Flounder but no sheepshead, no spade fish at CBBT (Aug 16, 2014)

[ComeOnFish]

I was going to try mainly sheepshead and spade fish at CBBT (Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, VA). I arrived at the tackle and bait store on Northampton ST., VA Beach at 06:00AM. But fiddler crab (for sheepshead) were sold out already. So I bought frozen sand flee. I bought frozen clam, but I threw it away immediately because I found that frozen clam (I bought) was decomposed already when I opened the package.

So spade fish was out of the target species list for the day.

Dave (HokieDJ) tipped me before the trip that 1) I fish for flounder during the outgoing tide. 2) Use tandem rig: 5 " Gulp Swimming Mullet for teaser and a 2 OZ whit buck tail with a 4" white Gulp Swimming Mullet.
So I fished for flounder first during the outgoing tide. I caught two keeper flounder at 21.5" and 16.5". I release a 15" flounder.

After done with flounder fishing, I fished for sheepshead until the frozen sand flee ran out.
I caught a bunch of croaker and oyster toad fish on sand flee but no sheepshead.

Next time I will buy chowder clam a day before the trip at H mart or Lotte.

[Shady]

Thanks for the report, do sheep's eat blue crab? Could buy some at lotte beforehand

[JohnE]

DSCN1311.jpgGood seeing you out there Joe. And thanks again for the zip ties. We will catch some of those spades and sheepshead next time. Looks like the black seabass was almost a new record on here, but only a tie with tufnik. I did end up a catching some really small flounder out there.

Hit mobjack and hrbt the rest of the weekend, but just trash fish and almost legal flounder. Actually caught a conch that was trying to eat my fiddler crab. Oh, and I met the bait man down there and got his number, so we can get all the live finger mullet, spot, croaker...pretty much anything really cheap.20140818_084704-42758937.jpg

[JohnE]

Blue crab might work. Live sand fleas or fiddlers would be better. Sand fleas have been a little hard to find down there lately, had to do some serious digging with my rake to get just a couple dozen last time. You can also catch fiddlers yourself if you can find the right spots. I caught a couple dozen this past weekend.

I am thinking about keeping some of this bait around at my house, like tufnik was talking about a few weeks back. I have a bunch of aquariums and stuff like that, but I used to keep freshwater fish.

[chimo]

Flounder but no sheepshead, no spade fish at CBBT (Aug 16, 2014)

Nice meeting you Joe and John. I fished Saturday 0930 till dark and sunday 0515-1600. I was hoping to stumble into some triggers, sheep and spades with flounder as a back-up plan. Managed more dink black sea bass and toads than I care to remember a few flounder to 19.5", my first trigger at 11.5, some craoker and tiny blues. I also learned alot! Lessons for next time, live fiddlers or sand fleas for sheephead and you don't have to paddle all the way to the 1st island to find them, met Justin from release reels and he had caught 3 citations and a few others well short of the island.

[HokieDJ]

You can do it all from the first SBC if there are in town. Spades, I'm still trying to figure them out. I only know of 1 place for them but then again that's where I tried first.

[JohnE]

I have seen spades brought up as close in as about halfway to 1st small boat channel.

[ComeOnFish]

I forgot about this. I met a father and a son yakers in 15' of water last year. They said that was their spot for spade. They were anchored and casting a small jig with a small piece of clam. They were using a spinning reel with 20# test mono. The jig slowly sank and moving with the curent close to the bridge column.

With my lightest bait-cast reel and rod, I can't cast the small jig. I will have to use a slip sinker to place the clam in the right depth.

Joe

[bluestringer]

nice video! It's nice seeing others using a lefthand crank baitcaster. I'm right handed, grew up fishing on the Chesapeake with spinning rods so I find righthand cranks a little awkward.lol
nice fish!

[JohnE]

Will be back out there this weekend. About to get some clams to grind up and freeze into chum blocks.

[rwh]

Spades also love jellyfish. Scoop up some of the cannonball type with no tentacles, they don't sting and cut them into the same size pieces like you do clams.

[JohnE]

Spades also love jellyfish. Scoop up some of the cannonball type with no tentacles, they don't sting and cut them into the same size pieces like you do clams.

I have been reading up on this lately but have not tried them yet. Supposedly, this is the time of year that jellyfish will be really productive on spades apparently. I saw that some people have actually found them for sale at Asian markets also. I have seen tons of them out in places like Lafayette lately, but they looked like the type that sting. Only seen a few at cbbt, but I will try to catch some if I see them again.

[Slobber Bob]

How would you keep jellyfish on the hook?

[JohnE]

How would you keep jellyfish on the hook?

I have never tried, but I will this weekend. Was wondering the same thing myself.

[AbuMasgouf]

Maybe try one of those clam pouches (or whatever they are called) people use for surf fishing. It's like a small mesh bag that you put the clam or whatever is soft in there and hook it through the pouch. The pouch mesh keeps it on the hook...