Weather forces abandonment of the COW chase

Been a few days without posting on the blog and I need to do some catch up.



My son Hawley came to fish on the 20th and Dewayne Lamb volunterred to take our crew in his boat.  Bill, my fishing buddy and I needed a refresher in technique and tactics.  The boat for this excursion was a 25 footer powered with a 250 hp and cruised at near 50, seas permitting.  Went to buoy 40A as the stripers and bait were still in the area.  Bill took the first hit and got the monster to the boat - whoops, line broke and the fish was gone.  While battling Bill's fish, another hit and and my son Hawley took the rod.  Whoops again, the Captain had slowed the boat and lots of slack in the line.  Needed and experienced hand on the rod to even  have a chance of another hook up.  By the time line was OK for a hook set, the fish was gone.  Bill had 4 bites and didn't boat any of them.  Captain put him in the time out corner for the minutes of his age.  He could help deploy lines, but couldn't reel a fish.  Finally, another hit and Hawley had the line and boated a 30+ pounder.

That was it for the day.  Lots of COWs being caught, but not for us to hear the scream of the drag this day.

Went to dinner and it was too late (Sunday) for much to be open.  Ended up at Yak-Yak for pizza, jalapeno potato skins, and buffalo shrimp washed down with some Coors light.  Nostalgia told me to get a Bloody Mary to remember fishing with my daughter, Deborah, years earlier.

Such enthusiasm!

Per usual, Yak Yak didn't have celery for the Bloody Mary or the Buffalo Shrimp, but did have the blue cheese?

 Yep, how Joy feels about the 2014 Kipotopeke fishing season.

Day of rest . . .

OK,  got my brother off to the airport with about 35 pounds of striper filets.  Had to leave the motel near 3 AM and fortunately the bridge tunnel work didn't delay is.  Worried about fish in his duffle, but security and checking let him board.  Later, he e-mailed that the filets were still frozen in Denver and also when he arrived in Rawlins, WY.

Back at the room, we reasoned that there might be a problem with the braid hi viz line and we changed the order with the braid backing and the mono top shot.  Fortunately, I brought an electric drill and had a 1/4- 20 bolt and nuts available so I could run the line off the spool.  Tried just using a wide spool and that allowed the lines to over lap and made reloading very difficult.  Went to two spools and all worked great.  The drill saved line since it didn't twist either the braid or mono.  Left some hi-viz braid spooled.  Later: Hmm, the bites we had the next day were on the hi-viz braid that had feathers ahead of the hook?  Maybe it was a smaller eel?  Unknown, but both hits came on hi-viz braid.

Then off to find a laundromat.  On Peach street in Cape Charles.  No soap!  Had to go to Food Lion about 5 miles away on U. S.  13.  Also stopped at the Shell station for great chicken. It's also the only station that has alcohol free fuel for my boat.  Back to the boat shop near Food Lion to see about a fix for my defective navigation light.  Found two bulbs and thought that would fix it.  Nope, had to tear it apart again.  Once more to the boat to plug it in.  Oh No, still didn't work.  Bill gave a smack as only he can and it came on!

Thought the sea would lay down, but it was so late that we didn't give a thought about launching.  So, tomorrow it's a go, maybe.  Still 2 -3 foot seas.  Sat and Sun it's less than 2 feet.  

Beginning to look like I won't get my 60 + pound cow this year.  Maybe I'll have to live with the skunk for an entire year.  Bill is ready to call it quits for the year, though he is disappointed that he didn't catch  more.

OK, maybe time to look at what my sonar and GPS were showing.

The above shows the GPS track, the coordinates and water temperature.  The right shows the structure scan to 60 feet each side of the boat at 455 KHZ.  Obviously lots of bait on both sides of the boat with a couple of striper marks.  The red/white buoy near the 2.2 might be 40A.  This screen shot was 12/20/2014.

Having a single Simrad or Lowrance head might make more meaningful screen shots.  Seldom have time to get simultaneous images from two units.

This Chirp echo shows that the water depth was 38.3 feet, the water temp was 45 degrees, the frequency was 200 KHZ.  The water speed was 0.5 MPH, far too slow for the bite.  The bait ball at 30 feet is consistent with the condition.  Bait in the upper 15 feet of the water column, and stripers in the area, some with red might be sizable.  Other fishermen noted that the concentration of stripers were in the water column just below 26 feet.  Note that the fish are not nice arches due to the heavy seas at the boat!

When I have access to my map of the bay, I'll use the coordinates to indicate where we were.  Obviously different places.  This screen shot was 12/5/2014.

Skunk still on the SeaPro, but . .

