[Brandon]

Hardly any of the OG crew left. It's been a long, strange trip downhill since the WWA days.

I think back then there were so many fish people don't have time to sit around and BS about anything other than catching fish

 

[Brandon]

Hey B, I'm still hangin. Good to hear from you.. The bay gets worse every year. No croakers, no flounder, no blues, no big stripers, way less perch, spot and yellers. Cobia and redfish have moved North into the bay but not in big numbers. Crabbing is also worse every year. How are you doing in Cali. I see you on you bike often..........Gary

Gary,
That's the saddest fishing report I've heard man.

Things are good out here. Bike three or four times a week. Started surfing which is hardcore in these waters. Main thing is to try and not get eaten by great whites

We have some decent striped bass and salmon fishing in and around Half Moon Bay. I'm starting to get some energy around getting a CC and exploring inshore. No one really does the CC to chase stripers. We're on the ocean and I can hear them on the VHF and they do catch some good fish. We'll see. Going to need at least a 25ft CC and probably a 27 because of how rough it can be.

Still have our place on the eastern shore. I've seen some of the fishing report and it looks like the light tackle guys still get some good striped bass fishing in and around the middle bay?

Brandon

 

[Brandon]

I guess I’m relatively new, but, TidalB.tch is what this forum has become…sad!!!
Mike

Well that's sad. What are people *****ing about? In the fifteen years I owned the site I found that some people are going to go fishing, have fun and catch fish. Other's are going to bi$ch no matter what happens.

But...without moderation that b$tching will and can overtake a board.

 

[Brandon]

I’ve learned a ton on here, but all some guys do is complain….and it makes guys like me not want to chime in. Some of us have blocked people so we can’t see their ldiotic messages…sad….

I think the blocking feature is the best thing to do. Also, needs strong moderation to weed that out.

I agree that if the b$tching overtakes a board it will drive people away.

 

[Brandon]

Still around but only since 2001. I try to stay uninvolved except to post the occasional fishing report. Sometimes I get sucked into meaningless discussions but I am really just interested in the fishing. Wish there were more who would post reports. Thanks to those who do.

Brandon, it would be great if you could bring about this change.

Pat

Hey Pat,

When I started this site going back all the way to 1996 all I wanted to do was talk fishing with people who loved or wanted to learn how to fish.

There were some detours as politics around trying to conserve fish, fight pollution etc... got to be main topics.

I've come full circle. I care about the fish as much as the next person, but that's not my fight anymore.

I'm interested in spooling up a light tackle reel and rod or 8wt fly rod and chasing some stripers and whatever else there is to catch. And talking with like minded people about it.

Not sure I could even buy the site back, but something I'm going to look into. We'll see.

Brandon

 

[Brandon]

There used to be fishing information here?

Believe it or not, there used to be some of the very best fishermen on this site.

 

[Brandon]

Hi Brandon. As others have noted, this has become more a forum for complaining about: politicians, the DNR, pro athletes, minorities, etc. I still visit the site each day and try to limit my comments to fishing-related matters. It would be beneficial to have an active moderator for the site to cut down on some of the unnecessary banter.

Hey John,

You being a long time member know as much as anyone, without good moderation any forum, especially one around fishing, will go to hell and a handbasket fast.

Thinking about some options of what can be done.

Good to hear from you!
Brandon

 

[Brandon]

Been around since day 1! Fishing in the mid Bay only exists for those slinging live bait or endless trolling. For us artificial/fly only guys it's very tough! Agree with John about an active moderator.

SteveF!

Yes, you've been around from the earliest of days. Good to hear from you.

So light tackle fishing has been tough? I see reports from a few guides that fish the lower portion of Maryland's Chesapeake and they seem to do ok. Is that limited to that area?

Do the breaking striped bass and blues do their thing in the Fall like they used to?

Any jigging for trout?

Good to hear from you!
Brandon

 

[Brandon]

Still here.

Nice to hear from you Brandon. Hope all is well.

Wife and I still remember meeting you by chance while cruising around Eastern Bay. Fun getting the hat handed to us between boats.

May give up the Parker. Age says it’s about time. Might not even get a Talbot sticker this season. Yikes.

Ditto the comments about those who can’t seem to stick with the program.

BigWillJ,

Nice to hear from you!

Man, that was a minute ago when we ran into one another in Eastern Bay

I remember the days when EB was epic. Some days I never even left the Tred Avon, put in at the boat ramp and could jig to the mouth and do it again and again and again.

Getting rid of the Parker?!

Brandon

 

[Brandon]

Brandon,
Thanks for the message. I thought I would check back in here after hearing from you. Winter fishing while light tackle jigging has been pretty good. It is a gamble like most winters. Fish feed in smaller windows and not every day. However you can hit an absolute homerun on a hot bite with the possibility of trophy fish too. Weather also plays a role to when we can get out since it certainly is more risky this time of year.

