Fished for: Striped Bass
Date Fished: 10/2/98
Boat Name: 'Fish Tracker'
Water Temp: 73 Degrees
Water Clarity: 4 Feet Average
Seas: Choppy
Weather: Sunny, West Wind To 20 MPH
REPORT:
Crew: Bill Kassakatis & Tom Hughes
Date Fished: 10/02/98
Location: BALTIMORE HARBOR & PATAPSCO RIVER
Predicted Tides: 4:34 AM-High/11:08 AM-Low
Water Temp.: 73 Degrees
Water Clarity: Average 4 Feet
Water Was: Choppy
Weather: Sunny, West Winds To 20 mph
Fished For: STRIPED BASS
Boat Name & Type: ‘Fish Tracker’ - Tracker, Targa,17’, Aluminum, V-Bottom, Deep Sided, 40 HP Outboard
REPORT
Bill Kassakatis and I fished on Friday, 10/02/98 from 7:00 AM until 1:00 PM, in the Baltimore Harbor and on the Patapsco River. We fished from just southwest of Pier 8 to the Dundalk Marine Terminal. The tide was outgoing when we started.
All fish were caught on light spinning and bait casting equipment using artificial lures.
LURES USED: soft plastic baits rigged on 1/4 and 3/8 ounce round head jigs, floating soft plastic baits rigged on a straight shank worm hook, top water poppers, lipless vibrating crankbaits, shallow diving crankbaits, and suspended jerkbaits.
TOTAL STRIPED BASS CAUGHT WAS 19. The Stripers ranged in length from 8" to 20 1/2". The most productive structure was a point. Landed 1 Stripers 18" or larger.
STRUCTURES FISHED: Points, underwater mounds, piers and underwater rock piles.
NUMBER OF STRIPERS CAUGHT DURING THIS TIDE:
2 - Incoming
16 - Outgoing
1 - Still
MOST PRODUCTIVE LURE: Bass Assassin, Salt Water, Sea Shad, Soft Plastic Bait, 4" in Salt & Pepper Silver Phantom/Chartreuse Tail, #SSA25238
BIGGEST STRIPERS CAUGHT ON: Bass Assassin, Salt Water, Sea Shad, Soft Plastic Bait, 4" in Salt & Pepper Silver Phantom/Chartreuse Tail, #SSA25238
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:
Bull Dog, Rattling Pro-Pop, Floating Popper, 1/2 ounce, Green Back
Storm, Rattlin Chug Bug, Floating Popper, 3 1/2", 3/8 oz., Black Back/Silver Sides
Fenwick, Shallow Crank, Shallow Running Crankbait, 4 1/8", 7/16 oz., Chartreuse
Rapala, Original Floater Minnow, Floating/Diving Stickbait, 5 1/4", 1/4 ounce, Model F13, Blue Back/White Sides
Bill Lewis, Tiny-Trap, 1/8 once, Vibrating Crankbait (the model with 2 treble hooks), Black Back/Silver Sides
Bill Lewis, Rat-L-Trap, Vibrating Crankbait, 1/2 oz., White/Orange Belly
Bass Assassin, Split Tail Shad, Soft Plastic Bait, 4", in the following colors:
Tennessee Shad, #STS39452
Salt & Pepper Silver Phantom, #STS39336
Black Shad, #STS39300
Bass Assassin, Salt Water Shad, Soft Plastic Bait, 5", Gizzard Shad, #SWA29370
OTHER FISH CAUGHT:
2 - White Perch
FISHING TIP:
To have a more productive day, just after a cold front passes through, s l o w the presentation of your lures down. Pay extra attention to your line. Stripers do not hit the baits very hard under this weather condition.
END NOTE:
Coastal Conservation Association of Maryland (CCA MD)
A SHORT CCA MD HISTORY
In the fall of 1994, a spirited debate about whether striped bass were "recovered" or "recovering" brought together a small group of Tidewater Maryland anglers. Maryland officials, who wanted to take credit for good striper management, called rockfish "recovered". But average anglers were more skeptical. They remembered the halcyon days of striper fishing when large catches of these game fish were the rule. They said "recovering fishery" was a better term. Conservation-minded anglers saw a strong commercial fishing bias in the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), indicated by a rapid expansion of the commercial striper fishery. This could not be ignored by our Tidewater anglers and conservationists.
Continued at www.ccamd.org/cca_md_history.html
Good Fishing…..Tom Hughes
Mason-Dixon Outdoor Writers Association
Freelance Outdoor Writer And Speaker