April 30, 2010 - Fishing Trip Report

Reel Addiction CCA sponsored trip April 25th.
Here's the report from member Dave Gedra (edited):

The trip aboard the Reel Addiction went off very well!!

There were five anglers on the trip; myself, my 11 year old son Stephen, Stephen's friend Connor, also 11, Bob Gregor and Chet Glod. Of the five anglers, I was the only one who had been on a trophy striper trip before; so when we hooked up with bubba, I put myself last on the rotation.

We met the boat and crew, Captain Ignash and mate Chris Sutton, at Anchor Point Basin in Edgewater, at the mouth of the South River at 5:30 a.m. The boat is a beautiful 35'Carolina Princess, an offshore boat with flying bridge. Go visit Captain Greg Ignash's web site reeladdiction.com for pictures. In addition to a great boat, all the fishing gear was brand new, including Shimano Tekota reels.

We motored down the bay in bands of light rain, with a light breeze; the seas were relatively calm with some small rollers. When we arrived in the area around Buoy 78, south of Parker Creek, the captain put out 18 lines with planer boards, and the game began.

We fished until everyone had their trophy fish in the box:

Bob was up first; he caught a nice 39" fish.

Connor was up next; he reeled in a 38" fish.

Chet was #3; he brought home a monstrous 45" beauty which dwarfed everything else in the box.

Stephen at 11 years old was up next to catch his first trophy Rockfish. He struggled to land a nice 36 incher....Fortunately we did not loose the boy, the gear, nor the fish...Chris Sutton, the mate did a great job letting him fight the fish, but preventing any accidents from happening.

I was last up, and settled for a 34 incher. Just as my fish hit the deck, another rod went down, and Bob brought a nice 36" fish in for a photo and release.

Based on observing the other boats, listining to the radio, and getting reports via cell phone, it seems that we did pretty well by comparison. A number of boats were really struggling to get fish in the box!

We headed back to Edgewater at about 27 knots where the mate expertly cleaned the fish for us...we headed back to Northern Virginia at about 3:00.

Captain Greg Ignash and his mate Chris Sutton put on a great trip for us....they are a 1st Class Operation. I highly recommend them for this type of fishing trip, and wouldn't hesitate to fish with them again!

March -April 2010 Newsletter

From the President:

Dear Members and Friends-
The 10th Annual Banquet was a big success - On March 6, 2010, the Northern Virginia Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association held its 10th Annual "Save a Fish" Banquet & Auction. This year's event drew close to 90 supporters of the Chesapeake Bay and Virginia's Coastal Marine Environment.

The evening was highlighted with auctioneer Clark Carr conducting the exciting Live Auction that included lots of great items, including Charter Trips, weekend vacations, and rod and reel combos. Everyone in attendance agreed that this event was not only fun but also for a great cause as well! The event raised approximately $20,000 towards "Conserving, Protecting, and Restoring" the Chesapeake Bay and Virginia's Coastal Marine Environment! A truly amazing amount considering the current state of our economy - but nevertheless it shows that we have a very strong group that cares enough about our mission to support it.

Banquet Photos: Click on the words "CCA Banquet Photos" below to view, and download photos from the Banquet.

CCA Banquet Photos

Generous Donors -
This event could not have been a success without the support of our generous donors. We were very fortunate to be able to offer 15 Charter/Guided Fishing trips at the auction. The Chapter fishing trips during the year will be with these captains, so sign up and get to meet these generous donors. We were also able to offer top notch equipment and gear - plus numerous other fantastic prizes - LL Bean donated the Super Raffle Grand Prize - an LL Bean Angler Kayak Package.

The Super Raffle Kayak winner this year was one of our CCA members - Greg Rhatican of Springfield, Virginia - He seemed very happy to have his ticket drawn and I am sure he will put the kayak to good use!

Hugh Miller donated a Custom Rod to be built to the winners specifications - it was the subject of the 52 card raffle, always an exciting event!

