Visiting Eastern Bay

[Kyyaker]

I am heading to Neavitt Md, near St Michaels, to visit friends for the week of August 26th. I’ve convinced the wife to let me drag my Ride 115 from Kentucky, where I primarily fish for smallies and those green bass in local rivers, creeks and lakes. I have never fished the Chesapeake or Eastern Bay. I was actually in Neavitt last year as well, and paddled one of the kayaks at the house on Harris Creek where we stayed, but didn’t fish. I’ve been trying to research as much as I can to identify what I should be targeting, where to fish and how to fish. This site has been a wealth of information, which I thank you for.

I don't plan on bring the whole tackle box (I'd hate to try to explain why all of that stuff I never really use is taking up so much room in the back of the truck). 80% of my fishing is with soft plastics anyway. It looks like my best bet, based on how I primarily fish at home, would be to bring a bunch of white fluke style plastics and paddle tails (and chartreuse spike-it) to troll or jig over humps, ledges or deep holes in Harris and Balls Creeks at Neavitt, Poplar Narrows outside of Sherwood, and Tilghman Point at Claiborne. My hope would be to find stripers, speckled trout or redfish. Is that a plan, or am I out in left field based on where the fish generally are this time of year?

I also don’t have a fish finder on my Ride. I was planning to orient myself on the water based upon the buoy locations and looking at the charts, which I have been diligently studying. However, I may be dreaming about whether that can be effective when trying to follow the channels and ledges in, what to me, is big open water. Do I need to break down and do a quick depth finder install this weekend? Other than following birds or looking for "breakers"(?), in such big water, where it sounds like the fish may be scattered, is it more efficient to paddle until you find fish on the fish finder, or start fishing your planned area/route until you hopefully find fish?

This also may be a dumb question, but it looks like there are places where he bottom drops off from a couple of feet into a relatively deep channel in a short distance. Does anyone ever paddle out and walk the shallow edges to cast up and against the tide into the channel like you would wading upstream in a river? Is the bottom too soft, or are the drop offs actually too gradual to effectively cast into?

Finally, if anyone is planning on fishing near St Michaels between the 27th and Sept 1, and doesn’t mind a Bay kayak fishing novice tagging along, let me know.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Kyyaker

[coop1486]

let me know when you want go I leave n wittman just around the corner.Fishing this weekend near Lowes wharf then later that day in Claiborne.

[RavensDfense]

Kyyaker,
That is a heck of a lot of research you have done, especially from 700 miles away! Impressive. Everything you mentioned sounds good, but before you venture out into the channel, I would reccommend trolling with the paddle tail and other various soft plastics (GULP!) around the shorelines of the creeks. Put them on a 1/8-1/4 oz. jig head or bucktail. 2-3 hours on each side of the high tide should be best. The more prominent the point, the more current that usually exists, which usually results in more fish (because bait fish get caught in the current).

You're correct that without a depth finder, it will be difficult to see humps, ledges, and locate suspended fish, but you shouldn't need to venture out that far. In the late summer/early fall, as the shallow water cools off, oxygen levels rise and bait fish return, which means you can catch the stripers (and possibly a red) you are looking for in close, where a depth finder isnt neccessary. 3-5 ft of water should be fine. I haven't heard any reports of specks up that way, but you never know. They do exist up there.

Good luck to you!

[Kyyaker]

Coop

Thanks for the offer. I am fishing one of our local tournaments here in Kentucky this weekend and will leave for Neavitt Monday morning. I'd love to meet up sometime next week or Sat or Sunday of Labor Day weekend. Heading back home on Labor Day. My daughter is coming over from DC for the weekend and I want to spend some time with her, but other than that, I'm on vacation so my schedule is hopefully very flexible.

Again, thanks for the offer and I hope we can get together and fish next week sometime. Just let me know your schedule.

Kyyaker

[Kyyaker]

RavensD

Thanks. I'll pick up some gulp at a local tackle shop (recommendations?). Got plenty of jig heads. To be honest, the creeks sound a little better anyway than getting out in the Bay by myself in a shorter Kayak like the Ride 115, but I'll go where the fish are. I'm hoping Coop may be available next week to fish and show me the ropes.

Thanks for the help.

Kyyaker

[Kyyaker]

Another quick question. My normal setup is a 7' medium fast or xfast spinning rod with 20/6 hi-vis power pro and a 12ft, 10lb floro leader. However, I remember reading something that recommended a 30 to 40 lb floro leader when jigging or trolling, I assume because of high abrasion factor in the Bay. Should I grab some? On the other hand, if I'm trolling only 3-5 feet of water and don't need to get deep, doesn't look like a leader would be necessary unless fish are line sensitive.

