Tweet
Skunked at Piney Point, 3/26
The punchline is in the title. Read on if you want to hear about everything that didn't work. 
I thought I'd try my luck at Piney Point since folks were catching stripers at SPSP. The plan was to drag something big out to Stuarts Pier, jig the pilings, then hit my topwater spots with big poppers. I talked to an older gentlemen who saw my yak from the road and came by to take a look. He said stripers were being caught in the channel, so I figured my chances for a skunk were slight lower than I initially thought.
I hit the water at about 4:30, which was max flood. Water temp was 51* and salinity was 9. I checked the salinity at SPSP this morning, and it's essentially fresh at the moment, so I was way off in my estimation of conditions there. I probably should've launched by the 301 bridge.
I started off pulling a 6" shallow running Bomber until I got to deeper water when I switched to a 1oz parachute and 6" shad. No hits and nothing onthe sonar. There was an oil boat docked at the pier, so jigging was scratch off my list.
I worked the shallows near the rip rap there with a 6" popper without any luck.
I trolled a Stretch 15 back toward my topwater spots. I saw two marks on the sonar right on the bottom but didn't get any hits. It turned out later that the Stretch wasn't running as deep as I thought. I think those two marks were decent fish because they were actually arch-shaped, which my sonar doesn't usually show. Once I got to shallow water again, I switch back to the big Bomber but didn't have any luck. At least that lure ran as deep as I wanted it to.
I had almost enough water at my topwater spot by 7pm, but the temperature was dropping fast and I wasn't feeling very hopeful. Usually there are some signs of fish in that area when they're there. No signs this time. No hits on a variety of poppers and Rattletraps at that spot or by the bridge. I called it quits at 8pm.
There was a little bit of chop and some wake from ships that was around a foot and a half, and I was pleased with how the Revo handled it. I would've gotten a faceful of spray from the Outback. My Revo muscles are finally getting built up, too. I hit the 3 mile mark pretty quickly and easily, and I wasn't tired after covering 6 miles despite wearing my heavy wool pants and waders. That is, until I got home and sat down.
Overall, I was pretty happy despite not catching anything. I really wish I could've jigged the pier though. I haven't put my new Carrot Stix through its paces yet. I also wished I had brought the salted bloodworms I had in the fridge.
I thought I'd try my luck at Piney Point since folks were catching stripers at SPSP. The plan was to drag something big out to Stuarts Pier, jig the pilings, then hit my topwater spots with big poppers. I talked to an older gentlemen who saw my yak from the road and came by to take a look. He said stripers were being caught in the channel, so I figured my chances for a skunk were slight lower than I initially thought.
I hit the water at about 4:30, which was max flood. Water temp was 51* and salinity was 9. I checked the salinity at SPSP this morning, and it's essentially fresh at the moment, so I was way off in my estimation of conditions there. I probably should've launched by the 301 bridge.
I started off pulling a 6" shallow running Bomber until I got to deeper water when I switched to a 1oz parachute and 6" shad. No hits and nothing onthe sonar. There was an oil boat docked at the pier, so jigging was scratch off my list.
I worked the shallows near the rip rap there with a 6" popper without any luck.I trolled a Stretch 15 back toward my topwater spots. I saw two marks on the sonar right on the bottom but didn't get any hits. It turned out later that the Stretch wasn't running as deep as I thought.
I think those two marks were decent fish because they were actually arch-shaped, which my sonar doesn't usually show. Once I got to shallow water again, I switch back to the big Bomber but didn't have any luck. At least that lure ran as deep as I wanted it to.I had almost enough water at my topwater spot by 7pm, but the temperature was dropping fast and I wasn't feeling very hopeful. Usually there are some signs of fish in that area when they're there. No signs this time. No hits on a variety of poppers and Rattletraps at that spot or by the bridge. I called it quits at 8pm.
There was a little bit of chop and some wake from ships that was around a foot and a half, and I was pleased with how the Revo handled it. I would've gotten a faceful of spray from the Outback. My Revo muscles are finally getting built up, too. I hit the 3 mile mark pretty quickly and easily, and I wasn't tired after covering 6 miles despite wearing my heavy wool pants and waders. That is, until I got home and sat down.
Overall, I was pretty happy despite not catching anything. I really wish I could've jigged the pier though. I haven't put my new Carrot Stix through its paces yet. I also wished I had brought the salted bloodworms I had in the fridge.
At least it was a cheaper skunk here.
Comment