On July 7^th the DCMSSA held its first summer meeting. This year’s summer has greeted us with a good dosage of heat. The higher temperatures triggers the arrival of Spot in the Chesapeake Bay. This means its time for live lining for rockfish! Just in time for this fishing season to heat up, DCMSSA’s guest speaker for July was Captain Wayne Morgan of Frayed Knot Fishing Charters. Fishing the Chesapeake Bay in excess of a decade, Captain Morgan has a wealth of knowledge based on personal experience with regards to live lining spot in search of that trophy rockfish. Operating out of Deale, MD, Captain Morgan specializes in teaching charters, where he not only puts anglers on the fish, but he teaches them how to do so themselves.

Captain Morgan gave us a very detailed and informative briefing on live lining for stripers in the Chesapeake Bay. Here are a few tips that were shared at this meeting, in case you missed it:

• ALWAYS use spot for live lining. Some people mention the use of perch in a pinch. Stripers tend to avoid perch unless they’re really hungry and desperate. The spiny dorsal and pectoral fins of perch can cause the fish to get lodged in the throat of the rockfish, causing it to drown.
• 3-5” is the optimal size for spot used in live lining.
• Traditional two-hook bottom rigs with 1-2oz sinkers work fine for catching spot
• Small hooks (size 8 & 10) work best
• Best live well setup is where the discharge empties out into the bay. This creates a chum-like trail, commonly referred to as “spot juice” by Captain Morgan
• Bloodworm is the best bait. Tip the hook with a small piece of “Gulp” to ensure the worm stays on the hook
• Allot 3-5 spot per rockfish when estimating the amount spot necessary for your trip
• Keep your spot fresh and lively, if you don’t get a bite within 5 minutes, swap out your bait with a fresh fish from the live well.
• Good locations for catching spot: Choptank River 7-9-10 Buoys; Old Rock near Chesapeake Beach; #1 West River bouy
• Hook the spot slightly above it’s “spot” with a 5/0 short shank, offset hook. Mustad is the brand preferred by Captain Morgan
• Use a 3′ leader of 40lb test mono or 17lb test “vanish”
• You will normally end fishing in the vicinity of other boats. Know the tide direction to avoid drifting too close to other boats. Also, knowing the tide can allow you to position yourself in line with other boat’s “spot juice” line. This can lead to more fish for you.
• Good locations for rockfish: Buoy 86 Gum Thicketts; The Hill; Eastern Bay in 35′ depths (North of Poplar Island); The Hook (near Tilghman Island); False Channel (near the mouth of the Choptank River)

This was a VERY informative and entertaining presentation given by Captain Wayne Morgan. This was a hot topic, evidenced by the crowd turnout! As usual, we had our monthly door prizes drawn afterwards. We have upped the ante with our door prizes, offering more than the standard T shirts and bucktails. One lucky winner walked a way with a brand new bait runner spinning reel! We will be giving away a few more of these in the upcoming months. It can be an nice addition to your tackle for an easy five bucks.

Next month the DCMSSA will hold its second chapter charter trip. Once again, DCMSSA will team up with Captain Greg Buckner aboard the “Miss Susie” out of Solomons Island for a great day of fishing. The eight hour trip will begin at 2pm as we live line for rockfish. Once the boat has caught its rockfish limit, we’ll spend the rest of the evening & night bottom fishing for croaker. Bring your cooler…you’ll definitely need it! We’re encouraging folks to bring their kids along for this trip. We have a special price set for children: $50. Adults pay $125. There are only a few spaces available, so contact Jeremy Bendler as soon as possible to reserve your space. It’s gonna be a great time!!

Our next chapter meeting will be Wednesday August 4^th (7:30pm) at the usual location, 4805 Edgemoor lane, Room A, Bethesda, MD 20814. Speaking next month will be Captain Chris Dollar, owner of Kent Island Kayaks. He will be providing us with detailed information on the increasingly popular world of kayak fishing. Be sure to come out for what ought to be a great presentation. If you know of any kayak anglers, please be sure to spread the word. Come on out and enjoy an evening of fishing reports, helpful tips and information, great door prizes, and chips & beverages!

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