Breaking Rockfish on the Fly

Type: Chesapeake
Region: Eastern
Location: Poplar Island

The pressure was on this morning June 23, 2010 from having invited 2 special guests to go fishing. I left home @ 0500 and drove the Mako to the mouth of Back Creek where I picked up the two visitors. It�s interesting to see Annapolis through their eyes. Mike Stone has recently purchased a sailboat that he hopes to take to the Caribbean Sea. His buddy Kirk is an ER Doc, and they both fish hard in their home waters in Idaho�.. they posted at 0530 with these cylindrical tubes that they carry on airplanes. Also little plastic boxes of fuzzy insect looking things?

On the way out I got a yellow light on the dash reminding me that the oil reservoir for the Yami has been getting low. So I detoured to Bay Ridge Community and placed a call to another Fly-Guy Joe Evans, praying that his wife would not pick up the phone at 0540! Joe sounded wide awake and seemed to think nothing of meeting me by the CBF outpost with two jugs of two stroke oil! Joe is something else and I can only imagine the payback�..?

Off past Thomas Point towards Bloody Point and then we set our sights on Poplar Island. Halfway between Bloody and PI we found the stripers on topwater�..nice dawn light/nice nw breeze and game on with breaking fish! Not so big but plenty feisty!

I think I got the first hookup on a Stillwater plug but then it gets fuzzy from there. Lot�s of action and laughter�The Flyguys got into high gear and there was line, hooks, and insects flying all overhead. They started catching and releasing�until the conversation turned to dinnertime. Kirk selected a nice fattie to keep and it came aboard after chasing a chartreuse clouser cast on one of the long bendy rods. New species for Kirk! And the grill should be cranking tonight on or next to �Prudence� the Southern Cross 35 @ Burnside Street�.yummy.

After 40 minutes or so a couple of boats had gathered, putting the fish down. We completed the trip to Poplar Island and found some more action on top E/NE of PI. Everyone caught nice bright fish. Only one looked a tad funky w/ sores. Another skiff, a CC (Sea Fox) landed another nice keeper close by.

We tried some jigging on the way home but no go there. Great morning with a couple of really good fisherman!