A torrential downpour ruined any thoughts I had of scoring a couple keeper flounder in Ocean City's back bay tonight. So I guess a cold beer is a sorry second. The sad part was I'd heard fishers were doing pretty good on flatfish so long as the water is clean. Also along the coast, where I've made camp at Long Acres Motel while running my youth fishing camp, Captain Monty Hawkins on the Ocean City-based headboat Morning Star tells me when the wind doesn't blow the sea bass bite is just fine on area reefs and wrecks. In fact, one of his customers, Kevin Mahoney of Baltimore, boated a 5lb., 2 oz. sea bass that swallowed a strip squid.
MSSA Rob Pellicot of the MSSA Frederick chapter sent me a note that Steve Schad broke off a big eye but he and his crew did land six yellowfin tuna. Over the Fourth of July holiday Dale Dirks, of the Annapolis MSSA chapter, and friends fished out of Wachapreague on his boat the Heatwave— a 37' Ocean Express. They caught plenty of yellowfin tuna, dolphin, and a couple of bigeye tuna. Annapolitan Nick Binnendijk landed a bigeye that weighed in at 143 lbs. On Friday, that fish was bested by the 159 pounder caught by Kent Island resident Darren Webb. In general the tuna bite has been good some days and fair to so-so on other trips. The coastal reefs and wrecks are holding more flounder each week and triggerfish are around, taking squid strips.
Back home on the Chesapeake I've receive better bluefish reports as well as more speckled trout caught on live spot from Sharp's Island to Poplar Island. PropTalk reader Jeff Sykes of Edgewater fished aboard his Judge with sons Jack and Henry and their buddy Andrew Falsone. They were live lining spot on The Hill, and caught a brace of nice stripers--Andrew's rock measured 30 inches while Henry decked a bluefish that looked to go 5 pounds. For the bluefish, try trolling hoses and spoons on planers at 5 knots or better covers a lot of water, jigging metal or bucktails on light tackle will make you smile. Eastern Shore is better than western shore, presumably because it's saltier. I'm still waiting on word of the first Spanish mackerel-what say you PT readers?
You can't seem to go wrong bottom fishing. Any of the hard bottom areas, from Breezy Point to Tollys' to Snake Reef you should find copious amounts of white perch, spot, and even some decent croakers. Crabbing has slid back into mediocrity, or worse in many western shore rivers. On the Chester and Corsica rivers, it also has been a slow pick at best. The Kent Narrows and Wye River reports vary wildly from day to day, so not sure what to tell you. Otherwise, here's who's catching what and where.
If you want to score rockfish, live line spot at The Hill, Bay Bridge pilings, inside Eastern Bay but it pays to get an early start avoid the crowds and thus fishing on less shy rock.
Lately I've been using 1/2 oz. to 1 oz. jigheads tipped with Bust 'Em Baits soft plastics, which are locally made. I've done pretty good on them, and like the action. Above the Bay Bridges the size of the rockfish has dropped somewhat but whether drifting live spot or chumming try the Sewer Pipe, the Mud Flats and Podicory. As a bonus the puppy drum have shown up from the mouth of the South Rive to the Magothy. ,
If you want to fish out of Solomon, go bottom fishing. Most of the fleet is sailing norht for their rockfish. Down off the reefs from Point No Point to Point Lookout, it's a mixed bag of spot, croakers, some rock with a few blues in the mix. Across the Bay, you should catch slot red drum and speckled trout along the shallows from Bloodsworth to Watts Island.
Down in lower Virginia I hear the flounder bite has been a bit off all year but the cobia are making a nice showing. Some Spanish mackerel have been boated along the beachfront and at the CBBT you can find black drum and sheepshead. If you venture to the towers and wrecks, you could be rewarded with spadefish, triggerfish, and even jack crevalle. Word is some tarpon are making their annual jaunt inside the coastal bays of Oyster. In the bluewater, anglers are catching a nice variety of dolphin, yellowfin tuna, some bigeye tuna. Every week fishermen report more billfish plowing their baits.
