BFL Regional Chesapeake bay

[Team houston]

I traveled to this event with Mike Trombley. We had a house rented right on the bay with its own boat ramp. There were five other guys staying in the house with us. I met Mike at his house early Fri morning for the drive down. We arrived about four pm and checked out the house. Mike found a big black snake in the yard.

We got our licenses and got rigged up for Sat. We found the fishing very tough the first few days. Mike caught the first couple fish off wood. One was a 4 lber. The next five keepers came from grass on chatterbaits, spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. We ended the day with seven keepers.

The next couple of days we fished a lot of great looking water with not much to show for it. We would catch a nice keeper then go for hours before we would get another bite. We only caught 4 keepers Sun and Mon.

Tues we started on some rip rap and Mike caught five keepers early. We then went to the Susqhanna (however you spell that) flats. After moving around and catching one here and there Mike figured out what to look for and we caught 12 keepers on the day with a couple over 5lbs.

Thurs was a half day and we found a few more of the right kind of stuff for Mike to gps. Mike caught three more in the 4 and 5lb class. We pulled out and rigged up and went to the meeting. I was excited for Mike and the other guys in the house who would be fishing the same kind of stuff. We knew the potential was there for 20lb bags

[Team houston]

Day 1
I am paired with Ed Casey from Maryland. Ed lives about 45 min away and knows the water well. We start on some riprap and after about 15 min Ed catches one about 2.5 lbs. We fish the riprap back and forth with no more bites and move on.

We go down to Stillpond creek and start fishing docks wood and bare banks. Ed catches a small one off some wood. Occasionally he puts down the power poles and picks apart the cover.

On one of these occasions I am left with the previous log. Figuring if a fish was there he did not want soft plastic. I pick up the spinnerbait and make NUMEROUS casts to the fallen tree. What do you know I get a 13 inch fish to bite. I put that one in the box and continue to attack the same log.

I finally slow roll the spinnerbait on the deep end of the log and after bumping the stump my rod loads up and I fight a 4lber into the net. Being no dummy Ed picks up the spinnerbait and an hour later has two more in the box.

Ed wants to hit one spot on the Susq flats. We get there and it is still and hazy. Looks like buzzbait conditions to me and I start throwing one. Ed says that's a good idea partner and ties one on too.

Kaboom he catches a 3.5 lber. 15 min later Kaboom another 3lber. It is now time to head in with Ed wishing he gave this spot more time. I have 4.14 and end in 52nd place. Ed has 12 and change and is in 24th.

[dartag]

Saw the final results.  Looks like day 2 is going to be a great story.  Bring it.

[SClapper]

Congratulations on a great tournament Phil !  I wish you the best at the All-American.   Steve Clapper

[Team houston]

Day 2
Today I am paired with Jerry Knier. Jerry is from Pennsylvania and lives about an hour away. He says we are going to be fishing grass on the edge of a channel. I rig up a buzzbait, a Spro poppin frog, a spinnerbait, a Texas rig and chatterbait.

Jerry caught 2 yesterday but had 4 good blowups on a Zara Spook. His Co caught 4 on a Senko. We start the day and after about 30 min Jerry says he already had two blowups by this time yesterday.

We continue down the stretch and meet Jerry's buddy coming the other way. He says he broke a good one off on a Sammy. After we pass each other I notice a nice blowup in closer to shore in the thicker grass. I mention this to Jerry and he decides to move closer to shore.

Now there is matted strips of grass with holes and horizontal open lanes. These lanes are about five feet wide. So I start throwing the poppin frog on to the mats and pulling in into the open lanes to pop it. Let me go back a minute.

Jerry was a complete class act who was a co angler for seven years. From the start he told me he was out of it with only 7lbs the first day. He told me he would take any suggestions and to throw wherever I wanted because with a limit I could move up to check range or even to the cut. So I pull it into a lane and pop it a couple times, kaplush!

I never lost sight of my frog so I didn't set the hook. I cast again, nothing, I cast again kaplush. My frog disapears and the line is moving off. I drop the rod tip, crank a couple times and drive the hook home. The fish is immediately in the weeds and I horse it to the top and thru the thick stuff to the boat and in the net. A 3lb class fish.

We move along for another 15 min or so and Jerry says this is where the deep water gets close to the bank. The lane here is between the sandy shore and the first mat. I am throwing up onto the shore when I can and bringing it into the lane. Kaplush, another one dragged thru the weeds and into the net. About the same size as the last one.

Less than 5 min later Kaplush, number three same routine. I should have braid on but with Jerry telling me he was getting bites on a spook I figured more open water so I have 15lb Mean Green. We fish for a while more with no bites and decide to try some other stuff (docks, marinas and rip rap).

After a couple hrs with no bites it's about noon and we go back to where the fish bit. I am throwing the frog with no more action. Now I had watched a YouTube video of a guy fishing the Chesapeake and he was Texas rigging a lizard. So it was in the back of my head. Also one of the house mates mentioned he saw some guys catch fish on a lizard. So I decided to rig one up.

