Every year, outdoorsmen trade their fishing rod for a bow or gun and head for the woods, thinking the fishing season is over. For those who do just that, they are missing out on some of the year’s best fishing. This is especially true if you are within striking distance of Reedville, Virginia and the charter fleet headquartered there and at Smith Point.
MAKING THE SWITCH
At the end of October, charter captains and individual anglers begin readying their gear to switch from chumming for rockfish to trolling for lunker-sized rockfish. The switch represents a change from free-lining bait in a chum slick on a medium action rod to pulling a parachute rig or umbrella rig behind a boat on a heavier rod. The switch is big, and the fish well represent the effort put forth by anglers.
Fish measuring 18 to 24 inches are suddenly replaced by fish in the 30-pound range.
Anglers will find that towing their boat to the area, or chartering a boat, in the early part of November through Thanksgiving is the prime time to troll for monster stripers.
BRING ON THE BUNKER
Stripers move from place to place looking for something to eat. That “something” in the bay is bunkers (menhaden), which are usually plentiful; Reedville is actually the center of the commercial harvest. Bunker grow fast and are protein packed, allowing striped bass to rapidly gain weight rapidly.
Menhaden stay in the area of the middle Chesapeake Bay until the weather cools down. They then head for the open ocean off the coast of North Carolina to spawn. While they are in the bay, anglers who can locate the baitfish will find striped bass feeding.
FIND ‘EM FAST
Finding baitfish is simple, as long as you know how to use your fish finder. Baitfish show up differently on different fish finders, but most show the bait as a cloud or ball. In addition, keep an eye out for gulls diving into the water. Birds in numbers diving into the water equate to feeding fish.
Once the bait is located, it’s time to begin putting out trolling rods. The most effective rigs for trolling are umbrellas or parachute rigs. Most tackle shops carry umbrella rigs by Sekora. These rigs come rigged with sassy shads or eels and work best with an inline sinker attached to get the rig down to the fish.
Some individual anglers will troll large spoons, Mann’s Stretch lures and Mann’s Sea Snakes with good results. A word of caution when trolling lures: If you plan on releasing fish, replace the treble hooks with single hooks to avoid doing unnecessary damage to the fish.
GET ‘EM DOWN
It is important to get the lures and rigs down to the same depth as the bait where the rockfish are feeding. Local experts suggest that anglers troll between 2 and 4 knots. They also recommend using sassy shads that are between 6 and 12 inches. Troll around the perimeter of the bait to avoid spooking them, and be mindful of the other boats working the area.
The most popular area to find fish is at the mouth of the Potomac River between Buoy number 3 and number 9.
KEEP ‘EM HEAVY!
It is a good idea to have a heavy action rod and reel when trolling as some of the fish push the 40-pound weight. A large net is essential. If a fish is to be released, have the camera ready and take the pictures without letting the fish dry out. Release the fish as soon as possible, and do not use a gaff.
STAY SAFE
November can be a fickle month. Some days are mild and some are downright miserable, with windy and rainy conditions. Anglers are encouraged to take the proper gear on their boat to deal with varying conditions. Wet weather gear that is warm is a smart idea.
A cell phone and marine radio is also a must, as the bay can get rough. Keep an eye on the weather before and during your trip, and be sure you are knowledgeable of the marinas, ports and other areas where you can get in out of the weather should you need to do so.
