The adventure doesn’t end for us when we run out of road, land, or cheap light beer (it might, but it hasn’t happened yet), plus any excuse to get out on the water is a good enough for me.
Fishing trips easily make the top five list of “man stuff” you need to do at least once over the course of a year. Some of the other things on the list are hunting trips, smoking cigars, eating a steak, and apologizing to your wife staying at the Omni Grove Park Inn.
So after a few weeks of planning and an epic email/text tree, we set off Friday night for Deale, MD with plans to stay in an epic home we found on HomeAway. A few of us have fished out of Deale before, and it’s close proximity to DC/Northern Virginia (1 hour drive) make it the perfect launching point for a fishing trip out on the Chesapeake Bay.
The next morning we woke up and headed to Happy Harbor to link up with Captain Shawn Brumley and Captain Tawn Tipsword of the Lucky Strike. The plan was to head south on the Chesapeake for about 15-20 miles to get on the fish, and hopefully catch our limit of stripped bass aka rockfish in the process. Needless to say, the majority of the guys including myself still don’t understand why we have to wake up at 5:00 AM to go fishing. We’ll trust the Captain’s though, because they’re either right, or they’ve been doing it wrong for over 20 years.
The only thing we were worried about was the weather due to the NOAA forecast calling for 4-5 ft seas, but we all saw the first half of the Perfect Storm and when the weather is bad you get on the fish. Someone also mentioned something about the boat capsizing and everyone drowning in the second half, but we’re pretty sure he just made it up.
Once we got on location, we deployed the planer boards and started putting lines in the water. Tawn made quick work of rigging the lines but before he could even finish setting up, it was “fish on” and Tax made quick work of the rockfish, it didn’t even stand a chance.
Throughout the rest of the morning Captain Shawn consistently got us on the fish, with everyone but myself and my father-in-law bringing one into the boat. I’m pretty sure I was too busy taking pictures, but I don’t know what Rick’s excuse was.
By now the wind had started to pick up and the chop was starting to take it’s toll on everyone. The Lucky Strike handled the waters with ease, but some of our crew didn’t fare quite as well. No one blew chunks, but enough Dramamine was consumed that even Bill Cosby would have approved. Needless to say, a lot of the crew was down for the count throughout the day… although Tony probably blames the buddy heater.
After 8 hours on the water, we decided to pack it up and head back to the marina. The total count ended up at 10 fish landed, with only 9 being keepers. While we didn’t hit our limit, we had a great time out on the water and it gives us an excuse to head back again next year.
Keep an eye out for our new blog DirtBoatTrip, and if you’re heading out on the Chesapeake for a fishing trip anytime soon, give the Captains of the Lucky Strike a call, they’ll get you on the fish!
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