Departed the house at 6 to head to Little Creek to put the boat in. On the way there the temperature went as low as 7 degrees. 
Once we got to the marina we had to bust some ice to get out. The water was a little bit sloppy at the mouth of the bay which combined with the cold temps made for some problems with equipment.
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Started trolling at Cape Henry with the rest of the fleet but didn't find many good bait or fish marks. Started trolling our way south and about the time we got in front of the Ramada we get our first fish. Biggest fish Louis has ever gotten at 40 inches, bit on a white umbrella with 16 ounce inline back about 80 feet.
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Circled back through the same area and found a good bunch of bait and as soon as we were in it the next fish hooked up on a white tandem chute back about 150 feet. Dad cranked this one in and it was about the same size as the first at 40 inches but was a little fatter.
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Ran back around but couldn't find the bait again so we decided to head north to where some gannets were starting to cirle up high and dive here and there. Once we were up to the lights at Cape Henry Keith hooked into a decent fish on a tandem with white chutes and dark pearl green shad that I had poored earlier in the week. (Always cool to see something you make catch a fish) This fish was about the same size as the first two, 39.5 to 40 inch.
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Trolled around the most everyone else from North Carolina up to Maryland in a small area with some bait and fish marks but no bites for quite some time. After a bit the coast guard came through scaring boats out of the way to make way for a sub coming out of the bay.
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We kept trying for a while then Keith and I went up in the enclosure to warm up annd tell the other guys it was time to call it quits and we were going to pull the lines in. When we turn to go out a chartreuse umbrella with no weight got hit and I got my fish for the day which went about 34 inches.
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We didn't get our limit but by the sound of people on the radio it was a tough bite out there so we were happy with one fish a piece. We picked up and ran in with water freezing on all the surfaces once again. Great day on the water and had a fun time despite the cold weather. :clapping2:
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--John
Once we got to the marina we had to bust some ice to get out. The water was a little bit sloppy at the mouth of the bay which combined with the cold temps made for some problems with equipment.
Started trolling at Cape Henry with the rest of the fleet but didn't find many good bait or fish marks. Started trolling our way south and about the time we got in front of the Ramada we get our first fish. Biggest fish Louis has ever gotten at 40 inches, bit on a white umbrella with 16 ounce inline back about 80 feet.
Circled back through the same area and found a good bunch of bait and as soon as we were in it the next fish hooked up on a white tandem chute back about 150 feet. Dad cranked this one in and it was about the same size as the first at 40 inches but was a little fatter.
Ran back around but couldn't find the bait again so we decided to head north to where some gannets were starting to cirle up high and dive here and there. Once we were up to the lights at Cape Henry Keith hooked into a decent fish on a tandem with white chutes and dark pearl green shad that I had poored earlier in the week. (Always cool to see something you make catch a fish) This fish was about the same size as the first two, 39.5 to 40 inch.
Trolled around the most everyone else from North Carolina up to Maryland in a small area with some bait and fish marks but no bites for quite some time. After a bit the coast guard came through scaring boats out of the way to make way for a sub coming out of the bay.
We kept trying for a while then Keith and I went up in the enclosure to warm up annd tell the other guys it was time to call it quits and we were going to pull the lines in. When we turn to go out a chartreuse umbrella with no weight got hit and I got my fish for the day which went about 34 inches.
We didn't get our limit but by the sound of people on the radio it was a tough bite out there so we were happy with one fish a piece. We picked up and ran in with water freezing on all the surfaces once again. Great day on the water and had a fun time despite the cold weather. :clapping2:
--John
