Stripers--Upper Chesapeake Bay

[650scoot]

A poor fall striper catch for me this year from Port Deposit and Flats area mainly due to the excessive rainfall resulting in heavy water release from the Conowingo Dam making it nearly impossible to present baits effectively. Usually, October and November are very productive when the rock fish come up the bay searching for shad/herring finger-lings from the spring hatch. Maybe a better catch next year. Time to winterize the boat. See ya all in the spring. By the way, anyone wanting blood worms I suggest you order them from Gordon's. The blood worms they supplied me were the best I have ever purchased--bar none!! There are no tiny dinks in their bags--all several inches long.
Will

[Hawgcatcher]

650Scoot a buddy of mine fished the chesapeake about 2 weeks ago did really well on strippers. But all were full of sores. Think I read something about the sores a few years back. Hope this does not hurt the population. Or it might be hurting it allready.

[650scoot]

Hawgcatcher,
I suspect your buddy was fishing the Middle or Lower Bay area. If he was fishing the Upper Bay area at the mouth of the Susquehanna River I am surprised to hear that he did well. The catch and release early season in the Upper Bay was tremendous--only the fall run fell off in the Upper Bay area. My neighbor caught a female weighing over 40 lb's. during catch and release in the Flats area. I did catch one legal striper and a dozen or so in the 12 to 14 in. range and none had the sores during the last few weeks. The sores are a result of a parasite that appears in the bay every several years and yes, it will eventually kill the fish. The fish is edible so long as the flesh containing the sore is removed. Most biologists believe that the parasite enters the fish due to an injury from netting or other causes. In my lifetime of fishing for stripers from the Lower Bay North to the Conowingo area I have perhaps, caught only a half dozen or so that had sores or leisons. Prior to Hurricane Agnes in, I believe 1972, it was rare to find sores on any species of fish in the Bay. The flood waters from this storm all but destroyed the ecology of the bay and deposited contaniments that remain until this day even though there has been a substantial recovery. The entire spawn of American Shad, Hickory Shad and Rock fish was wiped out thus resulting in closure of the stripery fishery for several years and certain restrictions which are now in effect as a result of this devestating storm. The contaminated deposit on the Bay bottom remained for several years thus preventing adequate spawning to sustain a healthy fish population as well as destroying all the grasses and wheed beds on the Flats area. The American Shad and Hickory Shad fishery remains closed with catch and release only during the spring run. We nearly had the same situation a few weeks ago but, subsequent rainfall allowed the Bay to naturally clean itself with the sustained flow of cleaner water following the major storm. Since Hurricane Agnes the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (Save the Bay Effort) has done a very good job of reducing contamination by reducing run-off from agricultural areas through a cooperative effort and assistance of farmers in the Susquehanna Watershed which feeds the Bay. This year the striper fishery from Pooles Island South was very good. Anyway, I'm finished for this year--all my "toys" are in hibernation until the Daffodils bloom.
Will