The Fishing Line
By: Capt. Billy Pipkin
December 13, 2011 

Fishing action has picked up in the lower and middle bay this week. As water temperatures continue to drop (currently at 50 degrees) both the migration and feeding habits have heightened. Catches remain good on the 25-28 inch fish yet the large striped bass are spread out and are at times hard to catch amidst the more abundant smaller class of fish.

My theory of “Find the bait and you’ll find the fish” holds true this season. It’s quite simple, if the restaurant is open, the patrons will be there.  Scattered schools of menhaden remain throughout the bay. When the schools of bait are located, merely deploy a spread of baits at varied depths and wait for the action.  The feeding frenzies seem to be tide sensitive. At times the heavy bite lasts only an hour or two. If fish are spotted among the bait, be patient and wait. Sometimes it is merely a matter of waiting for the tide change. 

The area between Smith Point and Windmill Point has offered some 15-30 pound specimens this week. There are larger fish mixed in but many remain in the lower bay. The “Cut Channel” is currently holding some of the larger fish, as is also the case along the western edges of the channel down to Buoy ‘40’. We are landing fish in the 36-42 inch class each day with an occasional wall hanger in the mix. Action outside of Cape Charles has been good this week. The greatest number of fish can be found at the mouth of the Bay both inside and outside of the Bay Bridge Tunnel. Large schools have been located off of Ocean City, Maryland and are headed southbound. It is a slow progression that seems like an eternity when fishing each day, but reinforcements are on the way folks. 

I feel that we will have striped bass action in the middle bay until Christmas.  

Opportunities will continue to present themselves this season. We should have great fishing through the end of the year. 

Enjoy your week on the water,  Until next time…Fair winds.