Josenhans Fly Fishing ~ CBBT Rockfish

12 12 2012

CBBT – While the eel dunkers are catching a few mammoth stripers just offshore of Cape Charles, the light tackle guides fishing the CBBT pilings and islands have had their work cut out for them. The bite has been good on occasion, with a few of the rockfish stretching the tape to 50 inches. There have been other days when it’s been a chore to boat ten fish in the 20’s. I had a modest day last Friday with a dozen or so fat rock up to 38 inches (21 pounds on the boga). I’m taking a wind day today and then plan on fishing the pilings hard this Friday and Saturday. I hope to post a few photos of big stripers next week. Wish me luck!!

Skip Powers shows off a nice CBBT striper

Skip Powers shows off a nice CBBT striper

Crisfield – My year is about done fishing the shallows around Tangier Sound, and we ended on a good note, averaging fifty schoolie stripers in the 17″ to 24″ range. Lots of fun on the featherlite G.Loomis spin and fly tackle that I supply. We enjoyed a great season with specks, stripers,  redfish and blues and I’m already counting the days until the first stripers arrive at the Susquehanna Flats. In the meantime, I’ll be looking for trophy fish at the bridge tunnel until cold weather hits, and then slowing down a bit on the backwaters of the Pocomoke River, casting to crappie, yellow perch, pickerel and bass. The Pocomoke is a beautiful tidal river and the fishing is laid back. A great way to enjoy a cool winter’s day.

Christmas Gift Certificates – It’s not too late to order Christmas gift certificates for a 4, 6 or 8 hour guided fishing trip. This is the perfect gift for the angler who has everything. I’ll make sure it arrives before Christmas, and I  do take VISA or MasterCard!!

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The client always has a better selection of flies than the guide!

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Fishing the creeks of Smith Island

Bushels of oysters awaiting a buy boat at Smith Island

Bushels of oysters awaiting a buy boat at Smith Island

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Josenhans Fly Fishing ~ News & Notes

3 11 2012

Hello All – I hope and pray that you and your families made it through Hurricane Sandy unscathed. I appreciate all of the calls and emails expressing well wishes for me and my family. As for me and mine, we came through relatively untouched. I’m afraid that I can’t say the same for Crisfield.  Floodwaters rose during the peak of the storm to levels not experienced since Hurricane Floyd in 1999, and some say since Hazel in ’54. The good news is, I traveled down there yesterday and found the clean-up is progressing nicely, with many of the stores, shops and restaurants already back to at least partial operational status. The Captain Tyler Motel, Waterman’s Inn and Circle Inn are all open for business. Allowing the town a full week to get back on its feet, I should be up and fishing again beginning Monday, November 5th.  I expect the rockfish action to be terrific around the banks and creeks of Smith, Fox and Tangier Islands. I’ve included some of this fall’s speckled trout photo’s for your viewing pleasure, but first, some additional news & notes.

Tangier Sound Rockfish – While speckled trout are  making a beeline for parts south, Tangier Sound striper fishing is just heating up! Right before the storm, rockfish catches had increased in both size and numbers while fishing the shallows and creeks of Smith, Fox and Tangier Islands. This is a great time of the year to fish the island marshes, catching stripers on light tackle, while enjoying the company of migrating waterfowl and shorebirds. I have a handful of dates available during the next three weeks that I would like to fill, so come give it a try. You won’t be disappointed!!

CBBT – Due to the many requests that I have been receiving, I have decided to begin fishing the CBBT (Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel) near Cape Charles, VA beginning the week after Thanksgiving. I have a limited number of dates available, so if you are interested in a chance to catch a big striper on light tackle, please give me a call at 443-783-3271, or drop me an email at kjosenhans@aol.com This is cold-weather fishing, so proper fowl-weather gear is a must! Check-out my Web site for pricing and trip info at www.josenhansflyfishing.com

Walk-Ons– I have one or two anglers interested in sharing the cost of a trip with another angler. This will be for Tangier Sound fishing between now and Thanksgiving. Please contact me asap if you have an interest.  

Chesapeake Women Anglers (CWA) Crisfield trip with Capt. Dan Harrison and your’s truly – http://www.chesapeakewomenanglers.org

LaJan Barnes (CWA) with a healthy redfish

Pati Nicholson (CWA) shows-off a beautiful speck

Lucia DiRado (CWA) joinined in on the great speckled trout action!

Gene Jones with a nice speck on the Big Annemessex River

George Jones hefts a fat speck

Scotty Bolles with his Annemessex River speck

The “Jones Brothers” George & Gene – Sorry, no relation to the boat builder

What a Day!! Dave Wilmoth with one of a pair at 6 pounds!

Rob McColligan boated this nice spotted trout

Ron Long proudly displays a big speck

Dave put’s the finishing touch on a 42 speck day with his second 6 pounder!

