nice conditions.

Labor Day Sunrise Services... At the launch and on the water!
(Photo - Thomas DeWitt)

First order of business... make a drop and get Tommy his paper.  Well, the fish gods had different plans, and I had the hot rod of the morning.  Immediately, I hook a 20" class sheepie, and as I bring him up, I notice the hook is not in the skin, but pinched between two teeth.  At this point, without a net, it's a crapshoot.  I went for the sweep, and it popped off.  No worries, "cause I got this... This is what I do"!  Within minutes, I hook up again, and this time land a nice sheepie a hair short of 25".

We work the grounds for a bit longer in search of Tommy's sheep, but come up empty.  Lots of baits being eaten by trash, but no sheeps means we decided to keep a few crabs each for the trip in and head out in search of larger fish.  Upon arrival to "The Grounds", I was greeted by a waiting Jay Brooks, Meghan, and the Family Seed on their respective boats.  The reports were not great, but it didn't matter.  I know what I can do, and I was feeling good!

A few Kayakers from TKAA were out, and I decided to do something different from the rest of the fleet.  I went to find a spot and instead of following the pack and using their techniques, I paved my own path.  Each pass rounded out some different fish.  Some stud Flounder, a solid Gag Grouper, and some baits for my friends on the stinkpots.  It was all fun, but kinda boring until I feel a "THUD"  This could mean one of two things, the not so elusive ROCK...fish, or them big, nasty bulls.  I set the hook, and get into one of the oddest drum fights I have had.  Not much initially went into getting it off the bottom, but about half way out, I had a strong run back down.  Each time I gained more ground on the fish, but it was if the structure had an equal draw.  With the drag cinched down, I made short work of the brute, but still got worked at the same time.  Hard runs, but not heavy head shakes had me scratching my head, especially given the hook placement right on the nose.

Landing the second paper of the day... A 46" Red
(Photo - Jay Brooks)

I got the fish on the grippers to keep it fresh in the water, got an official measurement of 46", a few pictures, and got her off.  In all, the fight was less than 5 minutes, and she was out of the water for less than 2.

A big, nasty, spawning bull released to"Get it on" and make some youngins.

As time went on, it was apparent that not much more was going to happen, so we paddled in and attempted to again get Tommy on his paper.  Unfortunately, things sucked for both of us and we called it a day...  But not after I did something I had never done before.  I got multiple saltwater species citations on the same trip for the first time.  I can't wait for my next trip out.  Hopefully I'll be seeing double once again!

Sheepshead Surprise

Back in the day, Kayak Kevin coined the term "Spadefish Surprise."

             def.  When ones bait (clam) is struck by a target specie other than spadefish.  i.e. Sheepshead

Well, Ill give your the definition of a "Sheepshead Surprise" in a minute, but lets set the scene shall we.  All week long, I had a good feeling about my first VA saltwater outing in a month and a half.  So good I felt that I was going to be a hero and do some epic things.  On August 1st, there were forecasted ideal conditions for what I was wanting to do, but I just couldn't find the right people who were willing to go all out and leave any trepidation's at the launch.  Calls went back and forth, and I got confirmation that the plan was a go, but i had a feeling something would change (and it did).  Oh well, I guess I will just relax and sleep in.

One of my favorite things is waking up on my own terms, with no alarm clock or other am annoyances to start the day off on the wrong note.  So when I woke up at 0600, and saw a text from Tex, I was shocked but ready for what the day would bring.  I collect myself, get bait, and head to the launch.  Paddling off the beach at 8am on a Saturday is less than ideal, and this was confirmed when I counted no less than 10 kayaks in my first 10 minutes of launching.  I kept telling myself it was still going to be a good day, and when I met up with Tex,  all the other kayaks and boats that were at the front of my mind disappeared.  Tex had made a handful of drops when we decided to move on.  As we approach one of my favorite spots, there was already yaks on it.  Well, it just goes to show the early bird gets the worm, and it increased my pace to get to my favorite part of the 3 mile span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.

