Sunday, October 26, 2008

weekend update I



Saturday was our annual community fishing tournament. For the 2nd year in a row the weather was abysmal and no Rock were caught. We had 30 knot winds and driving rains for most of the day. It was just plain miserable, but my daughter Grace, myself, and her friend Carter gave it our best shot. Maybe next year.

Sunday brought bright blue sunny skies and much tamer wind conditions. I headed out around 5 and made my way to Glebe bay. The fish did not seem to be there, but I did manage to pick up one keeper around 6 PM. On my way in I worked the point near the Snow-Renfro house and had on what seemed to be the biggest river fish ever. Huge splash and fish took off perpendicular to boat. Dorsal fin cut across the surface like a bullet and then just like that the fish was gone. DANG

Friday, October 24, 2008

October Fun




Last night I only had a few minutes to keep up my streak. Got to Glebe bay at 6.15. It was already getting dark when I had a blow up and fish did a nice "Irish Jig" on the surface. I could see it was a big fish, but it was too dark to tell how big. When I brought it to side of boat, it appeared to be north of 30. Unfortunately, I was in a hurry and as I swung her over side the braid broke and off she went with a brand new Smack it Jr.

Tonight I headed out around 4.30. Called John and he said he was at the "new house" with no action. Asked him to meet me at Glebe Bay after I filled my gas tank. Met him there at 5. We fished the same area as Weds night but did not even have a swirl. The tide and wind were pushing water into the bank closer to river, so I moved over there and immediately got 2 18's. Called John to join me and he immediately hooked up. John headed back to Harbor Hills to pick up his dad and I stayed put. While he was gone I picked up 5 from 18-20 and then had a huge blow up and boated the biggest of night...a 26. When John returned we picked up several more shorties and then called it a night at 6.30. Great night, but not much of a sundown picture tonight.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Getting outta the wind




Left the dock around 5pm tonight with my buddy John. We headed straight for the "new house" spot to continue where I left off last night. The wind was howling from the west so the water level was very low. After 10 minutes we decided to move across Glebe bay to where the wind was blowing the water into land. This was a new spot for me, but looked good. It was steady action from the time we anchored until sunset. We each caught at least 10 (probably a lot more)..mostly 16-18 with a few keepers. All in all it was a blast. You have to love October. you can literally start tossing plugs into any shallow water structure and have a great chance of getting a blow up. Massive whitecaps in the river so tonight was a pleasant surprise.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Weekend Recap




I wait all year for October and so far it has been well worth it. Friday night my neighbor Jimmy came along for some topwater action. We hit a few lake Riva spots with no action as we made our way to the "new house" spot that James and I had slayed them Thurs. On my 2nd cast I had a nice blow-up and had our first Striper..too close to call. The wind was really blowing, so we made our way over to Aberdeen creek and drifted the point. On our second drift I had a huge blow up that looked like a striper, but the fish was really peeling drag. Then the fish jumped and I saw it was a Blue...a nice fat 4 pounder. Best fight from a blue all year. Hit "6 mph" sign on way in and had several blow ups that missed. Jimmy fished with me again Sat Am, but we got shut out. Sat and Sunday were blowing 20 plus knots so fishing was tough. Did manage to pick up one 18 Sunday night at "6 mph".

Tonight I headed out to the "new house" and anchored up near the point at 5.30. Things were slow for the first 15 minutes and then the fish really turned on. At 5.45 I picked up a really nice 28 on my light-med St Croix. Now that was fun. Proceeded to pick up a total of 10 Rock from 18-22. I was chilly but a perfect TW night. Can really feel the fall in the air.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Summer to Fall changeover




My buddy James is in town for a few days, so we headed out to Thomas Point the past 2 nights. Weds night we arrived at the "spot" at little after 5. The weather was perfect..82 degrees, light breeze, sunny skies, and STILLWATER. Almost immediately we got into the blues. Action was fairly steady, but the blues were all under 2 pounds. Just as the sun was setting we saw some birds working a few hundred feet off the point. We made our way over just as darkness was setting in and boy did we have a blast. If was a veritable bluefish frenzy. Fish were jumping out of the water everywhere. Jim picked up a very nice 4 plus LBR. Not one Striper all night.

