David Siskind | Sunday, 8 June 2025
I’ve been fishing in Chesapeake Bay with Captain Zack Hoisington, a righteous fellow, and expert guide who operates out of Cape Charles, VA spring and summer, and Annapolis, MD the rest of the year. He has an extensive knowledge of the unique fishery in the Chesapeake Bay and its islands, flats and feeder creeks. He ties beautiful flies, and casts and fishes with admirable authority. And has a day job as Director of Education and Partnership for the Annapolis Maritime Museum and Park. Their mission is to engage the communities of Annapolis and Anne Arunduel County with the history and ecology of the Chesapeake Bay with specific outreach to underserved youth. Local kids are exposed to maritime skills with internship programs featuring on-the-water experiences. It’s pretty cool. Google him.
The fishery is diverse and seasonal. Crabbing is big. Swimming blue crabs are visible out in open water. There is a salinity gradient as the fresh waters of the Susquehanna and local creeks in the northern end of the bay gradually “salt up” toward the south. It's one of the two primary striped bass nurseries where big bass spawn in the northern creeks and winter over in the cool waters. There have been several poor spawning years in row (after some great years) possibly due to drought and other climate related factors so new regulations eliminating harvest and even targeting of stripers will be in effect until the younger classes are replenished.
There are also schools of redfish in the marshes and mouth of the bay. In April big bulls move on to the flats to eat crabs. Resident schools stay year round in deeper water but become available to flyfishers at times. They are big fish indeed averaging 40 lbs. I’ve got to sample this fishing. Next year? This trip we targeted cobia.
The water in Cape Charles was 70-75 degrees F over the last two days. The stripers have left on their migration north and the cobia have begun to show. Their season opens mid month but catch and release is OK. They are weird fish, catchable from Florida north. I’m not sure what they are doing because it’s not chasing bait but they are visible, under the right conditions of light and wind, swimming at the surface in relatively deep water, sometimes solo, sometimes in pairs or threesomes. They’ll eat flies and provide challenging sight fishing sport. Spin fisherman cast jigs at them, others cast live eels. I was fishing weighted clouser looking things and big articulated streamers like game changers and beasts. The cobia’s response is finicky and in plain view. Unless a cast is dumped right on top of them and they spook and sound, they usually follow a fly but getting an eat is a conversation. Pauses, quick strips, and little jiggles are sometimes rewarded. For me not too often. I had fish swim up and nose my fly a few times and turn away. Over two days I had close to thirty shots and caught one fish. I could get a lot better at this. It was great fishing. Just what I like.
A bonus - each afternoon bluefish started boiling under schools of menhaden. They ate streamers and poppers greedily. Destroying flies completely - a streamer would last for three fish at most. They jumped repeatedly when hooked. I hadn’t fished for them since I moved to California nearly 40 years ago. It brought me back. What a gas.
Casting note: a too-early-haul with the big flies and a sinking line would cause a tailing loop sending the fly whizzing past my ear - terrifying. Delaying the haul worked way better. I’ve got to train that timing.
David Siskind