It’s been a snowy week here on Kent Island.  We’re still digging out as one cold front after another sweeps across the mid-Atlantic.  With more snow in the forecast, it looks we’ll be hard-pressed to get in many catch & release striper trips in the near future.  Fortunately, I was able to get out for a few hours this snowy weekend. I had planned to launch my center console Thunder Road, but my neighbor Mark called to say he was up for a trip if we wanted to go in his Parker.  That was a no-brainer since he has a heated cabin.  My buddy Jamie joined us. As thunder rumbled across the Chesapeake Bay, we broke through the ice at Queen Anne Marina and set off into the fog, rain, and snow.  I’ll let the video tell the story with the caveat that jigging is very much a hit or miss enterprise this time of year.  Just because fish are there one day doesn’t mean they will be the next.  The best bet is to fish locations where the fish can find warmer water.  Here’s the video report:

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It’s been a windy December, so rough lately that it’s been hard to get out and fish. After yet another strong nor’easter blew through this week, the wind finally came down. Hoping for some cold weather catch & release action, my son Daniel and I broke the ice Wednesday and launched Thunder Road at the Shipping Creek ramp on Kent Island to do some Mid-Bay exploring. We didn’t find many fish – one twenty-four-inch striper to be exact – but we enjoyed our time on the water.  The Chesapeake was as flat as I’ve ever seen it. We could see for miles across the glass. In places where we could get an unobstructed view of the horizon, we couldn’t tell where the water ended and the blue sky began. I’ve noticed that the waters of the Bay seem calmer and bluer on cold winter days.  Sometimes I think I can see farther this time of year.  It turns out there’s an interesting scientific explanation. Read More!