Chesapeake Fishing

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: winter Chesapeake fishing!

Anglers can enjoy fishing for striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay and on the Atlantic Coast year-round, and December is typically one of the best months to catch large fish.
Striped bass, known locally as rockfish, tend to congregate in locations where the rivers and tributaries come into the Chesapeake. Jigging with heavy sinker lures such as Stingsilvers and large plastics is typically the best tactic to reach down and catch them, and it’s also a fun and active method. When a large rockfish hits your lure, there’s no doubt about it, especially when using braided line. Trolling large lures down deep is another effective tactic. As the water temperatures drop into the 40s, the fish get a little sluggish, but they need to eat all year long.

A fully heated cabin will keep you warm for the run to the fishing grounds. Hiring a professional charter is also an option, and many captains continue to run their boats until the end of the month. Under current regulations, the season in Maryland turns into catch-and-release only beginning January 1st until the opening of the spring trophy season in mid-April. The spring trophy season on the Chesapeake for stripers in Virginia usually begins in mid-May. The season is open all year on the coast with a 28-inch minimum size.

The Chesapeake is the largest striped bass nursery area on the Atlantic coast. Seventy to 90 percent of the Atlantic striped bass population uses the bay to spawn, which occurs from April to early June. After spawning in the spring, most large stripers move to coastal waters. They spend the summer along the New England coast and the winter near the mouth of the Chesapeake near Virginia Beach and on down to North Carolina.

A 73-pound striped bass caught January 23, 2008, by Frederick Barnes of Chesapeake is the Virginia state record. Barnes made the record-setting catch in the Atlantic about a half mile north of the 4A buoy located north of Rudee Inlet and off Fishermen’s Island. The fish hit a trolled red and white Stretch 30 lure.

The North Carolina striped bass record is a 64-pound fish caught by Keith Angel off Oregon Inlet in 2011. The Maryland state record fish of 67.5 pounds was caught by Devin Nolan in 1995 Bloody Point just south of Kent Island.

By Chriss Knauss, Southern Boating December 2017
Photos: midatlanticrockfishshootout.com

More Chesapeake Fishing News

Winter fishing in the Chesapeake is a big deal.

But a bigger deal is the legal drama over who will receive $2.8 million of winnings from this year’s White Marlin Open in Ocean City, Maryland. In August, Phil Heasley, aboard Kallianassa of Naples, Florida, caught a 76.5-pound white marlin to win an estimated $2.8 million, which was reported as the largest individual cash prize in sportfishing history. Tournament rules state that anglers cannot fish until after 8:30AM, but adherence to the tournament’s rules is in question and the prize money is now in escrow.

Heasley, president and chief executive officer at ACI Worldwide, caught the only “qualifying” white marlin in the tournament, fishing along with Capt. David Morris and mates Kyle Bohannon and Joseph Hagen. According to a court document filed by White Marlin Open Inc. (WMO), Heasley, Morris, Bohannon, and Hagen were on Defendant Heasley’s vessel when he caught the white marlin. None of them passed multiple polygraph tests administered by two examiners.

Heasley contends that he and his crew did not violate tournament rules. In September, Heasley and his attorneys filed a notice of removal to have the civil case removed from Worcester County Circuit Court and transferred to a federal court. That’s where it stands now. Richard Kosztyu, who caught the winning tuna in the tournament, would gain the most if a judge rules against Heasley. Kosztyu has received $767,091 and would receive an additional $2.3 million. The circuit court document is available on the WMO website. whitemarlinopen.com

Time for stripers
Striped bass fishing is a fine winter fishing activity at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Action typically picks up in the Virginia Beach area in October and runs through April. With their annual migration, tens of thousands of stripers move through the area in search of schooling bait fish. Located in the middle of two food-rich currents—the Florida Current coming up from the south and the North Atlantic Current coming down from the north—and two great bodies of water for winter fishing, the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, Virginia Beach is an ideal feeding place. Add the 17-mile-long Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to the mix and you’ve got plenty of structure for anglers to target hiding fish. Anglers can also try to cash in on their catch this season by participating in the Mid-Atlantic Rockfish Shootout. This year’s benefit tournament runs December 8-10 with weigh stations at Rudee Inlet and King’s Creek Marina on Cape Charles. midatlanticrockfishshootout.com

Good clean fun at Harbor East
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has certified Harbor East Marina in Baltimore as a Maryland Clean Marina. The facility earned the recognition after adopting best management practices from the Maryland Clean Marina Guidebook, meeting all environmental and regulatory requirements and passing a site inspection. Harbor East is a 200-slip marina that can accommodate vessels up to 125 feet. Transients are welcome. The marina offers easy access to many of Baltimore’s best attractions including the National Aquarium, Harborplace (shopping and dining), sports venues, the convention center, and others. Harbor East also plans to participate in the Great Baltimore Oyster Partnership, a collaborative effort to restore the state’s oyster population. As part of the program, oyster gardens will be installed at the marina, where baby oysters will be planted and protected. harboreastmarina.com

By Christopher Knauss, Southern Boating Magazine December 2016

Tag: Striped Bass