>>1078462So /out/, I've been attempting to fish in the lower tributaries of the Chesapeake bay, (James and York river), for the better part of three years now and can't seem to catch anything other than Croaker and Spot. I've been using basic bottom or high low rigs whilst drift fishing, usually baited with squid strips on circle hooks around size 1/0 to 4, I've also used bucktails, soft lures, live eels, and menhaden all to no success.
I'm generally using a 15ft skiff so I prefer to stay in the rivers since running out to the CBBT can get hairy if you couldn't make it back to Lynnhaven and the weather turned south. In terms of locations during Striped bass season I'll troll the bridges (64,664,JRB,Coleman) and during the summer I try to fish around the steeper channel shelves and creek inlets going for flounder, or anything else that's good eating.
What exactly am I doing wrong? I'm assuming the tides have a general effect on the feeding habits of fish, but due to time constraints I usually don't have the luxury of going out at a specific point of the cycle.
