# Cheatham Annex/Coast Guard Pier



## gottagetdbig1 (Nov 23, 2009)

Anyone catching stripers in the York river at CGP or CAX?


----------



## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

gottagetdbig1 said:


> Anyone catching stripers in the York river at CGP or CAX?


I am not DOD so cannot speak for those locations but I have been catching em on the York.


----------



## gottagetdbig1 (Nov 23, 2009)

Cdog, Thanks for the reply


----------



## CrawFish (Sep 23, 2003)

Cdog said:


> I am not DOD so cannot speak for those locations but I have been catching em on the York.


Clay, how late do y'all catching them down there? I might see you out there before the season is over.


----------



## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

Teo, as long as we don't have a nasty cold streak they should be around through the end of the season. Although after the NEster has not been as productive lately.


----------



## basstardo (Jun 5, 2006)

I agree with Clay about the bite being off. I wore the schoolies out from the yak before the NE'er, but the one time I've been out since the guaranteed holes only produced a few fish. Of the fish that were there, most of them were 14-18 inch schoolies with sores on them. My guess is the salinity too a nosedive and a lot of the fish moved back out to the bay.


----------



## zigzag (Oct 2, 2005)

I think it is picking up again. Last week nailed a good number of schoolies from shore on the York. 

Yeah it sucked after the storm but the bite is on an upswing I hope.

19-21" keepers 3 of the last 5 trips, but last few nights it seems throwback size have been most plentiful.


----------



## KoreanFisher (Sep 29, 2009)

*kayaking in the york??*

Great to hear! Does anyone know if you can launch a kayak out towards the hot ditch a couple miles down from Yorktown pier ?? Anyone been to Wormley creek lately?


----------



## basstardo (Jun 5, 2006)

Ain't no fish in Wormley...

opcorn:


----------



## forrest gump (Jun 6, 2006)

I fished the Coast Guard Pier last saturday and there were a lot of small schoolies(15-19"). You are suppose to stay 600' away from the pier, but truth be told, I try to stay in stealth mode and go by myself. It seems every time I take somebody out there they blow the cover and security runs us off. This past week a boater pulled up and moored his boat up to the pillings of the fuel dock. Not only did they kill the bite(they saw me catching fish and tried to get right on top of me...motors churning up the water), but it only took about 10 minutes before security came out and ran us all off. The Hot Ditch has not produced anything and Wormly has been so over fished most of the fish are very skittished. The dock owners have gotten tired of people using their boats for target pratice and many are turning their lights off at night. Forrest


----------



## KoreanFisher (Sep 29, 2009)

cool. Is there a place to lauch the kayak in wormely creek? Imma gone try maybe this weekend. if not maybe hit the Swift creek for some freshwater fishing and stay in the neighborhood. unless someone wants to meet me out in york or somewhere closer to Chesterfield??


----------



## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

Hit a couple of shore spots on the York after work, skunked!


----------



## Spring Break '92 (Sep 15, 2009)

zigzag said:


> I think it is picking up again. Last week nailed a good number of schoolies from shore on the York.
> 
> Yeah it sucked after the storm but the bite is on an upswing I hope.
> 
> 19-21" keepers 3 of the last 5 trips, but last few nights it seems throwback size have been most plentiful.


Zigzag, what shore spots did you find these? I usually just try Indian Field Creek on both sides and cast out along the rocks on the river side. What are you using?


----------



## zigzag (Oct 2, 2005)

Mainly been throwing white and bubblegum zooms on 1/2 oz leadheads or bucktails with zoom tail trailer. Occasional bombers, yozuris, etc. I was chunking cut bait or shrimp before the storm and usually catching one or two fish a night but found that I catch more if I go look for fish with lures that can cover a lot of water.

I hit Indian Fields, Felgates, and Yorktown beach...anywhere I can get to the water. Mostly late night. Water has to be moving or else it is a waste of time.

