LOCATION:  Lower Bay, Virginia, CBBT (Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel)

SPECIES:  Striped Bass

UPDATE:  January 3, 2010

FISHING CONDITIONS:  Cold!  Air temperature is cooler.  Trips are still getting out, but comfort and safety require we watch wind chill and start time temperatures closely.  Good news, the colder water has driven the last of the bait down the bay and the striped bass here at the CBBT are feeding constantly.    

WATER TEMPERATURE: Mid Bay 36.3, Lower Bay (CBBT) 42.8, Ocean 41

MOST COMMON BAIT:  Bunker

“MUST HAVE” FLIES IN DESCENDING ORDER OF IMPORTANCE:

• Large 4 inch or longer, Clouser deep minnow or half and half’s in Chartreuse and white 
• Large bunker patterns 

 

RECOMMENDED LEADER: 16 to 20 pound test, 7 ½ foot or 9 foot.

BEST FLY ROD AND REEL OUTFIT:  9 weight with large arbor reel

IDEAL FLY LINE TYPES: Full sink line in the fastest sink rate. 

BEST TECHNIQUES: Currently the best bite is between the 2^nd and 3^rd islands.  Working the area between the pilings whenever the fish show on the sonar and sink the fly to the deepest it will go in the strong current.  A fast strip back will work but often a slow jigging retrieve is better.  That keeps the fly in the zone longer and seems to get better attention from the fish.  When the current is slack, using a large bunker pattern is highly effective. 

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 14th, 2010 at 4:34 am and is filed under Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT) Fishing Reports, Virginia Fishing Reports, Winter Fishing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.