MJP Rapp Report

[MrJsPleasure]

Moratico bar area has been hot for me the last couple of weeks and Josh, Kelly and myself fished it Friday Afternoon pre-fishing for Saturdays charter. Sure enough fish were there and the kids had a blast with some big croakers so I'm thinking put the crew on the boat Sat morning and make the run down catch fish and work my way back to Remlik checking out some holes as we make our way back. Sat morning we leave the creek and I'm making the run for moratico and eased over a little to run over my Red Barn 1 hole and see what the fish finder says. Fish are stacked so I ease a little inshore to run over my Red Barn 2 hole and I pull back on the throttle as it stacked with fish too. Change in plan lets tryem here and thats when the bailing began. Never made it past old bouy 9 everywhere we dropped we caught fish and nice fish with croakers to 17 inches. Many doubles and most of the time at least two guys hooked up almost all day. They hit everything bloodworms, fishbites, Gulp and squid. We did have about 75 little fish we had to throw back but the majority of the fish were all nice ones. We patterned up the fish on sandy bottoms with grass or oyster beds in 15 to 19 foot of water. Catch of the day was a 20 inch flounder caught on a rappahannock sandwich in the old 9 area which was a great surprise. Pics and full report at "Mister J's Pleasure" Saltwater Charters If We Book You...We'll Hook You. (http://www.misterjspleasure.com).

Have a good one Bobby

[warrenahrens]

Down here on the lower Rapp below the bridge, the report is that the BIG croaker bite has been at night (after dark night) using shrimp topped with squid strip. Nice fish up to 18" in 3-8 feet of water, all you care to keep. It is "rod-bending fury" when they bite that btm-rig.

Might go fishing in the daytime here soon, but I ask myself "why you gonna do that?....you bailin' fish on a night pattern, so stick with that" - only problem is that some folks say, "night fishing is not what I'd rather do" and I say that I fish when the best bite is on....

AyeAye

[jwas1]

I like to go out at night, but how do you deal with crab pots/floats?

[MrJsPleasure]

I use to fish almost as much at night as in the day especailly when it was hot. Dad and I had off road lights set up on the front of the boat (19 ft trihull Glassmaster)and looked like a car comming up the river. I have them on the Carolina Skiff but a spot light works just fine. Can see the crab pots and evereryting fine just slow down an run slower than you do in the day to give yourself time to react. One warning know the river good and be familiar with the area as lots of guys get turned around out there at night. better yet make sure you use your GPS. Josh and I are going to fish for Rocks this weekend at night as this time of year they really turn on after dark.

[manfromva]

Bobby you are...right..I was at morratico on saturday trying to find a 3 lber for the croaker tourny in tappahannock.... It looked like everyone was catching and they bit everything that hit the bottom....Best we could pull was a 2.57...7th place..... 1st was 3 lbs even...2nd was 2.98lbs ...and 3rd was 2.78 lbs.. Nice job on the flounder ...I hope thats a sign of good things to come...
sea ya

[jwas1]

Don't get your hopes up. There was a menhaden boat just below the Norris bridge this morning.