First trip to PLO
 

Took my first trip to Point Lookout Friday. Great day of fishing with friends and learning new water. Buddy boated with the 5th and his crew (Mako Mike and Phil). We went north past 72a and searched edges back south. Got a call from Marty that he had found some birds and we ran south to find him. We only managed one fish and decided to move south. Got a call about a bird show down by Virginia line and off we went. Got a bunch of smaller fish and one more box fish. Headed back north and found a knot of birds on the way. Checked them out and we finished out our limit. Great day on the water with good friends. Marty and crew were able to fill their limit much earlier than we were but we managed to pull it off. All of our jigging fish came on metal and no bites on plastic. The fished were absolutely stuffed with bait fish.

Bruce, I hope Mako Mike sent you his pic's of your boat. I kept seeing it "lit up" when the sun shined on it; and boy is she pretty. Mike said, I've taken more shots of Bruce's boat than I have of mine:D

The birds we found moved quickly:mad: It was possible to jig on them, and Phil (our best jigging angler onboard) did manage to put two low 20's fat fish in the cooler. Tis true, our school of fish seemed to dislike my 6 inch BKD's. Phil had metal on his rod, and I had one of my jigging rods set up with metal, so Mako Mike had the use of this one.
I kept a close watch on the meter, and was seeing some really nice marks (bigger than 22-24 inch fish).
With the schools moving so rapidly, and nice marks on the screen, I decided to do what I do best; troll.
We only set out three deep rods (where the best marks were). Each rod was a six arm umbrella with double six inch green tsunami shads. I had 20 oz weights on the umbrellas and we put them out between 84 and 94 ft.
In practically no time, we had a 27 and a 29 inch fish in the box:D We put two more fat mid 20's in the box to complete our limit.
Once we found our fish, it didn't take long to fill the box, however, I don't think there are as many fish down south as in years past. Speaking to the locals, they agree.
Having two or more boats really helps in the scouting:eek: Bruce scouted the eastern side of the channel while I scouted the western side. It was only luck that I found birds first:) Cell phones were the ticket today. With fish being less than easy to find, we were uncomfortable using the radio to announce our positions or what spread was working best.
Mike Henderson (Buzz's Marina) cell phoned the big bird show a mile south of Smith Point to me and I shared with Bruce. We had a decision to make. We could have stayed where we were and continued to catch, or run another decent way south? What the He11, it might be our last trip and besides, Bruces boat had yet to be in Virginia waters, so let's go:D:D
The seas weren't as kind to us as Maryland waters, but the Judge's trimmed the bow down and ate the two ft chop up as we raced across the Maryland line.
Knowing the way back would be with the wind at our backs, we threw the hammer down and ran side by side back towards PLO.
I saw Bruce "peel off" and run into shallower waters. He had spotted some more birds working close to where we left them biting earlier. We finished the day on mid 20 inch fish jigging:)

If you want to put fish in the box, PLO is your best chance. Every year, it seems our resident fish stack up at the mouth of the Potomac River for wintering. Previous years produced larger fish feeding under diving gannets. While we did see a few gannets and a lone pelican or two, the big birds are not as prevalent as years past. Is this a sign that the bait and fish are not here in previous numbers? I think so.
Our migratory fish are still off new Jersey and Delaware. It looks like you will have to make Ocean runs for these fish off O.C. in the near future.
It's sad to see the fishery waning before your eyes. We should be catching fish like we did yesterday off Eastern Bay, Tilghman, Choptank, and Parkers Creek. When you travel all the way to PLO, you hope to run into 30 plus inch fish for your troubles.
But, it looks like PLO is the only consistent show in town. Are there fish north of Solomon's, sure, but locating them is more difficult. If Maryland wants to preserve our fishery, and all the jobs associated with the fishery (bait shops, marina's, boat dealers, etc.) someone needs to get their head out of their a$$ and manage the fishery.
I would be excited to do another trip south if the fish were unique (35-40 inches), but to put three days of work into a trip that produces 22-29 inch fish, it ain't worth it.
We spend a day getting the boat ready to fish (tackle prep). Drive 2 1/2 hours down to PLO, pay for a night in a hotel, pay for an overnight slip, eat dinner at a local restaurant, add in fuel for the boat and the truck, and what are we excited about, catching fat 24 inch fish.
Don't get me wrong, I loved the trip and the experience, however, the incentive to do it two or three more times is not there. Just this fact reduces the income of all those associated with fishing. I won't be supporting the locals because the fishing was really average. Average is the new WONDERFUL:mad:
I hope I'm wrong, but these fish need help. Off the cuff, I'd support a slot limit for November/December fishing. Maybe everything over 30 inches has to be put back. I can still catch and take photo's of big fish, and fill my box with mid 20 inch fish. I'd do that:)
What ever, it was a fun trip, and I have a fat 24 for dinner tonight:D
5th

Bruce needs a new signature picture. Mako Mike took this one coming out of the slip at Buzz's Marina:)

Done. Thanks for the pic Mike.

It was a good trip, and if I didn’t already have a anxious crew for Thursday through Sunday I’d stay home in front of fire place. Yes it was nice spending the day with great friends catching fish. Marty and I have made this trip together several times over the last four years and have seen a big decline in the fishery. I found it funny that marty and I were talking about the big fish we caught three years ago as if it was 30 years ago. It couldn’t have been too bad of a trip as Marty was well behaved. No yelling, throwing rods in the cabin from the cockpit or anything broken. I did have a snickers in my bag for Marty just in case he acted up!😎 Hopefully the weather cooperates for the upcoming trip so I can get it behind me and put her away for the winter! God did I really just say that! Sad but true!

I really hope to join you down there if I can get past the debris coming down the bay. I need to get one more trip in before winterizing on Sunday. Besides, you’re going to need a Buddy boat!!

Buddy boat? The way winds are looking I’ll need a bigger boat!

Wed looks cold, but winds are great for PLO. Mike, any way you can bump it forward a day for your crew?
5th

I saw that but can’t bump it up may just bump it out

With the debris and the winds, I may be cancelling...... :mad: