Striper Fishing (October)

[DST64]

Folks
This is my first year fishing the bay and from a kayak. I've been out a few times including today, October 3rd. I mostly trawled small plug and paddle tails in 10ft of water and 15ft of water. I've fished along the shores of the Patapsco (week back) and the Severn (today). From a striper perspective catches are poor. I had a fish on and off last time out and never touched a fish today. I think I trawled about 6 miles today. So, any help and advice would be appreciated, such as:
(1) Stay at home until the water temp is mid 60's or less
(2) Focus efforts further back in creeks or further out towards where rivers meet stem
(3) There aren't many stripers about so just keep trying.

Thanks

[J.A. Veil]

I too fished in the Severn today. I trolled 7.5 miles over 3.5 hours and only had bites in a single 1/4-mile stretch. I caught 12 stripers in less than an hour at that spot, but nothing else while going there or coming back to the launch. There was a lot of bait at places, but I got no bites in those spots. I tried a large crankbait and a Storm shad -- these were not touched. The two rods with 3" white paddletails fished in 4 to 6 ft depth caught all the fish.

A few weeks ago bait had accumulated in some of the tidal creeks. After the big storms two weeks ago and dropping water temps, the bait is leaving the creeks and moving into the main stem of the rivers. I suggest that you keep searching until you find the fish. Try different depths and different lures. Finding stripers in the Severn this year has been tougher than in some other years.

Much of the route I trolled had enough floating grass strands that my lures got fouled quickly. If you are trolling in areas that you think should hold fish but you are not getting bites, wind in your lures every 10 mins to see if they are clean.

[DST64]

Thanks for the note John. Nice to hear some fish were caught today. FYI, I also watched charter boats trawling the river and never saw a bent rod. You did well.

I also experienced a lot of weeds, particularly once past the Rt. 50 bridge. I had to stop multiple times, clean lures and the pedal prop on my kayak. I guess locals know this a weedy area this time of year. Lesson learned for me. It seemed that the closer to shore, the worse it got. In fact, if I go again, I'll not pass the bridge.

Over the next few weeks, I'll concentrate a bit closer to home. At 50 miles the Severn is a bit far if fish are hard to find. The Patapsco is closer and if fish are in the shallows, the Susquehanna flats are closer still.


Thanks

[dsaavedra]

Thanks for the note John. Nice to hear some fish were caught today. FYI, I also watched charter boats trawling the river and never saw a bent rod. You did well.

I also experienced a lot of weeds, particularly once past the Rt. 50 bridge. I had to stop multiple times, clean lures and the pedal prop on my kayak. I guess locals know this a weedy area this time of year. Lesson learned for me. It seemed that the closer to shore, the worse it got. In fact, if I go again, I'll not pass the bridge.

Over the next few weeks, I'll concentrate a bit closer to home. At 50 miles the Severn is a bit far if fish are hard to find. The Patapsco is closer and if fish are in the shallows, the Susquehanna flats are closer still.


Thanks

The Patapsco has been holding a ton of stripers all summer, and continues to do so by the reports I've read. The area between the Key bridge and the harbor has generally been the productive zone, though you may have to do some searching to find the specific spots that hold fish on any given day.

If you want to jump start your understanding of the seasonal patterns of stripers in our area, I cannot recommend this book enough: https://www.amazon.com/Light-Tackle-.../dp/B094VM5S14 As John noted, we're currently in a transition period where a lot of bait is making its way out of creeks and rivers and the stripers are (in theory) waiting for them in the lower parts of rivers and the shallows of the main Bay near river mouths. As fall progresses that bait will continue down the main stem of the Bay and stripers will follow - we typically get a lot of open water action later in the fall and flocks of feeding birds will give away the locations of active fish.

[DST64]

Thank you for the guidance. I have that book and another by the same author. They've been helpful and I'm following the pattern advice contained. Using the book, I thought bait fish would still be in creeks and creek mouths rather than near the main stem at this point in the season. The water is still warm and as we saw yesterday, so are the air temperatures. I saw people swimming at Jonas Green. However, as this is my first full season, I more than realize, I don't know what I don't know. I don't have any spots. That's where the books have really helped.

We're in for some colder weather next week. I'll take both you guys' advice when out next week.

Thanks Again

[dsitka]

I fish the Mid-bay for Stripers. All year I caught only three trolling soft plastics. Live lining was much more effective. I fish the evenings, catch the bait beforehand. Tide is a big deal. my largest catch was on a trip in Mid-October. I caught three in rapid succesion,,, best day in my kayak fishing this year. The Spot I use for bait move when the water cools down, they can he hard to find late in the season. The bad news is Maryland published the results of their yearly newly hatched Stripers. Since 1954 the mean average was 11 hatchlings in sample. This year only 1 in sample. They survey several sites known for Striper reproduction each year then average them. The probable cause was warming of Bay waters was resulting in less phytoplankton which the hatch feeds on. The other odd thing for me was the concentration of Fish in the Patapsco, for most of the warm months.

[ski357]

Also out of curiosity, anyone still fishing? I plan on going until the end of the season on fair weather days, but have been getting blown out.

[dsaavedra]

Also out of curiosity, anyone still fishing? I plan on going until the end of the season on fair weather days, but have been getting blown out.

