Headed to the Bay 12-26-15 for "STRIPPERS"

[SUE REEL]

Hopefully my thread title lured some good intel!
Now that I have you reading this, sorry no strippers!


Well it is that time of year for our annual Bay trip to catch trophy stripers, or at least try.  This is the 7th year for the trip.  SeaJay and a mutal friend Mark Nichols R.I.P. turned me on to it and I look forward to this trip every year.  My dad who is 65 has been on every one with me and it is an awesome time together.   This year we will be spreading the other half of aformentioned friend's ashes in the Bay.  The other half were spread in SML back in June.  When we first started this trip years ago we did well.  I remember one trip, in a Bayliner ski boat,  I rigged it up for striper because that was the only way I could out there.  We caught 8 fish all over 40lbs. and I caught my largest at 51lbs.  I remember, while at the fish cleaning station, a marine biologist was there collecting fish stomachs and writing down data.  I spoke with him a while and he told me to enjoy because these were going to be hard to come by in the future.  He was right, that was our best trip.  Last year between 3 boats and 4 days of fishing we got one striper.  The year before that, same boats 0 fish.  I am not a rookie and neither is SeaJay but we are baffled at what is going on.  We pull out at 6am Sat. morning and are going to try to get in a half day.  We drift live eels and Jay pulls planer boards.  We are a two boat team this year as one boat backed out due to last two years and a skunk.  Maybe they were the bad mojo and we will get back our good mojo.

Getting reports to put boat in at Harborton and fish?
Anyone on this site been to the Bay lately and have any suggestions to help save us time and gas would be greatly appreciated.


Have a Merry Christmas All!

Sue Reel
Jamie

[Jason54]

Early this week the fish we caught were all within a mile of the Rappahannock shoal marker. The closest ramp was at Morlys warf. It's nearly straight out from there. While we were there the fish seemed to be moving south very slowly.

[primetime]

Morley's wharf is nice. It's closer to cape Charles for the truck ride and the boat ride to where the fish are. Just make sure you don't cut the green and red markers short. It is very shallow.
Ask Chris at Chris's bait and tackle if they have made it to cape Charles. She will tell u the truth. You will waste your time if u fish there and she says they are not. Don't hesitate to try different strategies as far as speed, east to west, going against current, and different weights. The stripers seemed to hit if the eel was pulled and then the eel would drop. People are catching them. I've caught 2 this season. Have fun!