Because the bay still hasnt dropped below 40 degrees, it isnt unusual to find a great open water bite. Menhaden seem to still be here in the channels. Of course we do not pass up on fish feeding on silversides this time of year either. I know of January open water bites from Bloody Point to PLO.

Catfishing should be hot and I plan on that out of both DC and Annapolis. Trophy's out of DC but lots of schoolie action out of Annapolis. The schoolies should be bigger this year too as they seem to grow every year.

Best trip this winter was on Jan 10th. I did some running with 80nm on the day but we hit a home run with nonstop action on mid 20's fish a few in the 30's and we boated 8 over 40" with the largest going 47". I even had one angler who boated 4 of them between 44" and 46" himself. This was open water on the channel edge. We found the fish while running when my fish finder lit up with bait. However as the trip went on, we even had bird play with fish rolling on the surface.

I have also had a trip or two where I ran a lot for very few fish.. Like I said, it is a gamble but you can hit a home run

Hot bite Chesapeake Bay January 2023

www.youtube.com

Here are Mike's light tackle 4 over 40 on the day...

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View attachment 283595
View attachment 283594
View attachment 283593

Hey Greg,
Good to hear from you!

I will hit you up on the other channel.

Those are some absolutely amazing fish! 👊👊👊

Thanks for posting!
Brandon

 

[Brandon]

Brandon I think alot of the original fishermen from this board don't hang out here any more is for the same reasons you don't

Capt. Nick,
Fair point.

Sounds like something I might be able to fix

Stand by...
Brandon

 

[longtail]

Everyone on this forum has been offered the position of moderator but they’ve declined. Complainers complaining about complaining. Welcome back, Brandon and Ban baby ban!

 

[Market Price]

Year of the White Rabbit, just like the Mayan predicted...

 

[longtail]

people that know how to catch fish, catch fish. Alot of rock fish checked in at the local summer and fall tournaments. It hasn’t been as easy in years past but there’s still fish, plus, the bay has offered other opportunities the past few years for different variety of fish that people choose not to partake. Blues have shown back up, redfish as far as west river and mack into the patapsco, but if it’s just striped bass you know, you might have to work a little harder then you’re used to.

 

[goose70]

Hi Brandon, hope you're well. As you'll recall, biking started to eat into my fishing time. Then work got even busier and....well, my contributions to this board are even less frequent and less useful than in the past.

As for fishing, Pickerel fishing in the Severn was actually very good this fall/winter. From what I can gather, Striper fishing has fallen off, as others have said, but the complete collapse that we all feared has not yet materialized. There are still decent schools of small and midrange fish, plus a few larger ones to be had. They're just not as widespread as they were. We have enough of a stock to build a recovery if we give them the chance.

Oddly -- or perhaps because fewer Rock -- bigger schools of Menhaden seem to be in the mid-Bay and rivers. And some species, likes Macs and Redfish, continue to become more prevalent. Oh, and Dolphins are everywhere now.

 

[SteveF]

SteveF!

Yes, you've been around from the earliest of days. Good to hear from you.

So light tackle fishing has been tough? I see reports from a few guides that fish the lower portion of Maryland's Chesapeake and they seem to do ok. Is that limited to that area?

Do the breaking striped bass and blues do their thing in the Fall like they used to?

Any jigging for trout?

Good to hear from you!
Brandon

Same here! Jigging for trout, lol. I still have some trout bombs that we used to make by just painting an inline sinker! No, they are gone, at least from the Annapolis sector.
Yes, good guides can still get on some fish but I'm not that good! Caught a couple of blues off the bottom this fall but didn't see any breaking. Quite common to head out and never even see a bird!

 

[Luv2fishCB]

Hi Brandon. I've only been on here for 14 years and fishing the bay about 24 years so I'm not sure I'm an old timer just yet, but I'm working on it. I've certainly noticed a big change in the fishing as Andy noted. I used to spend a lot of time in the Solomons island area but now I fish closer to home and focus on the Potomac river. I enjoy learning a new area, technique and fish.

Glad to hear that things are going well for you.

Steve

 

[27 sailfish]

I'm still on here. Made a lot of good friends and learned a lot.

As others have stated - it is a shame a few trolls drove so many good posters away.

 

[Lone Ranger]

Still here and there!

 

[knotworkin]

Brandon
If not for WWA I would probably still be trolling and chumming. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I still have a barrel full of broomsticks and my chum tube.

Dr Bee and some others provided lots of great free advice that opened up the world of LTJ to many.

As others have noted, those days of jigging on acres of feeding sea trout are long gone.