esfishdoc
Well-known member
The beginning of the ebb tide was listed as 512AM. By my calculations the bite would occur 90 to 120 minutes after 512AM. I had also calculated there would be a huge crowd of crazy fisherman trying to get on the water and that this would occur at first light.
When we left my house the temp was 27 degrees. Monte and I rolled into Kiptopeake at 430 to find only two in front of us launching boats. Air temps were right at 31. There was a slight breeze from the N/NE.
Off we went into the dark. We found our spot and by 515 were pulling icy eels out of the bucket and resuscitating them in the 46 degree water. There were 3 boats lined up to the west of us and 2 to the east. I was happy with my spot.
The Mr. Buddy heater is a wonderful thing. We watched many an open boat go by with everyone maxed out on clothes. We were quite comfortable.
The most fascinating part of fishing this morning was watching the bait on the sounder. Huge masses would go by at various depths. Sometimes 3 separate layers were present. Then it changed to almost nothing except for some various stray pods. I like when things change. That means something different is going to happen.
From the heated comfort of the cabin we watched a rod go down and a few clicks from a very tight drag sounded. FISH!!!!!
We had decided ahead of time Monte was fishing and I was netting. He picked up the rod with a TLD 20 and 80lb braid and started fighting the fish and the current. I started clearing the other 5 lines. As I looked up and down the line of boats I could see that we were the only ones hooked up. The Parker gets the first fish!
The current kept the fight going much longer than if we were drifting. It gave Monte a workout he enjoyed. I readied the net and by the time the fish got to the boat it was too tired to run. Today I performed an expert job and in one fell swoop the net was in the water and the current drove the hoop right under and around the fish and on the boat it came.
Over the next 15 minutes three other boats got hooked up on a fish. We had one more knockdown but when I retrieved the eel I could tell that instead of the tip of the hook impaling the fish, the eel had doubled up and the tip of the hook was in the eel. That was one lucky striper.
We hung out for awhile longer but there was no more bite. There were fleets of boats in all the usual places and we headed back to Kiptopeake happy with one fish for Monte.
Back at the Ramp: It would have been great to watch the lines of boaters race to the water when the sun came up. There were still boaters getting started and a couple finishing up. There was one boat with an old Evinrude that looked like it was getting a powerhead rebuild while blocking the ramp on the north side. Every single parking space was taken and for 100 yards up the road they were parked off to the side. Crazy busy.
Here is Monte with his 42 inch fish.
I'm stuck working hard for the next week. We'll see what's going on then.
When we left my house the temp was 27 degrees. Monte and I rolled into Kiptopeake at 430 to find only two in front of us launching boats. Air temps were right at 31. There was a slight breeze from the N/NE.
Off we went into the dark. We found our spot and by 515 were pulling icy eels out of the bucket and resuscitating them in the 46 degree water. There were 3 boats lined up to the west of us and 2 to the east. I was happy with my spot.
The Mr. Buddy heater is a wonderful thing. We watched many an open boat go by with everyone maxed out on clothes. We were quite comfortable.
The most fascinating part of fishing this morning was watching the bait on the sounder. Huge masses would go by at various depths. Sometimes 3 separate layers were present. Then it changed to almost nothing except for some various stray pods. I like when things change. That means something different is going to happen.
From the heated comfort of the cabin we watched a rod go down and a few clicks from a very tight drag sounded. FISH!!!!!
We had decided ahead of time Monte was fishing and I was netting. He picked up the rod with a TLD 20 and 80lb braid and started fighting the fish and the current. I started clearing the other 5 lines. As I looked up and down the line of boats I could see that we were the only ones hooked up. The Parker gets the first fish!
The current kept the fight going much longer than if we were drifting. It gave Monte a workout he enjoyed. I readied the net and by the time the fish got to the boat it was too tired to run. Today I performed an expert job and in one fell swoop the net was in the water and the current drove the hoop right under and around the fish and on the boat it came.
Over the next 15 minutes three other boats got hooked up on a fish. We had one more knockdown but when I retrieved the eel I could tell that instead of the tip of the hook impaling the fish, the eel had doubled up and the tip of the hook was in the eel. That was one lucky striper.
We hung out for awhile longer but there was no more bite. There were fleets of boats in all the usual places and we headed back to Kiptopeake happy with one fish for Monte.
Back at the Ramp: It would have been great to watch the lines of boaters race to the water when the sun came up. There were still boaters getting started and a couple finishing up. There was one boat with an old Evinrude that looked like it was getting a powerhead rebuild while blocking the ramp on the north side. Every single parking space was taken and for 100 yards up the road they were parked off to the side. Crazy busy.
Here is Monte with his 42 inch fish.
I'm stuck working hard for the next week. We'll see what's going on then.