Tonight was a totally different story. When we left the dock at 5 Pm the temp was still 83, but a cold front was pushing in. It was raining lightly but the breeze was light and water calm. On the way out we decided to try at least one river spot hoping to avoid the blues and get some Rock. Literally on the first cast I had a huge blow up from a fish that was at least a 24. The fish missed and a second fish slammed immediately...a 18. I was using a Jr Smack it and James the big Chug Bug. The next 1/2 hour I caught 9 sub legals in a row...James Nada. He was getting ready to switch over to the smaller plug when he had the biggest blow up of the night and boated a very nice 24. At this point a neighbor of mine came up in his boat. I had promised to show him the Thomas Point "spot" so off we went. Spent the rest of the night playing around the flats and only picked up 2 blues. So 2 lessons learned.."the bigger the plug the bigger the fish" and "never leave fish to find fish". The Rock are in the rivers. Let fall begin. Supposed to be in the 30's tomorrow morning.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Big Blue




Headed out to TP Shoal right after work tonight. The river was flat on my way out, but once I got to the rockpile the wind was blowing against a strong outgoing tide, so it was quite choppy. Decided to stay a while anyway and it really paid off. Started catching decent sized blues right away. At 5.40 I picked up what turned out to be the only Rock of the night..an 18. Continued to pick up blues steadily and a little after 6 pm I had a big blow up from a blue that was clearly in a different class. Since I was pulling against the tide, the fish was able to really peel off some drag....4 or 5 good runs. Blues can be a blast, but this one was a in a whole different league. I did not have a way of weighing it, but it was my biggest ever. Incredible sunset as I headed back home for a very rough 1/2 hour kidney beating.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Super Sunday




Headed out to Thomas Point Shoal and anchored up at 10.30 am. Did not take for my first blow-up and boated a nice 20. Next cast had a huge blow-up. I was using my new Medium Heavy St.Croix with 10lb Power Pro and large size Chug Bug. My buddy James uses this plug a lot, but I had never caught one using it. So despite the heavier gear the fish gave quite a fight. Drag was not quite screaming, but we were having a nice give and take. Finally after 3 minutes or so, I netted a 26. Proceeded to catch 5 or 6 good sized Blues over the next hour and finished up with another 18 and 20. The water very clear and calm. Back at the dock at 1 to watch the Ravens lose badly to the Colts.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

End of the world



Headed out right after work tonight to try to put the carnage on wall street out of my mind. Made my way over to the oak tree and found just the distraction I needed. Picked up 3 Rock between 16 and 18 inches. Had several other blow ups from bigger fish, but they were short. Picked up a good sized blue at Boyd point on my way in. Nice sunset to boot. Guess the world will go on for at least another day.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Morning Fog



Fished from 9-12 on Saturday and again 6-7 in the evening. Weather was perfect, but did not even have a swirl all day. At least the bluefish seem to be gone.

This morning I headed down to Marina around 9 and was greeted by dense fog. Worked Boyd point,Oak tree, and then headed over to jetty as fog was just burning off. At 9.30 had a nice blow up and boated fat 24 inch Rock. After the Raven's game (Heartbreaker) I headed back down to Marina and worked the shallows for an hour or so from the pier. Picked up about a dozen good sized White perch on stillwater. One real fatty that had to weigh close to 2 pounds. Was not the longest I have ever caught, but the fattest.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Fall pattern?


Headed out at 5pm tonight. It was breezy with a threat of rain, so I stayed in Lake Riva. Hit all the normal spots and picked up 3 blues. Had one nice blowup around 6 pm at the 6MPH cove, but fish missed. Ended up back at Boyd point at 6.30 and finally got a decent 16 inch Rock.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

The old Oak tree.




Has been very good for blues the past month or so, but keeper sized Rock on plugs has been very tough. I had my first decent blow up on Sat near the first pier upriver of Broad creek. Today it was raining off and on from 2-3 PM. Picked up a nice blue Topwater trolling over the point. Around 3 the sun came out, so a I made my way downriver from Riva Rd bridge. I always hit the large Oak tree at the point downriver from Mike's. A fishing buddy has caught several there over the years, but I had never had any action. The tide was moving out and wind was pushing water into bank. On my third cast, I had a nice blow up that appeared to be a striper. Had the same fish blow-up for the next 3 drifts. Decided to anchor off the spot and nail the sucker. Finally after a few casts the fish slammed hard and the fight was on. A very fat healthy 22 incher. FINALLY. Hope this is the start of fall river run. The river was eerily calm when the fish hit. The sound was incredible and had my heart pumping.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Singing The Blues



Have been hitting the Thomas Point Shoal most nights for the past few weeks. Stripers' have been few and far between, but the topwater action for Blues has been incredible. Tonight it was non-stop action right off the point. As the night was winding down, I has a strange fish hit my plug and immediately go skyward. It was a good distance away so I did not know what to make of it, but clearly it was not of this world. The way it came out of the water reminded me a of a skinny swordfish. As the fish got closer to the boat I thought it was just a foul hooked blue, but when she came over the gunwale, I had my first "?". One of the boats nearby saw the whole thing and gestured "what was that". He came over to take a look and said it was a needle fish...the biggest he had ever seen. Wow..one cool looking fish...with some nasty teeth. So now I have a new topwater hitting species to target.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Out-fished Again



