Pier Fishing Chesapeake Bay Questions

[Choporoz]

I'm spending the weekend in a rental on Chincoteague Island that has a pier.  I've never fished saltwater except for a couple charters.  What bass gear/tackle/lures might I bring and try?  I understand there are drum, stripers, croakers in the area. (?)  Live bait, primarily?

I'd also guess that one or two heavier spinning rigs should be fine -- maybe spoons and cranks in addition to live bait?

 

Other than stripers are the others decent eating? 

 

I'm not looking to learn all there is to know...just want to spend a couple hours dipping a line and smoking a cigar out on the pier.  If dinner happens, all the better.  Thanks!

[Darren.]

I'm spending the weekend in a rental on Chincoteague Island that has a pier.  I've never fished saltwater except for a couple charters.  What bass gear/tackle/lures might I bring and try?  I understand there are drum, stripers, croakers in the area. (?)  Live bait, primarily?

I'd also guess that one or two heavier spinning rigs should be fine -- maybe spoons and cranks in addition to live bait?

 

Other than stripers are the others decent eating? 

 

I'm not looking to learn all there is to know...just want to spend a couple hours dipping a line and smoking a cigar out on the pier.  If dinner happens, all the better.  Thanks!

 

If you have some swimbaits, striper like those. Live bait, eel!

 

When we pier fish here (brackish), it will be with squid, shrimp, blood worms.

 

Also, any of the Gulp baits: http://www.basspro.com/Brand-Berkley-Gulp/Fishing-Baits-Lures-Saltwater-Lures/Type-Saltwater-Soft-Baits/_/N-1z0ukoqZ1z0uxajZ1z0v4dm

 

Especially this one - at least from what guys tell me:

http://www.basspro.com/Berkley-Gulp!-Swimming-Mullet/product/58013/

[desmobob]

A Kastmaster with a single hook and a white curly-tail grub will work well for a lot of fish in the salt.  I've caught some big stripers on Bass Assassin Forked Tail Shad and Saltwater Shad plastics, jig/grub, and Tsunami pencil poppers.

 

Medium spinning tackle will work fine.   I use a 7' MXF Fenwick HMX with a Daiwa Tournament SS reel (small one) with 20lb. braid/fluro leader when I'm not fly fishing for them.

 

Have fun and catch lots of fish!

 

Tight lines,

Bob

[Snakehead Whisperer]

Especially this one - at least from what guys tell me:

http://www.basspro.com/Berkley-Gulp!-Swimming-Mullet/product/58013/

This is a staple in my freshwater arsenal, especially in the colder months. Good dropshot bait.

 

To Choporoz... I'd follow the advice in this thread, especially swimbaits/bucktails/grubs, and don't overlook the blood worms. 

[Darren.]

This is a staple in my freshwater arsenal, especially in the colder months. 

 

To Choporoz... I'd follow the advice in this thread, especially swimbaits/bucktails/grubs, and don't overlook the blood worms. 

 

I have yet to try them, to be honest. I first learned 

about them from a guy I met while bass fishing!

 

He said, "though they're saltwater baits, they are 

deadly for bass"... I never pulled the trigger to buy

any.

 

Guess I need to now, LOL. Maybe they'll be a cold

water rig for my reservoir.

 

What do you use to rig them?

[Choporoz]

Thanks, guys!    Going to be a great weekend!

[Snakehead Whisperer]

I have yet to try them, to be honest. I first learned 

about them from a guy I met while bass fishing!

 

He said, "though they're saltwater baits, they are 

deadly for bass"... I never pulled the trigger to buy

any.

 

Guess I need to now, LOL. Maybe they'll be a cold

water rig for my reservoir.

 

What do you use to rig them?

The most common way I rig them is on a dropshot. I also like them on a Slider head or as a jig trailer. Pretty much any way that I would rig a regular soft plastic grub. 

 

I usually keep black and yellow (they're more yellow than chartreuse) on the boat.

Thanks, guys!    Going to be a great weekend!

Give us an update and let us know how it goes.

[everythingthatswims]

Pay attention to the pier rats

[Darren.]

Pay attention to the pier rats

 

Indeed, good advice. So long as the pier rats 

are willing to share!

[Darren.]

The most common way I rig them is on a dropshot. I also like them on a Slider head or as a jig trailer. Pretty much any way that I would rig a regular soft plastic grub. 

 

Thanks. The fellow who introduced me 

to them had them on a darter head jig. 

Suppose that's as good a place as any 

to start. Not sure when I'll do it, but now 

my curiosity is piqued!

[SirSnookalot]

A Kastmaster with a single hook and a white curly-tail grub will work well for a lot of fish in the salt.  I've caught some big stripers on Bass Assassin Forked Tail Shad and Saltwater Shad plastics, jig/grub, and Tsunami pencil poppers.

 

Medium spinning tackle will work fine.   I use a 7' MXF Fenwick HMX with a Daiwa Tournament SS reel (small one) with 20lb. braid/fluro leader when I'm not fly fishing for them.

 

Have fun and catch lots of fish!

 

Tight lines,

Bob

I'd leave your bass gear at home, a low profile b/c IMO is not the most suitable combo to use.

What I would need to know is how high is the pier, the higher it is the heavier tackle you need.  Casting distance is very important, Kastmasters (I use them quite a bit) excel in this area as do thin profile metal casting jigs like crippled herring or diamond jig. Tsunami makes some nice spoons, I especially like their shockwaves, cheaper than the Kasmaster and just as effective. The closer the lure comes to the pier it will bounce on top of the water due to the height of the pier, that's why distance is important.  I wouldn't use anything less than a mh rod with a lure parameter of about 2 oz, a heavy rod may work even better, many of these will have to be pulled away from the pier pylons, tough job for a light rod even with smaller fish.  A 4-5000 reel is fine with 20# braid.

If you want to fish lighter tackle then fish off the beach and not the pier, handling a 10-20# fish with medium gear is very doable.  Spoons and bucktails work well, if the fish are there they will hit any lure.  I like top water lures too but that is dependent on high the surf is.

 

I agree about the pier rats, many of them will be using heavier conventional gear with bait lines out.  They tend to fish at the very end of the pier.

[Choporoz]

Thanks again. This is a rental house with a couple boat docks on a channel that looks to beless than hundred yard from bigger water. Not planning to hut the public piers

[SirSnookalot]

Thanks again. This is a rental house with a couple boat docks on a channel that looks to beless than hundred yard from bigger water. Not planning to hut the public piers

That's an entirely different situation.  You could use your bass gear and bass lures, for a few days it may not be worth the additional expense.  

[Snakehead Whisperer]

That's an entirely different situation.  You could use your bass gear and bass lures, for a few days it may not be worth the additional expense.

Agreed, just make sure to clean/rinse your gear off really well every day after you fish.

[Choporoz]

Thanks to all.  Unfortunately, I didn't catch anything.  The conditions were pretty challenging and my extremely limited knowledge was not near enough to overcome.  Very cold weekend with strong, sustained winds.  Combine that with tidal currents that took one oz weighted bait horizontal and I never got a bite.  I went down to the pier three different times without a bite.  No birds, minnows or any other visible activity nearby.  So, I assume there are times that fish run through the narrows there, I'd need to know a lot more about timing the tides, weather, season, light, etc.

Nice weekend, however and it did include some 'fishing'....lol