Chsp 7/5 - 7/6

[dson05]

Left CHSP fishing the pier with a bitter taste in my mouth last thursday when I had hooked into a doormat way over 20". Didn't have a net so was working it up out of the water, but the flounder was so big and heavy that my swivel on my high lo rig snapped in half. More than not being able to eat it I was more bitter that it could have been the biggest flounder I've ever caught. Any how...

Arrived about 10 and was planning to fish the pier til sunrise, but it was so crowded that I went ahead and launched to try to fish the end of the pier in hopes of some flounder. had about 5 ours of nothing.

After first light started to get some hits on gulp tipped with minnow, but felt like croaker hits seeing that there were chew marks instead of half minnows. Ended up catching an approximate 13-14" croaker on a high lo rig with minnows.

The minnows were getting more action (from crabs and fish) so I just worked a 3 rod spread with high lo rigs baited with minnows.

At the end of the day caught 3 flounder at about 10 - 12", one at 15.5" and two keepers at 18" and 20.75". I caught 1 while anchored and the other on the drift.

20140706_110603[1].jpg

[whenican]

Nice doormats, dson05! What time's dinner?
I finally bought a pier/bridge net.... when I dont have it is when I need it
Or I need to be in my kayak!

[tufnik]

I think you did nicely. Thanks for the report.

BTW, was it a snap swivel? I lost two big ones (I think drums) at CBBT last year because of snap swivels. I was a bit pissed. I don't use snap swivels anymore. I now use larger coast swivels. They seem stronger and more reliable. Hope they are, otherwise, I'll switch to barrel swivels.

[eyedaddy]

Got a question, What is Chsp stand for?

[reel-em-in]

Got a question, What is Chsp stand for?

Cape Henlopen State Park (in Lewes)

[dson05]

I think you did nicely. Thanks for the report.

BTW, was it a snap swivel? I lost two big ones (I think drums) at CBBT last year because of snap swivels. I was a bit pissed. I don't use snap swivels anymore. I now use larger coast swivels. They seem stronger and more reliable. Hope they are, otherwise, I'll switch to barrel swivels.

It was actually the barrel swivel at the end of one of those steel leader Hi Lo Rigs. Never had it snap before when fishing so it may have been a faulty barrel swivel. I have used snap swivels... the gold plated kinds at a size 1 I believe. I have never had issues with those snap swivels breaking. Even when pulling large cow nose rays out of the water. You need to be careful that the swivel isn't coiled up in a weird angle, but if isn't twisted up (I don't have much of a problem with this) it is pretty strong. Rated to 100 + pounds.

[Romo]

Swivels are just another thing that can fail! I use a uni to uni knot to attach my braided main line to a flouro leader with whatever rig I tied for the occasion. I usually fish a bucktail with a dropper loop about 18 inches above it with a smaller gulp minnow or killie. I dont trust swivels and I don't trust anyone else's rigs. If things are gonna fail and go wrong I would rather it be my mistake but I rarely if ever have any problems with this set up. My favorite flounder line for jigging 5-20 FOW is 20lb powerpro tied to 15 lb yozuri hybrid flouro. Incredibly sensitive and surprisingly strong.

[dson05]

Swivels are just another thing that can fail! I use a uni to uni knot to attach my braided main line to a flouro leader with whatever rig I tied for the occasion. I usually fish a bucktail with a dropper loop about 18 inches above it with a smaller gulp minnow or killie. I dont trust swivels and I don't trust anyone else's rigs. If things are gonna fail and go wrong I would rather it be my mistake but I rarely if ever have any problems with this set up. My favorite flounder line for jigging 5-20 FOW is 20lb powerpro tied to 15 lb yozuri hybrid flouro. Incredibly sensitive and surprisingly strong.

This was my first time it's happened and probably will stay with it because like I mentioned.. I was fishing the hi lo rigs that you buy with minnows and not gulp. The barrel swivel on that was what broke. First time in 31 years of fishing so I still think chances of not missing are pretty good. When I jig... I use the dropper loop, bucktail on one end and a barrel swivel on the other (rated for #150 pounds). Another note for me personally, no offense, I would use at least 20 lb fluoro if anything because you get hung up on stumps around pilings and rocks. Gives you a little more strength to get it out. In super clear water I can see fluoro being more important, but we arn't fishing pristine water conditions here in delaware so I don't worry about it too much because I do just fine with what I have. I use 50 lb mono and I still have just as much luck as the next. I don't use flouro though because.. it's pretty pricey for me. Besides... I fish for tog and flounder fish when I am in Delaware so to be honest it makes my life a lot easier by giving me less to carry on the yak. Snap swivels are so I change rigs quickly (especially when togging).

