Fishing Report For Mar 14, 2012

[ictalurus]

Wow, that's an excellent offer. I can do it on Monday or Tuesday of next week (the 19th or 20th). Can anybody else join me?

[Capt Brady Bounds]

Monday and/or Tuesday look good for me, presently forecast to be light wind to dead calm.

fog on Monday (keeps other boats away)

BTW, just sent you picture of yak racks installed on rear deck, port side.

[CB kayak 02]

Capt., the Bull reds will venture up to Pt. Lookout around May? and big black drum in may as well? If you are able to track them or know where they are, that is the trip I'm really interested in!!

[Yak Fish]

Step up, somebody has to be the first to try out my ferry service. I need a minimum of two kayaks and a max of three.

One time offer: Depart Solomons Boat Ramp at 0630, on a weekday. Wind must be favorable or forecast to be from this quadrant: SSW around to WNW. Rain or shine. Transport yaks in guideboat to beach nearby CCNPP and launch them. Around 1100 gather up, reload yaks & anglers into guideboat and return to Solomons Boat Ramp by 12n. One time offer, total cost $50/kayak.

If that offer flies for the susky flats, I'm in!

[Capt C-Hawk]

Capt Brady, I don't know how you feel about it, but I think anyone who wants to try a yak in the discharge should first see it from a boat. The fringe might be doable, but where the fish are would be dangerous, and a lot of work.

[Capt Brady Bounds]

Bull Redfish and Black Drum

Historically mid-May into the first week of June was the time that large redfish and black drum showed up on the Middle Grounds and proceeded up the islands, sometimes as far up as the Gooses/ Sharp's Island Light. These were fish targeted by charterboats, and typically were plentiful enough to be easily found. In the last ten years, I would say not so much. Occassionally we hear of a pod, and they're usually accidentially located, and very quickly scattered or caught up.

As such, it is unwise IMO to focus a trip on just bull reds or black drum in the middle Chesapeake. This is because there are too many other good fishing opportunities at that same time of the season to ignore them. So what I do at that time of the year is to fish over in the islands and look for speckled trout, jumbo flounder,croaker, redfish and top water stripers in the shallow water. In traveling about, usually a fifty-sixty mile round trip, we are vigilant to find black drum and take advantage of them if found. Frankly I've never found the blacks in the last ten years and since my fishing guide service is not based upon bait fishing, I may not be in the right places for black drum. I know guides that fish for them, if you would like a referral.

[Capt Brady Bounds]

Capt Brady, I don't know how you feel about it, but I think anyone who wants to try a yak in the discharge should first see it from a boat. The fringe might be doable, but where the fish are would be dangerous, and a lot of work.

See this is where I get them....wait until they turn turtle and then renegotiate the price (lol.)

Seriously, there is an outage right now with diminished current flow. The yaks can stand off, outside the strong flow and cast across the current. Besides, I catch many large fish on the outskirts of the warmwater plume.

But be assured, I'm not leading or letting any of my guys get into a situation. I'd rather that they be successful, take lots of pics and sing my praises.

[MDFishin]

When do you start catching big flounder around the islands. And I'm assuming you're talking about the southern islands???

[Capt Brady Bounds]

Islands In Middle Ches Bay

James , Taylors, Meekins Neck, Hoopers (3) Bloodsworth, S.Marsh, Smith down to Tangier.

These are a string of middle bay islands that I fish on a regular basis, including the connecting waterways and the tribs....especially the little tribs, guts, and sloughs.

Larger than usual flounder in early summer, starting second week of May and until the onset of warmer water aroung mid-june.

Ya gotta know where to look, and ya get that through experience.

[ronaultmtd]

Captain- I think it is the regulations holding folks back- we all know where we can catch rockfish- up Baltimore/Annapolis way it is the Bay Bridge rock piles, down in Charles County it is the WWD at the coal fired powerplant and the Rt. 301 Harry Nice Bridge, further south you named them...

Catch and release with barbless hook restrictions seem to hold a lot of the kayakers back-

[Capt Brady Bounds]

Thanks For That Insight

Thanks Ron for that insight. I personally use barbless all the time, and everywhere, and so I never gave that a consideration. If you aren't bait fishing, IMO there's no need to have a barb. Even with bait barbless hooks work pretty well; just got to rig it a little different. Live bait, now that's a challenge but even that is doable, maybe not quite as convenient.

As a guide you might think that I am going barbless to decrease the wounding of fish that I am planning to release. That would be true.

But there is another more important reason ; my own safety. It's a heck of a lot less painful and less of an issue to pull a barbless hook out of the guides head or hand than a barbed one. And he doesn't make those pitiful whimpering sounds either !

[ronaultmtd]

Replacing the treble hooks on the Mann's Stretch 25/30's, the big XR-12 XRap's, etc. with barbless hooks is expensive- the 4X red Owners and Mustand black nickel's aren't cheap- bait fishing with inline circle hooks is a no brainer- that is my hook of choice anyway- it is the treble hooks on the lures that bite the big one- and mashing the barb down on the big jigs for swim shads makes them pretty much useless in the summer and fall- Of course catching big fish you release is what it is all about- I'll probably give it a whirl in a week or so as the weather improves....although I am supposed to go groundhog hunting in PA next Saturday- my other passion in the shooting sports- I finished reloading 500 rounds of .22-250 ammo for this spring season.

[Capt Brady Bounds]

Seeking A Few Intrepid Kayakers, Let's Get This Ferry Service Going !

Monday, 3/19/12 0630. I have room for one more kayak for a trip to the CCNPP $50.

[Capt Brady Bounds]

Replacing the treble hooks on the Mann's Stretch 25/30's, the big XR-12 XRap's, etc. with barbless hooks is expensive- the 4X red Owners and Mustand black nickel's aren't cheap- bait fishing with inline circle hooks is a no brainer- that is my hook of choice anyway- it is the treble hooks on the lures that bite the big one- and mashing the barb down on the big jigs for swim shads makes them pretty much useless in the summer and fall- Of course catching big fish you release is what it is all about- I'll probably give it a whirl in a week or so as the weather improves....although I am supposed to go groundhog hunting in PA next Saturday- my other passion in the shooting sports- I finished reloading 500 rounds of .22-250 ammo for this spring season.

Amazingly, we have similar interests. Just returned from a scouting foray, found three targets for my .243 Rem BDL, next week. Do you make your own ghillie ?

[ronaultmtd]

No- I don't use a ghille suit- Just camo pants and shirt with a orange hat- my hunting buddy John and I have hunted the same areas in Southern PA for over a decade- the Amish farms of the Land of Lakes Dairy CoOps- He shoots a bull barreled 243 Remington 700, too.