The month-long (through May 15) trophy striper season that opened last Saturday looks good. Real good.
“It?s been smoking,” exclaims Tony Tochterman, of Tochterman?s Fishing Tackle on Eastern Avenue, where customers have been pouring in since before last Saturday?s season opening. He notes that the best lure colors are “anything, as long as it is white or chartreuse.” Most anglers are doing their best work with chartreuse on overcast days; white on bright days. Also high on the list are the umbrella rigs and new style umbrellas with small spinners fastened above each umbrella arm.
The best success has been in 20- to 30-foot depths, slow trolling to allow the fish, often sluggish in the chilly waters, to catch the lures.
Fish range widely in size, but are all big, according to Tony. “They have been 32, 33, 36, 42 and 44 inches,” he said of reported catches.
Fish from 33 inches and above are good, since the minimum size this year has been increased from 28 inches to 33 inches. That?s because last season Maryland anglers exceeded the total catch limit set by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
Last year we were allotted 35,944 fish for spring trophy fishing, but caught 65,664. Whoa! That?s 29,720 fish more than “allowed.” Now we have to pay for it with 33 instead of 28 inches ? a move designed to reduce the numbers caught. That?s ASMFC rules, according to Harley Speir and Howard King of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Service. The expectation is that we will “pay back” 13,720 fish this year; more next season.
But ? “buts” that seems to be proving out with good early catches ? some things this year might help you get a big striper. The “buts” are that it has been a cold spring and one of the driest on record. That means increased upper Bay salinity to push stripers farther into fresh/brackish water seeking the 0-2 parts per thousand salinity they like for spawning.
Stripers may spawn later and be farther up rivers when they do. We might find more big fish around ? or around longer ? after spawning and during this trophy season.
Take it easy on the keepers (you are only allowed one per day anyway), since paybacks are rough, and we do have to “pay back” those extra fish caught last year.
But get out early during the trophy season, and you still have a good chance ? make that a great chance ? of adding a trophy fish to the cooler.
C. Boyd Pfeiffer is an internationally-known sportsman, award-winning author, and has written more than 20 books on fishing and hunting. He can be reached at [email protected].
