BIG Rockfish are tempted by eels

The big striped bass, the really big ones…meaning in excess of 50-pounds, are expected to show in the lower Chesapeake Bay any day now. This year’s big striper entrance is a bit behind, same as most other species debuts for this year. Usually we see the first of the 50-pound class rockfish show towards the middle of November. The water temperatures are cooling a little slower than last season.

But anglers are impatiently standing by with “baited” breath. And when the first big girls hit the deck, not an eel in town will be safe. Folks will gather dozens of slimy eels from local tackle shops, and flock to the Eastern Shore side of the Bay. Eels will tempt big rockfish as they are dunked along the pilings of the High Rise section the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel during the night hours. But the largest fish will come from boats floating eels under large bobbers along the shoals and deep channel paralleling the Eastern Shore. This fishery should last well into December. So, bait up and dunk an eel for big rock!

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