Best Night of the Year

I wait all year for a night like tonight. Left the dock at 5:15 and headed straight to the shoal. The water was like glass and there was zero boat traffic. Then my first 4 casts resulted in spectacular blow ups and four 20 inch healthy footballs. I was in heaven. I got a call from Dabs who said he just got home and would be out in a minute. I had read a post on Tidalfish last night about using bigger plugs to catch bigger fish, so I tied on a plug that Jim from Marty's bait shop had given me. It is a long plug with two wood pieces that slide back and forth and makes the sound of blocks banging together. The plug had barely touched the water when it was inhaled by a Rock. There was no blow up..it just disappeared. After a great fight I boated a 6 pound 26 inch beauty. There is no doubt that bigger plugs catch bigger fish. As I was removing the hook, Dabs showed up. He anchored to the east of me about 20 feet from where the fish were staging. He then proceeded to catch the next 4 fish while my offering went untouched. It was only after I told him to stop "ROCK BLOCKING" me did the real action begin. We both casted to a 10 by 10 ft area off the left corner of his boat. No sooner would the plug hit the water the fish would explode. It was total mayhem with numerous double's and fish breaking all around us. The bite continued until dark when we pulled anchor and left breaking fish behind. What a night.

Oh what a day makes

The last weekend of fishing can only be described as "sucky". I fished Friday night in the river and only managed 1 keeper sized fish at the "brown house". I awoke Sat. to beautiful blue skies, summer like temps, and glass on the river. Fished from 4 Pm till dark up and down the river, including the shoal for 2 hard hours with nary a swirl. Sunday morning was even nicer. I fished my way out to the shoal once again and worked every plug in my arsenal for 3 1/2 solid hours with the same results as Sat...nada. After the Ravens game, I headed back out with the intention of working Lake Riva, but ran into my friends Mike and Bill. We decided to take a ride back out to Thomas Point to catch the last hour at my spot. Once again, fishing just plain sucked and i headed home one depressed guy. Could this be it?...could the fall run be over already? My logs told be no, but the bay was giving a very different answer.

Since today was a pseudo holiday, I departed work early and was on the boat by 4:30. Tried a few river spots with no action, so ran back out to Thomas Point. Anchored up in the exact same spot as Sat and Sun.. On literally my first cast I had a huge blow up that missed. Tossed back into the same spot and hooked up. The fish took off and the drag was screaming. After several minutes, I still had not turned the fish. I thought that either it was a 40 incher or some exotic species like a Cobia. I have never had a fish take off like that. When I got the fish to the side of the boat, I was a bit surprised by its paltry 26 inch class size. It was then I realized that I had hooked the fish in the tail. That was a first and explained why she had her way with me. Just as I released the fish my buddy Dabs showed up with a friend. They positioned their boat just west of me. It was non stop action from that point on. Boated a total of 6 fish all in the 22 inch class. Meanwhile Dabs was sitting 50 feet from me and could not buy a fish. I just goes to show how important boat position is on the shoal. The fish can school up near one rock pile and if you are not right there..forget about it. Great sunset as I motored home one happy camper.

He had to die

Did not get out to about 6 tonight. Since it has getting dark by seven, I did not want to waste much time. My first stop was the dock of a fellow Tidal Fish member and south river junkie to see if he could join me for a little topwater action. Did not see any movement at his house, so made a few casts around his pier to see if he might see me. On the third cast I had a nice blow up and fought the fish for a several minutes before losing him at the boat. It looked to be in the 22 inch class. Sorry to lose the fish, but happy to gain a "new spot". Moved on to the cove downriver of him that I refer to as the "6 Mph sign". This had been a go to spot in years past, but had not produced at all the past 2 years. Had several blow ups that missed. Stayed there far too long trying to get the fish. I finally landed a very disappointing 16. It was now getting dark, so I headed back under the Riva road bridge to try the point. Worked the Broad Creek side for a while with no action. Met up with a guy who had read my blog and we talked for a while. Moved to the river side of point and just as it was getting dark, I picked up a nice 22. Unfortunately, he swallowed the plug. I had just replaced my black Stillwater after 3 months of use. The hooks on the new plug were so sharp that an easy extraction just was not going to happen, so the fish had to die. Headed in, cleaned the fish, and plan on having rockfish for dinner.

