Fishing while sailing in the bay, how?
 

Sometime in the next month and a half I'll be going on a sailing trip that will circumnavigate the delmarva peninsula. Leaving from Virginia Beach we'll sail up the chesapeake bay go through the canal and sail back in the ocean. I'm not sure how many knots we'll be traveling per mile. Will this affects weights for trolling?

I want to fish for Striped bass in the bay and on the ocean if possible. Can you all give me some information on the best and easiest ways to catch them given that we're in a 29 foot sailboat with no rod holders and will be sailing the entire time?

What are some good methods for catching stripers in the bay in the next month and a half?

I have a 9 foot spinning rod with 20lb line on it. I was exspecting to get several different size spoons and try those. Any tips?

if you want to troll, you will need to get a rod holder that clamps on to one of your rails or stanchions. they sell them everywhere.
you will also need to get a shorter rod.

if you have time to stop and cast, you may have luck driving your tender around and poking in an out of structure and casting at it.

9 foot is going to be a lot of rod to handle on a blowboat. i have done it, but you have to be constantly aware of the backstay and the rig in genral.

usually trolling the bay you are going too fast for stripers but you can catch blues.

I would use swimming plastics like yozuri crystal minnow for trolling for blues from a sailboat.

umm... what else.... i guess you should also get heavier line. you will be going 6 or 7 kts, and then you start reeling in the bluefish, and you will basically be skipping it accross the surface to the boat. you will need wire leader for the bluefish teeth.

I would also be using conventional gear for trolling, not spinning

Hate to take the wind out of your sails..... but that is my advice.

Zac

Typical bass trolling speed: 1.5 knots

Typical blue trolling speed: 1.5 - 4 knots

You're talking tuna speed I think... Good luck. Keep in mind the worse fighting a fish is moving around obstructions on a boat. Sailboats have lots of obstruction. Though I imagine they are stealthy trollers;)

Take a surfrod and cast to the front of the boat with a heavy bucktail or tin and reel like heck to catch up with the slack and you'll find ur way.

We had 2 bluefish hit a highspeed bar we were dragging for fun headed to the canyons a couple weeks ago.

Ahem.

i troll narr bay from the parents sailboat all the time at 5-7 kts. blues are almost always a gaurantee.

thats a joke, right?

:wall: sail :poke:

I used to have real good luck right of the point at Ft Henry Lighthouse.
That was in the late 60's. I was stationed at Fort Story, Va.

Try to talk whoevers at the helm into turning into the wind when you hook up.

Rod holder is a must.

If you use a swimming plug, watch the rod tip. If its stops bouncing, you're dragging seaweed around.

Bluefish can hit at faster than 4 kts.