Fished for: Seatrout & Striped Bass
Date Fished: 9/15/98
Boat Name: She Said NO
Water Temp: 75 Degrees
Water Clarity: 3 Feet
Seas: Slight Chop
Weather: South Wind
REPORT:
Capt. Skip Slomski, Capt. Bill Kassakatis and I fished on Tuesday, 09/16/98, from 6:23 PM until 7:30 PM, on the Patapsco River, south of the Key Bridge.
Seatrout and Stripers were caught by trolling. All fish were caught with artificial lures. Most productive lure was a Bucktail, 1/2 ounce, yellow head, red eye, red thread, yellow bucktail fished with a Bass Assassin, Salt Water, Curly Shad, Soft Plastic Bait, 4", Sunburst, #WC33366 trailer attached.
This is the first time I have trolled for Seatrout. Capt. Skip had us on fish 7 minutes after the lines were put over.
We caught a total of 2 Stripers and 1 Seatrout. The Stripers were 19 1/2 and 17 inches long. The Seatrout was 15 inches long.
The area we were fishing in is usually highly productive this time of year for both Striped Bass and Seatrout. We did discuss the reasons why we were not more productive during this fishing trip and came up with the following scenario.
The wind was blowing against the tide. The tide was outgoing (current running south) and the wind was coming out of the south (blowing north). What occurs in this type of weather and water condition is the following:
Your productivity is automatically cut in half due to the fact that you can’t control the speed and location of your lures as well even when motoring into the wind.
If the structure, such as a underwater mound, is running east and west, it can’t be fished correctly. There is no way to control the location of the boat speed and location of the lures when facing broadside to the wind.
If the structure is running north and south, there is a small chance of having a productive pass. The placement of the lures is difficult to judge due to the effects the wind and current have on the location of the boat. The boat speed must be increased to keep headway into the wind, and with the current running with the direction of the boat, the lures usually are not being presented at the correct speed.
After talking with Capt. Skip and Capt. Bill, I realize there truly is an ‘art to trolling’. It is another excellent method of catching fish and ranks up there with flyfishing, casting, chumming or live bait fishing. There is no set order on which method comes first or last. It is truly up to the individual. I have fished 4 of these 5 methods and enjoy them all. Trolling is a learning process and can be aided by fishing and talking with experts like Capt. Skip and Capt. Bill. My thanks goes out to both of them.
NOTE OF INTEREST: All the water around us had a slight chop on it except for a section 20 feet in diameter. This area was flat and had a tailing section coming off of it approximately 1 foot wide and 50 feet long. Capt. Skip explained that it’s what we call a ‘slick’ (similar to a chum slick, except it is not manmade). There are fish feeding below the surface creating this slick and they are probably located somewhere along the tailing section. This slick had a distinct smell when we were downwind from it. We crossed the slick and while on the tailing section a school of fish was marked on the fish finder.
FISHING TIP:
If the fish aren’t biting, enjoy the company and the opportunity to be outdoors. Nature is beautiful and rewarding. EXAMPLE: Seeing the sunset over the city of Baltimore, Maryland.
TO CONTACT CAPT. SKIP SLOMSKI:
e-mail: captskip@erols.com
Web Site: http://www.mdwaypoint.com/jennybeck/
Good Fishing....Capt. Tom Hughes
Mason-Dixon Outdoor Writers Association