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striped bass fishing charters

Book, Hook, & Cook!

The Season starts May 1st and dates are filling up quickly.  May 1 through May 15 is “Trophy Season”—1 striped bass per customer 35 inches and larger.  May 16th onward, 2 stripers per customer , 19 inches and larger.  We plan to move the boat to Annapolis for Jun, July, and August.  Book your Chesapeake Bay charter fishing trip aboard The Last Hurrah today!!

striped bass fishing charters

ROCKTOBER!!! Open Dates

The weather is perfect and the fish are fat!  There is bait everywhere and the Rockfish are plump footballs.  They are scattered and it takes some patience and work some days, but we have been putting together nice boxes of Rockfish limits on every trip.  The calendar is loosening up and now is the time to BOOK YOUR FALL FISHING TRIP ABORD THE LAST HURRAH.   (Season goes till December 10th.)

Open October dates:   9th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 18th, 19th, 20th 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 26th, 27th, 28th, 30th and 31st.  

Here are some pics from the last week….

 

 

 

Fishing is Hotter Than The Weather !!

Summer is flying by quickly, and NOW is the time to book your Chesapeake Bay fishing trip!  We have just a few dates available before September.  It’s looking like we’ll be fishing out of Annapolis until at least mid-August.  Live-Lining for Rockfish has been good to stellar most days with a few successful “grinds” mixed in to keep things interesting.  There is no Rockfishing allowed from August 16th through the 31st.  This will be the time to whack-n-stack, Spanish Macs!   Last year was the best Spanish Mackerel run in Chesapeake history with 30 to 50 fish catches being commonplace.  Bluefish are also starting to make their way up the Bay.  Shoot us an email today and let’s go catching!

Here are some pics from the last few weeks…..



 

Light Tackle Fishing Out of Annapolis

Hey light-tackle fans,

Live-Lining has begun!!  We are now using light spinning rods to battle Striped Bass 19 to 32 inches.  Fishing could not possibly be any better.  The catching is fast and furious most trips.  We are currently docked in Annapolis and offering morning and afternoon departures.

OPEN DATES:
June  29th is now open due to a cancellation.

July  7 (pm only), 13, 14, 20, 21, 22, 23, 29, 31 for am or pm.

Prime July Dates Open—Fishing Light Tackle Out of Annapolis

Fishing is phenomenal right now when ridiculous crowds aren’t ruining it.  Leaving early has been critical to success.   We will be fishing out of Annapolis for the month of July and we still have some prime dates available.  Get your trip booked now while the light-tackle action is hot!

Bite is Right, Tight & Outta’ Sight!

Light tackle summer Striper fishing couldn’t be any better right now!!  20-minute limits of good fish is common with 100+ White Perch afterwards.  We have prime July dates available.  Weekdays are best as huge weekend crowds can ruin the fishing.  Contact us a.s.a.p. to book your light tackle fishing trip.

Here are some pics from this week:

Regular Rockin’

The Trophy Season may have been a bust, but the Regular Rockfish Season is in full swing, and with the exception of 5/16, it has been phenomenal so far!   The limit is now TWO Rock per angler and they only have to be 19-inches.  We have been smashing quick limits twice a day all week.  The action is so fast and furious that sometimes, we can’t even get lures all the way deployed before a fish nails them.  We’ve even boxed some nice fish in the 32-34″ class.  Now all we need is:  YOU!!  We have lots of prime-time weekdays June that need booking.  Let’s go catchin’!

Fall Turnover on the Chesapeake Bay

Fall fishing can be some of the best of the year, but it can take some understanding of the Chesapeake Bay’s 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.  The thermocline, (a region of rapidly fluctuating water temperature with regard to depth) and the halocline, (a sudden salinity gradient), act as the 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 bottom up to the surface of a post-turnover area.  It can be more challenging to target fish scattered through 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 fish.  It is these areas that fishermen should canvass thoroughly.  Trolling spreads should cover the majority of the water column until sonar readings illustrate a definitive pattern.  If the fish-marks become consistent within a certain depth-range, it’s time to fine-tune your spread and re-set some gear at the appropriate depth.  In order to consistently catch late-season Stripers, it is imperative  to pay close attention to their environment and to have a basic comprehension of Fall Turnover.

Yesterday’s clients with their limit:

Live-Lining Fast Rock Limits and Bailing Perch

We are still fishing out of Annapolis and things couldn’t be any better.  We are catching fast Rockfish limits on every trip and loading coolers with all of the White Perch our customers can handle!  There’s still time to squeeze in a light-tackle summer trip and we have some open August dates.  Email us today to set up your summertime  “last hurrah”.

Jumbos in July

Haven’t posted in a while…too busy fishing!  19 charters over the last 12 days to be exact.  Fishing is insane right now with fast limits of big fish up to 34 inches being common.  We have a few, prime dates left in July.  Shoot us an email and book while the bite is hot!