Dick Franyo with one of 23 specks he and Joe Evans caught on fly tackle

Terry Tubman landed this 5 pound beauty in lower Tangier Sound

Phil Todd and Terry having a great day catching big specks

Bobby Shenton, Phil Todd & Terry Tubman show off some of the days catch

Tom Stapf & John Plowman pulled 17 nice trout from a small stretch of clean water on a blustery October day

The pool winner? Beautiful speck John!!

Kevin Gladhill braved the wind and cold to pull a few nice specks from the shallows

Michael Rembold took top honors for specks on yet another wind-blown day

Maurice Klein enjoyed good success with specks, rock and redfish.

Keith Campbell arived during the transition from specks to stripers

Kevin Campbell proved the specks were still around

These pelicans should be heading south very soon

Matt King shows off a healthy shallow water striper

Bill Enos with a fine rockfish, and..

..a beautiful late-season speckled trout

Skip Powers with a colorful speck on his birthday. Happy Birthday Skip!





Josenhans Fly Fishing ~ “There’s No Place Like Home”

9 05 2012

After a whirlwind tour of the Chesapeake Bay I am finally back home, casting to speckled trout on the crystal clear flats of Tangier Sound. On my first trip back I was greeted with some beautiful specks to 21-inches, along with a smattering of schoolie rockfish. It’s my feeling that the specks will provide us with some great fishing until their departure in late October.

Nathan Holsey shows-off a beautiful Tangier Sound speck

Not to be outdone by his son, Greg Holsey lands a fine speck

Casting to the pristine shorelines of Tangier Sound

Right before I returned to Tangier  – and just three days since the completion of a fantastic Susquehanna Flats C & R season – I made a short four-day stopover to Fisherman’s Island, VA. Here we sight-cast to schools of monster red drum and big stripers. While this fishing is not for everyone – with long periods of watching and waiting – we did manage to bag a couple of trophies. For Ray Wasdyke his persistance paid off with a 46-inch bull red drum that would have pushed the scales to over 47-pounds. What made this catch so remarkable was that Ray landed the red on a 9-weight fly rod. A world-class catch by anyone’s standards. Congratulations Ray! A day earlier, Harvey Conard watched a school of big stripers cruise the nearby flats for perhaps fifteen minutes before coaxing one away from the pack with a bucktail/twister combination. After a game fight we slid the net under a gorgeous 40-inch rockfish. The stripers looked just like a school of cruising bonefish (big bonefish) on the clear, shallow flats surrounding Fisherman’s Island.

Ray Wasdyke with his trophy 46-inch red drum on fly – World Class Catch!!

Harvey Conard with his 40-inch striper

In the next issue I will take a brief step back, with highlights from a very good Susky Flats C & R season. Stay tuned!! 





Josenhans FF ~ January Newsletter

21 01 2012

Josenhans Fly Fishing = Fly Fishing & Light Tackle Charters

While the name may say “fly fishing,” most of you are aware that I am certainly no stranger to the spinning rod. I carry quality G.Loomis rods and Shimano Stradic spinning reels for your use. In addition, you are more than welcome to bring along your own tackle on your guided trip.  I always love to compare tackle and techniques with my fellow anglers.

In gearing-up for the 2012 fishing season one of my first steps is this slightly overdue newsletter. During the past few weeks, I have made the occasional trip to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT) with some nice rockfish being caught on both fly and spin tackle. Take a look at the fishing reports section of my blog for the latest in CBBT action. The next couple of months will also yield some very good light tackle and fly fishing action on the Pocomoke River. See below for trip info. Now for a brief rundown on what to expect in the coming weeks and months.

Pocomoke River Yellow Perch

Fishing Opportunities in 2012 

Pocomoke River I am currently booking trips on the scenic and wild Pocomoke River. We’ll put-in at the Byrd Park ramp in Snow Hill, Maryland where we will chase yellow perch, crappie, pickerel and largemouth bass. This is a great way to spend a midwinter’s day casting ultra-light spinning or fly tackle. The winding nature of the Pocomoke creates many protected and productive shorelines that can be fished comfortably, even as cool winter breezes keep bay boaters in port.  The all-inclusive cost for a six-hour trip is only $275 and I’ll supply the coffee and donuts. Take a look here for some of last season’s Pocomoke action Pocomoke River Fishing 2011.

Pocomoke River Pickerel

March White Perch –  Beginning around the first of March I will be guiding clients to some terrific white perch action on the Nanticoke River out of Sharptown, Maryland. This is a fun trip for adults and kids, as there is always plenty of action. When the run is on, the perch generally average 10 to 12 inches, with fish of 13 inches or greater caught every season. This was one of my most popular trips last spring, and with the peak of the run  lasting maybe three weeks, it’s best to get your name on the books today! Check out some of last season’s action at Nanticoke White Perch 

Nanticoke River White Perch

Susquehanna Flats – Even though last season’s flats fishing was a bust, I believe that with this winter’s low snowfall (so far) amounts, this coming spring’s catch & release flats fishery could prove to be outstanding.  There have been good numbers of big fish in the lower bay and offshore of the Virginia Capes; so I’m looking forward to a big migration towards the Susky this spring. I have some good dates available during the peak period of the last two weeks in April, so book early to get the day you want. 

