Striper Chunking Report-Not

[Kevin Smith]

After 10 weeks of "wishing we were fishing", we decided to make the trip to Hampton, spend the weekend on the boat and chunk for stripers, just before the seaon ends. Drove to Hampton Friday evening with the rest of the tourists without incident. The evening is beatiful with some storms putting on a light show and lots of bait in the creek. So we set up the boat for the evening and went to sleep early. Just about midnight the A/C decides to stop working, the cabin is kind of hot and we try to get it running again, but it won't hold a prime. We wake up Saturday soaking wet from sweat and a beatiful sun rise and a good weather report.

7 am, we buy a flat of bunker at Pops, and head out through the forest of crab pots to the Monitor Merimack with visions of pullage because the tide was going to start in at 8 am and go out starting around lunch time. Should be a perfect set up for striper chunking. Well-that wasn't how it went.

The tide runs out until about lunch time, water is turbid, 2 very large cow nose rays and one toad are all we put in the boat, and the severe thunder storms around 1pm make it safer at the dock, and we only had one big striper on, but it pulled the hook on a blistering run. Did not see anyone else put the net out the entire time out there.

Still a great day on the water and quality time fishing with my beatiful wife.

Kevin
Weekend Mistress
Coastal Conservation Association Virginia

[Bustin Water]

Sorry to hear about your A/C Kevin. I guess I did not miss too much action while I was collecting trash along the James.

Glen M

[Finfever21]

Thanks for the report Kevin at least you got out...Brandon

[South Paw]

Thanks for the report Kevin. Sorry to hear about the A/C. Talked to Bill. I think there has to be a hard tide for those fish to turn on. I know you can't catch them with the current ripping, but when it slacks off they'll bite. I was hoping for a better report for C&R Tues. Taking young kids Tuesday, so I think it will be strickly croaker and flounder.

Good Fishin

[Rock crusher]

Kevin,
sorry to hear about your a/c. You just missed us at Pops, we were there about 8ish gettin some chum and eels. Anchored up for som eCobia for about 3 hours with one really big Ray to show for it. Ran around the storm and ended up Croakering and Floundering the Back River Reef. NO sizes though it was still noce to get out.

[Kevin Smith]

When we got back to the dock, Bill suggested there was a leak on the intake side of the system. I checked the pick up sediment trap and it wasn't sealed tightly. That was it!

Thanks to Bill Tanner for the good advice.

Kevin
Weekend Mistress

[johnfish]

Sorry you had a bad time on saturday Kevin. I was out with a friend (see my report) and got some croaker pullage in the afternoon which was great fun! Saw quite a few large stripers (35 plus inches) and flounder taken on croaker over the tube at the first. We tried but were only succesfull at getting hung up. Lost a few rigs too. Guess I need to learn the proper technique for fishing live croakers.


John

[Mike Avery]

Kevin, way to put in one last attempt before the season closed. Had a friend fish the Hampton Bar for flounder and tore them up......but all throw backs. I think he said he caught about 50 and many got close to 19 but no keepers. But when you get some leftover flounder fillets we'll link up this year and I'll trade some cobia fillets (if I catch any).

[Kevin Smith]

Mike,

Good luck catching the man in the brown suit, while I am fishing for the skinny brown flat fish.

Kevin
Weekend Mistress
Coastal Conservation Association Virginia