Thanks

Kyyaker

[scorpioreno]

Sounds like you have done your home work. I think that at some point you should invest in a FF especially If you are fishing unfamiliar waters and looking for structures. You could get away with a good had held GPS unit and copy your Map coordinates to your GPS unit and it will guide you to specific areas. As far as getting out of your boat to fish from a flat to a channel you have to know the bottom structure because you can get into trouble fast if you are in soft sand/mud. Also take a couple of hard baits with you in case you run into some blues. Have fun and enjoy your Trip with the Family. Let us know how you do.

[Mark]

Kyyaker,

Based on your initial post, I think you're going to do just fine.

I have fished all summer here without a finder and I've done well. I stay relatively close to shore and cast to the riprap, points and pier pilings. I'll also troll the channels where it is safe from power boat traffic and where I can see the channels via the markers. Anywhere there is structure and tidal current moving the water is usually good. Keeper-sized stripers can be found very close to shore. Even those under 18 inches provide a good tug and are fun to catch.

Soft plastics are excellent and so are crank baits like Rat L Traps and X Raps.

Enjoy your trip to Maryland and good luck!

[Mark]

Kyyaker,

Regarding line, the rods I carry range from 6 pound test to 12 pound. Nothing heavier. Most of the time you're fishing in open water. You don't have to yank fish from weeds like freshwater bass fishing. I got a 19 inch striper on 6 pound test yesterday and had no trouble getting it to the boat. I've been broken off around buoy cables but it's rare. It was my fault for getting too close to it.

Mark

[RavensDfense]

I'll pick up some gulp at a local tackle shop (recommendations?).

4 or 5 inch GULP! swimming mullet in charturese or white works well.

Concerning your line, you don't need a heavy leader. I use a 12-25 lb. fluro carbon leader, tied to 10 lb power pro. And thats probably overkill. I just use it as something to grab hold of when I lift the fish in the boat, so the braid doesn't dig into my hand.

[Kyyaker]

Mark

I've got some of the KVD redeye shad in the silver/blue color and and shadraps that I'll bring. Thanks for the advice. Feeling a little better about my chances of not getting skunked.

Kyyaker

[chimo]

Another quick question. My normal setup is a 7' medium fast or xfast spinning rod with 20/6 hi-vis power pro and a 12ft, 10lb floro leader. However, I remember reading something that recommended a 30 to 40 lb floro leader when jigging or trolling, I assume because of high abrasion factor in the Bay.

Kyyaker

Those set ups should work fine for open water. Heavier leaders are usually only needed around bridge pylons or the piers where the fish can wrap you up.

As for lures, xraps are another good bet and a 3" gulp swimming mullet will catch most everything in the bay. Good Fishin

[Kyyaker]

Scorpioeno

I also downloaded a GPS app for my iPhone called NaviPad US that has the charts for the Bay area included. Don't know how good it is because can't test out in KY, but its what I've been studying to locate structure. As far as getting out of the yak, I think I've figured out that "h" means hard bottom, "sy" means sticky, "S" means sand and "M" means mud. Wading is actually my preferred method of fishing so I'd like to try it. I'll make sure to double check the bottom before I getting out of the yak.

Thanks

Kyyaker

Kyyaker

[ronaultmtd]

I would use 3 and 4 inch swimming mullet Gulp in both colors- sometime they favor one color over the other- and if you use a small gold spinner bait spinner on the 1/4 oz. jighead i have found that sometimes gets a nice Redfish to pounce- for some reason they like gold colored spoons and spinners- Doesn't seem to make any difference for striped bass or bluefish- a paddle tailed plastic in 4 inch on a 1/4 oz jig head is the ticket- I have gotten to favor Sea Assassin plastic swim bodies over others, but that's just me- everybody is different- whatever you have confidence in catches fish- as far as leaders- I use 20# Seagear red label floro on everything- big fish, small fish, everything- I tie it in the braid with double uni knots- never had a failure and I have been foul hooked in some mighty big stingrays that took a very long time to get next to the yak to get my baits back- if you are going to get out and wade, bring a stake out pole to secure your yak in the shallows-

[MetroMan]

Scorpioeno

I also downloaded a GPS app for my iPhone called NaviPad US that has the charts for the Bay area included. Don't know how good it is because can't test out in KY, but its what I've been studying to locate structure. As far as getting out of the yak, I think I've figured out that "h" means hard bottom, "sy" means sticky, "S" means sand and "M" means mud. Wading is actually my preferred method of fishing so I'd like to try it. I'll make sure to double check the bottom before I getting out of the yak.

Thanks

Kyyaker

Kyyaker

The phone map apps are great. It will be sufficient to help you find structure.