Red Drum at Fisherman’s Island, VA –  I have had quite a few requests to make the trek to the barrier islands of Virginia near the CBBT to try for trophy red drum during the spring run. There has been a super fishery for the past few years with big reds averaging 30 to 50 pounds. While much of this is fishing live bait, on good weather days these fish can be caught casting bucktail jigs, spoons and flies. If you would be interested in this type of trip, please let me know well in advance. The timetable for this will be the first week or two of May. 

Tangier Sound Flounder and Croaker

Tangier Sound Spring/Summer Fishing – What with the mild winter weather we have experienced, I really expect to see some great speckled trout fishing beginning around the first of May. We caught some BIG specks last fall, and a spring run of big pre-spawn trout is long overdue. Don’t miss out on the return of this great shallow water gamefish. Flounder fishing was off-the-charts last summer and I am hopeful for more of the same in 2012. Bluefish provided fantastic light-tackle action throughout the late spring and summer months in 2011, especially for fly-fishers looking for a good fight on the long wand. The early morning rockfish bite was very good at times, as big stripers smacked out Storm and Stillwater poppers all over the sound. There is plenty to do while fishing out of Crisfield.  

Big Tangier Sound Speckled Trout

Winter Speaking Engagements – I will be speaking at several fishing club meetings and events in the coming months, so if you’re in the neighborhood stop in and say hi.

February 8 – I will be speaking at the monthly meeting of the Saltwater Fly Anglers of Delaware in Lewes, DE. Come out and enjoy a PowerPoint presentation on Tangier Sound Fly Fishing. I will also touch on the Susquehanna Flats C&R fishery and my outlook for this spring. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. and you will find directions on their Web site.  

February 21 – I will be speaking at the monthly meeting of the MSSA’s Essex/Middle River Chapter at the Commodore Hall in Essex, MD. Located at 1909 Old Eastern Ave., the meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. I will give a PowerPoint presentation on Fly and Light Tackle opportunities on Tangier Sound, with a special emphasis on the great speckled trout and flounder fishing that we enjoyed this past season. I’ll briefly touch on the Susky Flats as well. Come on out and enjoy an evening of fishing talk!

February 25 – I’ll have a table at CCA’s 10th annual TieFest, the region’s premier fly-fishing show, located at the Kent Narrows Yacht Club in Chester, MD. Show time is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and admission is free. This is a must-attend event for any fly angler who’s wet a line in saltwater. I always book a lot of trips at this show, so arrive early and stay late. The food and friendly atmosphere make this my favorite event of the entire year. See you there!

A final note: I am in the process of updating my Web site Josenhans Fly Fishing with new photos and graphics. In addition, for the most current reports and happenings, please check-out my blog at Josenhans Fly Fishing Blog as daily reports may be posted here before they are distributed via the e-newsletter.  Thanks for reading, and here’s to a fantastic 2012 season!

Capt. Kevin  Josenhans

 





Josenhans FF ~ CBBT on the Fly

19 01 2012

On Monday, January 16 I had the good fortune to fish the CBBT with Brendan Kasper and Brian Hepler. Brendan and Brian, both being very accomplished fly fishers, elected to leave the spinning sticks back in the truck. They were rewarded for their efforts with maybe twenty or so fat, hard-fighting stripers that averaged 23 to 26 inches. The belly of every single rockfish was over-stuffed with bunker. After a morning that began with temperatures in the mid-20’s, a light southerly breeze provided us with a most enjoyable day on the lower bay. Toward the end of our trip, a small pod of right whales gave us a  brief top-water show as they slowly plodded their way upstream with the incoming tide.

Brendan with a hefty fly-caught rockfish

 

Brian fooled this plump striper with a Half & Half

 

Brian with another healthy rockfish

 

Whale Watching

 





Josenhans FF ~ CBBT Big Fish Report!

24 12 2011

Matt Roach, Eric Bleicher and Mike Robertson joined me for a much-anticipated trip to the CBBT. After a fruitless couple of hours looking for fish and bird activity in the ocean, we moved on to plan B and returned to the bridge tunnel. I’ll be honest, rockfish were hard to come by. And while we didn’t exactly fill the boat, but we did manage a couple of nice stripes around the islands and pilings. Specialized Baits “The Bug” in 1.5 oz. with a 6-inch BKD was the hot lure. Eric had the hot hand early, but Matt’s 43-inch fish took top honors. Both stripers were a personal best for the guys and the fish were released after a quick photo-op.

Eric struck first with this 34-inch beauty

 

Matt with his 43-inch trophy rockfish

 





Josenhans Fly Fishing ~ Quick CBBT Report

21 12 2011

Fished the CBBT yesterday. Beautiful day with maybe 20 rockfish to 26 inches. Not great – not terrible. Beautiful sunrise greeted us at Fisherman’s Island.

Sunrise over Fisherman's Island