Kayaking for Trophy Stripers in Virginia

In a recent issue of Texas Saltwater Fishing, I really enjoyed the article about Striper fishing in Lake Sabine. Yes, I get it all the way up here in Virginia. I had the pleasure of meeting Everett Johnson during the Port O'Connor EEF kayak fishing tournament. I was introduced to him by Scott Null, and got to talking to EJ about striper fishing in the Chesapeake Bay. I remember him asking do you read The Chesapeake-Angler, I promptly answered, I write for them. Automatically he made the connection, and we started to talk about Virginia striper fishing. If you put the two magazines together you would swear that they were sister magazines. Actually they both are simply run by great editorial staff. So in the spirit of brotherhood, or sisterhood, I offer you a little sample of Virginia greatest fishery, Enjoy!

It is no secret that the eel has become the go-to bait for catching BIG stripers. My fellow Chesapeake Angler author Capt. Max King, has demonstrated this with numerous national tournament victories. So when I found out that fellow members of the TKAA (Tidewater Kayak Anglers Association) were having success with eels on the eastern shore of Virginia, I had to investigate it for myself.

I loaded up my kayak and tackle took the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT) across the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The CBBT is one of the reasons that fishing is excellent in eastern Virginia. That another story, maybe I tell you guys about that in another article. The air temperature was 65-degrees and the winds were blowing SW at about 10-15 mph. As I crossed the high rise I noticed the boats below rocking and rolling. At this point I had second thoughts about paddling out 2-miles from the shore. I arrived at Kiptopeake State Park just in time to see TKAA member Bigmax paddling out towards the concrete ships. Theses "Liberty" ships are partially sunken and used to serve as break waters for the ferry that used to carry vehicles from the Eastern Shore to the Southside. That was before the CBBT. Now they protect the boat landing and the fishing pier. The water was rough in the lee of the ships, but even rougher outside. I hailed Max and he said that he was going to try fishing inside the ships. Just as I was ready to launch I hear him on the radio and look to see him hold up a respectable striper. I finally got my yak set up and headed out to meet Max. The swells were big but manageable, the sea state improved as I got closer to the ships. Pretty soon three other anglers came in from outside the ships; it was pretty rough out there. The three anglers were David Haynie, Kayak Kevin Whitley, and Aaron Johnson (who paddles a sit inside touring kayak). I told Kevin that Max had caught a fish just inside the ships, so Kevin paddled up to the ship, dropped an eel and immediately hooked up. If you have not seen Kevin in action, then you are missing the most enthusiastic angler that I have ever met. He looked like a champion rodeo cowboy, only on a kayak. After a short Chesapeake sleigh ride, he quickly landed a 44-inch sow of a striper. He offered me an eel but being a hard headed artificial angler, I continued to futilely try everything that I had. After watching everyone around me catch 40+ inch stripers I finally gave way to the eel. All three of them managed to catch and release at least one 40-inch striper on eels.

Kevin rigged me up with a simple but effective rig that consisted of a, 1 oz egg sinker, red bead, barrel swivel, and 2 foot of 50-pound mono snelled to a 7/0 circle hook. I threaded my 50-pound powerpro through the sinker and the bead, and then tied a Palomar knot to the barrel swivel that was attached to the hook. Kevin hooked the eel through the bottom lip and up through the eye socket, then immediately threw the eel into the water. "This keeps them from getting all knotted up" he said. So I paddled up to the end of the most northerly ship and cast my eel into the water. I set the reel in free spool and set the clicker. No sooner that I did this, I start hearing it go off. "Stick em" said Kevin. So stopped the free spool, turned off the clicker and began a sleigh ride of my own. After about 5-minutes of fight I had the fish close enough to see. "Whoa", I said, this thing was a beast. So I got the lip gripper on it and pulled the hog onto my kayak. There was almost no room for me and this fish in my kayak. Kevin paddled over to measure my fish, 43-inches he said, not quite a citation. It beats my biggest kayak fish by 1-inch, you can have the paper, all I need is a picture, so I handed him my camera. After a few hero shots I gingerly returned the girl to her home. Want another eel? Kevin asked. I declined and said that I needed to put down the rods and pick up my camera.. So I spent the rest of the day filming, good thing I did.

The wind finally subsided and the water became smooth as glass, the fishing also slowed down. Aaron was sitting there with us talking shop, when his clicker went off he set the hook and took off like a rocket. "Now that's a Chesapeake sleigh ride" I said as I paddled madly to document this fight on video. I followed Aaron for about 6-minutes, it reminded me of the Old Man and the Sea. But Aaron was in total control and managed to tire this monster of a striper. Kevin came over and assisted him with the measurement, "48-inches that the biggest striper that I have ever seen caught on a kayak" he said.

So after some much deserved hoopla and back slapping Aaron released his trophy striper. Did I mention he did this in a kayak made for touring? That makes it that much more awesome.

As the sun began to set we started back toward the landing, big smiles and rough thumbs were had by all. Everyone got their big fish and their pass into the forty plus club. This quite possibly could be the best fishing trip I have ever had. And I only caught one fish. Worth it, you ask? Definitely!

Cory "Ruthless" Routh is the founder and past-president of the Tidewater Kayak Anglers Association (TKAA). He is the owner operator of Ruthless Fishing Inc. and guides kayak fishing trips in coastal Virginia and North Carolina. Cory's guide services are endorsed by Legacy Paddlesports, Rip Tide Lures, and St. Croix rods. His website is www.ruthlessfishing.com. For more info on TKAA check out www.tkaa.org