Fished for: Striped Bass
Date Fished: 7/10/98
Boat Name: Vina's Surprise
Water Temp: 78 Degrees
Water Clarity: 2 Feet
Seas: Smooth Until 11 AM Then Choppy
Weather: Partly Sunny
REPORT:
Martin Gary and I fished for STRIPED BASS on Friday, 07/10/98, from 6:15 AM until 3:00 PM in the Baltimore Harbor and on the Patapsco River. Fished areas on the Brooklyn side of the Patapsco River (almost directly across from Ft. McHenry Point) east to Fishing Point Shoal.
Martin was the first person I have ever fished with that wanted to catch small Striped Bass. Working for the DNR, he needed some scale samples from the 1996 class and luckily we located some 9 inch stripers. I had Martin back to the dock by 8:30 AM. Since he had been awake for the past 24 hours catching some large Croakers and Sea Trout in the 6 to 8 pound class (working for the DNR does have its rewards). It was my pleasure working (fishing) with Martin and I look forward toward future projects
WATER CONDITION:
The water was high and incoming when we started. It was murky on the west side of the Patapsco River and the tide predictions were correct. The Striped Bass were suspended in 2’ to 6’ of water.
STRUCTURES FISHED (in this order): Point, underwater mound, sandbar, rock pile, and creek points.
LURES USED: Soft plastic baits rigged on 1/4 ounce round head jigs, lip less vibrating crankbaits, top water poppers, suspended jerkbaits, jigging spoons.
TOTAL STRIPED BASS CAUGHT WAS 46. The Stripers ranged from 9 1/2 inches to 21 1/2 inches. The most productive structure was a underwater mound. Landed a total of 3 Stripers were between 18" and 21 1/2".
NUMBER OF STRIPERS CAUGHT DURING THIS TIDE:
21 - Incoming
25 - Outgoing
0 - Still
MOST PRODUCTIVE LURE- Bass Assassin, Salt Water, Curly Shad, Soft Plastic Bait, 4", Crystal Shad, #CSA27343. Fished on a 1/4 oz. round head jig. Landed a total of 16 Striped Bass on this lure.
MOST PRODUCTIVE TECHNIQUE- Jig & Stop-cast the lure out let it drop to the desired depth (drops 1 foot per second), then lift your rod tip swiftly from 9 o’clock to 11 o’clock while taking up the slack line-pause for 1 second. Repeat this again and again, until the lure is back at the boat. The Stripers usually take the bait on the fall.
OTHER PRODUCTIVE LURES THIS TRIP:
*All lure information is supplied for REFERENCE ONLY. These types of lures are made by other manufacturers which may be just as, or more productive than, the lures listed. It gives the readers an opportunity to see these productive lures through the Internet or in catalogs. Starting with the most productive.
Smithwick, Suspending Rattlin Pro Rogue, Suspended Stickbait, 5 1/2", 1/2 oz., Blue Back/Silver Sides, Model SDRC 1200
Smithwick, Deep Suspending Rattlin’ Pro Rogue, Suspended Stickbait, 6", 3/8 oz., Chrome/Blue Back, Model SSRB1200
Nature’s Own, Tender Tube, Soft Plastic Bait Tube Bait, 3 1/2", Golden Shiner
Bass Assassin, Salt Water, Curly Shad, Soft Plastic Bait, 4", Electric Chicken, #CSA27376
Bass Assassin, Salt Water, Curly Shad, Soft Plastic Bait, 4", Albino Shad, #CSA27330
Bass Assassin, Salt Water, Soft Plastic Bait, 3", Crystal Shad, #SWA28343
Bass Assassin, Split Tail Shad, Soft Plastic Bait, 4", Albino Shad, #STS38330
FISHING TIP:
When fishing out of a boat always keep an open path from the front to the back of the boat. To land a fish, you may have to move to different locations on the boat. I am telling you this because I didn’t have this open path and lost a big fish on this trip!
ATRICLES BY TOM HUGHES:
www.chesapeakeangler.com/chesapeake/
Saltwater Column ‘Structure Fishing For Striped Bass: Part 4’
For past articles click on Article Archive hot button located in the upper left border of this page.
Good Fishing…..Tom Hughes