I would also like to take a moment to thank the Banquet Committee members and their families....they put in countless hours in making this a great event: Carl Onesty, Tom Welch, Rich & Vivian Redler, Ernie Rojas, Bob Forbes, and George Lenard. Again, thank you all for your great support of this event; we look forward to putting the funds to good use in running our chapter events and providing support for our State-Wide conservation efforts.

CCA VA Infonet - Please keep a look out for notices from our CCA VA infonet - it will keep you up to date on all state-wide fisheries issues, and a new program that has been announced to increase membership in Virginia. It is called "Reel-em-in" ; there will be more information available on the state website.

Next Meeting April 14 - I look forward to seeing you at our next Chapter meeting on April 14th with Guest speaker John Page Williams, a fisherman and naturalist with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Rob Allen, President,

CCA Northern Virginia

Calendar of Events for 2010:
Monthly Meetings - Mark your calendars:

When: 2nd Wednesday of the Month

Where: Grace Presbyterian Church meeting hall, 2381 Cedar Lane, Vienna, VA

Time: From 7:00 to 9:00 pm.

Directions: From the Outer Beltway:

Exit 47 West on to Route 7 (Leesburg Pike)

Take second left on to Gallows Road .3 mi.

Go 1.2 miles, turn right on to Cedar Lane

Go .8 miles, cross the Bike Trail, 2381 is on your left.

April 14th Meeting - John Page Williams - Chesapeake Bay Foundation

May 12th Meeting - Francis Zell - "10 ways to improve your your trolling and light tackle fishing techniques."

June 9 Meeting - Captain Tom Hughes - "Maximizing your GPS/Plotter/Fish Finder"

Sept 8th Meeting - Speaker to be determined


Oct. 13th Meeting - Speaker to be determined

Nov. 10th Meeting - Speaker to be determined


We are always looking for interesting speakers; if you know someone thw would make an interesting presentation, please contact Rob Allen. (rob.allen@princetoninformationl.com or 703-626-2668)


Our special thanks to CCA member Mark Stempler, a member of the Church Congregation for providing the meeting place for our use during the year!

April 14th, 2010 Meeting:

John Page Williams from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, a conservationist and recreational fisherman, will be our guest speaker with a presentation of the current state of the Bay, and the latest legislation that would empower the EPA to control pollution in the Bay. There will be lots of opportunities for questions and answers; we had a lively discussion session with John at last years' presentation!

Bio: In addition to his responsibilities as a fund raiser for CBF, field educator, and program administrator, John has hands-on experience running field trips by canoe, outboard skiff, and workboat on every river system in the Chesapeake.

John is also a free-lance writer on the subjects of boats, marine electronics, fishing and environmental issues for Boating, and Northeast Boating Magazines, (see his article on fishing in the latest Chesapeake Bay Magazine).

May 12 Meeting:

Francis Zell will be our guest speaker in May, with a power point presentation on "10 ways to improve your trolling and light tackle jigging techniques". Francis' presentation will include lots of the equipment he uses during the season for you to check out and ask questions about.

Bio: Francis has been fishing the Chesapeake Bay for over 15 years, which is more than half his life, and is a frequent contributor to "Tidal Fish". Fran is a full-time teacher, a former commercial hook and line fisherman, has mated on several charter boats, including the fin Finder, and "Miss Susie" out of Solomons, and manages to fish about 150 days a year. This will be an enjoyable and entertaining evening...y'all come!!

Charter Fishing Trip News - Fin finder Trip - April 19

Tom Welch Doug McNair Paul Henon

I received this report from Tom Welch (edited), who organized this trip out of Solomons on April 19th.

We left the dock for our afternoon Charter at 12:40 with Captain Andrew Turner and proceeded up the bay toward the power plant on the Western Shore. It was a great day to be on the water...normally I like to fish in the morning...but today I was very happy fishing in the afternoon. Captain Turner had a morning trip with another party and it was rough water and rough fishing that morning...they only caught 6.

