6-4-2022, Anyone caught any Blue Crabs by Quantico VA yet this year???

Just uncovered the boat today, after they shut my work down. And Yes I thinking the same thing. Boat camping until everyone gets better. It could take years, at this rate. I like it, the shad are in the river, here in VA.

That's one thing I had to learn, you can still use big bait, you just can't cover the hook like I use to. Circle hooks don't work when you try to cover the hook with the bait.

I also use the bait runner reels, they work really well with circle hooks. It takes time though.
Russ,

Seems like 80' for Stripers is way to deep. They usually suspend 20' or 25', we have found them at 50'. I use big bobbers that can hold 3 or 4 oz of weight. # 10 hook seems a bit big, try dropping it about a # 7. Note: it's hard to do, but if your cut bait still has scales, a striper will use his throat to take the scales off first. It's real hard not put any type of pressure on the bait while he's doing that, no hook set, let them run off with the bait. The circle hook will get him. The next best thing is to scale the bait first, that will help.
Russ,

We rented one of their house boats for a week, it was awesome.

The true way to tell, Channel cats have 26 spikes on their anal fin. Blue cats have 36 spikes on their anal fin. When they get that big all the channel fish markings go away, so you can't tell.

Nice fish, they are a little angry and toothy, they can fight pretty good to.

With that size boa,t you could add a 20HP motor and really go places.

Second look at this fish, I think it is really nice size (what they call it where I live) Blue back or Purple back Herring. Some times the females get to this size, and they come in first, the males are smaller an come in about a week later. Then they start doing their thing.

I guess my best day was fishing offshore, Tuna fishing, we caught 24 Yellow Fin Tuna 35 to 55 LBS range out of Oregon inlet N.C.. you where allowed 3 fish per person. We had been with the same Captain a couple of times. And the Captain and the mate where allow (3) fish a piece. They gave us their (6) fish. So we brought 24 tuna home. that was awesome.

Spoons are becoming very interesting, I've caught a 15" rainbow trout on a spoon in 12" of water that was just hanging off the side of the boat, and last year I caught a 39 pound blue cat on a spoon.

Russ

There's a couple of spinning reels that have the bait runner feature. I really like this for catfishing. When you engage the bait runner, it has a drag system of it's own, you can set the drag as light as the current will allow. and it has clicker on it so you know when a fish has picked up your bait. It's a good system with using circle hooks. Just caught (5) nice cats yesterday using this system.

I'm turning 62 next month. Still have a 24' boat. Bucket list is to fish the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel Bridge for some Cobia, Spade fish, Sheep's head, and big flounder. This is in Virginia where the ocean meets the bay.
Sure could use some help on when what fish, are there? I know when the stripers are there, but the other fish, I don't know at what times they are there?

Hickory shad have 5 to 7 black dots on their sides. American shade, their bottom lip extends passed the upper lip. They're usually bigger and really do act like tarpon.