We have had a couple of cold snaps in the last week or so which has dropped water temperatures to around 50 degrees in the mainstem of the Chesapeake Bay and the shallows are into the low 40's. What does this mean? Incredible Striped Bass fishing. As bait leaves the rivers and tributaries of the Chesapeake to head for deeper warmer water, the Striped Bass follow and we see an incredible event.
Often referred to as "The Show" gulls, gannets and pelicans work together in a chaotic feeding frenzy over schools of bait being driven to the surface by large schools of hungry, aggressive striped bass gorging themselves to fatten up for the winter.
Finding "The Show" can sometimes require covering a large distance scanning the horizon with binoculars and taking advantage of modern radar to pick up knots of birds beyond the visibility of binoculars.
Once the show is located you can take a deep sigh of relief and prepare for non stop action on fish ranging from 20"-50"!!
Unfortunately the birds do not always show the way and that's ok. With years of experience I have learned to find fish on channel edges or hanging close to balls of bait that are still very willing to eat. Often this is the strategy late winter and it produces the largest fish.
Hop over to the online calendar and schedule your trip before the show closes!
Capt.
Cole Langley