There are only two months remaining in the 2017 Maryland Striped Bass Season and some of the best fishing of the year is about to happen. Air and water temperatures are cooling and fishing is getting hot. When the fish decide to bite, the action gets crazy in a hurry. We had a few trips last week where we hooked 7 to a dozen good fish simultaneously. The bite should only get better as the Fall unfolds. We are currently booking trips for November and December.
Fall fishing is here and we only have a few more months to chase Striped Bass in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay. Water temperatures are reluctant to drop, but once they do, the bite should get even better. We’re currently catching limits of quality stripers but some days require patience and persistence. Fish don’t eat all day long; especially in the Fall. Being at the right place, at the right time, and doing all of the right things in the right way make the difference. Remember, weekdays are always far better fishing due to fewer clueless weekend-warriors spooking fish and trying to run over our trolling gear. We are only running one trip a day now so departure times are flexible. We have some prime dates from now until the season-end on December 20th but they are going fast. Call or email today to reserve your Fall fishing trip on the Chesapeake.
Fall fishing can be some of the best of the year, but it can take some understanding of the Chesapeake Bay’s seasonal transition or “Fall Turnover” in order to put meat in the box.
Temperature, salinity and circulation determine the basic aspects of a given body of water. Wind, rainfall, air temperature, snow melt, currents, tides, waves and even the Coriolis Effect shape these fundamentals. The term “Fall Turnover” refers to the annual phenomenon that the Chesapeake’s water layers undergo.
During the Spring and Summer months, the Bay’s surface is heated by the sun and maintains a higher temperature than that of deeper depths. The cooler, saltier water is denser and therefore sinks to the bottom during this time of year. Two distinct layers of waters stratify with a thinner zone in between them. This middle section of water is called the “pycnocline” and it is where water density increases abruptly with increasing depths due to changes in salinity and water temperature. Since the thermocline is a region of rapidly fluctuating water temperature, and the halocline marks sudden changes in salinity, it’s useful to think of these two “clines” as causing forces behind the pycnocline. The stratification of the Bay’s layers and a significant pycnocline can create barriers to nutrients mixing between layers and can void the bottom of dissolved oxygen. This is why fish are often not found very deep in some areas during the Summer.
When Fall brings cooler temperatures and an abundance of wind, the Bay is stirred like a giant mixing bowl. The fresher surface water cools the quickest and density becomes consistent throughout the water column. This causes the top layer to sink and vertical mixing to occur. As the water blends, it pushes nutrients up from the bottom and distributes oxygen deeper. During much of the winter, water salinity and temperature are relatively constant from the surface to the bottom. The turnover can happen overnight but will do so in different areas at different times depending on conditions.
So, who cares? Fish do. Striped Bass, the crown jewel of the Chesapeake, are greatly affected by this autumn changeover. With dissolved oxygen more evenly dispersed, fish may be suspended anywhere from the very bottom up to the surface of a post-turnover area. It can be more challenging to target fish scattered throughout the depths, and extremely deep fish can be reluctant to bite. However, post-turnover areas can provide large bait concentrations and schools of active, cooperative Stripers. In order to consistently catch these late-season fish, it helps to pay close attention to their environment and to have a basic comprehension of Fall Turnover.
We are into October already and there are only 3 months left in the 2017 Maryland fishing season. Fishing is still solid to excellent depending on the day. We did end our 82 consecutive Striped Bass Limit streak the other day when some unfavorable tides and conditions from the Harvest Moon sent us home 2 fish short of a limit.
110 striper limits out of 113 trips since May is nothing to complain about though! We are currently catching a nice grade of fish and the bite is back on track . Fishing should only improve from here on out as water temperatures cool. Weekdays are always better fishing than weekends due to ignorant crowds.
Shoot us an email today to book your Fall Rockfishing trip on the Chesapeake Bay.
