Eye of the storm

It had been raining all day, so I had not planned on fishing. After dinner, around 6 Pm, the rain had stopped and wind had died down enough to give it a try. Made a few casts at "Al's Spot" and had a nice blow up, but could not relocate the fish. Moved downriver to the river side of point. The wind and tide were moving the boat at a steady clip, so I was able to work the shoreline with the motor off. Picked up 4 fish, all around 20 inches. Made a second pass and managed to pick up one more 18. All 5 fish hit right up against the grass shoreline on the first or second pop. Moved across the river and made a few casts at the "nest", with no action. There has been a small center console working the shoreline for the past 2 nights, so I decided to shoot across the river to say hello, but he took off to avoid the pending downpour. Made one more cast into the "jetty' and picked up another 20. So ended with 6 fish and 1 missed blowup in 45 minutes. I'll take it. Ran home just as the sky looked like it was about to open up.

Home again

Left the dock early tonight to hit a few Lake Riva spots before going out to dinner. The first spot was a place a caught a 22 two years ago. I call this spot the "Old Man's House" because naturally an old man lives there. He always stands on hit deck and asks how the fishing has been. The spot is about 200 yards from the marina and tucked in behind what was once a fairly good sized island. It took a couple of casts, but I was able to boat a smallish 14 incher. Next spot was once again "Al's Spot", where I boated a decent 20. After that I worked the south shore of the river moving towards the Riva Road bridge. I have never even had a blow up along this shoreline and was once again disappointed. I then worked several spots between the bridges, but again had no luck. Ran towards home and slowly worked the river side of the point and finally had a nice blowup and boated a very healthy 22. One hour of fishing and 3 fish...I will take it. I wish Sept. would never end.

Home sweet home

Did not leave the dock until 6:30 tonight, so I decided to stick close to home. There is a spot directly across from the marina that I refer to as "Al's Spot". It is named after my buddy Al, who I met through the Tidalfish message board. I had posted to the board 10 years ago asking for help from anyone with experience fishing the South river. Al responded that he had fished the river for over 25 years and sent me detailed directions to his "go to" spot. He did not know where I lived so his 2 paragraph directions were from his home close to the route 2 bridge. After following his directions to a T, I had to laugh when his spot was literally 200 yards from my house. So for the last 10 years I have always started my night with a couple of casts to his spot which is up against a single piling at a pier across the river from me. I have caught quite a few fish in this spot over the years, but nothing close to the bad boy who blew up on my first cast tonight...a fat 26. After one of the best fights of the year, I hit a few other Lake Riva spots. There was quite a bit of debris from last nights storm and a lot of boat traffic, so I only managed a few small blues. On my way in I hit "Al's spot" for a few more casts, and was amazed when I boated another 18. Two fish without passing under the bridge and a beautiful full moon made for a great night.

Storm Chaser

The weather was hot and humid when I left the dock at 6 tonight. The river was like glass, but again the forecast was for high seas and wind on the bay. My gas tank is almost on empty and of course the pumps were closed. So about halfway to the point I made and executive decision to fish the river. My first stop was the "brown house". On my first cast I picked up a healthy 20 that gave me quite a dance. Not long after, I picked up a 2nd 20. It was then that the first lightning appeared on the horizon. The storm was moving from the southwest right for me. I could not decide whether to scurry home or wait for it to pass. The next minute the sky lit up and the roar was deafening, so it hightailed it home. After I passed under the Riva road bridge the rain had stopped and I felt safe enough to make a few more casts. I hit the SR side of point and on about my tenth cast picked up another 20. Under those conditions, I was quite pleased with a 3 fish night. Interesting sunset to boot.

The BEST of times and the WORST of times.