After the storm, Felgates is a real mess and there are a million snags around the bridge on all sides. A lot of junk got swept into the cove with the noreaster. Both shores are still littered with trash, big tree branches, random lumber and pier parts. So, for now, I'm mostly counting it out. Real hard to fish there, particularly at night.


----------



## Spring Break '92 (Sep 15, 2009)

Went out to Indian Field Creek early this morning at incoming tide, around 5 am, and threw some bubble gum 5" Zooms on 1/2 oz. lead, white grubs on 1/2 oz. lead, white bucktails, and Rat-L-Traps and got nothing. Came back a couple hours after high tide to catch the outgoing and nothing either. Im guessing they just weren't around.


----------



## onion (Jun 15, 2003)

fished the ytcgs yesterday and saw three keepers, just before I got
there a guy lost at the surface what he said was the biggest striper of his life. He said it had to weigh 50-60 pounds. He had no net...


----------



## zigzag (Oct 2, 2005)

Did anybody else witness the "60"?

Suppose anything is possible but...


----------



## SpotYacht (Dec 10, 2007)

Tried Black Friday at Felgates, IC, and Yorktown. No dice.


----------



## keezy (Jul 1, 2003)

I fish Yorktown area often, caught a couple keepers from shore on Saturday night around the bridge. Cops haven't started running people off yet but I'm sure that's coming. I am usually in a green square-back canoe.

Fish are finally starting to show up in decent amounts, but no 20-fish nights yet this year. The storm definitely sent them offshore, my friends with boats are catching lots of fish at the CBBT.


----------



## zigzag (Oct 2, 2005)

I was just down in Y town a half hour ago. Caught one throwback. A few other guys who were leaving when I got there caught one keeper each. Wind was high and current was ripping. Water started getting muddy.

Best I ever did there since the big storm was 5 fish on a tide. Definitely up and down.

Last week there were a lot of fish around. You could see them in the lights, but they weren't hitting anything. There was a massive minnow population (small glass minnows, it looked like) and I think they were preoccupied with those little things.

Haven't seen any 60s yet!


----------



## Spring Break '92 (Sep 15, 2009)

Maybe its my presentation with the plastics. I can't seem to get away from the lift/jerk/slow reel technique. I've also tried just bumping the lures along the bottom slowly. Am I doing something wrong?Also, Ive tried fishing the Yorktown waterfront at night, staying off the docks. I saw the man roll through, but he didn't see me. What are the rules to keep the man off of your back out there? In any event, there is a lot more going on out on the York than the James up around the Jamestown area as of right now.


----------



## zigzag (Oct 2, 2005)

Doubt it is your presentation, although it is natural to look for some kind of explanation.

At least 30% of the times I hook up with a zoom fluke, it is within 1-2 seconds of when the thing hits the water...before I even get a chance to work it.

Other times, the current is so strong the water works the lure. You can vary retrieve speed but that it about it.

The other night I got slammed while deadsticking a zoom on JRB Pier while talking to somebody. Fish almost pulled the rod out of my hand.

Overall, I'd say that a slow, mild jerking retrieve is the standard technique but anything can work or not work. 

Bigger issues are the question of fish or no fish and whether they feel like hitting plastic that night. I think if the fish are there and willing, it is hard to screw up unless you really zip the lure in--and that might work good too.

But if I was an _expert_, I'd be catching a lot more fish!!!


----------



## basstardo (Jun 5, 2006)

Spring Break '92 said:


> Maybe its my presentation with the plastics. I can't seem to get away from the lift/jerk/slow reel technique. I've also tried just bumping the lures along the bottom slowly. Am I doing something wrong?Also, Ive tried fishing the Yorktown waterfront at night, staying off the docks. I saw the man roll through, but he didn't see me. What are the rules to keep the man off of your back out there? In any event, there is a lot more going on out on the York than the James up around the Jamestown area as of right now.


