As the days get shorter and our Bay waters cool down the Chesapeake's finfish school up and feed up in anticipation of the coming winter. The good news for us recreational anglers is that these large concentrations of frenzy feeding fish make fishing much more exciting. The difficulty for the angler is finding these hoards of feeding fish.

The prime target fish for most anglers is the rockfish. Methods vary from chumming to trolling to jigging and to casting. Location can be anywhere from above the Bay bridge at Annapolis to below the bay bridge tunnel.

In early November chumming really gets hot at the various man made and natural structure, especially in the mid bay area. When the season opened in early October in Virginia chummers were still traveling up into Maryland for their prey. By the second week of October however, a few persistent slingers found that the stripers and good size bluefish had moved into the structure and were aggressively biting their baits. Limits were boated in short time and fish measuring up to 25 inches were put into the coolers. This action will continue throughout November. For added fun and bigger fish try using live bait. (Check out last months Chesapeake Angler for information on this technique.

By mid November expect to see more bait bunched up and the jumbo fish moving up and down the bay in packs. It is time to break out the heavy trolling gear and pursue these mammoth fish from the north. Deep water jigging is also a great option! Trolling for a trophy rockfish is not unlike going on an African safari. You have to be willing to search sometimes hard and long to find the packs of feeding fish. Sometimes the gulls especially the larger gannets will lead you to the fish. Constant observation and good binoculars are a must. Radar to spot the diving birds is also extremely helpful. Huge bunched up bait seen on your depth finder is an excellent indicator of feeding fish. Check out these bait concentrations. Look for individual large marks around the bait.

Find your own fish! Depending on radio reports or just looking for others anglers who have rounded up the fish is often disappointing and not the best way to go. Too many boats spook the fish and it can be impossible and dangerous to fish in heavy boat traffic. Last year large fish were caught very near the surface. I strongly recommend that you troll at least one or two lines near the top. Use a long line with a small umbrella or a 4 to 6-ounce tandem or a very large spoon with a 2 to 4 ounce in-line weight back about 200 to 300 feet. Outriggers and planer boards are also very effective but may be cumbersome for small boats. (Avoid using these devices in heavy traffic areas.)

Run your lures at various depths. Shallow- 10 to 15 feet, intermediate- 20 to 25 feet deep, and deep- 30 to 45 feet deep. You can accomplish this by various combinations of line lengths and lure/sinker weight. Be flexible and make adjustment on the location of the big marks.

Clean and bright lures are extremely important. It's got to look like a baitfish to get the predator's attention. White, chartreuse, clear and green sparkle, pink and pearl are excellent choices for plastic shad colors. Parachute, bucktail and mojo heads can include black, white, chartreuse and purple. Lure hair must be neat and clean. If you are not catching when you think you should check out your lures.

Use common sense when trolling. Do not put out more lines than you can handle. Avoid large concentrations of other boats and never attempt to troll alone. It is absolutely critical that someone be on the wheel at all times. For a more relaxing time get a few of your buddies together and sign up for a charter. Plan it now and see what's available. They go really fast from mid November through the end of December.

This is the very best time to seek out your trophy and enjoy fresh rockfish for your Thanksgiving dinner. Enjoy the season! Enjoy the Bay! And above all be safe!