Great Day/Patent Pending
 

Capt. John asked me to mate for a fun fishing trip. His family was going to be in town and he wanted to get them on some fish. He said I could bring someone along as well, so Capt.Charlie Schneider jumped at my invitation. His Charter boat (Big Will II from Tilghman) hasn't fished north of the bridge very often, and he wanted to orient himself to our area.

We ran 7 boat rods and 10 board rods. Boat lines deep produced all our early fish (it was nasty this morning). As the sun got higher, both boat and board lines caught fish. Yes, we used a lot of hoses, but one rod held tandem buck tails and was responsible for several fish:D

We never really had multiple hookups, but it was a steady bite of singles. With only four anglers (John, Charlie, and me let them reel in all the fish), they stayed busy. It was a pleasure having Charlie onboard. I could "coach" the angler and leader the fish while Charlie was an expert with the net:)

The other guys don't fish much so they were very happy. I fish a lot, and I was very happy too. We ended with our limit of 14; with lots of 26-36 inch fish. What an impressive cooler.

Capt.John cooked everyone crab cakes onboard, and we ran home with not only a full cooler, but full belly's as well.

After I cleaned up the boat (and John cleaned fish), my wife met me at Skipper's Pier for dinner. John and his wife stopped in as well, and the Orange Crush"s and Makers Mark/Coke flowed freely.

It was a beautiful evening sitting by the water and telling lies and stories.
Tomorrow looks like a great fishing day, have fun.
5th

Marty,
Tell Captain John that there is a toll to cross under that bridge.
I'm thinking a blueberry pie might work:D.
Nice job on the fish but a long run for John.

Thanks for the report, Marty. With the spot being scarce, and jigging Tolly producing all shorts, your report has kept me from pulling boards and spring trolling gear off my boat. I may drop the boards in tomorrow afternoon on way home from my trip north to help out the special olympics.

Sorry Marty, got down early on Friday, half day trip today and all I got to show for it is this:

That's the biggest spot I have ever seen:eek:
I hope the winds cooperate and you get offshore every day:)
5th

If you had told me we would still be pulling boards in late July, I would have asked what you were drinking and ordered two of them.

We have tried everything to get away from pulling boards - 12 boat rods (what a PIA), chumming, livelining (or should I say spot fishing) and we have resigned ourselves to pulling 20-24 rods on the boards as it seems to be the only reliable way to catch fish.

Had a friend, a well respected Deale charter boat captain, try liveling above the bridge today. Burned a ton of fuel to get barely enough spot to even start with and then couldn't do anything with the rockfish - he crawled home busted!!

I am all about this water taxi business. Took a party of 15 over to Harrison's on Tilghman for dinner. The captain eats for free (including their buffet), minimal fuel burned and zero stress of trying to find fish :D

Tawn; the dinner cruise does sound like a good deal. I was sweating bullets leaving Deale in a two-three ft chop knowing I had to run boards with #64 rubber bands:eek: Those damn 19 inch fish were going to play havoc with board lines and I was going to be trying to "pop" fish off the boards:mad:

Luckily, two things happened. We caught all our early fish off the boat rods deep; and the wind continued to lay down and it became perfect conditions for fishing by mid morning.

I also had the added pressure of knowing that Doug had put 11 in the boat the day before. I know that shouldn't matter; but you know how competitive we "mates" can get:)

With Charlie onboard as well, I guess we technically had two mates to get the job done, and we ganged up on Doug;)

On my own boat, I'm not running boards, however, I usually only need a couple of fish to make it a good day. Many people don't understand the pressure that the Captain of a charter goes through to put fish in the box for customers. I worked my butt off to get these fish. We ran 17 lines (all hoses) when we started. We kept tangles to a minimum (always have a few with hoses), but rigging and re-rigging was a constant chore. The bottom claimed a few of our rigs, and we had to improvise with other lures to keep the spread "alive".

NO DOUBT, we had a bit of luck involved in getting our limit. Originally, the fish were concentrated in a small area above the bridge and you could target a certain area to catch all the nice size fish you wanted. I suppose, all the pressure has spread them out over several miles. Now, trolling from one school to another uses more fuel for the captain.

Livelinning continues to put big fish in the boat (Maybe Mlag can post some photos). But, as shown with your friend and Deale Captain, it's not a guarantee.


I get to write all this because today is a "pool" day with the grandchildren:) Tomorrow looks like light winds, I may have to sneak out in the afternoon:D With the fish so close to me this year, I can run to the slip, jump in the boat, fish, and be back at the dock tying up 3 hrs later:D:D

I had to replace some of my "good" hoses with "normal" hoses, so we will see how they produce. If I don't catch well; I have a built in excuse already:D

Later,
5th

Dang Marty.......didn't think you retired guys goy up before 9:00:D