First drop was met by a spade that was all of 10".  The right target, just not the right size.  So I moved around looking to gauge the attitude and location of the school of spades.  Within minutes, I feel the tall tale "tick tick", drop the rod tip and gather slack, and drive the sz 4 Owner home.  "Fish On"!  I'm getting bulldogged, and my rod is not shaking, which can mean only one thing Spadefish Surprise.  As I navigate through the pilings, I am getting ready to sweep the fish in when I get that gut wrenching feeling of slack line.  I look at Tex, and say "sometimes you got it, sometimes you don't".  As I inspect my rig, the small spadefish hook just didn't have enough purchase in the toothy mouth of the Sheepshead.  time to go back to basics and remind myself that I don't need a ton of drag when I get these fish to the open.

While all this drama is going on with me, Tex is putting on a spadefish clinic!



Roland with one of the nicer Spades on the day

I had a pretty good day on the spades in between dropping crabs to the depths.  Not long after loosing the first sheepie, I feel a tap while on the bottom.  I set the hook, and get worked much like a sheepie would.  This fish is working me through the piling set and once I am in the clear, I let up on the drag.  About this time, she is coming to the surface, and much to my surprise, I ended up with a true Sheepshead surprise.

40" Striper brought up from the depths

Shocked!

After landing, snapping pics, and getting a healthy release, I was back at it.  I went back and busted out a few more spades until I got bored again and dropped back down.  This time, I feel the hit and felt some weight, but had horizontal instead of vertical runs.  In shock, not quite sure of what to expect, I bring the fish up to find a 7-10lb Black Drum.  Now Ive never really targeted them, so my personal best was a whopping 8" fish.  Imagine my stoke when I brought this bad boy up.  While most fish go back to live another day, I love eating blacks this size, and he came home for dinner.

Personal Best Black Drum

We went back to spade fishing, but as the current got stronger, we decided to go take refuge and find some triggers.  While they were there, they were extremely skittish and we managed a pair a piece.  I enjoyed chilling, but Tex was on a mission for his personal best Sheepie.  We start moving in, and hit some of our favorite spots.  On my first drop, I feel that all to familiar tap tap, and this time I wasn't disappointed.  I get the fish in the open, and this is where I get to enjoy the fight without the fear of loosing them.  If they want to run, they get to run, as there is nothing that is going to break me off.  The leg sweep brought me this beautifully colored fish.

A solid 23" sheep to end the day

This last fish marked the end of our day.  Not necessarily all we had hoped for in alot of ways, but more than I would have expected in others.  So now I have a new definition for ya:  The Sheepsead Surprise

                 def.  1. a game fish other than a sheepshead, that comes as bycatch while fishing for sheepies
                         2. a sheepshead that comes after a day full of "Sheepshead Surprises" (see #1)
                        

This day fulfilled both parts of the definition!

Carolina Bound

This has been a odd summer for me.  In the years past I have been hammering the fish inshore getting on good numbers of quality fish, of many different species.  This year, the inshore fishing in SE Virginia really hasn't materialized into much to talk about, so I have spent my time carp fishing instead.  Besides a few outings which produced a few Sheepshead to 25", Carp fishing with the fly rod has been my main pursuit.



Bowed up on the 6wt



A bit over 32" Common



My first Mirror (on the fly none the less)

Carp fishing has presented me with a number of challenges that have helped me step up my fishing game.  It teaches you patience, to make the right presentation on a fish, observe their moods and adjust to the fish, and fighting fish in close quarters.  All of these skills I worked on came into play the past month, when I went on a 3 week marathon to the great waters of the North Carolina coast.

These trips all occurred on days off, with the schedule looking something like this...

0600 - wake up for work
1600-2300 - go over gear, pack the car, and relax
2300-0430 - drive south
0530-1700 - fish hard!
Repeat for the following days off
last day 1600-2200 - drive north

This leads to very little sleep which requires good decision making and patience when your body just isn't willing to do what your mind tells it to do.  It also requires a good playlist to keep you going. 

Money Trees - Kendric Lamar

 

Woah! - Black Robb

 

Root Down - Beastie Boys

 

Woo Hah!! - Busta Rhymes

The music got me going, and it was time to get some fishes!  Week one presented muddy waters, low tides, and lots of wind.  With all of that being taken into account, there were still a good number of flounder being caught on the natural Ultra Shrimp.  These bad boys were sight casted along marsh edges.  Just look for sudden and violent explosion's, and there you have it!