I left the dock at about 5:45 to sunny skies and and a light wind. I knew from reading the wind forecasts that things would be a whole lot different at Thomas Point. Just like last night, the tide was ebbing and the wind was from the north, so it was quite choppy when I arrived at my spot. The waves were 2 to 3 feet, but were expected to grow to 5 feet. The moon was full and it was a beautiful night, but unfortunately the forecast was dead on. It was the WORST conditions of the year by far. On my first cast I had a blow up that missed and the fish followed with several other attempts. It did not take long to boat his brother though. A very fat and healthy 22. I can honestly say it was non stop action the rest of the night. By far the BEST night of the year. Not sure of the exact count, but would say it was close to 20. Dab's called and said it was too rough for him to make it out, but he finally showed up around 7 with a buddy. They anchored right next to me and immediately started bailing fish. There were a number of newcomers that surrounded us, but I did not see many fish being caught. I think most casual fisherman to the shoal do not understand how shallow it gets in spots. There is not a specific area one needs to fish. It is more of a process. I only use topwater this time of year, so its hard to say if plastics or divers work, but I find you cannot cover enough water. On a night like tonight the only option is to toss with the wind on keep the plug in constant contact with the water. I keep my rod tip down (almost in the water) and use a fairly steady pop with several pauses on the way in. I am one tired guy right now. The pictures do not do justice to how rough the conditions were for topwater fishing.

Another Tow In

Last night I met up with Dabney at Thomas Point at around 6:30. The wind and boat traffic had really died down, so it was a very nice night. It was a lazy night, but we both managed to boat 3 fish between 20 and 24. My camera battery had died, so I will have to figure out how to migrate the photo's from my cell phone. Pn my way in around 8, I was hailed by a broken down boat at the mouth of the river. He offered me $100 to tow him in. I of course refused the money and offered to help. He needed to go to the route 2 bridge, which took us the better part of an hour. I hope next time I break down, someone will help me.

Tonight I started out fishing close to home around 6 pm since the wind was predicted to pick up as the night went on. Dab's called at 6:15 and said it looked good at Thomas Point, so off I went. When I arrived at the spot there were 2 boats anchored dead on the mark. I did not recognize either boat, but muscled my way in as close as possible. They were both using cut bait, which rarely if ever works at the point. It took a while, but I finally picked up a 22. The forecast was dead on as the wind and waves picked up around 7. Dab's called and said he was into fish up into fishing creek, so I pulled anchor and joined him for the final 15 minutes. Only managed to pick up one 16 inch blue and headed in early. Back home by 8 PM.

Last minute fun

A big storm moved through last night which kept me off the water. The wind forecast for tonight at Thomas Point was 25 knots, so it was Lake Riva for me. Hit the water around 6:45 and headed straight for the "nest". The tide was extremely low and still going out. Gave up after 30 casts or so, and moved to the "spot" on the broad creek side of the point. On about the 10th cast I had a nice blow up and quite a dance. After a good 3 minute fight, I boated a healthy 22. Headed in early and was home by 7:30.

Fishing with the boys

Had a few friends from work join me tonight. Picked them up at my friend John's at exactly 5 Pm. The wind was howling against an incoming tide and there were whitecaps on the river. Despite the wind we headed to Thomas point and Anchored up wind from the spot. Did not take long for me to pick up an 18 on the big Chugger. It was my friend Mike's first time fishing the bay, so I gave him the Black Stillwater and the hot corner. John and I picked up several more in the 20 class until Mike finally picked up his first topwater rock. Needless to say he was excited. Mako Chris showed up around 6 and immediately picked up 2 fish. It was steady action the rest of the night with 20 plus fish from 20-24 boated. The wind and waves never really laid down, but at least it was fishable. Great sunset to boot. I love Sept.

The gangs all here

Got out early tonight, so I headed to Thomas Point. The tide was still going out, but looked to be turning. Mako Bill was anchored up right on the marker, but moved over to make room for me. Not much was happening for the first 1/2 hour and Mako Chris showed up. Dab's saw the action from his house on the point, so called and said he would be right out with the beer. So by 7 we had circled the wagons with plugs flying everywhere. Finally the tide turned and I immediately hooked up with a nice 20. Fairly steady action until dark, with Chris and I having the hot hand. The biggest was a 24 boated by Chris. My final count for the night was 6 keepers from 20 to 23. Beautiful sunset to boot. Home by 8.30 to clean up a serious mess of blood.

Pressed for time

Had guests for the weekend and rain Sunday night, so I was anxious to get out tonight. Unfortunately, I had to pick my daughter up from school. With the Ravens on at at 7, the window was about a half hour. Figured my best shot would be the "nest". Made my first cast around 6:40 with black Stillwater. The water was very calm, but quite a bit of debris from all the rain. After 30 casts or so, I was getting ready to head out. When the plug was about 10 feet from the boat I paused to access the situation. Just then the water exploded and a nice size fish took off with my Stillwater. He darted left and right close to the surface, so I wss able to watch the entire fight. Grabbed the net and boated a 26 inch class fish that although fat, did not look healthy. Hit a few other spots on the way in, with no action.