Stay off of the docks. Everybody got kicked out by the Sheriff there last year, and they were enforcing no fishing ANYWHERE on the waterfront because of idiots going out on the docks. Right in front of the dockmaster too. If you're there at night, the rocks seem to be fair ground, even though there are signs saying otherwise. The man hasn't bothered me, but I'm usually there well after midnight.


----------



## zigzag (Oct 2, 2005)

Yeah, there are often morons pushing the issue by going out on docks right past a "no fishing on docks" sign and after they are closed (9PM) when they have to jump a "No Trespassing" sign on a chain to get out there.

That's just asking for trouble for everybody.

I got chased once this year from the rocks over by the pavilion at the downriver pier. The cop was cool about it and had a "just doing my job" attitude. Asked me how the fishing was and so on. I told him there were no signs on those rocks and that another sheriff I asked told me any rocks without signs were fair game (true story). He told me that people steal the signs so they can fish.

As soon as I left, a couple with two kids, all with 10' surf rods moved right in and started bait fishing in the same exact spot. Coolers and beach chairs.

The pavilion rocks are the only place a fisherman can be viewed from the street.

Overall, I'd say be sensible, act civilized, stay off the docks, and fish. If you see fishing related trash laying around, do us all a favor and throw it in the nearest can.

For the most part, guys who hit the beach this time of year are quiet and respectful of the infrastructure but there are some idiots who flaunt the rules...and Yorktown Riverwalk is not a "do whatever you want" type of place. The low profile/low impact approach is best.

On the bright side, there are only a few sheriffs around this time of year and the place is a ghost town. In the summer, there are usually four or five cars around the Riverwalk.

The later you go, the more peaceful it is and the people you meet later tend to be old heads who act right.

Most of the sheriffs I talked to down there are OK folks and recognize that most of us are not out to cause trouble, but I'm sure they would write you up for a $150 ticket in 5 seconds if you really deserved it.


----------



## KoreanFisher (Sep 29, 2009)

Zigzag,

Do you know if you can launch a kayak out by the Yorktown pier? Like off the beaches there??

Not sure about the laws as to where one can luanch a yak?


----------



## basstardo (Jun 5, 2006)

People launch right under the bridge, and no one really gripes about it. No one has ever said anything I'm aware of, and I know a few guys who launch out there. Be careful though, as that current can rip through there.


----------



## zigzag (Oct 2, 2005)

No idea about yak launching, but Basstardo and others should know.

I'm a landlubber shorecaster.


----------



## keezy (Jul 1, 2003)

York County lists Yorktown as a kayak launch on their website. I also have talked to police officers about it when I was there and they said it was OK with them. I usually launch under the bridge.


----------



## KoreanFisher (Sep 29, 2009)

Great to know thanks guys. If anyone is interested in going out sometime pls let me know. Im still a yak newbie!!!! Let m e know!


----------



## Spring Break '92 (Sep 15, 2009)

So I know there are 'no fishing on the rocks' signs under the bridge, but it seems like the most obvious place over there. Can we at least park in the lot under the bridge and fish as close as possible to it? Its really a shame that such a great place to fish is surrounded by a bunch of development that seems to discourage fishing.


----------



## zigzag (Oct 2, 2005)

Actually there are signs right under the bridge, although one has been modified from No Fishing Keep off the Rocks" to "Fishing Rocks" 

I will say that if you plan to chuck a few casts along the Coleman light line, that area is snag city. Use something that won't ride bottom. Don't ask how I know.

That said, over by the docks is probably more interesting.


----------



## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

Do not try to fish the rocks, I was run off last night, informed they are cracking down because of idiots going out on the docks. Guess I will be trying it from th yak for the rest of the year...


----------



## basstardo (Jun 5, 2006)

Figures. I knew that was going to happen again this year. If it keeps up, they're going to shut it down for good down there, and we'll have no one to blame but ourselves. 

Clay, let's get up after the striper tourney and we'll get out there and whup up on 'em. I got a few good holes down river as well we can that are fairly short paddles.


----------