Flounder on the Fly

 Day two was searching new water for reds.  Again, the conditions were challenging at best but we still got a few fish to hand.

The Wicked Pissah of the world famous Wicked Pissah Guide Service with a quality inshore Redfish

 

This greedy lil' guy fell for a Chatterbait with a PTL JP Hammershad

Following this trip, I had a 5 day hiatus in which I met up with Kevin and Lee for a fishing/fight podcast.

 

Late during the week, my boy Ted Crumb and I decided, "What the hell, lets do it again".  Another night of driving found us at the fishing spot in just enough time to get unloaded, rigged, and on the water at sunrise.  Sunrise services consisted of Topwater and Trout Tricks, resulting in a good number of aggressive, healthy Speckled Trout.

A feisty fatty fell for a Tactical Anglers Crossover

This weekend ended with some keeper founder coming off the flats, and a crap-ton of reds between 20-24" coming from a cut through an oyster field.

The third weekend was the weekend of the 2015 Hook, Line and Paddle TJM tournament out of Wilimington NC.  This is an event that I fish every year, and has become one of my favorites.  I would miss Christmas before I would miss this.  So, I had a 4 day weekend to get out and really hit it.  Friday morning was forecasted to be calm and clear.  Everything was supposed to be perfect, except it wasn't.  Winds were NE at 10-20, pushing the tides out, making things difficult.  The Trout Trick ended up being the skunk buster, bringing a few flounder to 17" and some spike specks to hand. 

Flounder on the Trout Trick

 After a less than encouraging pre-fish, Seth Goodrich and I decided to change things up, with the plan of being "Hero's or Zero's".  A paddle across the mouth of the Cape Fear resulted in some beautiful cuts with lots of oyster mounds, and clear, moving water.  When we first saw the area in person, our mouths dropped as it was one of the fishiest areas we had ever seen.  Unfortunately, looks can be deceiving, and this was not the case.  In looking for reds, Seth and I both saw a fish pushing 30" that would have made for a great day.  This fish didn't mind us being there and looked as if "I'm going to stay here and watch y'all make fools out of yourselves trying to catch me."  We saw other small reds, that just weren't in the eating mood.  I ended scratching an insignificant speck, but the fish of the day was the flounder.  Seth and I both lost flounder that would have put is in the top 3, with 4 of mine being 2nd and 1st place fish.  I was sickened, but at least we brought home a few for the frying pan and found some new water.  Youngblood Drew Camp really did some work with a 30 1/4" red that brought him home 1st place and an awfully large bag of donuts.  I'm super stoked and honored to be able to call him a teammate!

At least the tournament day view was plesant.

With two days remaining, I drove a bit further north, and fished with the Wicked Pissah himself.  We went out to two spots that produced fish for us the previous two weeks, but were fighting strong North winds and falling tides again.  The first day, we expanded our search area after only finding flounder in the oyster fields,  As we worked our way south with the wind, we started getting into flats filled with large mullet and some reds.  I ended up getting out on a grass island to find a better vantage point and could see 5lb mullet spooking mid 20" reds.  Our problem was that we were spooking mullet, which in turn spooked the reds.  In 10-20 mph winds, we gave it a good try, but only had a slot red and a few flounder to show for our efforts.  On our last day, we decided to go back into a spot along the ICW in which canals would lead us into ponds and lakes in search for reds.  This was a good choice!  On my 3rd cast I landed a red just shy of 29".  Hopes were high, and the fishing didn't disappoint!

1st fish of the day

 As we progressed we found more solid pumpkins.  It was also an opportunity to test out fish shots with the DSLR.  I still need some practice but all of these shots came from the camera on a tripod, and remote.

Notice the "selfie" setup back in the marsh.

 Had over a half dozen quality fish in the morning, with some shots that I am extremely happy with.

The trip ended as uneventful as it started, with a long drive back home.  As I write this, I cant help but wonder... When 1600 comes around on Friday afternoon, will I be Carolina Bound again?

