50 Striped Bass, 1 Blue
On board today, I had regular, Baymen Dick Bowman for light tackle and fly fishing striped bass. I have the best clients in the world and they all spoil me! Today, Dick presented me with a new BAYMEN cap, a new BAYMEN sweatshirt, a new pair of binoculars, and a bag filled with tackle! Wow…
At first light, a rising tide, water temps 68 degrees at the dock, and a stiff SW breeze. A thick fog tried to develop but never covered the bay. Birds working topwater bass that did not hold long in spot. We had to constantly reset our drifts and the SW made the drifts a little difficult. Also, these fish are boat shy and they move a hundred yards or more as you approach. So, it took some doing, but we kept at it and figured it all out and hooked up!
Second spot of the morning was a great one. We found several schools of fish, most of them with birds working bait, but some fish were off by themselves. Again, the SW winds made setting drifts difficult and these fish were also skittish. But Dick hooked up regularly on light tackle. Winds continued to howl, so we left breaking fish to try and find sheltered waters and look for other fish. Bingo! We found some nice quiet water and lots of fish working under birds. We set multiple drifts and fished until Dick landed his 50th striped bass and 1 blue and called it a great day on the bay!
Total catch and release today: 50 striped bass, 1 blue. All of them were taken on light tackle. Fly gear never got touched in the SW. Top lures were rubber crank baits in pearl and pearl/chartreuse using the Baymen Bounce and Cast ‘N Count techniques. No seals seen. Lots of bait. It is a fifty cent size peanut bunker almost all silver/pearl/white. It is thick in some places!
Back at it: Stay Posted –
Capt. David Bitters, F/V BAYMEN, www.baymenlife.com Instagram @baymencharters