Frank Reid
October 11th, 2003, 12:27 AM
Met up with Allen Epps at out work at 0600 and headed down to Kent Narrows
on the Chesapeake. There to meet up with our guide for the day, Capt Gary
Neitzey of Fish Hawk Guide Service. Gary specializes in fly fishing the
Chesapeake. This trip was the make-up trip for the one last week-end that
was canx'd due to poor weather.
0700 at the boat ramp, we meet Gary. I explain the Reid Curse, i.e. that if
I'm fishing, its gonna be the worst day of the year for anyone within 5
miles. He laughs it off, but Allen repeats "its true, I've seen it happen,
its true." Ha ha, and we shove off.
Fog is not too bad at the boat ramp, but as we get out into the bay, WHAM!
We're socked in. Without the GPS, we'ld be totally lost. Visibility down
to as little as 50 feet. We drive in circles looking for breaking fish or
diving gulls till about 10. Nothing. Gary keeps talking about how weird
this is, strong wind and heavy fog don't mix. It should be either foggy and
glass smooth or clear and breezy. He's never seen like like in all his time
guiding on the bay. The day before, it was foggy but the bay was like a
sheet of glass. You could see breaking fish a long way off. Not today.
Reid's on the water.
The fog finally lifts but no breaking fish. When he gets a call that they
are breaking, we arrive on the scene just as the gulls are departing. Run
here, fish gone, run there, fish gone.
We do manage a few drifts over a rocky flat and hook into some smallish fish
(15" or so). Nothing to write home about. We get back out to the center of
the bay and hit a few more. This goes on all day. Gary the guide is really
bummed. He likes first timers to have a reason to come back. Thing is, we
are catching fish, just not up to his standards and not a whole bunch.
Finally, 3:30 is upon us. We've got a few fish between us and we're making
the run up to Kent Narrows to the launch site. 200 yards to the right, Gary
spots some diving gulls. He eases over there and we're in hog heaven. I
can now see why people get hooked on striper fishing. We're in 14 feet of
water, but there are so many fish that the depth finder reads 8 feet. Every
cast is a fish, 16 to 20 inches. 8 wt rods, sink tip (300 grain) and yellow
and copper clousers. This lasts for about a half an hour and then the birds
leave and a few minutes later, the school of fish is nowhere to be found.
Per Gary, and others we've talked to, this half hour is what striper fishing
is about but to the n-th degree. An hour of incredible action, followed by
a half an hour of slow action, all day, every day. Gary says he would not
ever rate today as "fair" even though we got close to 40 fish between us. A
great day would be a 150 fish per person day. I'm dumbfounded. I can't
imagine that kind of action. He claims those are about one day a week
during October and November.
Topped the day off with a burger and a couple of beers at the dock. I'm
whupped but am now eyeing a 21 foot Boston Whaler. This can get addictive.
At least one pic on ABPF.
--
Frank Reid
Reverse email to reply
on the Chesapeake. There to meet up with our guide for the day, Capt Gary
Neitzey of Fish Hawk Guide Service. Gary specializes in fly fishing the
Chesapeake. This trip was the make-up trip for the one last week-end that
was canx'd due to poor weather.
0700 at the boat ramp, we meet Gary. I explain the Reid Curse, i.e. that if
I'm fishing, its gonna be the worst day of the year for anyone within 5
miles. He laughs it off, but Allen repeats "its true, I've seen it happen,
its true." Ha ha, and we shove off.
Fog is not too bad at the boat ramp, but as we get out into the bay, WHAM!
We're socked in. Without the GPS, we'ld be totally lost. Visibility down
to as little as 50 feet. We drive in circles looking for breaking fish or
diving gulls till about 10. Nothing. Gary keeps talking about how weird
this is, strong wind and heavy fog don't mix. It should be either foggy and
glass smooth or clear and breezy. He's never seen like like in all his time
guiding on the bay. The day before, it was foggy but the bay was like a
sheet of glass. You could see breaking fish a long way off. Not today.
Reid's on the water.
The fog finally lifts but no breaking fish. When he gets a call that they
are breaking, we arrive on the scene just as the gulls are departing. Run
here, fish gone, run there, fish gone.
We do manage a few drifts over a rocky flat and hook into some smallish fish
(15" or so). Nothing to write home about. We get back out to the center of
the bay and hit a few more. This goes on all day. Gary the guide is really
bummed. He likes first timers to have a reason to come back. Thing is, we
are catching fish, just not up to his standards and not a whole bunch.
Finally, 3:30 is upon us. We've got a few fish between us and we're making
the run up to Kent Narrows to the launch site. 200 yards to the right, Gary
spots some diving gulls. He eases over there and we're in hog heaven. I
can now see why people get hooked on striper fishing. We're in 14 feet of
water, but there are so many fish that the depth finder reads 8 feet. Every
cast is a fish, 16 to 20 inches. 8 wt rods, sink tip (300 grain) and yellow
and copper clousers. This lasts for about a half an hour and then the birds
leave and a few minutes later, the school of fish is nowhere to be found.
Per Gary, and others we've talked to, this half hour is what striper fishing
is about but to the n-th degree. An hour of incredible action, followed by
a half an hour of slow action, all day, every day. Gary says he would not
ever rate today as "fair" even though we got close to 40 fish between us. A
great day would be a 150 fish per person day. I'm dumbfounded. I can't
imagine that kind of action. He claims those are about one day a week
during October and November.
Topped the day off with a burger and a couple of beers at the dock. I'm
whupped but am now eyeing a 21 foot Boston Whaler. This can get addictive.
At least one pic on ABPF.
--
Frank Reid
Reverse email to reply