Again.. no offense.. just my preference and just like you I don't have any issues with what I use and this was my first time it's happened so I think i'm ok. I did bring my net with me when I went on Sunday to fish the pier though just in case I hooked another doormat. I caught 7 flounders that day and flung them all over the rail with no net and had 0 problems. So I think i'm ok. No Doormat first sure, but I wouldn't trust flinging a large door mat over the rail of the pier with 15# fluoro leader anyway. Enough talking about pier fishing though... on the yak 15 lb fluoro will do just fine, but I don't see myself giving up the swivels because of the convenience factor it offers. I hate retying with wet hands... especially with fish slime added in. =)

Swivels are just something I've always

[Romo]

Ahh I got ya. Where I flounder fish its a smooth sand bottom and gin clear water so I'm not worried about abrasion or snags as much as the visibility. I've had so many barrel swivels open on me over the years though on big fish (mainly catfish and stripers) I have just sworn off of them completely. Different strokes for different conditions!

[dson05]

Ahh I got ya. Where I flounder fish its a smooth sand bottom and gin clear water so I'm not worried about abrasion or snags as much as the visibility. I've had so many barrel swivels open on me over the years though on big fish (mainly catfish and stripers) I have just sworn off of them completely. Different strokes for different conditions!

Haha. yeah. Your are talking about snap swivels (which I use), but in my incident it was just a barrel swivel that broke in half. I wish I had clean waters to worry about, but we have concerns of murky conditions instead. haha.

[Romo]

No seriously, I am talking about barrel swivels! Under a lot of pressure one of the loops will actually pull open or rip completely out. I have had many that were destroyed by big blues, flatheads, rockfish and sharks. All brands too not just the cheapo versions they sell at dicks. The consequences of braided line and reels with 40 lbs of drag pressure I guess!

[dson05]

No seriously, I am talking about barrel swivels! Under a lot of pressure one of the loops will actually pull open or rip completely out. I have had many that were destroyed by big blues, flatheads, rockfish and sharks. All brands too not just the cheapo versions they sell at dicks. The consequences of braided line and reels with 40 lbs of drag pressure I guess!

I would like to experience it to become a believer some day. I'm jealous, but also not at the same time. I'll probably use them til I see that happen to me on a regular basis, but success rate plus comfort will probably keep me satisfying old habits. =)

[PigPen]

I appreciate the info. I've been pretty lazy of late using swivels for plastics, jigs, spinners, and cranks which causes poor performance on some lures but is soooo easy to change. I have no problem tying my flies on other than my piss poor knot that I use.
I haven't seen pristine waters in the Chesapeake yet, all be it very limited experience, so does the extra metal spook the fish?

[Cowpokey]

I have no problem tying my flies on other than my piss poor knot that I use.

I like the Davy Knot for tying on flies, especially with really thin tippet.

http://www.netknots.com/fishing_knots/davy-knot

I use a standard 4 or 5 turn "fisherman's knot" for everything else. I pass the line through the hook/lure eye, double back, wrap 4/5 times around my finger then slide loops off my finger, pass the tag end through the loops/turns and pull tight.

[dson05]

I appreciate the info. I've been pretty lazy of late using swivels for plastics, jigs, spinners, and cranks which causes poor performance on some lures but is soooo easy to change. I have no problem tying my flies on other than my piss poor knot that I use.
I haven't seen pristine waters in the Chesapeake yet, all be it very limited experience, so does the extra metal spook the fish?

I use snap swivels for almost every and I have had no problems. The only time I probably use it is when I am jigging deeper water with faster current. Mainly cause sometimes the line gets tangled up in the swivel and also it causes a lot of drag. Almost everything else I havn't. I just feel like the simplicity of changing whats on your line... especially on a yak fairly quickly is important. Just my 2 cents.