They are in the river

Spent the Labor Day weekend in Ocean City. We returned home Monday afternoon to tons of boat traffic and a stiff breeze. I decided to fish close to home and was not disappointed. Started at the "osprey nest" and had several blow ups that missed. One of the fish was a biggie, but could not get him to come up a second time. Moved over to the river side of broad creek and picked up a nice 17. Finished the night on the broad creek side of point and had a nice blow up at "the spot". This was good to see, since this spot had not produced anything the last 2 years after being my go to spot 3 years ago.

Tonight I headed straight to the "osprey nest" to get the biggie from last night. On the first cast I had a huge blow up that missed. I continued a slow twitch on the way in and picked up a 16. Tossed back into the same spot and finally got the biggie. My tape measure is too worn to get a reading, but my guess would be a 24. Headed over to "the spot" and once again had a big boil followed by a blow up from a biggun that missed. Could not get him to reappear, so moved over to the river side of point and picked up a small one just as the sun was setting. The biggun at "the spot" is going down tomorrow night.

Picture Perfect

The weather this past week has been more typical of the picture perfect evenings of late August. I had the pleasure of taking my oldest daughter Katie, her boyfriend Charlie, and best friend Shaunie, out thursday night for a little topwater seminar. The humidity was low and the skies blue but we faced a bit of chop. We landed 1 barely legal rock to go with 2 lost plugs, one hook to the scalp, and several massive birds nest. We meandered in to a full moon and several cold ones. A great night with some great kids.

As I sat on my deck overlooking the glass of the South River with zero boat traffic, I was anxious to go fishing, so got an early start tonight. Arrived at the spot around 6.30, just as Mako Bill was pulling up his anchor. He offered me his spot and I quickly anchored. He tends to fish a tad bit more towards the lighthouse where the rocks drop off a few feet. I had very good luck there on sat and sunday, so I figured "what the hey". He has fished "the spot" a lot longer than I have and knows his stuff, and one is never too old to learn new things. The bay was dead flat with a strong incoming tide. It did not take long to realize why Bill had left..." no see ums". I was getting eaten alive with nary a swirl to show for it. Luckily, my buddy John showed up with bug spray and I was able to settle in. Just as the sun was setting, I had a nice swirl. Continued to toss to the exact same spot and on the 6th cast had a nice blow up that missed. After a dozen or so casts to same spot, I figured it was time to bring out the big guns and tied on the big Chugger. On the 2nd cast the fish finally blew up with some purpose and I boated a nice 25. The bigger fish tend to stay in the same spot, so you have to be patient and keep trying different things to entice the fish.

Ahh those August nights.

Left the dock at 6.30 to bathtub like conditions with the expectation that the bay would be chop city like most of the summer. When I arrived at the shoal, conditions where near perfect. The water was like glass, but the tide was barely moving at all. After anchoring, the boat was literally pointing east. Tossed plugs for over an hour with not even a swirl. Finally at around 8 I had a huge blowup just 4 feet from the stern. Tossed back about 8 feet and as the plug approached the same spot there was a huge boil, but the fish never came to the surface. The third try was the charm as a very fat 24 slammed right before my eyes and immediately went airborne. Not much happened until the sun set when huge bait pods started moving my way. They were obviously being slashed by fish from below. The sound was incredible as they surrounded the boat. Just as it was getting dark, I found out what was below...dang Blues. Good fight, but what a mess they make.

Lazy night on Lake Riva

A brisk wind continued from the south against the outgoing tide, so I decided to stay close to home. Started off at the inside bank of the Broad creek bank and immediately picked up a "too close to call" Striper on the yellow twisty. Tried topwater for my second drift with no takers. Moved across the river to "Mitch's Spot" and again picked up a 17 7/8 inch on the yellow twisty. Tied on the smaller chug bug and messed around the area for 15 minutes or so before moving back across the river to the "Rock Jetty". Thought for sure there would be some Topwater action here, but no luck. Moved over to the broad creek side of the point and did a slow drift with the wind. About half the way down, I had a baby slam and had my first pesky bluefish of the year. That spells the end of the twisty's and the start of 100% TW. Peaceful night.

