SkyWatch Friday; Threatening Skies

Saturday marked my second trip this spring to the Chesapeake in search of trophy striped bass. We traveled in rain during most of our trip down but shortly after boarding the Afternoon Delight the rain quit. The first hit came shortly after the lines were in.

My friend Paul, pictured here with Captain Hank, did the honors fighting the first fish.

The dark threatening skies seen here soon settled over us pouring down a soaking rain until mid-day. As the morning progressed we had three more hook-up and a couple of pull downs. With one fish lost, we finished the day with three nice stripers in the box.

For more SkyWatch visit my old friend "Womtig"

SkyWatch Friday, Golden Sunrise

The Chesapeake sunrise that I experienced this past Sunday was so beautiful that I could not let it pass with only one post. Having lived my entire life in a mountainous part of Pennsylvania, I am accustomed to seeing the sun rise a considerable time after first light, however when viewing it over a large body of water such as the Chesapeake, the sunrise follows first light by only a few minutes.

This particular morning provided us with an interesting display. The eastern sky was partly cloudy, over head was nearly solid clouds and to the west dark storm clouds loomed. Although this is not that unusual what was unusual was that it stayed this way all morning and the heavy clouds and rain did not cover the bay until mid-afternoon.

During our drive home the cloudburst were so heavy that the traffic on the Washington DC beltway was frequently slowed to nearly a standstill.

Trophy Striper

With heavy storms headed our way Captain Hank was hoping to catch a limit of fish and get off the bay before the weather turned bad. Season had just opened the previous day with many fishermen disappointed with their catch or rather lack thereof. Hank knew where a slug of migrating stripers were hanging out and cruised there before putting out the trolling lines. Although his sonar showed that we were over fish most of the morning the bite was sporadic. We were one fish short of a limit when the time came to pull lines and head for the marina. The best fish of the day was a nice fat 39” which put my 36”er in second place for the day.

Captain Hank is not your usual bay captain. If a customer just wants to catch fish Hank was glad to oblige and if your purpose was to learn to catch fish Hank would take the time to show you the tricks of the trade so that you could return on your own boat and fish successfully. Not only did he teach lure presentation and rigging but he would also pass along boat handling tips that made trolling many rods without nightmare tangles easy. At times, when I was unsuccessfully fishing; a short radio call or a jingle on the cell phone from Hank would direct me to where the fish were holding on that particular day. Of course the favor was returned if we happened to find fish on a day that Hank was struggling to fill his parties limit.

Some charter captains feel the fish are theirs and do not want the private boats to catch. Once I was nearly ran over by a charter out of Chesapeake Beach named “Why Knot” while I was working a small school of fish. When I mentioned this incident to Hank later he was quick to share his unprintable opinion of this particular captain. The first few years I chartered with Hank, my objective was to learn, but the later trips were to spend a pleasant day on the Chesapeake with a good man and a master fisherman.

Chesapeake Morning

This morning found me on the Chesapeake Bay. My friend Paul & I had chartered a spring trophy striper trip with Captain Hank Devito aboard the Afternoon Delight. The weather forecast called for 100% chance of rain and we had driven through some showers during our 150mile drive to the Chesapeake. I was pleasantly surprised with this opportunity to capture a stunning sunrise.

This charter was a bitter/sweet experience. Paul & I have been fishing the bay for the last 10 years. Each year we book a charter with Captain Hank and follow it up with numerous trips on my 21ft Four Winns. This year is different. Due to the outrageous price of fuel I have made plans to not trailer my boat to the bay. This is bad enough but the worst part is that due to failing health our Captain and Friend, Hank is in the process of selling the Afternoon Delight.

Even if the day comes that I again trailer to the Chesapeake it will not seem right without Captain Hank on the water.

If you are wondering about the fishing, it was a slow bite but we did boat some quality stripers. Check back tomorrow for a catch shot.

Data Collection, Fisheries Management

At the end of my latest trip for Striped Bass we were greeted at the marina by a Maryland Department of Natural Resources biologist. She politely ask us to participate in a survey and also checked our fish. The fish examination included measuring, sexing, and checking as to whether the fish had spawned prior to being caught. She also removed a scale which will be used to determine the fish’s age.

The striped bass is pursued by recreational and commercial fishermen alike. As natural resources are a limited commodity constant friction exist between the two user groups. Recreational fishermen frequently portray commercials as fish hogs who would set their nets to catch the very last fish if they could make a buck. Commercial fishermen will portray recreational fishermen as rich folks with expensive boats out to have fun at the expense of the commercial waterman’s livelihood. I believe neither group paints a true picture of the other. I know for a fact that all recreational fishermen are not rich, I am one of those. With the current high cost of fuel I have been forced to drastically cut the number of trips I make to the Chesapeake. I must believe the stereotype of all watermen to be equally wrong.

Management of the striper population is always a contentions issue. Maryland DNR is constantly trying to do a balancing act between the biological and political issues surrounding this fishery. Management of the striper stocks is further compounded by the fact that they are migratory fish. Their annual migration carries them through the coastal waters of many states throughout the year. The stripers who spawn in the Maryland waters of the Chesapeake will travel through Virginia to the Atlantic, then up the coast to summer along New England before returning to the Chesapeake this fall and then on to their wintering grounds off the coast of North Carolina.

Much good data is needed to assist fisheries managers in making these important decisions and it was with pleasure that my fishing partner and I participated in this survey.

