bigReports from the spawning grounds near the Susquehanna Flats have been sporadic this week as fish migrate back down the Bay toward the Atlantic Ocean. My brother Creig and I decided to head them off at the pass. We moved the boat to Taylor’s Island in Dorchester County, Maryland and fished non-stop for three days. Hardly even stopping to eat and staying out some evenings until midnight, our results were mixed. Although there were some long periods of inactivity, we managed to catch some very nice fish.

big2Adding to the fun was the hickory and american shad run in the swift water near the Calvert
Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant. Whenever the rockfish action would slow, we’d move to the area just above the discharge and cast tiny shad darts for shad up to 7 pounds. As stripers moved back in to feed on the shad, we switched back over to our 10″ BKDs and other lures and resumed our trophy hunting.

Another highlight of the week was the sighting of over a hundred dolphins. We were making a late evening run back across the Bay in windy conditions when we spotted them in very shallow water in the narrows between James and Taylors Islands. Some of the younger ones swam right up beside us and seemed to enjoy the interaction with our boat. See the video on the main chesapeakelighttackle.com page.

big4Other than getting beat up by the wind and waves, the only other low points were when I managed to get the hook of a shad dart firmly embedded in the fleshy part of my left hand. We tied a loop of 25 pound test leader around the hook, pushed down on the barb and Creig jerked it out. I can’t say it was painless, but it was definitely effective so it didn’t slow down our fishing.

We also had some bad luck with my son Daniel’s All Star baitcasting rod. Creig set the hook into a healthy striper and the rod snapped like a matchstick. I guess my hand will heal, but I don’t know of any surgery that can repair that busted rod!

big5Water temperatures have risen to the low 60s. Salinity is still high but is dropping as we get more rain. Although the weather has been tough we’ve enjoyed good current throughout the week with the new moon increasing tidal volumes.big6

big3

Posted Friday, May 1st, 2009 at 12:23 am
Filed Under Category: Fishing Reports
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