Fished for: Striped Bass & White Perch
Date Fished: 9/4/98
Boat Name: Fish Tracker
Water Temp: 76 Degrees AM/78 Degrees PM
Water Clarity: 4 Feet
Seas: Slight Chop AM/Rough PM
Weather: Cloudy Until 9:30 AM Then Partly Cloudy
REPORT:
Crew: Tom Hughes & Bill Kassakatis
Date Fished: 09/04/98
Location: PATAPSCO RIVER & BALTIMORE HARBOR
Predicted Tides: 5:59 AM/High-12:35 PM/Low
Water Temp.: 76 Degrees AM/78 Degrees PM
Water Clarity: 4 Feet
Water Was: Slight Chop AM/Rough PM
Weather: Cloudy Until 9:30 AM Then Partly Cloudy
Fished For: STRIPED BASS & WHITE PERCH
Boat Name: Fish Tracker
REPORT
Bill Kassakatis and I fished on Friday, 09/04/98, from 7:40 AM until 5:45 PM, from Boston Street Ramp to Bear Creek.
All fish were caught on light spinning and bait casting equipment using artificial lures.
NOTE: We had originally wanted to fish in the Chesapeake Bay just north of Hart-Miller Island, around "G1". The forecast on Thursday night called for winds to 10 mph and seas to 1 foot. On Friday morning the forecast had changed to winds 15 to 20 mph and seas to 3’. We did launch the boat and started to motor out past the islands. We were planning to fish this area until the seas got rough. No such luck. As soon as we got approximately 1/2 way up the islands, the wind was in control, blowing hard and we had to leave this area. Being flexible, we decided to fish the Patapsco River and Baltimore Harbor. We were fortunate enough to catch a lot of Stripers and White Perch.
LURES USED: soft plastic baits rigged on 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 ounce round head jigs, soft plastic baits fished just below the surface on a worm hook, jigging spoons, lipless vibrating crankbaits, top water poppers, floating lures, buzzbaits, shallow diving crankbaits and suspended jerkbaits.
TOTAL STRIPED BASS CAUGHT WAS 54. The Stripers ranged from 12 inches to 26 inches. The most productive structure was a rocky shoreline with a concrete bulkhead near a quick drop off. Landed 6 large Stripers. Two were 26" long. We could see the Stripers before and during the hook-up. When this happens fishing can become very exciting. One was caught on top water and the other from just under the surface.
NUMBER OF STRIPERS CAUGHT DURING THIS TIDE:
38 - Incoming
16 - Outgoing
0 - Still
MOST PRODUCTIVE LURE: Bill Lewis, Tiny-Trap, 1/8 once, Vibrating Crankbait (the model with 2 treble hooks) in Smokey Joe.
BIGGEST STRIPERS CAUGHT ON: Both were 26 inches. One was caught on a Bass Assassin, Twitch, Soft Plastic Bait, 6", in Salt & Pepper Silver Phantom, #TA9336. The other Stripers was caught on top water on a Bull Dog, Rattling Pro-Pop, Floating Popper, 1/2 ounce, Green Back.
FISH STORY: Bill was casting the above lure and had just caught a small White Perch. On the next cast he hooked and fought a big Striper for the next 4 minutes before landing it on 6 pound test line. This was the first big Striper that was caught by either of us and Bill said "I think this Striper was going to eat the small White Perch I just caught and had to settle for second best, a 1/8 ounce Tiny Trap". This Striped Bass was 22 inches long and healthy. It goes to show you, you must be ready for ‘the big one’ at all times.
MOST PRODUCTIVE TECHNIQUE: Crank & Stop-cast the lure out, crank 5 times on the reel handle, STOP for 1 second, then repeat this to the end of the cast.
NOTE: Do not allow any highly buoyant lures, such as the Original Floating Rapala, to come back up to the surface. To be highly productive, these types of lures should stay just under the surface during retrieve.
OTHER PRODUCTIVE LURES THIS TRIP:
Lunker Lure, Flat Shad, Buzzbait, 1/2 oz., White Blade/White Skirt (1/2 of the skirt is dyed chartreuse)
Smithwick, Suspending Rattlin Pro Rogue, Suspended Jerkbait, 5 1/2", 1/2 oz., , Model SDRC 1200, Blue Back/Silver Sides
Bill Lewis, Tiny-Trap, 1/8 once, Vibrating Crankbait (the model with 2 treble hooks), Blue Back/Silver Sides
OTHER FISH CAUGHT:
32 - White Perch
FISHING TIP:
When you are catching a lot of Stripers on one certain lure, make sure to check your line periodically. It is wise to retie the lure if you notice any nicks. Also, retie every 1/2 hour while catching small Stripers and each time after a large Striper.
Good Fishing…..Tom Hughes
Mason-Dixon Outdoor Writers Association
‘Structure Fishing For Striped Bass: Part 2’
http://www.worldwideangler.com/chesapeake/features/1-98/Tomh.shtml