Fishing Report 8-27-02

Breaking fish in Cedar Point Rip have been sporadic, there one day and not the next. It occurs always when the tide is moving, preferably outgoing, and if the sky is overcast, so much the better.

The baitfish are bay anchovies, which are small minnows about two inches long and not thicker than a pencil. Consequently lures approximately the same size or similiar in shape work far better, than ones short and fatter.

These are also the conditions that fly fishing works so marvelously. A fly such as a pencil popper just attracts a bizzilion hits.

There are times when the breaking fish go down and the big question for the boating angleris: " Which way did they go?"

Something to remember then, is that baitfish will generally swim into the tidual current, when they are being pursued and anytime the tide is flowing. When the tide begins to diminish, the baitfish seem to lose their sense of direction and their ability to stay together in a ball falls apart.

Sometimes the morning break will then move off towards the SE , towards the morning sun. I suppose the predators can profile their prey against the morning sky.

Originally posted by Capt Brady
Breaking fish in Cedar Point Rip have been sporadic, there one day and not the next. It occurs always when the tide is moving, preferably outgoing, and if the sky is overcast, so much the better.

The baitfish are bay anchovies, which are small minnows about two inches long and not thicker than a pencil. Consequently lures approximately the same size or similiar in shape work far better, than ones short and fatter.

These are also the conditions that fly fishing works so marvelously. A fly such as a pencil popper just attracts a bizzilion hits.

There are times when the breaking fish go down and the big question for the boating angleris: " Which way did they go?"

Something to remember then, is that baitfish will generally swim into the tidual current, when they are being pursued and anytime the tide is flowing. When the tide begins to diminish, the baitfish seem to lose their sense of direction and their ability to stay together in a ball falls apart.

Sometimes the morning break will then move off towards the SE , towards the morning sun. I suppose the predators can profile their prey against the morning sky.

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Hey Capt.!

Good to see your report, even though I don't fly fish.
I had a friendly disagreement with friends last weekend. The fishin' just wasn't what it normally is. I said it was because of Spring Tides and the full moon. They disagree.
What's your take?

What were your expectations ?

I like the fishing reports being posted here! :yah:

BK,

Here's a real rockfish for you
42" 41 pounds

I know you!

I saw this picture at the store.....

Yeap, it's ME!

What were your expectations ?

Originally posted by Capt Brady
What were your expectations ?

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What the hell kind of question is that?
I asked you a perfectly legitimate question that wasn't all that hard to understand.
I fish off the beach every weekend, just south of Breezy. We have some of the best fishing in the world there. I rarely fail to catch fish.
Last weekend sucked.
I think spring tides because of the full moon were to blame based on my experiences fishing the surf in the ocean.
My friends say that has no effect in the bay.
Does it?

Bknarw,

If you were beach fishing, catching fish on a consistent and ongoing basis, and suddenly it doesn't happen, I can understand your disappointment. I asked the subject question to ellicit additional information, so I could further understand your post.

It happens with guides too.

I hate it when the pattern changes, and I don't pickup on that change.

But surf fishing is particuliarly fustrating, because one's location is somewhat limited. In a boat, if the fish don't bite when we think they are supposed to, we simply relocate to another place. The surf guy , if he cannot move and has no fish,(for whatever reason) simply zeros.

I'm curious as to this; if you had considered the moon and tides, how would you adjust for them and still go fishing ? I'ld bet you would still return to the same beach where fish were caught previously, as nearly anyone would.

There is also the theory that a person sets themselves up for disappointment in fishing when the success is measured in terms of the number, kind, and size of the fish caught.

Some folks would argue that while catching fish is important, in certain circumstances it is not vital to having a pleasurable experience.

Hence, simply stated, one's expectations are the standard , by which one's disappointment begins or ends,........and so my query.

Oops, I negelected to answer your question.

Yes, I think tides and moon phase greatly affect whether fish are available to be caught, in Chesapeake Bay. This is more important for the surfcaster than the boating angler.

Beach fishing is all about getting the fish close enough to cast to. If the water depth is insufficent, the fish simply will not go there. For this reason the incoming tide through the high tide is frequently favored by the beach fisher. If tides are exceptionally low whether caused by seasonal fluxuations, or weather, the result is the same as low tide.

Moon phase is also widely believed to coincide with the molting of the female blue crab and the mating of sexually active mature crabs. This phenomena creates a sitation which places many soft crabs close to shore, and certainly the higher order predator fish such as striped bass move into these areas on the full moon.