I give B.A.S.S. credit for saying the jury is still out, and if my concerns proved to be unfounded I will acknowledge that. The talk of the November meeting of the Smith Mountain Striper Club was about the jelly-like masses floating in the lake. Rex Smith, club president, described the objects as being similar to jellyfish. Smith presented literature about a similar spotting in Lake Cochituate in Massachusetts. The place to get the job done is along Virginia's Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and in the Atlantic along the edge of Virginia Beach.
Weather is the foe of late-season striper fishermen.
Count yourself lucky if you get out one-third of the times you set aside to fish. Look for trophy fishing to improve in December. There were no changes in the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament standings this week, which isn't unexpected this late in the season. Many species have left Virginia water for wintering grounds. If new leaders appear, they most likely will occur in the Striped bass, tautog and bluefish categories.