Calvert Cliffs Bite

Type: Chesapeake
Region: Lower Bay
Location: Calvert Cliffs Power Plant Discharge

Seeing no breaking fish heading south from Chesapeake Beach in a 22' walkaround, we jigged the discharge stream from about 0830 to 1330. There was a good bite during the early and late ebb and a slow bite in between. We landed 10 (5 keeper size) and had 4 break off with a good number of missed bites as well. Landed fish were 16" (3), 17" (2), 18" (2), 20.5", 23.5", 31.5". The fish bit on hotrodded yellow and hotrodded green 6" BKDs and 7" Hogy Baits on hotrodded green and yellow jig heads. Bigger fish bit midday during the last hour or so of the ebb. Steve Criste is shown holding the 31.5" striper that hit a yellow hotrodded Hogy Bait on a yellow hotrodded jighead. It can (and did) get pretty bouncy in the discharge stream, and one could get easily pulled under. A standard practice since my Coast Guard search and rescue days, I always wear a PFD or float coat for an added margin of safety.

Comparing notes with other fishers at the end of the day, another boat landed 30 stripers, mostly schoolies, jigging and topwater bite, in vicinity of Stone Rock. The jig and plastic trailer color de jour over there was white. One fisher advised that his 30" striper took a white clouser tied on as a trailer to a popper.