# First shore fishing rockfish this year, so far



## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

First shore fishing rockfish this year, so far 



My fishing buddy and I were fishing the Marshy Hope Creek from shore this morning, and he nailed this good one. He caught it on a 7" silver blueback Rebel or Rapala type plug. We didn't measure or weigh the fish. How much do you think it weighs.


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## Windrift00 (Jun 4, 2011)

Whoa! Is it ok to target them up creeks yet? Huge one though. Jesus.


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

Nice fish but I hate seeing someone holding a big fish vertically that has to be released. I damages the internal organs.


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

Maybe no pictures would be better. Sorry guys! Back to pan fishing. LOL!


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

Windrift00 said:


> Whoa! Is it ok to target them up creeks yet? Huge one though. Jesus.


 We were fishing for bass, and shad. Bob caught a good size bass yesterday on that lure at the same spot. He was fishing for bass. We weren't targeting rockfish. Back to pan fishing I guess. Stay out of trouble that way.


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## Tracker16 (Feb 16, 2009)

Well it was a Bass. A really big Bass. Congrats


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

Tracker16 said:


> Well it was a Bass. A really big Bass. Congrats


 Thanks!


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

andypat said:


> We were fishing for bass, and shad. Bob caught a good size bass yesterday on that lure at the same spot. He was fishing for bass. We weren't targeting rockfish. Back to pan fishing I guess. Stay out of trouble that way.


 This is the bass Bob caught the day before he caught the rockfish. He caught the bass on the plug in the picture. He was using same plug the next day bass fishing when the rockfish hit it. We were not targeting rockfish.


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## CJS (Oct 2, 2006)

Andy, you can't win. Except that in the end you are catching all the fish and they are typing. Congrats to your buddy.


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## Windrift00 (Jun 4, 2011)

andypat said:


> We were fishing for bass, and shad. Bob caught a good size bass yesterday on that lure at the same spot. He was fishing for bass. We weren't targeting rockfish. Back to pan fishing I guess. Stay out of trouble that way.


Thanks sir! I was merely asking a question, and concerned as I've seen DNR target guys who pull them in this time of year. I've been there when they did it. I always ask question, and I believe in spreading knowledge. Didn't mean to offend you or anyone else! Nice bass btw. (I personally try to stay away from the creeks until it's done just to prevent any issue, but I'm not saying anyone else has to do the same)


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

CJS said:


> Andy, you can't win. Except that in the end you are catching all the fish and they are typing. Congrats to your buddy.


 Thanks!!


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

Windrift00 said:


> Thanks sir! I was merely asking a question, and concerned as I've seen DNR target guys who pull them in this time of year. I've been there when they did it. I always ask question, and I believe in spreading knowledge. Didn't mean to offend you or anyone else! Nice bass btw. (I personally try to stay away from the creeks until it's done just to prevent any issue, but I'm not saying anyone else has to do the same)


 I understand, You are a REAL sportsman not fishing in creeks and rivers when the rockfish are spawning. But, and this is a big but. Is it OK to troll and jig for rockfish out in the Chesapeake Bay before they spawn. They are catching them now loaded with roe. Is that OK with you. I am confused with the thinking of fisherman. Lets just think about this before posting. I wonder what the guys that fish in the bass tournaments think about this. I kind of like this. Maybe we will get it all straighten out someday.


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## whenican (Feb 21, 2013)

Let's use this comparison to figure this out: if I was in the club dancing, eating,& drinking ( in mainstem of the bay) & I get pulled away to answer a phone call( get hooked by jig or trolling & then is released) then return to the club I can resume dancing, eating,& drinking but if I meet up & get busy with a partner( swim upstream to spawn) if I get pulled away with my pants down( hooked by plug or jig), then I may be too stressed out to continue getting busy or may not want to drop my pants again because the 1st time failed....then spawning could be a failed act. Too many failed spawning of fish = a decrease in the future population of these fish. Just one way to look at it.


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## MSC (May 8, 2010)

I'm no fish biologist, so I wonder what is more stressful on rockfish...getting accidently caught by someone fishing in a creek and immediately released or...Getting caught by someone trolling the Bay and dragged through the water while the boat keeps moving and brought up from the deep.


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

whenican said:


> Let's use this comparison to figure this out: if I was in the club dancing, eating,& drinking ( in mainstem of the bay) & I get pulled away to answer a phone call( get hooked by jig or trolling & then is released) then return to the club I can resume dancing, eating,& drinking but if I meet up & get busy with a partner( swim upstream to spawn) if I get pulled away with my pants down( hooked by plug or jig), then I may be too stressed out to continue getting busy or may not want to drop my pants again because the 1st time failed....then spawning could be a failed act. Too many failed spawning of fish = a decrease in the future population of these fish. Just one way to look at it.


 Very good. Does this apply to the bay fisherman hooking rockfish still with roe before heading to the spawning rivers? I have no problem with the bay fisherman catch and release. Just asking the question.


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## mdsurffishing (Dec 31, 2013)

Nice catch, what size rod were you using?


