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The forecast was all over the place but we wanted to go. So we did. And that forecast chased many boats away as we were one of 5-6 boats fishing one area....that is good!
We (Greg Folts, Michael Bartgis and Bruce Robertson) got to Solomons at 0605 to find it very windy. We were fishing with Capt. Dennis Fleming and his trusty mate, Dale.
At the ramp, we ran into Walleye Pete (5'5") and one of his crew (6'9"). Yesterday, he had a 7 footer on board!
The ride to the fishing grounds was not as bad as we expected and we had a pretty nice sunrise but we were there to fish!
It did not take long to get hooked up!
I think Bruce was having a great time fishing teh salt!
He got his biggest striper ever at 30"!
More fish for Michael!
This one was mine....
And this one.....35"!
Michael's 31 incher!
Somehow, I didn't get a picture of Greg's 29 incher...his personal best!!
And another for "hot hand" Bruce on the last drift!
Cove Point Light....
It turned out to be a great day after all!
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Nice fish!
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What a great day! We figured we caught about 60-70 fish total. Dennis and Dale did a great job as usual. Everyone got some big fish.
After waking up at 3:45am, I came home and took a nice nap and dreamed about the next fishing excursion.
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I was the reluctant member of the crew. The forecast of 4'-5' rollers, 15-20mph wind, and rain showers almost made me cancel. But thank goodness Ernie talked me out of it the night before leaving. Despite getting up at 1:30am (I had the longest drive and probably the most "worry" factor), I thoroughly enjoyed the outing. The guys were great to fish with and Captain Dennis and his mate Dale were very patient and helpful for an inexperienced saltwater fisherman. Caught my two biggest stripers ever...including the 30" fish that took me about 10 minutes to land. It fought like a 50" fish...running drag several times as she approached the boat. Using light spinning tackle sure made catching these fish a lot of fun. And we also stopped at one of Ernie's favorite barbeque places on the way home to recap the day. Thanks to Ernie for arranging everything and to Captain Dennis, Mike, and Greg who helped me catch more fish due to their helpful advice.
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How could I forget mentioning as stop at Big Dave's BBQ! Good stuff.
Also, all the fish we caught were very well fed....pigs!
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Looks like an awesome trip. I haven't done any fishing since early December. Since I'm not doing Kayakwars this year I'm not pressured to go out.
Last edited by T. (Mar-29-14 1:51PM)
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Great trip with the gang!! I was throwing huge plastic and coming up short... there were some big fish out there though! I told my fiance I was haunted by the two fish I hooked up and lost that felt like big fish and she said I should go back today! I knew Dennis had an open seat since I knew the next crew and so I went back... Weather conditions were worse than yesterday, wet and foggy with wind building as the morning went on. Well the Saturday crowd does not follow the rules like the weekday folks and as such I think the fish scattered. All sorts of engines blasting, driving up the rip, etc... Oh well we caught fish and managed a couple around 30 with a lot of small fish mixed in. Great time again out on the water!
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Two days in a row...nice Michael!
Was anyone out there trolling?
Too many boats will certainly kill the bite unless they are all playing with the same rules.
Glad I went yesterday....
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And of course the company wasn't as good today as it was Friday....right Michael?
Glad you got another shot at them. Are you going to try for another trip in the next week or two? Just keep thinking about the 47 incher Pete's boat caught. That will keep you going back for more!
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Looks like it was a great time! Nice job on landing all those fish!
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Outstanding day, way to go fellas!
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Capt. Dennis emailed me and said, Thursday was great, Friday was good, Saturday was not as good. Lots of small fish, I mean massive schools, early then they DISAPPEARDED. Despite the rain and pea soup fog, 11 boats, only 2 real boneheads in the bunch.
We did the best we could despite the bad weather and lack of fish. Only bigs were a 32" and a 28.5.
It's called fishing...
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Great job guys, those are some nice fish!
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Ernie-
It is possible I am heading out to that area on a friend's boat this weekend. What kind of bait/lures were you all using? Thanks.
*Edit- I see the bucktail, but anything else?
Last edited by IL_DUCE (Apr-02-14 8:29AM)
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Get there very early! Yesterday, the bite was hot from 0630-0800.
1.5-2 oz jig heads
6-10" BKD type...all soft plastic.
You will lose lures....rocky especially at the beginning of the plume.
You MUST touch the bottom....jig it many ways, it all worked. Sometimes I dragged baits and sometimes I rapid jigged. Touching the bottom was key.
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Nice trip Ernie and healthy looking fish! I've only fished the one time with Capt. Dennis (on the trip with you and Bob last year), but he is a class act for sure. I see his name pop up from time to time in articles online and it is readily apparent that he is well respected by his peers, but doesn't seem to have the name recognition of Pete and some of the others. Probably comes down to marketing savvy but I tell anyone who'll listen that I learned a ton from him in those few hours of our trip. Kudos to the Captain!
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Craig- Capt. Dennis only guides part time vs Pete being full time. Pete has a great following and also knows the marketing game. Dennis has lots of guys like me that have known him for years and appreciate his services. I now go out with him 3-4 times a year. His boat is bigger and better!
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