Roland E. Murphy (left) and Al King display the record spadefish Murphy caught Saturday in the Chesapeake Bay. SHERRY KING Visit the Photo Place

It took heart to land spadefish

Ken Perrotte's outdoor column

Date published: 6/18/2009

THE POWERFUL TUG of an Atlantic spadefish, a fish routinely described as "a bluegill on steroids," leaves an indelible mark on a fisherman.

Fishing success for the once-plentiful species declined markedly last year, and this year was shaping up to be more of the same. Many trips to vaunted Chesapeake Bay honey holes such as "the Cell" and the old Wolftrap lighthouse saw anglers heading home skunked.

The hard luck didn't dissuade diehard Fredericksburg anglers Roland E. Murphy and the husband-and-wife team of Al and Sherry King. They saddled up and headed to Deltaville Saturday where the Kings' 25-foot center-console boat is moored and made the several-mile run to the Cell.

This tangle of underwater structure is the collapsed ruins of a World War II-vintage ship-demagnetization facility, and it's been a fish magnet for decades.

The trio has boated many Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament trophy citation-sized spadefish over the years, but the one that bent down the rod Murphy grabbed late Saturday afternoon is destined for the record books.

If certified, the 14-pound, 14-ounce spadefish will eclipse the current 14-pound record, jointly held by Mark Ottarson of North and Austin Edwards of Powhatan. Edwards caught his fish in 2006 at the Cell, while Ottarson boated his spade near Wolftrap in 2007.

Murphy's fish may also be a world record.

King said they've fished for spadefish for 13 years and have longed for a record fish. He said recent spadefishing has been "terrible," and he speculated the nearly month-long torrents of freshwater running off into the bay, courtesy of monsoon-like rains, was the culprit.

They began the day targeting flounder at a location near the Cell, but met with minimal result and moved on.

King anchored the boat right atop the Cell's debris. While they waited for the tide to swing, a storm gathered and boats began departing for home early. Murphy explained that they decided to wait out the weather. It paid off, and, once the tide began heading out, the spadefish turned on.

Some spadefish hunters like to hang a bag of chum in the water to attract them and get the bite going, but King said they simply dangled baited clam strips 10- to 12-feet deep.

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Date published: 6/18/2009