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## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

whenican said:


> Let's use this comparison to figure this out: if I was in the club dancing, eating,& drinking ( in mainstem of the bay) & I get pulled away to answer a phone call( get hooked by jig or trolling & then is released) then return to the club I can resume dancing, eating,& drinking but if I meet up & get busy with a partner( swim upstream to spawn) if I get pulled away with my pants down( hooked by plug or jig), then I may be too stressed out to continue getting busy or may not want to drop my pants again because the 1st time failed....then spawning could be a failed act. Too many failed spawning of fish = a decrease in the future population of these fish. Just one way to look at it.



These larger Rock in these pictures Andy is catching are females. They are going to release their eggs whether they take a short exercise break with Andy and his crew or not. 

The little male Rock always have their pants down cause they do not wear pants. Think of 12 year olds.... young boys wearing braces and getting a few pimples... wearing Axe all day long...just waiting on a chance with a pretty Teacher gone Cougar....

I spent some time in Maryland and spent a great deal of time there targeting Rockfish in the Potomac during the Moratorium. Unless you are gut hooking them my feeling is they will do just fine, in the procreating. By the way we would boat twenty in a tide change on the Potomac in the old days when you could snag fresh herring or the Fletcher's setting their gill nets in Fletchers cove for the Herring...25 pound Rockfish on a 6500 with a popping rod was music to my ears when the clicker started going off.....

The Trophy season when these Rock get whacked or in the winter time when they get whacked out in front of the Chesapeake is a little bit more hard on them. Or when they venture up New England way in the summer and the Yankees burn them off Nantucket....

It was also a lot harder on the Rockfish when they ventured down OBX way and my commercial friends put the hurting on them in the beach haul seine fishery....which is out of business now by the way...go recs ....go....outlawed gill nets set off the beach in 2014....1,000 boxes of Rock were taken by the Midgetts in 1976 or so in one epic mornings haul...It was hard on the Midgetts too however DL Midgett's father Dennis drowned off of Ocracoke one Fall setting a haul seine in a beach Dory...Dennis was C.E. Midgett's (RIP) Brother. These fellas were my friends which is why I got so riled up on the anti-commercial thread last week in the NC Forums...

I am a Scientist by the way and I am doing a fish count study here in Chicago and at this Point the only fella who is putting in the work is Andy and his friends...wish I was there to join them.. 

Keep catching these suckers Andy and keep up the photos....


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## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

andypat said:


> Very good. Does this apply to the bay fisherman hooking rockfish still with roe before heading to the spawning rivers? I have no problem with the bay fisherman catch and release. Just asking the question.


No it does not apply to the fellas in the boats, cause they either paid big money to the Captain for the right to fish....or even worse paid Huge Money to the Boat Dealer and the Fuel guy to ride out to target Rock in open water.


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

mdsurffishing said:


> Nice catch, what size rod were you using?


I think Bob was using either a 7' Med, or ML. with 10 Lb. braid and 20 lb. leader. That is a good LM bass setup.


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

Garboman said:


> These larger Rock in these pictures Andy is catching are females. They are going to release their eggs whether they take a short exercise break with Andy and his crew or not.
> 
> The little male Rock always have their pants down cause they do not wear pants. Think of 12 year olds.... young boys wearing braces and getting a few pimples... wearing Axe all day long...just waiting on a chance with a pretty Teacher gone Cougar....
> 
> ...


 Thanks, really appreciate that. Man I got some people that really know what's gone on behind me. Thanks!!


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## andypat (Jan 7, 2004)

MSC said:


> I'm no fish biologist, so I wonder what is more stressful on rockfish...getting accidently caught by someone fishing in a creek and immediately released or...Getting caught by someone trolling the Bay and dragged through the water while the boat keeps moving and brought up from the deep.


 Thank You! X2 on that.


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## mdsurffishing (Dec 31, 2013)

andypat said:


> I think Bob was using either a 7' Med, or ML. with 10 Lb. braid and 20 lb. leader. That is a good LM bass setup.


Nice! great job on that setup. Must have been a lot of fun.


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## bluefish1928 (Jun 9, 2007)

andypat said:


> I think Bob was using either a 7' Med, or ML. with 10 Lb. braid and 20 lb. leader. That is a good LM bass setup.


That is a similar set-up to what I use for stripers casting lures from shore. 

It take me less time to land a 40 incher on trolling tackle than a 30 incher on light tackle from shore. I have done both so far this season. The argument can go both ways, but as long as it is legal.....one for oneself. 

The only legal regulation I do not agree with is one fish 35 inch or larger. This essentially makes the spawning stock of females the victim. With the exception of the MSSA tournament that I plan on fishing, I will simply not keep any stripers until May 16. The 2014 reg of 28 incher or larger in the "trophy" season makes far more sense- you can choose to keep the smaller males or large resident fish instead of spawning females.


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## Windrift00 (Jun 4, 2011)

andypat said:


> I understand, You are a REAL sportsman not fishing in creeks and rivers when the rockfish are spawning. But, and this is a big but. Is it OK to troll and jig for rockfish out in the Chesapeake Bay before they spawn. They are catching them now loaded with roe. Is that OK with you. I am confused with the thinking of fisherman. Lets just think about this before posting. I wonder what the guys that fish in the bass tournaments think about this. I kind of like this. Maybe we will get it all straighten out someday.


Personally I don't troll for rock out in the bay during spawning either. I just try my best to minimize stress on Rock during spawning season. But again, that's just for me. I don't tell others what to do.


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