Well, we were able to get on the water fishing all the wrong places.  Yet, the Pelicans were there to beg one eel, called a friend, and they called friends, and suddenly we were swarmed with them.  Some had signs around there necks saying something like we only work for eels.

Raymond hit at 'en with the net and then the landing pole.  They wouldn't budge.  Think is we sat still they would have boarded and raided the eel bucket.

At other times, Raymond took his usual pose connected to his cell phone.

Raymond waiting to grab a screaming drag rod.  Yet, Raymond refused to abide by the tried and effective COW fishing stragety.  He wanted to hook the eel only through the lower lip?  Also wanted the drag set at near free spool.  Both were of concern to me as the light hook of the eel could result in the eel being torn off the hook.  The stripers suck the eel in and turn.  This pulls the circle hook to the corner of the jaw and the hook bites in - no hook set necessary as the COW sets the hook when pulling against the reel set at strike position.  So, Raymond caught fish with his technique and I got skunked.

Of course Raymond has a great smile.  Yep, that striper did swallow his hand and much of his forearm with room to spare.  No, he's not probing for the hook.

Bill is happy for the moment, but the striper decided to break a snap on the stringer and  the PIG sank into the deep with Bill trying to grasp it's tail.

Bill now uses a stringer of his own design to keep his catches alive and maintain weight.

And so it goes,      Joy T B

Another fishless day

With reports of stripers being boated and being informed the sea was laying down, we decided to launch at Kiptopeke.  The fish were scarce at 38A as the water temp dropped to 42.  Other captains rationalized that the Cabbage Patch area at the gut drop off might be warmer and hold fish.  That was our destination.  

Launched and struggled to get the boat turned and hold course through the narrow harbor entry.  It was tough, but tolerable behind the ships.  Once in the open bay, we were tossed like a cork in the minimum 4 foot seas.  Even near no wake speed, we were wet with the spray, water in the stern motor well lapped on the deck.  Raymond had on my extra Arctic Wear fishing suit for cold  and wet.  While he was wet, inside he was warm and dry.  Thankful he didn't have on his dry weather insulated suit.

Decided to head back in to the dock before we got swamped.  

 Tough going, but Bill got the trailer backed into the water and I got the boat on it with only one miss.  Bill cranked it to the bow stop and the cable parted. Hauled out anyway and then jury rigged the broken cable.  Made it to the Marine Shop near Food Lion and got a new cable.  A project for a supposed Sat off the water.

Then to Food Lion as Raymond would make Gumbo for dinner.  Nope, missing LA ingredients.  Settled for hamburger steaks, sausage, and shrimp.  A veggie pack and artichokes.  Later, oinked down chips and Bill's home made salsa.  He brought mild and hot.  Both too much for my exhaust port, but Bill and Raymond handled it just fine.

About time the clean up was finished, we were exhausted and disappointed with our continued bad. Luck.  Of course I'd rather be writing about Cow Tales.  It seems that without bad luck, we wouldn't have luck at all.

What a gorgeous day . . .

Unfortunately, not for fishing.  Bright sunshine, clear sky.  But, howling wind out of the West and 4 foot and more sea.  Too much for my 21.5 SeaPro.  It can handle 4 foot, but there's always 6 foot rogues.  Hours of getting beat up on the water is not fun in a small boat.  If the bite is strong, maybe, but the bite isn't that good.  What bite there is requires drifting near buoy 40, about 17 miles North of the Kiptopeke launch.  Heavy seas mean about 5 mph - at least 3 hours to get there and the same time for return.  As Bill says, Ya need claw like toenails!

Mike Smedley, my long time mentor using a neat identical boat hull, suggested the following:

SW, W, and NW may be fishable to 14 mph.  16 is dangerous for this boat.  N and S need considerable thought.  Any wind with an E in the direction is fishable.  While I've fished at buoy 18 and boated cows, this year is different.  My historical waypoints show a line from 18'upmto 36A.

So, picked my brother up at the Norfolk International Airport this morning.  Went to the Kiptopeke launch to verify the sea.  It was bad as forecast.

Stopped at Oceans East and got a replacement rod holder for one that got broke on the boat.  These just keep the rods organized while towing to the ramp

Also got a couple corks that seemed to be a different color.  We seemed to occumulate yellow in excess.  Had two tone red/white and red.  

Spent some time drilling the cork to take a pvc tube and trying to glue it in place with JB Weld.  Always used other glues in the past that worked well.  Don't know about this glue job.

This picture is just to show the current colors.  At one time, I wanted a tape color on the rod to match the cork, but it seldom works out.  Yet, it also shows a rod holder I use to transport rods from and to the boat from the motel room.  Rod and reel cost is about $200.  Neighbor uses rod/reel that cost $1000!  Obviously they come off the boat every night and only get back on the boat to fish.

