Catch and Release Rockfish

Type: Chesapeake
Region: Mid Bay
Location: Gum Thickets

There�re baaaack. My ears perked straight up as I heard Mike on the other end of the cell phone say, �If I had a crew I�d be out there.� My reply, �I can meet you in the parking lot of Anglers in 20 minutes or less!� Fast forward 65 minutes plus or minus a few. Captain Gutter had six lines out on a single planer (6 lines is the max during the catch and release season), all were tandem rigs sporting a new color John Deer green � let me tell you the fish love this color! We were at the north end of the Gum Thickets and 52 feet of water was the magic number. In the next 90 minutes we had 4 hits and pulled in 3 huge fat rockfish all between 36 and 40 inches in length. It was the perfect fisherman�s afternoon.