Adventure Fishing World Championship (AFWC) #3 - Delacroix, LA

 

"It’s all about what you know in good ole Delacroix"

This quote became unbelievably apparent when 53 teams of two got the go ahead to open up their maps, and plan their day at the 3rd annual AFWC in Delacroix LA. The AFWC is a tournament that I have tried to fish for the past two years, but have not been able to find the right teammate... until now. Its format is extremely unique in the fact that it test your ability to navigate, paddle and portage, fish, and reading water. You have to be a complete kayak angler in order to even qualify in this event. The next few paragraphs will outline the experiences of Team All Out Kayak Fishing, and bring more insight as to what goes into this event.

First, let’s talk a bit about Delacroix. It sits 3 ft above sea level, with a labyrinth of canals and levees that make you really understand how susceptible to the elements you really are. While driving into town, you drive through what we coined to be the "Wall of Death", which is a super long cement wall on an a elevated levy designed to minimize the flooding during storms. The levy that we went through failed in 2005 during Hurricane Katrina, and left the "island" submerged in over 30 foot of water. Driving through the wall at midnight seemed like it belonged in the series the Walking Dead.



This wall went on for miles



Kayak Kevin standing next to the wall for reference.  This thing was DOMINATING!

Once we made it through the wall, we really got into the terrain that we would have to navigate. Seeing it at night was the wrong time to see it for the first time. It was dark, muggy, and a complete departure from our expectations. Once we got unloaded, our excitement overtook our nerves, and instead of sleeping, we took a walk to acclimatize ourselves to the island. It was really cool to see gar feeding on shrimp in the dock lights, and see just how much damage Katrina caused.

Day two started with chilling with the Virginia collation of anglers that came down to compete, seeing old friends from throughout the south east, and pumping ourselves up for the unexpected. My partner Joe and I finished loading our gear and were off. The first thing that we noticed was how skinny the water truly was. Most of the areas we pre-fished were less than two feet, and to add even more complexity, these areas were full of sea grass and hydrilla. For the angler, Delacroix is a Top water and Sight casting paradise. We started the day with some bass in the grass, and casting to reds that didn’t want our offerings. As we progressed, we found areas that held a higher concentration of reds, and some clearer water than what we had been fishing. The first red of the trip came on an in-line buzz bait that it absolutely demolished.



A Dinnerbell JP Hmmershad fooled this red!

As we paddled further down this one flat, we saw reds cruising and tailing, but got no interest in our baits until we switched to darker colors. The darker the baits, the more interest they generated, and subsequently, our hookups increased.



A fat lil Delacroix pumpkin

Our only day of prefishing yielded Bass and Reds on the same baits, and in the same areas.  It also gave us a good reference for the conditions we would be fishing in, and more importantly, patterns that we felt would be successful the following day.


Team Adventure on the Water (Kayak Kevin and Jean McElroy) on their way in to end the first day.



Tournament Morning

After loading all of our gear in the staging area and ensuring that we had what we needed for the following day, our team was called up at 0630 to get our map, measuring device, and scorecard.  The tension mounted until 0700, at which time we were able to open our map, and plan our fish.




Photo - AFWC

Checkpoint 5

Once we opened up our map, we found which the double length checkpoints were and decided to fish CP5, CP2, CP3, CP4, and CP1 in a loop. After we hit all but CP 3 we realized the flaw in our plan. This course was designed to be fished in a circle, with deep water entry points starting from 4, going to 3, 2, 5, and 1. Nonetheless, we proceeded to paddle to CP5 first and hit the water at 0715. We breezed past the field, aided by a stout north wind that was 20-30 mph. As we hit CP5, we were one of the first teams to reach our area, and fished our way through, catching our first red about an hour into the CP and scoring 50.5 points for the area. As we paddled back to the east across the flat we just left, I noticed there was still some water left on the flat and we had a straight shot to reach CP 2. We scored our fish, turned in our token, and paddled east. Unfortunately, as we approached our cut through, the water drained out and we participated in the great mud run of Delacroix for the better part of an hour and a half. Dragging through 3+ feet of mud against a strong headwind took the life out of both of us. It got to the point that I though our day had ended. Thankfully, we got some air back in our lungs and wind beneath our sails... On to CP2.