Bone Chillin

Left the dock around 5:30 tonight to a stiff breeze and temp in the low 50's. It felt like fishing in November. I headed straight for Broad Creek to try out some new spots, but the wind was coming straight down the river, so finding stillwater was virtually impossible. Moved around the point, but it was still blowing. Did manage to pick up a 17 inch fish that fought like a champ. Moved across the river to the nest and picked up another 18. I worked the south shore towards home in search of a "new spot" and stay out of the wind. My new spot turned out to be the boat ramp for Sylvan Shores, where I had a blow up that missed. Tossed back into the same spot, but the fish did not resurface. Moved further down the shoreline to a small creek mouth that was protected on all sides. No action there, so I headed back to my new spot, and on my third cast picked up the 18 from earlier. Headed in early to thaw out. Not a great night due to the wind and my lack of proper clothes.

Football versus fishing in the rain?

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to attend the Ravens game, but initially turned it down. That was until my buddy informed me that we also had VIP passes to go down on the field prior to the game...so I jumped on it. This week I was home in the cozy confines of my man cave. The wind was howling all day and it was threatening to rain, so it did not look like fishing was a possibility. At halftime of the Redskins game the wind had laid down, so I jumped on the boat to do a little fishing. My 5th cast
at "Al's Spot" netted me a ugly looking and clearly sick 18. That is when the rain started. It was coming down fairly heavy when I arrived at the "nest". It did not take long to boat another 18. At this point I was already wet, and it was actually quite peaceful on the water, so I pressed on. My next spot was "the spot". Again, it did not take long to boat a very fat 20. I have never had a blow up in Broad Creek proper, so I decided to try a few spots before heading in. My second spot was on the north shore about 100 yards downriver from the boat ramp for Broadview Estates. Ran home, showered, and was back in the man cave, with 7 minutes to go in the game, So 4 fish and a new spot in less than a half of football. Gotta love the fall.

The Storm

I normally avoid the weekends like the plague, due to the boat traffic. Since it has been raining non stop for 2 days, I needed to do a little fishing this morning. I left the marina around 10:30 to a stiff breeze from the north. I of course stopped at "Al's Spot" to start my morning off. I really did expect much, as the water was stained a chocolate milk brown. On my third cast I had a nice blow up and it was "fish on". I could tell it was a good sized fish for the river, but could not get a look at him due to the stained water. After a good 3 minute fight, I boated a football sized 22. Hit a number of Lake Riva spots with no success, before deciding to take a run out to the shoal. Made a good thousand casts over the next hour before giving up. Decided to try a bunch of new spots on my way in. Stuck primarily to the north shore to stay out of the wind. Again, I was looking for either living shorelines or sandy beaches. I didn't matter, as I had nary a swirl the rest of the day. It was nice to be out,but a bit of a disappointment as far as fishing went. I fished for a total of about 2 1/2 hours. Oh well.

Calm before the storm

Was pleasantly surprised when the clouds and rain cleared around 6 Pm. The river was dead clam and I was all alone on the river. Started out working the river side of point and picked up a healthy 18. Moved across the river to the "nest" and immediately picked up a 20. Tried the " Oak Tree" for a good 10 minutes, but had no action. It was now 6.30 and I decided to try some new spots and see if I could at least get a blow up. Worked several spots on the south shore of the river downriver from the eastern shore of the mouth to Beards Creek. I was specifically looking for sandy beaches. About a quarter of the way to the route 2 bridge I had a blow up right up against a small boathouse. I was not expecting the explosion and pulled the plug out of the fish as he jumped. The rule of thumb with topwater is to "wait for the weight" before setting the hook. Well not to panic, tossed back into the same spot and like clockwork, the fish exploded and I had a new spot to add to my quill...a nice 20. Headed in early as it began to spit some rain.

Beautiful day in the neighborhood

Left the dock around 5:45 tonight to a light breeze, 75 degrees, and glass like conditions on the river. First stop was of course "Al'sSpot". My first cast netted me a healthy 20 that exploded from the corner closest to the pier. Moved from there to the river side of point and again did a slow drift like last night. Only managed one blue. Off to the "nest" where I had a nice explosion that missed. Took 5 cast's, but finally boated the 22 inch fish. Moved under the bridge and tried the "Oak Tree". This spot is on the western shore of the mouth of Beards Creek and has a huge Oak tree that hangs over the water. It has always produced in the past, but usually later in the fall. Took a while, but I finally picked up a smallish 16 that hit closer to the point in 1 foot of water. Next I hit the "6 mile marker". This is a small cove on the northern shore right before the route 2 bridge. I used to catch fish there all the time, but have been shut out for nearly 2 years now. Moved on the marker 16 and met up with a fellow TidalFish member. We talked for a while, but had no action. Ran across the river to the "Brown House" and hit the mother load. There were baitfish breaking everywhere and even saw a good size Rock jump several feet out of the water. Picked up 2 20's here and headed in to a beautiful sunset. A very nice 5 fish night :)

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.