The Season Opener

After a winter of waiting the Maryland Chesapeake Bay spring trophy striper season finally arrived Saturday morning. With the great weather forecast for this weekend a heavy turnout of anglers was expected and no one was disappointed. To beat the crowd to the launch I left home at 1:45 am, picked up my friends enroute arriving at Breezy Point Marina a few minutes after 5:00am. Quite a number of boats had already departed but we were able to launch immediately. Although still dark there was just enough light in the eastern sky illuminating the water to allow me to safely steer past the crab pots and into the channel where we set lines and began trolling.

Trolling for Stripers

The weather was perfect, sunny and warm with no wind and waves but the stripers were not cooperating for most of us. We boated one 33” fish. I heard of anglers who did much better and others who were still looking for their first fish at the end of the day. We heard many fishermen on the radio saying, “it’s a beautiful day for a boat ride!”

Get the Net!

A nice Striper nears the boat

I have tried many times to capture this fleeting moment. At this point everything is moving quickly, the fish and the crew, there is a very small window of opportunity to compose focus and shoot. Blurred photographs have been the result of all of my previous attempts.

Fishing Expressions

Fighting a big striper requires the strength to over come the pull of the boat and the strength of the fish

For the fishing enthusiast it is an exhilarating experience. Near the end of the fight Kevin’s face exhibits pure pleasure.

Chesapeake Dawn, another Fishing Year Begins

Today I met the dawn on the Chesapeake Bay. With the large storm that has wrecked so much havoc in Texas and Oklahoma bearing down upon us I expected a spectacular sunrise this morning. As sunrise neared the horizon began to display beautiful colors but alas the atmospheric conditions were not as perfect as I had hoped for. The beautiful colors dissipated before the sun could peak through.

Each year my friend Paul and I book a pre-season catch & release charter with Captain Hank Devito. We began booking Captain Hank in 1999 in an attempt to learn the techniques and tactics necessary to successfully peruse the Chesapeake’s premier game fish, the Striped Bass. Hank is a unique captain who willingly shares his vast fishing knowledge. Over the years this charter has became our spring tradition and a much anticipated visit with a good friend.

Chesapeake Dawn

For the dedicated striper fisherman this is a familiar scene. Oft times the rockfish bite begins and ends early. An early start is an advantage sometimes accompanied by the serene beauty of a nautical sunrise. Who knows what the day will hold? Will the fish cooperate? Will we be lucky and find the trophy stripers? Will the line hold, or will we have to tell the story of the big one that got away?

Striper fishing is my favorite game. Spring trophy stripers are big, brawny, hard fighting, beautiful fish. The lure of the open water beckons the hardcore fisherman to come and enjoy. The Chesapeake can be a place of serene beauty or a boiling caldron fraught with danger.

On this day the beauty of the sunrise belied the fact that the morning temperature was 32 degrees and my hands were so numb from driving the boat that I could hardly fire the camera.

Concrete of Kiptopeke

We recently vacationed in Kiptopeke Va. Kiptopeke is a small town on Virginia’s lower eastern shore located near the northern end of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. We spent a few days there fishing and sightseeing on the lower Chesapeake. One of the many interesting features of this area is the breakwater located offshore of the Kiptopeke state park. The breakwater was formed by sinking eight concrete ships near shore. The ships were built by the McCloskey and Company of Tampa Bay, Florida during the years of 1943 and 1944.

They were used as training and stores ships in the south pacific during WWII. They are in fact constructed of steel reinforced concrete. Their names are the S.S.William Foster Cowham, S.S. John Grant, S.S. Robert Whitman Lesley, S.S. Richard Kidder Meade, S.S. Willard A. Pollard, S.S. Willis A. Slater, S.S. Arthur Newell Talbot, S.S. Edwin Thatcher, and the S.S. Leonard Chase Wason.

They were sunk in 1948 to form a breakwater for the northern terminus of the ferry which ran between Virginia Beach and the eastern shore. Upon completion of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel the ferry closed and the grounds became Kiptopeke Beach State Park. A boat launch and fishing pier and campgrounds are now located at the site. In retrospect these ships only served as vessels for four to five years but have done service in their second life for fifty eight.



Today they serve their job as a breakwater well as this photograph depicts

A Steady Hand in the Storm

This image was recorded during a spring trophy striped bass charter. Each spring I along with a group of my friends go on a catch and release pre-season charter in the Chesapeake Bay with Captain Hank. He has taught me most of what I know about catching stripers.

On this particular day the weather forecast was far from favorable but to my surprise Hank did not cancel. Upon arrival and finding it to be completely calm I ask Hank what he knew about the bay that the weatherman did not. He stated they had SE winds forecast to become NW and when that happened the water would lay down for a while. He also said “it will blow up after while”. We had an excellent morning catching many nice stripers to 30lbs. Near 10:00 am it began to rain lightly. Another half hour of fishing and we noticed the sky becoming very dark to the north. Hank came back and told Greg ,the mate, to bring in the lines. All hands fell to the job as a fresh wind began blowing from the storm. Buy the time all lines were in the waves had built to three feet. As Hank began the run to port the wind steadily increased until very high waves were crashing over the roof of his boat. If I had been caught in this storm with my boat it would most likely have ended in disaster. With a steady hand Hank guided his vessel safely to dock. Just another day in the life of a Chesapeake Charter Captain.