Sunny Severn

[Mark]

J. A. Veil, Raptor and I launched into the Severn this morning at low tide.

It was a beautiful morning that turned into a sunny day albeit a bit breezier than expected.

The cherry trees are in bloom at the USNA.

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A tandem Hobie was headed out to fish.

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Here's a photo of John out in front on the way back to the launch.

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So now the good stuff. We caught about 50 stripers between us, all caught trolling. Raptor had 21. I had 14 and lost two others at the boat. John had about 15, I believe. There are a lot of 17 to 18 inch fish out there right now. They're fat and healthy looking and fun to catch on light tackle.

The largest I boated was 21 inches. John got several over 20 inches.

I caught a good number on these lures:

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I removed the treble hooks from the X-Rap and had no trouble hooking fish. The 21 incher hit it.

At first I was catching them in less than 10 feet of water. But later I found schools midway in the water column in deeper water.

I also learned a lesson. Don't grab the leader on fish over 24 inches. All you do is facilitate their quick release and lose your lure in the process.

First one out and last one back, today's winner in number caught...The Raptor:

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[J. Rentch]

Way to go guys, very jealous that I could not be with everyone. That sun must have felt good on the face instead of the raw winds we have had lately.

[J.A. Veil]

The very calm seas for most of the morning were a treat. I worked three separate areas downstream from Jonas Green and caught stripers at all three. I trolled the entire way from the launch to the mouth and only caught fish in my three target areas. As Mark noted, there were many 18" fish -- but these were not the regular girth fish we see all summer. They were chunky footballs. From the way they tugged on the lines, I often expected longer fish. I did manage a 24", 22", and 21" today. I was not far from Mark's location when his big fish broke the line. I could see part of the fish and the splashing before it got away.

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These larger fish will be in the river for a few more weeks, then they typically move out into the bay. But while they are here, they are great fun to catch. Plus it is a treat to catch large fish with the historic Annapolis skyline and the Naval Academy in the background.

[On the fly]

Looked like a good day. Hope we have a good day Tommorow at Ft. Smallwood.

[bignose]

Sounds like a great day. Thanks for the report.

[cryptotek]

From where did you launch?

[J.A. Veil]

From where did you launch?

Jonas Green.

[Goody]

It was a beautiful day to be outside yesterday. Glad to see you guys got out on the water and caught some nice fish.

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