Rocktober

[ronaultmtd]

Based on intel from Big Mike, I refurbished my old chug bug popper with new split rings heavily tinned Mustad 2/0 in line single replacement hooks and a through cleaning for a daylight (dead low tide) top water effort in the Slower Lower...I launched wearing a headlamp and my carbon visipole light on...there was a rosy glow on the horizon, but it was a half hour away...I journeyed in the dark to the fishing location and sat quietly listen to the wind blowing, lapping waves against my Outback..it was breezy...more than Windfinder predicted...finally it was light enough to start casting and working the popper...Mike had cautioned that it was like Musky fishing- lots and lots of casts without a fish, so I was mechanically casting, working the popper and casting...the wind was pushing me off my spot so that was a secondary issue...finally I felt resistance on the rod and had my first fish...a frisky 16 inch football that would turn out to be the smallest fish of the day, but I am getting ahead of myself...bringing the fish into the boat it thrashes and drives the rear hook into the fabric of my shirtsleeve...trying to hold position in the wind, holding a lively hooked fish with the lure tangled in my shirt...comedy of errors...I unhook and release the fish...propel the boat out into deeper waters and then extracted the hook out of my shirtsleeve...it is light enough so I no longer need the headlamp and boat traffic tells me it is Saturday...fifty more casts or so yielded two more hits and both fish get the front hook...I am happy I added a bigger split ring than was made with the lure...the 2/0 hook hangs farther away from the body and is a "hooker"...the sun is up and I decide to take a break to rest my old shoulders by trolling...dropped back a 5 inch diesel minnowz on 5/16 deathgrip...I hadn't gone 25 yard and the reel is screaming, rod is bent hard, making it difficult to pull it out of the holder...after several hard, head shaking runs I reel in a 20 1/4" fat football striper...measure, release and return to the troll...mind you this is low tide...over the next two hours I catch and release a total of 11 big, football stripers...all bigger than the first 16 inch fish...three stripers over 20 inches with the biggest at 22"...I put Lady luck in my pickup and pull out of the parking lot...10:45 a.m. it really is Rocktober ...

[J.A. Veil]

Great report, Ron. October stripers can be great fun. They will be starting to fatten up for winter and have some extra power when they pull.

I trolled over 8 miles this morning in the Little Choptank River and caught all ten of my stripers in just one 200-yd stretch. I don't know what was special about that area, but it was the only place they were willing to play today. They were not as large as the ones you found, but still pulled hard. I had flat seas for two hours, then the wind made things bumpy for the next two hours.

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[Big Mike]

Great report Ron. Definitely better quality fish moving into shallower water.

[scorchy]

Beautifully told, Ron. Felt like I was right there on the water with you.

[dsaavedra]

Awesome day Ron. I was probably fishing right around the corner from you and had a similar experience. My fish were mostly just a little smaller than yours (although my biggest of the day was also 22") but they were feasting and hitting the paddle tails like they owed them money. I was trolling 3" paddle tails, I wonder if upsizing to 5" would have weeded out some of the smaller fish...