A little Topwater action...yipee

I hopped on the boat around 6.45 and headed for Thomas Point. The humidity of July had finally moved out and the temp was just perfect. We have had a lot of rain the past few days and I noticed that the water temp had dropped to around 83. The tide was very low when I left the dock and appeared to still be falling. Anchored up at my spot and started with the big Chugger. Had a nice blow up on the 2nd cast, but it missed. After 10 casts or so, I switched over to the yellow twisty from weds. On my first cast I hooked a very nice fish that had the drag screaming. A great fight followed, with the fish coming to the surface several times. Turned out to be a nice 24. Picked up several more 16's on the twisty and played around with several different plugs for the next half hour. As the sun was setting, I finally had a blowup and boated a 18 on the big Chugger. Topwater is finally picking up. Had 2 spectacular blowups as it was getting dark. Both hit close to the boat and put on quite a show before throwing the plug. Great night.

Determination

Left the dock around 6:30 and ran directly into a terrible thunderstorm. Hid under the Riva Rd bridge until the storm passed and then tentatively made my way out to Thomas Point Shoal. The tide was coming in and wind was ripping. Could see the Annapolis Weds night races on the horizon and they were clearly heading in early. Waves were a good 3 feet when I anchored up. I knew it was crazy, but I had a feeling things would settle down...they never did. Tried topwater, but it was just too rough. I switched over to a 3 inch yellow twisty and immediately started picking up 14-16 inch dinks. After 10 or so, I finally landed a barely legal 18 (picture). Continued fishing until dark. Just as I was about to leave, a nice pod of fish boiled up right of the stern. My cast landed right in the middle and I immediately had a nice slam and the drag started screaming. Turned out to be a very nice fat 20 that bloodied my deck. After a 10 minute struggle to free the anchor, I headed in. Good night despite the lousy weather.

Bad couple of months

Been a long time since my last post. Fishing really turned lousy towards the end of May and stayed that way all through June. I caught a lot of dinks, but not one single 18 inch keeper fish. It was really frustrating, but I kept at it. Went on a great Tarpon trip to Boca Grande FL with college friends, but my home waters really let me down. Then a routine oil change turned into a 4 week "in the shop" nightmare. Got my boat back the day before leaving on a 10 day west coast road trip with my wife and daughter. The only positive was that I was able to have a new Lowrance HDS 10 installed. We returned late last night, so I was anxious to get out tonight. Unfortunately the skies looked ominous and I almost stayed home. Did not see anything serious on radar, so I headed to Thomas Point shoal and anchored up. Tried topwater for 10 minutes or so, but it was just too rough. I switched over to my last 3 inch twisty. I immediately picked up a barely legal 18 that actually took a good bit of drag as I reeled against a windblown incoming tide. Picked up another dozen or so in the 16 inch class until the twisty was shredded. Tried the longer 5 inch twisty but could not even get a bump. Found one last yellowed 3 inch twisty at the bottom of my bag and switched over. I immediately picked up a nice 20. I don't think the bigger twisty has the right action for 4 feet of water and it never seems to work. Let's hope August will be better than the first half of summer.

Banging head against the wall

Friday night I headed to TP despite severe thunderstorm warnings. The skies seemed sunny and the breeze had laid down nicely. The only thing that was working was the twisty and the fish were all dinks, but I continued plugging away hoping for the elusive topwater slam. My mission was interrupted by a phone call from a buddy who lives on Thomas Point and could see me from his back deck. He said that there were tornado warnings coming right at us from the west. NOT GOOD. So I raced home and got in my car just as the rain came down hard.

Did not fish saturday, but was out at 9.30 Sunday AM. It was quite breezy, so I fished marker 16. The only thing working was again the white twisty. I must have picked up 20 fish between 16-20 but no TW action. Tonight the wind had laid down so off to the point I went. Arrived at the spot and anchored up at 6.45. Fished until dark. I alternated between the black stillwater, white twisty, and the big chugger. Got a fish on virtually every cast with the twisty and one very nice 22. Just as the sun was setting, I finally got the slam I was looking for and boated a fat and healthy 20 on the big Chug Bug.