Checkpoint 2

We reached Checkpoint 2 around 1100. The only thoughts in my mind were to 1) get away from all the teams and find an unmolested location, and 2) catch a fish FAST! As we paddle to the SE corner of the lake on CP2, I find a small little lake that has reds in it and has one tiny, shallow entrance. I call my partner over and proceed to get stuck at the entrance. I have no way to get to these fish, and after our mud run, I am unwilling to get to them. As I struggle to get back out, joe alerts me to the presence of fish right behind me. I make a cast, and get love taps on my spoon. Finally, as I get tapped I decide to stop my retrieve completely. As I watch my line continue to move across the bow of my yak, I slam the hook home. FISH ON!!! We land, measure and score a solid 23.5" red and make our way back to the CP. We score the fish and it is 1205. Our total points are now 74 with one remaining point to qualify. With the plan to move onto CP3 nixed due to unknown conditions, we went from trying to hit all 5 to just qualifying.

Checkpoint 1

We paddle to CP1 via the canal that took us north east. We are stoked for an easy paddle, fairly restricted by the wind, and only a mile and a half. What can go wrong? Well, shortly after we leave 2, we see a large rock wall. As we get closer, we realize that a portage is a must in order to move on this route. We portage Joe's Tarpon first, he beaches it, and we move on to the Skimmer. As Joe is in the water helping me with my yak, we notice a nice sized gator looking at my partner. All I heard was "Don’t leave me Wild Bill". I love wildlife, so I take out my camera and start shooting away, while my partner is slamming against the rocks and my boat, scared shitless cause the gator has hungry eyes for him.




Hungry Eyed Gator looking towards good ole Delacroix Joe

Checkpoint 4

Joe convinces me to hit CP4, even with another pending portage and the unknown, we wanted the double points. We pull up the ramp at Sweetwater Marina, and get our wheels out for a long portage. As we go through our stuff, we notice that a piece for a set of wheels was missing. Now things just got reel. We had a couple hundred yard drag to the next piece of water. We timed it out and from start to reaching CP4, it took us 30 minutes. Great, this will give us an hour and fifteen minutes to fish prior to check in. As we paddle down a canal to the CP, Joe spots some nice reds. There is no point in casting since we did not have an identifier, so we moved on. We got our identifier, and had a decision to make. Do we leave reds we know are here? or Do we fish the unknown on the other side of the berm? Well the unknown was so damn sexy, we proceed to move on. We are hearing guys sporadically hook up and come undone. If CP4 was good for one thing, it was a bunch of expletives. We move our way, and Joe hooks up on the buzzbait. I hear an explosion, see him set the hook twice and bring a stud red to the surface. This bad boy was over 25 without a doubt. Unfortunately he gets off and nothing comes to hand. Joe tells me that "I just lost the winning fish". I tell him to shrug it off, and we still had time. Unfortunately, time ran out on us with nothing left to show for. The paddle back to the start was somber at first, then we remembered that we had 99.5" and minimum checkpoints. This was our day!

Results

First off, I must say that I am super proud of all the teams that competed. This was by far the toughest kayak fishing event I have participated in. Just to participate makes you a winner.

At weigh in, the scuttlebutt was anything over 95" would put you in the top 10. Knowing we had a fish at the end come off that would have given us at least 50 points really started to set in. We were however able to get over that knowing that we went all out and gave it 100% on the day.

On to the results... All Virginia teams qualified and broke the top 30. Angler Management (Amy and Andy) came in 29th, Double L (Mark and Kris Lozier) came in 18th, All Out Kayak Fishing (Joe and Myself) came in 16th, and Adventure on the Water (Kevin and Jean) came in 8th. In the end 1st and 16th were separated by less than 50 points.



Photo - AFWC

 In the end, would I do it all over again, Hell Yes!  My partner was amazing, we had a great time, and felt accomplished at ending the day with 3 beautiful fish and paddling and portaging over 17.5 miles.