In all my tackle on the boat I had exactly 1 lizard. Don't know where I got it or what brand it was. It was kind of a translucent green with red flake. So I start throwing this in the lanes and hopping it. I get a light tick, swing and a miss.

I re-rig the lizard and throw back. I miss my spot by a couple feet. The water is about four feet dip and the bait doesn't get a foot down. THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP I have never had a more aggressive bite in my life of bass fishing (about 35yrs)! I lean into it and fish on.

To me it seems like another 3 lber. Again I have to fight and horse the fish thru the weeds. It gets close to the net and Jerry says O my God it's a giant!! I can't tell with all the weeds on it but when he lifts it in the boat I realize the fish is about 6 lbs.

Jerry is giddy laughing and giggling telling me that's two fish in one and it's just as good as a limit. We calm down a little, especially me and get back to dropping our baits in the holes and lanes. Jerry catches a 2lber on a senko and another one on a fluke.

I get my fifth bite and hammer the hook home. This one pulls off as I am fighting it thru the weeds. Jerry is bummed, I can only laugh because I have been lucky getting the first four in. Jerry catches another but really doesn't care he is just having fun fishing and watching me have one of those days.

Sure enough I get another solid tap and drive the hook home. This one does get to the net and I am in some kind of nervous state now. We don't get any more bites and start fishing our way back to the ramp.

Killing the last few minutes near the ramp on a gravel bank. We make a pass with Jerry throwing the t-rig and me throwing a spinnerbait. We turn around and fish back down. When it rains, sure enough I hook up on the spinnerbait but a 2.5 lb fish doesn't help. I weigh in and the 18lb 7 oz is the biggest co-angler weight of the whole tourney thus far.

The big one weighs 6 lbs 2 oz. After a stellar day that comes out of nowhere I make the cut in 3rd place.

[Team houston]

Thanks Steve, keep catching those jumbo eyes.

[Team houston]

Day 3.
First I should say that my travel partner Mike Trombley also made the cut with a 19 lb bag. We both came from the 50s to the top 10. Also from the house Hardy had 18lb and Rufus had about 15lbs.

If they would have bit better on the flats the first day who knows how many from  the Mi division could have made the cut. Today I am paired with Bryan Schmitt. Bryan won the Everstart on this water a couple weeks earlier. We head for the Susq flats.

I am excited because I know how many big fish live in this area. Brian heads up into the thick mats which have lanes that get smaller and smaller and finally dead end in the thick surface mats. We start about half way back in one.

Bryan is paralleling the edge with a Senko. I can only make short casts to the edge with borrowed lizard. 5min in, as I am reeling in my lizard a little fish grabs it and seeing its small I just swing it aboard. Bryan says sorry for not getting the net but you were too fast. I say its a short anyway, he says that fish is a keeper. I bet you its 12 and a half inches. I say I bet you lunch it's not.

He agrees and I put it on the board. You owe me lunch its 12 and a quarter. Six minutes into the day is my only highlight. I never had another bite. Bryan on the other hand grinds out 7 keepers during the day on the Senko and various swimbaits. The highlight is one near 7lbs. After he puts it in the box I look at my watch, its 19 min to 3 with a 3 o'clock check in.

He weighs in a tournament best 22 lbs 11 oz to win his second boat in 3 weeks along with a Silverado and a trip to the All American. I loved all the water we fished. We fished the same stuff in practice. It was just one of those days I couldn't buy a decent bite. I can't complain after the day I had previous.

So I go from hero to zero. Not only do I let a brand new Ranger get away I also blew my chance at the All American. I did not even consider that I stayed in the top 6. When they announce the results and I fall into 6th place I am dumbfounded and in shock. Mike had a tuff day too and falls to 12th. We both agree it was a very fun trip. So I will be heading to Wilson Lake in Alabama next June. If anybody has any tips on how Wilson fishes in June I would love to hear them.

[rudycard72]

Congrats on qualifing for the All american and good luck there,you earned it man, fishing was tough out there. Thanks for posting the story, great read.

[Team houston]

A few thoughts  on the Chesapeake Bay. Only one person in our house had been there before. After a couple days of practice we all agreed this place was very tough. Until we started fishing the flats and figered out what to look for. It ended up having better weights than most Regionals I have been to. It was a scenic area with many deer being sighted along wth other wildlife like foxes and Bald and Golden Eagles. The water was littered with crab traps and almost everybody caught some stripers on accident. It had a lot of Yellow Perch which suprised me. Plus other fish that you do not normally see like needlefish and we even saw an eel swimming along the bottom one day. Even though it was  October the boat traffic was not bad. Way less cruisers than St. Clair. There is probably more during the summer. Even though I had luck on my side I would not have had a problem going back if i didn't. It was a fun place to fish. 

[FOB]

Congrats on making the All American.  Will be rooting for you. 

[Team houston]

Thanks Ralph. I forgot to mention how aggressive the catfish were. We caught numerous catfish on swimbaits and especially spinnerbaits. The last day Bryan caught 5 in a row on a swimjig in about 30 min.

[motocross269]

Great Job....Glad to see Michigan guys get in....Awesome..