More later as the forecast may change .  .  .

Another day blown off the bay

OK, Guess I'm chicken, but 15-20 NW winds mean heavy seas where we fish.  So, more boat maintenance, blog duty, and naps.  

Still disappointed with the Verizon cloud for the I-pad as it only allows download/visual of photos backed up from the I-pad.  Meaning I can't download photos stored in my cloud account as uploaded from my desktop, android, etc.  Was supposed to be able to access the cloud from all my devices - sucks.  I have to e-mail photos and open them with the device.  

Went North to Exmore, about 30 miles to look for a launch ramp further up the bay.  Found one near Exmore.  Left on 183 Occohannock Neck Rd off US route 13.  Then A right on  Morely's Wharf Rd. 

Ok, but a long drive from the Sunset Beach Motel.  Or was it?  Today was a super high tide and the parking lot was under water.  Couldn't see the ramp. Would b a mess to return at high tide and not be able to find the ramp.  Bill says it would be ok as there wouldn't be any backing down the ramp.  Just drive the boat on the trailer if it hadn't floated away.

More later,     

OK, it's later and had to leave the room for some air because the neighbor is cooking a huge prime rib in a charcoal barbe.  Would be good if we were invited, but not a chance.  So, we get the lighter fluid fumes!  :(

Bill says that our cook will be here on Thursday.  Raymond does it great, but was asking if we had the good eats located?

Maybe I should provide more info about launches here abouts for the bay side.  The one near Exmore is described earlier.  Kiptopeke has a generous parking lot that is above flood tide.  The dock isn't!  Be prepared for waiding if a flood tide.  Get a state year pass for Kiptopeke and save a bundle if Ya got a handicap permit.  Otherwise. Fees range from $7 weekdays and maybe $9 for weekend.  Busy weekends can have a long launch time.

Cape Charles is a great free public ramp that fills fast.  We go there to get further North in the bay.  Also, it's about the only place to get expensive alcohol free fuel.  Ya can get it on the water, but only during open ours.  If Ya want after hour fuel, ya can register a credit card and have an access code and also use your pin to fuel.  As I mentioned, it's a buck more than regular.  Think we should research for another station that has alcohol free fuel.

Finally, keep in mind where a great boat shop is located on US 13 East side just North of the turn off to Cape Charles.

Whoops, don't forget about Chris' Bait and Tackle where ya can get eels and register citations.  Check the face book site to see yerself in print.

For lodging, we do a monthly fisherman's rate.  Now about $40 plus tax.  Sunset Beach is pretty good about a refund if the weather sends everyone home.  The rate includes a continental breakfast, adequate boat an auto parking.  A fish cleaning station is available where ya can wash yer boat down.  A Shell station North of rhe Food Lion has a boat wash station next door.  Maybe nice to know.

Have to check up on my SeaTow policy.  Hopefully never neded, but ya never know.

OK, fingers need a rest .  .  .and so it goes.

Well, the Dewayne Lamb crew next door celebrated their Rockfest wins with the prime rib.  Just before bed, came a knock on the door and I was gifted a huge perfectly cooked prime rib.  Bill and I had settled to the fact that we had 8 wings to share.  

Great to have generous fishing neighbors.  Hopefully Capt. Dewayne will show us the way next time we can get on the water.  

What to do when the seas overwhelm my boat.

Well, the weather isn't cooperating 30 mph winds means "stay off the water".

So, the plan was to go to the boat repair shop just North of Food Lion.  Got bulk gallon oil for the boat and some de carbon chemical.  Took the defective coupler and the right size wasn't available.  There was a repair kit and the shop owner went ahead and installed it.  Good thing as he had all the right tools.  Wanted a 3 bank rod holder to replace a broken one on the boat, but it must wait until I pick Raymond up at the airport on Thursday.  Oceans East is on the way or return.

Back at the motel, Bill got right on installing the repaired coupler.  After a brief warm up, Bill agreed to install the new batteries.  A huge job, to say the least.  Anyone would groan when handling 80 pound batteries.  Especially when wrestling them into a cubby hole inside the console.  I worried needlessly about getting all the battery wires correctly reinstalled.  Not a smooth test as all didn't go right at first.  Then got the tests right and all seems well.

Decided to check the bay.  Looks calm at the Kiptopeke launch and in the Beach Channel.  But, the forecast is for the NE winds to shift to NW and finally W by the end of the week.  10-20 mph throughout the week?  Keep hoping the forecast could be wrong, but .  .  .

Maybe a better strategy would be to fish Lake Anna or Kerr.  Well, likely Kerr as Bill's boat is there.  Yet, it's only talk as COWs are the objective.