Storm Shads= Love/Hate
 

I really like the way Storm Shads (or their equivalent) catch. They have a good motion in the water; but man I hate those needle thin hooks.

I didn't leave the dock today until 10:30 am. I had a friend onboard that just wanted a boat ride, and maybe a fish for dinner. I slid down to where I was fishing on Weds. and was greeted by a flotilla of boats.

I couldn't believe my eyes, the "Loosen Up" out of Deale was above the bridge and on MY FISH:eek: Not only he, but several other charters from Deale and Kentmore area were there as well. Throw in the 15 to 20 other boats jigging; and you had a lot of boats fighting for the same territory.

I swear; 30-35 ft of water was the only productive patch of bottom that held fish. Most all the charters and several private boats were running boards:mad: I only had out 7 lines so I could weave my way around the pack:) We caught a few shorts, when my rod back 16 with 4 oz on it started taking drag:D My first thought was, a skate. But I could see the rod pumping and my buddy grabbed the rod and I shifted rods around for a clear path to the boat. He was struggling and asked for the BELT. I put it around his waist and slowed the boat to a crawl.

The rockfish was swimming where she wanted to go, so I had to "dance" and bring a few rods over or under the fighting rod. I could see my buddy "pumping" the rod:roll eyes: Don't do that, I said. Those are thin hooks and thats a nice fish!!

He steadily gained ground. We saw her splash the surface a couple times and I kept encouraging him to keep pressure on the fish. As she got closer, I estimated her to be 30+ inches. I cleared one side of the boat for netting. When she was about thirty ft from the boat, I grabbed the net and waited.

Slowly she was making her way to the dinner table:) When she was about 8 ft away, I told my buddy to take three steps backward (toward the bow) so I could get in the corner to net. He took three steps backward; and stopped winding the reel to get a good look at her:(:(

Out slipped the storm shad; and away she went:mad::mad:

That was a nice fish for this time of the year. I inspected the hooks to make sure they weren't "opened up" and all appeared fine. The hole in her mouth just made it too easy to lose her when slack got in the line.

I trolled a little while longer, but switched over to jigging because it was so difficult to troll in the most productive water. I caught a bunch of 19-19 3/4 fish, but we came home empty to the dock around 2 pm.


I had to get out today, because if we get this 2 inches of rain; the upper bay may be a muddy mess for a while. I came home and my wife had Mojitos and Steak dinner waiting for me. So I guess bringing home another fish was not really necessary:D
5th

Scary when the boats out of Deale are having to run up past the bridge.

Could be funny though when some of the Rock Hall hard heads bump into the Deale " out of my way " captains.

And don't forget to take the "clear" rubber hose off the hook before deploying! I have made that bone head error before.

I hate those needle thin hooks
 

Try the Tsunami brand - they upgraded the hooks on the large shads. We probably will not need them until fall!
JP