Friday, July 12, 2013 - 15:01
A torrential downpour ruined any thoughts I had of scoring a couple keeper flounder in Ocean City's back bay tonight. So I guess a cold beer is a sorry second. The sad part was I'd heard fishers were doing pretty good on flatfish so long as the water is clean. Also along the coast, where I've made camp at Long Acres Motel while running my youth fishing camp, Captain Monty Hawkins on the Ocean City-based headboat Morning Star tells me when the wind doesn't blow the sea bass bite is just fine on area reefs and wrecks. In fact, one of his customers, Kevin Mahoney of Baltimore, boated a 5lb., 2 oz. sea bass that swallowed a strip squid.
MSSA Rob Pellicot of the MSSA Frederick chapter sent me a note that Steve Schad broke off a big eye but he and his crew did land six yellowfin tuna. Over the Fourth of July holiday Dale Dirks, of the Annapolis MSSA chapter, and friends fished out of Wachapreague on his boat the Heatwave— a 37' Ocean Express. They caught plenty of yellowfin tuna, dolphin, and a couple of bigeye tuna. Annapolitan Nick Binnendijk landed a bigeye that weighed in at 143 lbs. On Friday, that fish was bested by the 159 pounder caught by Kent Island resident Darren Webb. In general the tuna bite has been good some days and fair to so-so on other trips. The coastal reefs and wrecks are holding more flounder each week and triggerfish are around, taking squid strips.
Back home on the Chesapeake I've receive better bluefish reports as well as more speckled trout caught on live spot from Sharp's Island to Poplar Island. PropTalk reader Jeff Sykes of Edgewater fished aboard his Judge with sons Jack and Henry and their buddy Andrew Falsone. They were live lining spot on The Hill, and caught a brace of nice stripers--Andrew's rock measured 30 inches while Henry decked a bluefish that looked to go 5 pounds. For the bluefish, try trolling hoses and spoons on planers at 5 knots or better covers a lot of water, jigging metal or bucktails on light tackle will make you smile. Eastern Shore is better than western shore, presumably because it's saltier. I'm still waiting on word of the first Spanish mackerel-what say you PT readers?
You can't seem to go wrong bottom fishing. Any of the hard bottom areas, from Breezy Point to Tollys' to Snake Reef you should find copious amounts of white perch, spot, and even some decent croakers. Crabbing has slid back into mediocrity, or worse in many western shore rivers. On the Chester and Corsica rivers, it also has been a slow pick at best. The Kent Narrows and Wye River reports vary wildly from day to day, so not sure what to tell you. Otherwise, here's who's catching what and where.
If you want to score rockfish, live line spot at The Hill, Bay Bridge pilings, inside Eastern Bay but it pays to get an early start avoid the crowds and thus fishing on less shy rock.
Lately I've been using 1/2 oz. to 1 oz. jigheads tipped with Bust 'Em Baits soft plastics, which are locally made. I've done pretty good on them, and like the action. Above the Bay Bridges the size of the rockfish has dropped somewhat but whether drifting live spot or chumming try the Sewer Pipe, the Mud Flats and Podicory. As a bonus the puppy drum have shown up from the mouth of the South Rive to the Magothy. ,
If you want to fish out of Solomon, go bottom fishing. Most of the fleet is sailing norht for their rockfish. Down off the reefs from Point No Point to Point Lookout, it's a mixed bag of spot, croakers, some rock with a few blues in the mix. Across the Bay, you should catch slot red drum and speckled trout along the shallows from Bloodsworth to Watts Island.
Down in lower Virginia I hear the flounder bite has been a bit off all year but the cobia are making a nice showing. Some Spanish mackerel have been boated along the beachfront and at the CBBT you can find black drum and sheepshead. If you venture to the towers and wrecks, you could be rewarded with spadefish, triggerfish, and even jack crevalle. Word is some tarpon are making their annual jaunt inside the coastal bays of Oyster. In the bluewater, anglers are catching a nice variety of dolphin, yellowfin tuna, some bigeye tuna. Every week fishermen report more billfish plowing their baits.