Fished for: Striped Bass
Date Fished: 10/10/98
Boat Name: Vina's Surprise
Water Temp: 69 Degrees
Water Clarity: Average 5 Feet
Seas: Choppy
Weather: Cloudy, Northwest Winds To 20+ mph
REPORT:
Peter Von Mehren and I fished on Saturday, 10/10/98 from 7:00 AM until 6:15 PM, in the Baltimore Harbor and on the Patapsco River. We fished from just southwest of Pier 8 to the Dundalk Marine Terminal. Limited access to structures do to high winds.
All fish were caught on light spinning and bait casting equipment using artificial lures. All Stripers were released.
LURES USED: soft plastic baits rigged on 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 ounce round head jigs or 3/8 ounce tube jigs, floating soft plastic baits rigged on a straight shank worm hook, top water poppers, lipless vibrating crankbaits, spinnerbaits, shallow diving crankbaits, shallow and medium diving suspended crankbaits.
TOTAL STRIPED BASS CAUGHT WAS 41. The Stripers ranged in length from 8" to 29". The most productive structure was a long narrow shoal, running parallel with the shoreline. Landed 3 Stripers between 18" and 29".
STRUCTURES FISHED: Points, shoals, underwater mounds, piers and underwater rock piles, concrete and wooden pilings.
NUMBER OF STRIPERS CAUGHT DURING THIS TIDE:
28 - Incoming
10 - Outgoing
3 - Still
MOST PRODUCTIVE LURE: Bass Assassin, Split Tail Shad, Soft Plastic Bait, 4", Albino Shad, #STS38330
BIGGEST STRIPERS CAUGHT ON: Smithwick, Deep Suspending Rattlin’ Pro Rogue, Suspended Stickbait, 6", 3/8 oz., Chrome/Blue Back, Model SSRB1200
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:
Storm, Rattlin Chug Bug, Floating Popper, 3 1/2", 3/8 oz., Firetiger
Bass Assassin, Freshwater, Shad, Soft Plastic Bait, 3", Arkansas Shiner #SA13331
Bass Assassin, Split Tail Shad, Soft Plastic Bait, 4", in the following colors:
Albino Shad, #STS38330
Rainbow Trout, #STS39332
Salt & Pepper Silver Phantom, #STS39336
Bass Assassin, Salt Water Shad, Soft Plastic Bait, 5", Gizzard Shad, #SWA29370
Nature’s Own, Tender Tubes, Soft Plastic Bait, 3 1/2" in the following colors:
Golden Shiner
Smoke/Pearl Shad
Smithwick, Suspending Rattlin Pro Rogue, Suspended Crankbait, 5 1/2", 1/2 oz., Model SDRC 1200 in the following colors:
Black Back/Silver Side
Blue Back/Silver Sides
FISHING TIP:
When a soft plastic lure is not producing, dip the tail in some formulated dye (EXAMPLE: SPIKE-IT Dip-N-Glo-Bass Pro Shop Master Catalog Page 213). This small change in the lures appearance could be the trick needed to catch fish.
Good Fishing…..Tom Hughes
Mason-Dixon Outdoor Writers Association
Freelance Outdoor Writer And Speaker
Structure Fishing For Striped Bass: Part 1
www.WorldWideAngler.com/chesapeake/features/12-97/tomh.shtml