Spadefish Fever
By Captain Bob Reed

At right: Janet and Jim Barnes with some pretty Chesapeake spades.

The Atlantic Spadefish, Chaetodipterus faber, is exciting Chesapeake anglers and if you ever hooked-up with one of these critters you will know why! They are elusive, cunning, onerous, destructive and just plain mean! For my money- landing one of these 10 to 12 pounders is the fishing thrill of a lifetime.

As our waters get warmer up the bay we are getting more and more spades moving North, Find your own stash. Look for them around any structure such as lighthouses, man-made reefs, sunken ships, bridge pilings or rock piles, etc. It can get crowded quickly around the popular spade hangouts so look for your own honey hole and keep it quiet. (By the way we are also getting more concentrations of other ocean species such as the tautog in the mid bay area.)

Once you select a likely area, anchor-up and deploy fresh chum such as ground clams or whelk. Plan on starting on a tide that is slowing down so that your chum will not move away form the boat too quickly. Spades are cautious and will not come close to the boat at first so drift back small pieces of clam on very small but extra strong hooks under a small bobber so that the bait is a good distance away from the boat. When you hook-up make every effort to keep the fish up and away from the structure but do not tighten your drag so tight that it will snap the line. (Use 20# fluorocarbon.) Get the fish to the net firmly and quickly but with not too much pressure

Now that you have captured a spade it should not be difficult to catch your limit. Keep the fish around you boat by keeping the chum flowing. Also tie computer discs together and let them flash in the water behind the boat or put your captured fish on a stringer and in the water next to the boat and the curious spades will come closer and closer to your boat.

All this may sound real easy. It is not easy to get the spade on the hook! It is important to drift your bait so it looks natural to the fish (either under a bobber or bobber less). When the fish inhales the bait you must set the hook immediately. You will probably miss the first 5 to 10 fish but do no give up. Sooner or later you will manage to get the hook set and the fight is on! Spades are an excellent eating fish but difficult to clean. I suggest using an electric knife and filet the fish removing the tough skin.

Catch a citation spadefish! The Virginia requirement is 9 lbs. or 22 inches for a release citation. Break the 14 lbs. Virginia State record. These fish go to 36 inches or 20 lbs. Bring your son or daughter along and enter his/her catch in the Virginia Junior Angler Awards program. Any youth 15 years old or younger can enter and receive an awards certificate by catching and releasing six different eligible saltwater fish. Call 757-491-5160 for information on the program.

Get in on the exciting spadefish action this season! The best time to go is in June and July so plan or book a trip now for the fishing thrill on a lifetime!