[Phishphinder]

Ok... Time for some good old controversy. I fished the Rapp between the Whitestone bridge and the points all sumer, ever time I was out there the Omaga boat were netting in this area. Now I'm looking and marking very few fish and almost no bait in the area and the rock fishing has sucked so far this year. the only fish seem to be the resident fish ( small schoolies). I never see birds working the area. I have to go out of the river to fleets bay or the mouth of the pank to find fish..... Is everyone else finding this same ??????... have they cleaned the area of bait ??? I fish this area twice a week Sorry if I'm stiring the s$#t

 

[Willy B]

we were having this discussion yesterday, bait seems very scattered and have only seen the sonar blackening balls in fleets bay a few weeks back. if the bait is scattered are the stripers not having to search for food or are they roaming erratically like us looking for fish?? seems i don't remember the fish really turning on until about this time in DEC last year. not to rub it in but boated 3 fish same place you are talking about fri after turkey day, 2 fish over 34" but didn't show the bait you'd expect when we picked them up.

 

[Miss July]

After cleaning our catches we look and see what there feeding on. So far its been just
bunkers some allmost 6" in size.

Have not found any small Crabs or those (Manta?) Shrimp like we did last season??

My log books show the Fish really turned on the first week of Dec. the past few years...
even in the Rapp.

 

[Phishphinder]

Fish are there

I've been catching but just not like other years and NO Bait !

 

[captaingeorge]

Lots of guys are tearing them up on every trip. Maybe you're fishing the wrong parts of the river.

 

[PlaynHooky]

Love the boat Capt George! The comment is spot on too...You got to be there fishing to catch em.........try switching your baits up a little ....maybe your technique.......

 

[fishhrd]

I fished the the Rapp from Urbanna to the Whitestone bridge and back on Sunday. Didn't get a hit and didn't mark much bait. Last year the Rapp was full of bait but can't remember when.

 

[jrocket567]

I think this might have something to do with it as well:

The water temp dropped about 8* in 10 days. Not good.

Thanksgiving weekend last year it was 54*. I had readings from 43-46. Further up in the river, the colder it got.

I remember about 3-4 years ago we had something very similar- temp dropped 10* in 10 days, and about 5 days later, the fish were in mexico. Itll be interesting to see where this weekend's tourney winning fish come from. I'll put money on not the middle bay.

Jay

 

[captaingeorge]

I fished the the Rapp from Urbanna to the Whitestone bridge and back on Sunday. Didn't get a hit and didn't mark much bait. Last year the Rapp was full of bait but can't remember when.

You went the wrong way. The fish(and boats)were thick upriver from Urbanna towards Morratico on Sunday.

 

[Phishphinder]

There are fish !

there plently of fish but most of the population is resident. specialy above the bridge. last month below the bridge was teeming with bait and menhaden boats. now you can't find a bait ball to save your life. and the large transiant fish are not moving in. You can get all the 40" outside the river in fleets bay and i have seen a tun of birds near the Pank and stove point. .... there were menhaden boats all over the rapp last 3 weeks and now there is no bait....

 

[captaingeorge]

Do you think menhaden boats don't go to Fleet's Bay?

 

[Phishphinder]

I think the Menhaden Boats go where ever they want to go and rape bait by the tun. They also have a great effect on the migration habits of Rock fish as they indiscriminently kill eveything in there path... All this so some yuppies can eat fish oil suppliment sold at GNC... Eat fish if you need fish oil for your colesterol and stop shoving Big mac's in your pie hole..... and thats all I have to say about that.

 

[captaingeorge]

..... and thats all I have to say about that.

We'll see.

 

[Sea King]

You guys are in the wrong river....Potomac is hot!

 

[Kevin Smith]

Menhaden Boats Up the Rappahanock

Menhaden Boats are not allowed in the Rappahanock if the weather allows them to fish in the bay. So if you see them in the Rappahanock when the weather is good, they are breaking the agreement they have for fishing the Chesapeake Bay.

Unfortunately they do more damage then just destroy the Menhaden Fisheries in a limited eco-system. In addition their nets run too deep and can severly damage the bottom where the very young fish have their nursery.

The Menhaden Boats should be alllowed to fish, but not in mass within such a fragile eco-system as the Chesapeake Bay. They should be encouraged to fish in the Ocean beyond the 3 mile limit where the Menhaden are much more plentiful.

Kevin Smith
Weekend Mistress
Coastal Conservation Association-Virginia
Stripers Forever

 

[captaingeorge]

You guys are in the wrong river....Potomac is hot!

Absolutely! All you guys that can't find fish in the Rapp, try the Potomac!:thumbup:

 

[kahuna1]

well this weekend is supposed to be flat what area would be good to try this saturday hav e only recently become familiar with area between #8 and whitestone bridge , would something near the mouth or out in the bay be best??

 

[captron9151]

fish have been pretty scattered for most of the season so far , but i here of alot of nice ones coming out of the river too. find the deep holes on your charts and work em hard. savannah kay ch 68 , broad creek , dville

 

[Phishphinder]

The bridge

The bridge is holding some good fish around the pillings. Try the whitestone side. I also marked some fish just off the bridge between Cherry stone point and the bridge on tuseday. Buttlers hole is deep and I did not mark much there but I'm sure there some in there. I would take some eels and drift a couple at different depths. eels can fix the lock jaw problems. good luck I'll be out on the bay this weekend fishing the Greentop turny... We are tring to decide north or south right now.. I'm leaning to capre charles or the CBBT. got to weigh in at 3:00 so may not go to far south. Up at fleets and 59 may be good.... Any ideas ? Looking for the big guy

 

[kahuna1]

good luck in the turny hope you land a heavy one!