Arrived at the shoal at 7PM. There were already 5 boats working the rockpile in a tight circle. Plugs were flying everywhere. One guy with 2 little boys was hauling in keepers nearly every cast. The dad was working TW, but I couldn't tell what the boys were using, but they were crushing dad. I managed 2 nice blues in the first 10 minutes and then a "seat" rock at 7.25. One more blue and that was it for me. Tide was going out, water temp was down to 71 and it felt like late Sept. Very nice sunset picture and back home by 8.30.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Love those August Nights




Arrived at Thomas Point Shoal at 7PM. Bill(Mako Guy) and the Grady Boys were already on the spot. Nudged my way in looked around and thought "this is going to be good. Tide had just run out and there was not a ripple in sight or a puff of breeze...perfect topwater night. Bill picked up a very nice 26incher right off the bat. Huge tail slap. The boys were matching him fish for fish for 1st 1/2. All I had was a few Blues and undersized rock. Finally at 7.45 I picked up a nice 20 on Stillwater. Had several more 16 inchers, but got out-fished tonight. Oh well...still a great night. It was very nice to have flat seas for once.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Tow In



Fished Thomas Point on Sunday with James and got skunked. It was very choppy with south wind and tide coming in. Monday and Tues were similar, so I stuck to the river. Still no keepers in river. Lots of blues.

Tonight I arrived at rockpile at 7.15Pm. The ride out was flat as a bathtub, but once again we had south wind against the tide. At least it was fishable. Picked up several good sized blues and finally a keeper rock at 7.45. It was just me and the Mako guy. He had trouble starting engine, so I towed him in to his dock. One of the nicest sunsets of summer.

Friday, August 15, 2008

All alone in heaven




My buddy James came in from Calif. on Weds for business so we headed out around 6.30 PM to try and recreate the night before, but alas the wind was blowing hard against tide, so we were forced to stay in river...NADA. Thursday night brought thunderstorms, so again I was forced to fish river..NADA. Tonight was like glass so I headed to the bay. Got to the spot late and anchored up at 7.30. Not a boat in sight. On my first cast I picked up a nice sized Blue (biggest of year). A few minutes later I got a huge slam and the fight was on. She gave several good runs and thought for sure I would lose her, but was finally able to bring her to side of boat and swing her aboard. NICE FISH. Covered the entire oil hatch which put her in the 28 inch class.

Fairly steady until dark. Picked up 7 keeper rock and 6 or so blues. All the rock were fat and healthy, but not in the class of the first one. Back at dock by 8.45 to clean up the bloodbath of one great 1/2 hour of fishing.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Right On Cue




I have been out to Thomas Point flats 4 or 5 times in the past month. Mainly tried Topwater and picked up a few sub legals, but have generally been disappointed. I knew in my heart that things do not get rolling until mid August. So I have primarily sticking to lake Riva and have not boated a keeper rock in a month and half. I have caught fish, but mostly on plastics and small fish.

Had that feeling tonight. Headed out to Thomas Point and anchored up at rock pile around 6:45 Pm. Nada happening for 30 minutes so I moved above the pile and let the tide drift plug over pile. First cast BAM a huge slam and boated a very fat 24 incher. Next cast I boated her twin. Basically non stop from then till sundown. Total of 13 keepers in 1 1/2 hours. Both the biggies were on a all white Stillwater before having a monster break off my 10LB braid. Both Chug Bug and SW worked in several colors. When it rains it pours.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Long overdue update




Have fished a lot this summer, mostly the river, but quite a few trips out to Thomas Point. Since this is a topwater blog, there really has not been much to report. The river is loaded with baitfish this year and tons of 1 year old dinks. 2 and 3 year old fish have started to move in, but have been very tough for TW. I have been throwing mostly soft plastics. Not exactly what I would prefer, but the only game in town. This weekend I picked up several keeper sized rock near the bridge and tonight I finally had a nice topwater slam that filled the seat(my measure for keeper size). I have picked a quite a few White Perch on plugs and even had a catfish hit a chug bug a few nights ago.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Trophy Season



Went out from 12 to 7pm today on friend Brads boat. Trolled the Matapeake area with 8 rod spread. Bay was like glass all day and air temp was a perfect 70 degrees with 5 knot wind. We picked up our first fish, a fat 39 inch cow, at 2.30. Fish was caught on the hand line down deep. About an hour later we picked up a male about 33 inches.Not much else the rest of the day, but it sure beat working. Great Day

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Early Start for TW




Have fished 13 of the first 15 days of April. On the 5th of April I managed 2 undersized rock on kastmaster so they really did not count. I have basically stuck primarily with plugs even though I have never had a blow up before May..until tonight. I was getting ready to pull into Marina around 7.30Pm, but decided to try the Marina Light. On 3rd cast I had a nice TW slam and boated a healthy fat 16 inch resident rock. Water temp was about 60, so things should get rolling from here on. I hope. Very nice sunset to boot.

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