First mate Steve put out a spread of 24 lines, and then FISH ON.....Tom Welch made quick work of the 38" fish...the skunk was off the boat! We than had a steady pick, and within two hours each of the seven guests had boated a fish...the keepers were from 31" up to 42".

We hung around and did some C&R...caught another 7 fish...all released unharmed. The Bay was flat as a lake, and the sun really kept us warm. Back at the dock by 5:30, and back in Reston by 8:00....A great day with a great crew!! Bob Coy, Tom Welch, Doug McNair, George Hussey, Paul Henon, Ed McWilliams

February 2010 Newsletter

From the President:

Happy New Year fellow Conservationists and Fishermen. We are pleased to present the latest Chapter Newsletter, and hope to add content throughout the year. You received an e-mail directing you to this Newsletter because you are a CCA Northern Virginia member, or a supporter of CCA NOVA. The blog format will save trees, allow us more flexibility with color and photos, (which you can download), and also gives us the ability to contact you with timely information immediately. We will be featuring stories and information of special interest to our Northern Virginia members, including local fishing reports, information on upcoming meetings, and follow up stories with pictures from these events.

The CCC State and Chapter websites (http://www.blogger.com/www.ccavirginia.org) continue to provide internet access to anyone surfing the web looking for CCA contact information for the first time. We hope you enjoy our first issue for 2010 and welcome your input. Rob Allen - President

Calendar of Events for 2010:

Monthly Meetings - Mark your calendars:

When: 2nd Wednesday of the month

Where: Grace Presbyterian Church, meeting hall, 2381 Cedar Lane, Vienna Virginia

Time: From 7:00 to 9:00 pm.

Directions from the Outer Beltway:

Exit 47 West onto Route 7 (Leesburg Pike)

Take second left onto Gallows Road .3 mi.

Go 1.2 miles, turn right onto Cedar Lane

Go .8 miles, cross the Bike Trail, 2381 is on your left.

Feb. 10 Meeting -Captain Sean Crawford - Tides & Currents, Light Tackle, fly fishing.

Feb. 10 Meeting moved to Feb 17 due to Snow.

Saturday March 6th - 10th Annual Dinner and Auction - Kena Temple - Y'all Come!

April 14th Meeting - John Page Williams - Chesapeake Bay Foundation - Lots of info on fishing and environmental issues.

May 12th Meeting - Speaker to be determined

June 19th Meeting - Speaker to be determined

Sept. 8th Meeting - Speaker to be determined

Oct. 13th Meeting - Speaker to be determined

Nov. 10th Meeting - Speaker to be determined

Our thanks to CCA member Mark Stempler, a member of the congregation, for providing the meeting place for our use during the year.

Last year we had speakers on subjects that included Light Tackle Fishing, Trolling for Rockfish on the Bay, Fishing the CBBT - Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel - the impact of the Snakehead fish, an invasive alien in the Potomac, and fishing the Susquehanna flats. If you know someone who would make an interesting presentation, please contact Rob Allen. (rob.allen@princetoninformation.com or 703-626-2668)

February 10, 2010 Meeting:

Captain Sean Crawford - Sean Crawford will discuss Chesapeake Bay tides and currents and how to use both predicted and observed tides to locate fish. He will also discuss how they relate to fishing visible and off-shore structure.

Captain Crawford has been fishing the Bay for over 20 years and is a Federation of Fly Fishers Certified Fly Casting Instructor and member of the Sage Pro Staff. Sean has a Masters Degree in Oceanography from the University of Maryland and he will gladly share his knowledge and expertise on fishing the bay, fly casting and the Chesapeake Bay's complex tides and ecosystem.

Sean is President of the Kent Island chapter of CCA, and a member of Trout Unlimited. The bottom line is that Sean lives to take people fishing, teach them new techniques with fly rods or spinning rods, and most of all HAVE FUN!

For more information on Captain Crawford, go to his website:

www.terrapinbayfishing.com/Captain.html

Annual Banquet March 6, 2010

This is our annual fund raiser, and a really fun event! Go to our March 2009 blog, it is full of stories and photos from last years' Banquet; see what I great time we all had.