By and large I have stopped striper fishing in my mid-bay locale.

The month of October started with moderate numbers of mid-sized stripers, a good portion of what I was catching were in the upper teens-/low 20-inch size range. The bite picked up in the middle of the month and I was catching several dozen stripers per trip but the size decreased - the majority of the fish were in the 15-17" range or smaller. Towards the end of October and into November I noticed a marked decline in the number of fish that were hanging out in my usual fall-fishing locations. Catch numbers dropped to single digits but the size of the fish increased greatly, the smallest stripers I caught in November were 25-26", and the largest topped out at nearly 32" (pictured below).

For now I'll be setting my sights on other coldwater targets like pickerel and crappie; I'll start looking for migratory stripers in the late winter/early spring.

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[DST64]

Hi
Great photo, nice fish and thanks for the comments. To be catching several dozen/trip you've obviously worked out the "where and when to go" so good for you.

I've cleaned the kayak, the gear and packed it away until next year. Over the festive season I'll reflect on what I've learned this year and work my way back through the literature I have that has helped. Alan Battista's books have been a good help along with Rudows guide to the Chesapeake. Any recommendations that help with the detective work of where to go and when would be appreciated. I'm not interested in anything on equipment and technique. My goal for 2024 wis to put myself over fish more often than in 2023.

Billy the Greek, renowned New York bass fisherman says the primary task of the fisherman is to find the fish. Work out where they'll be at certain times of the year and why. Closed season task.

Thanks Again

[dsaavedra]

Alan Battista's books have been a good help along with Rudows guide to the Chesapeake. Any recommendations that help with the detective work of where to go and when would be appreciated.

It's not often you find detailed information on specific fishing spots in print - the two books you mentioned here are about as close as I've seen. Wayne Young has a series of books on wrecks, reefs, and other underwater structure - many of them are not within kayaking reach though.

The archives of FishTalk articles can be very helpful... they have a whole "Where-To" section on their website: https://fishtalkmag.com/where-to

Lastly, nothing tops on-the-water experience... my advice is get out as often as you can and learn your local waters. You'll eventually find your own hotspots that hold fish. Use your GPS to mark locations where you catch fish so you can return to them and over time you'll have your own personalized hotspot map.

[DST64]

Thanks for the link to the article and of course I agree with you for the most part re being on the water and learning. I've come to kayak fishing from surf casting at night for striped bass. As an ex salmon fisherman, the striped bass appeals to me due the similarity with the salmon. I don't feel compelled to fish for the many other summer species. So, this is a spring and fall activity for me. A well-known surf fisherman once wrote, "you can have 100 miles of coastline within which only 2 miles is productive for striper fishing. There's a reason fish visit the 2 miles and not the other 98. Work out what that reason is (structure, bait, current etc) and you're a long way to winning the battle". I learned the hard way, fishing the NJ beaches that there's more to it than turning up and throwing bunker chunks at night.

Chesapeake Bay covers 64,000 square miles. Available literature, decent books, nautical maps / articles, insight from other anglers helps narrow that down, looking for the 2% near me (home water - upper bay) that is accessible and safe to access in a kayak. It's actually fun doing that but at nearly 60, I can't make learning the Chesapeake my life's work. I'm also more of a catch half a dozen in the 20"-30" range than 3 dozen in the 15" range. I'll keep plugging away at this specific challenge.

Thanks again for the insight you've given and all the best for the 2024 season.

Regards
David

[lonellr]

Thanks for the link to the article and of course I agree with you for the most part re being on the water and learning. I've come to kayak fishing from surf casting at night for striped bass. As an ex salmon fisherman, the striped bass appeals to me due the similarity with the salmon. I don't feel compelled to fish for the many other summer species. So, this is a spring and fall activity for me. A well-known surf fisherman once wrote, "you can have 100 miles of coastline within which only 2 miles is productive for striper fishing. There's a reason fish visit the 2 miles and not the other 98. Work out what that reason is (structure, bait, current etc) and you're a long way to winning the battle". I learned the hard way, fishing the NJ beaches that there's more to it than turning up and throwing bunker chunks at night.

Chesapeake Bay covers 64,000 square miles. Available literature, decent books, nautical maps / articles, insight from other anglers helps narrow that down, looking for the 2% near me (home water - upper bay) that is accessible and safe to access in a kayak. It's actually fun doing that but at nearly 60, I can't make learning the Chesapeake my life's work. I'm also more of a catch half a dozen in the 20"-30" range than 3 dozen in the 15" range. I'll keep plugging away at this specific challenge.

Thanks again for the insight you've given and all the best for the 2024 season.

Regards
David

I'm in the same boat as you! I have been fishing the surf from MA down to NJ for the last 15 years. I recently bought a pedal kayak and will be giving the bay a try this winter. Good luck out there!

[DST64]

Hi, I sent you a message using your username. Have a look and let me know what you think.

[Slough Sleigher]

I'd just like to say that having shared several expeditions out on the Chesapeake with DS T64 since last Spring, I have found him to be an excellent fishing companion. I recommend to others on the board here to seek him out for your own joint ventures on the water. He is old school on time always (10 minutes early) and prepared for the day. You will enjoy his enthusiasm for the quest.