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Upper Chesapeake Bay/Flats

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Mike D

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Already have the fever. April is 3 months away. HUGE fish but all catch and release which is fine with me. Get most fish on plastic shad and some on cut herring while I eat.

 

Anyone else on this board fish there and what works best for you in April?

"Sea shore washed by the suds and the foam, been here so long he's got to callin it home"
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I fished it last year...Got my biggest bass which was 27 lbs...Got it on a 1/2 oz head with a 7 inch Opening Night Bass Assassin...8 lb test...Don't over look the topwater...The guy I was with had one over 40 lbs on plug in 6 feet of water...If you guys want big bass, come down here!!!

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It's too big an area to cover properly with a yak, but I'm still gonna try Petey. So if you want to join me you are welcome. Just be ready for ALOT of paddlin'. Jeff, I have an extra yak if you want to give it a go. Got my biggest there last year on a BT. 47"...... have you seen the pic?

 

O' and Petey, no really big mammals to scare you in up there..... smile.gif Well, other than the ones in the bass boats doing 90........

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Define a "LOT" of paddling

That paddle out up at Henlopen wasn't bad, it was the paddle back with a nearly swamped yak that was bad

 

I took a "pleasure" paddle this summer in the loaner Perception Prism... it was an incredibly fast yak but I still covered 3 miles south in the surf, just beyond the waves, against the wind and 3 miles back without getting too tired

 

I'm up for any trip as long as my yak isn't leaking... stupid Scrambler!

 

Heading out soon to the Baltimore Habor discharges... I'll be back radioactive smile.gif

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I guide the Susquehanna Flats. In years past I've guided six days a week for six weeks and there are several different ways to locate fish and catch them.

 

It's definetely doable by light watercraft such as a yak or canoe on all but the most windest of days and the paddling distance can be kept to a minimium because the entire place is surrounded by locations affording both public and private access. If by yak, I would reccommend a depth finder though, because being able to position ones boat over dropoffs and channel edges has advantadges.

 

For the newcomer, the immense size of the area is daunting. However if you familiarize yourself with the hydrography, study the charts and do your homework learning about the current flows, etc sooner or later you come to the realization that fishing there can be systemized so that less time is spent looking for fish and more time is spent casting, catching and releasing in higher probability areas.

 

There are some areas for instance that always produce fish, sometimes during the day, and if you stay faithful to those places, you'll get a shot at a big one.

 

There are places that are tide or temperature sensitive and they only produce under certain circumstances.

 

On and on.

 

If you were to carry this thread over to the Ches Bay Forum, you might get read by other old hands at fishing the flats, who seldom venture onto the SOL main forum, but nevertheless might have a contribution to make towards the general knowledge.

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Wow, a yak! Sounds dangerous to me.

 

We were out there in a 16' semi-v last few years and the swells were 3 to 4 feet on some windy days. Two days down last April we couldn't get into the bay it was so windy. Almost rolled us on two occassions. Other days were fine in that boat.

 

We drift the shallow flats along the channels with 6' shad and do well. Definetly have the skunk in the boat on some days but usually nail a fish or twp per man.

"Sea shore washed by the suds and the foam, been here so long he's got to callin it home"
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