The food, prizes, and comraderie have gotten better every year. Charter Captains attending as guests will be mixing with folks, it's a really festive party for fisherman conservationists. The prizes include vacation trips, fishing gear, jewelry for the ladies and a great selection of conslumer electronics. We will be sending you a flyer soon, with all the details....Mark your calendar!

Location: The Shriners Kena Temple on Route 50 in Fairfax, Virginia

Time: 6:00 Social Hour - Hors D'Oeuvres, Open Bar

7:00 Dinner -

8:00 Live Auction

Silent Auction and Bucket Raffles all evening.

Tickets: $50 per person, includes one year membership to CCA.

Contact Carl Onesty @703-407-8921 or Rob Allen @703-626-2668

Chapter Fishing Trips:

George Lenard has been coordinating our charter boat trips for the past few years, and will have the line-up of trips for 2010 very soon. For most of us it is impossible to put together a group of friends to charter a boat for a day of fishing. George has put together a variety of trips from light tackle and fly fishing to Cobia, and off-shore trips for chapter members.

Fishing Reports:

We are in the middle of the armchair fishing season, when we look at the latest equipment catalogs and stories of catching bonefish and baraccuda in the warm clear waters to the South. Anyone with mid-winter fishing reports from the power plants, the Atlantic Coast, or Florida, please contact the editor, Rich Redler (richredler@verizon.net) with your reports.

2010 "Save a Kid - Catch a Fish" Trip - (Date to be determined)

Every year our chapter sponsors a day of fishing for kids who may otherwise never have the opportunity to experience a day of fishing on the water. Last August the Chapter sponsored our 8th youth fising trip. Our guests for the day consisted of 24 children and adults from the Northern Virginia Council of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

Captain Frank Carver; of "Loosenup Charters" in Deale Maryland hosted the trip for a second year on his 48 ft charter boat the "Loosenup". You can visit his website for charter information (www.loosenupcharters.com) and a picture of his boat. Captain Carver was assisted by Captain Bryan Schmitt who performed the duties of Mate. The participants enjoyed a great day of bottom fishing for white perch, sppt and croaker. The weather was perfect, and Captain Frank made sure the antlers had plenty of action.

For many of the youth anglers and some of their adult chaperones, this was their first fising experience. All were fast learners, and before long most were comfortable with handling their catch and baiting their hooks. The young anglers were eager to demonstrate their interest in conservation as most of the fish were released.

The Chapter provided lunch, soft drinks, and snacks, and at the conclusion of the trip each youth angler eas presented with a new spinning rod and reel to keep as a memento of the trip. Chaptermembers helping on the trip included George Lenard, Carl Onesty, and Paul Smith. George said that this year's trip will be sometime in August, when we'll do a report on it.

Events of Interest:

TIEFEST!!! February 27th- Kent Island Yacht Club, 117 Yacht Club Dr, Chester, MD. An event that started with 10 anglers has become one of the premier fly-fishing events in the Mid-Atlantic region, drawing up to 500 participants and some of the biggest legends of fly fishing. This is sponsored by CCA Maryland, Kent Island Chapter.

The DC Metro chapter of MSSA meets the first Wednesday of each month at 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814, at 7:30 pm. This is one block from METRO and there is plenty of parking. mail me anytime for more details: President@DCMSSA.org, Check the website: http://www.dcmssa.org/, Tom Hughes will be presenting on the early season catch and release fishing on the Susquehanna Flats.

Conservation News:

1) Visit the CCA Virginia Website (www.ccavirginia.org) for legislative agenda items.

2) Menhaden Legislation - At the Virginia General Assembly, Companion bills in the senate and house (SB185, HB294) have been introduced, and we have assembled a large and powerful coalition to support the transfer of authority for monitoring the Menhaden fishery from the General Assembly to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC), where it can receive much needed oversight.