Virginia Saltwater: Striped Bass

After my very successful trophy saltwater trips for sharks off Ocean City, Maryland and bluefin tuna off Scituate, Massachusetts, I decided to play the hot hand and headed to Deltaville, Virginia to tangle with some truly impressive striped bass. During the season, Wes Crump (WCSportfishing.com) catches better striped bass in a week than I have seen in my life. And that isn't an exaggeration. My trip with Wes produced my biggest ever striper at 49 inches and 47 pounds, my second-biggest striper ever at 45 inches and 43 pounds, and my fourth-biggest striper ever at 46 inches and 39 pounds. It was absolutely unbelievable. Stripers are, by far, my most fished for species. I have fished for or caught stripers in 16 states and have caught trophies in four of those states. Yet, on one morning with Wes, I casually shattered my previous personal bests. Wes is a fantastic guide who knows the best techniques and locations for producing citation stripers. This was my first Virginia saltwater citation, and it is safe to say that I am officially hooked on saltwater fishing.