Tbay this weekend

[Pete]

Reports from Thursday and Friday were "the best of the best" as the lower bay goes. People used words like "wide open", "limits all around" and "incredible" when describing what they experienced at the jaws and outside.

Saturday and Sunday were not as hot, but there was a continuous bite with occasional bursts of better activity. It's nice to hook into some strong fish for a change.

Saturday brought with it all the down-side of 350 boats crowding onto the water through a single boat ramp. Lines were building early and parking was pretty hard to find.

Talking with the fish checker was interesting. She said that Saturday she saw things at the dock she'd never witnessed before. With dock space so limited, people were untying boats and letting them float away just to take the tie-up!

Sunday I had an interesting experience. Trolling in front of the coast guard tower, I spotted a crab buoy floating out to sea. Somehow, they looked familiar. I commented to my fishing partners that they looked just like my buoys. We pulled up and retrieved the buoys. They were mine! Bummage! That meant a trap was on the bottom without a string to pull it up! We went and pulled 3 of my 4 traps. Then ol' Eagle Eye spotted the end of my rope about 10 feet under the surface. Swimming wasn't an option, so we tied up a crude dredge hook and were able to snag the line and retreive my trap. It was almost as big a prize to get the trap I'd given up for lost as it would have been to catch a big salmon...almost. There sure are a lot of crabs, big ones, but very very few hard, full crabs.

[Chesapeake]

Saturday we fished 3 rods along the inside of the north jetty, and then up in the Ghost hole. No salmon unless you count some 6 inch smolts we caught on spinners.

Crabbing was a bit better with 14 for 6 traps worked half the day and 5 for the rest of the day. Someone decided they needed one of the pots more then us. On the bright side they left the bouy for us. Must not have wanted a bouy with our name and # on it. (Yes we know it was taken cause the rope was cut clean at the bouy. No way a prop could cut that clean and not mark the bouy at all.)

[Mr.Kitch'nPass]

Pete,
Thanks for the report. Sounds like I will be leaving my crab pots at home if fishing on the weekends.
Did you catch any fish?

[craigcw]

Sunday I took the wife and kids out and got 10 nice crab from 2 traps...my wife let me make three passes for salmon along the inside of the n. jetty before claiming seasickness..., got a strike but off early, saw two caught.
People at the ramp were courteous for a relative rookie with kids...and I did struggle a bit. I appreciated it.

[El-Kabong]

We crabbed TBay on Sunday. It was daddy daughter day!!! Good fun having 2 three year olds getting excited about catching and eating crabs. In total we got 9 keepers with 4 of them being enormous. the crab we got were all full, we went through a lot of females to get our 9 keepers, as we were pulling the last traps both little girls announced they wanted to go home so we went.

Did spend a few minutes out in the ocean but one of the girls started to look a little green so back inside. The number of boats on the bar was scary. Not to mention some rather inconsiderate behavior displayed at the dock. If you go, expect to spend some time waiting to load. And if you are waiting and you see someone having trouble HELP THEM OUT. It will makes EVERYONES day better.

EK

[Jennie@ifish]

(Side note: there's no reason for Old Mill to have all the parking blocked off. It would sure be nice if someone would wake up and do the right thing, there.)

Do we know if it is an insurance or other private issue? I'd hate to guess if there actually is a reason they are not opening the lot to the public.

Jen

[fish-on]

friday i saw one of the best bites off on the north jetty that ive ever seen, it was hot we went 2 for 4 loosing 2 and having another takedown , and got 14 crab , saturday was slower and too many people managed 1 and loosing #2 but got 21 crab, good day all and all and would have been better if there were not soo many people doing stupid things and not paying attention in the trolling lanes

[dogfishboy]

Ditto that about the NJ bite. We hooked two at slack both days and lost one on Sunday. Hooked two along the tower early Sunday and only one made it into the box. Lets hope the run continues like this throughout the season and into the rest of the bay too.

Three pots soaked about 3 hours along south jetty corner every day and only averaged 2 crabs per pot all days.

[swampy]

Thanks for the reports. Will be giving it a go on thursday......anyone else? Will be on 78 so give a shout-out. swampy

[dogfishboy]

It's easier if you just ask 'who wont be there' then both of those folks can reply and your question is answered.