7.2.09 6:12 pm

REMINDER: Delaware regulations for striped bass have changed effective July 1st through August 31st. Anglers are allowed to keep 2 stripers per day between 20 and 26 inches.

THURSDAY, July 2, 2009: Didn't hear much from the offshore gang today. In the bay there was a great flounder bite.

Tim Edstrom on the "Pony Island Express" caught a 24-inch flounder in the bay, right off where Shantytown used to be.

Eddie West caught an 8 lb. bluefish off the Rt. 50 Bridge.

The "Bay Bee" returned with 8 keepers. Five of the keepers were caught on the barge, sunk just off the South Jetty. The other 3 flounder were caught in the bay behind Assateague Island.

Matt Corbman on the "Morning Star" caught a 5 lb. 4 oz. flounder and a 2 lb. 14 oz. sea bass.

Tucker Colquhoun caught a 6 lb. 7 oz. flounder while fishing on the "Morning Star".


WEDNESDAY, July 1, 2009: "That's Right" released a blue marlin, estimated at 500 lbs. while fishing in 200 fathoms in the Poor Man's Canyon. They also caught 4 nice size yellowfins and a couple of dolphin.

Corey Burns on the "Morning Star" weighed in a couple of nice sea bass. Heaviest weighed 3 lbs. 12 oz.

Ronnie and Jeannie Spittle caught 6 flounder on Gulp! artificial baits in the bay behind Assateague Island.

The "Reel Naughty" returned with a 190 lb. mako and a dolphin from just outside the Twin Wrecks.

The "Good Times" had 3 dolphin and a yellowfin, all from 100 fathoms south of the Poor Man's Canyon.


TUESDAY, June 30, 2009: Offshore fishing was very slow today with only a few dolphin catches reported.

On the "Morning Star", George Henning landed a 4 lb. 14 oz. flounder and a 3 lb. 12 oz. flounder, both on a bucktail tipped with dolphin belly.


MONDAY, June 29, 2009: Nik Strine caught a 22-inch, 5.4 lb. flounder in the East Channel.

The "Morning Star" had a 21-inch weakfish, a 24.5-inch flounder and a triggerfish.

Guys on the "Lil' Angler" out of Talbot Street went spearfishing on Fenwick Shoal and returned with triggerfish, spadefish and tautog.

"Skip's Bait & Tackle Charters" caught 40 stripers, keeping 5, drifting the tip of the South Jetty with live spot.


SUNDAY, June 28, 2009: Much quieter day than yesterday, when fishing was INSANE!

Dave Konick caught a boat load of small bluefish and one bonita while trolling at the Jackspot.

The "Morning Star" returned with a nice catch of sea bass. Heaviest weighed 4 lbs. 4 oz.

The "Clear Shot" boated a 132.5 lb. bigeye tuna, 3 yellowfins and a dolphin while trolling in 150 fathoms in the Washington Canyon. Bigeye hit an artificial squid.

Larry Bierley on the "Vitamin Sea" caught a 139 lb. bluefin tuna at the Hambone. Fish measured 63-inches.

The "Marli" returned with 1 white marlin release, 3 yellowfins and 3 dolphin, all from the Washington Canyon.

The "Hot Pursuit" returned with three yellowfin tuna and two gaffer dolphin, all caught on green machines at the 100 fathom line at the Poor Man's Canyon.



SATURDAY, June 27, 2009: Inshore, offshore or in the bay... FISHING WAS HOT! It was probably one of the busiest days at the scales in a long time.

Steve Sipe caught a 27-inch flounder off the wall on the north side of the Inlet.

Les Schott caught a 27-inch flounder in the East Channel on a minnow.

The "Paradise" returned with a 195 lb. mako shark from 500 fathoms outside the Washington Canyon.

Karen Kirkessner caught a 7 lb. 8 oz. flounder on a minnow in the East Channel.

The "Angler" returned with a nice catch of sea bass and triggerfish.

Chuck Wiesen caught a 6 lb. 6 oz. flounder on a Gulp! artificial bait in the bay behind Frontier Town.

The "Fresh Fish" had 2 tog withing 15 lbs. 1 oz and 10 lbs. 6 oz., caught at the African Queen. They also had some triggerfish.

Mike Norelli on the "Tortuga" caught a 24.5-inch flounder on a squid and shiner combination near Harbour Island.

The "Flat Calm" had a load of spadefish, triggerfish and tog, caught on the China Arrow wreck near Winter Quarter Shoal.

The "Pumpin' Hard" returned with 5 nice yellowfin tuna (total lbs. = 202), all caught in 200 fathoms in the Washington Canyon.

The "Tide Up" had 5 yellowfins and 7 dolphin from 100 fathoms on the southern end of the Washington Canyon.

"Tom Cat" weighed 3 bluefish between 8.9 and 9.2 lbs., all caught in 50 fathoms on the southern end of the Poor Man's Canyon.

"GM Giant" had a 15.4 lb. dolphin from the Poor Man's Canyon.

Barbara DiToto caught a 40 lb. yellowfin tuna on the "Zipper" in 130 fathoms in the Poor Man's Canyon.

Mike Osifat weighed a 13 lb. bluefish, caught on the "Jezebel" in 100 fathoms in the Poor Man's Canyon.

Clayton Noble caught a couple of skippies and a bluefish in 100 fathoms in the Poor Man's Canyon.

The "Cyntinory" had 4 dolphin and 4 tuna, caught east of the Washington Canyon between 55 and 250 fathoms. Total weight of the yellowfins was 164 lbs.

The "Get Sum" returned with a 7 lb. 12 oz. bluefish caught in the East Channel on a live spot.

The "Wave Dancer" had a 155 lb. mako shark, caught east of the Hotdog.

Fred Herbst caught a 3 lb. 12 oz. sea bass.

Scott Pringle on the "Press Time" caught a 210 lb. bigeye tuna in the Washington Canyon.

"Fish Bonz" returned with a dolphin, a yellowfin tuna and a bigeye tuna, all caught in 500 fathoms outside the Poor Man's Canyon.

The "Playmate" caught 20 yellowfin tuna, kept 14 along with a dolphin in the Washington Canyon.


FRIDAY, June 26, 2009: Ray DelFera caught a 31-inch cobia on a minnow while drifting in the East Channel.

The "Tortuga" had a 24.5-inch flounder from the Thorofare.

Preston & Debbie Walls had 4 flounder ranging from 18.25 to 23-inches (5 lbs. 6 oz.), all caught on live spot in the East Channel.

Tessa Dobrow on the "Morning Star" caught a 3 lb. 5 oz. triggerfish on an ocean wreck.

Adam Zarfoss caught a 7 lb. 15 oz. flounder in the East Channel on a bucktail tipped with flounder belly.

The "Reel Toy" brought back a 165 lb. bluefin tuna from 25 fathoms in Massey's Canyon. Water temperature was 68-degrees.

The "Marli" had 7 yellowfins, total of 139 lbs., caught in 100-150 fathoms in the Poor Man's Canyon.

The "Full Service" had 2 yellowfin and a dolphin from 140 fathoms in the Poor Man's Canyon. Heaviest yellowfin weighed 47 lbs.

The "GM Giant" had 3 yellowfins weighing 40.6, 41.0 and 41.6 lbs. from the South Poor Man's Canyon.

THURSDAY, June 25, 2009: Dan Heinecke caught a 9 lb. 8 oz. sheepshead on a bucktail at the South Jetty.

Sue Stetler caught a 21-inch flounder in the Thorofare.

The "Morning Star" continues to come back with some nice flounder from ocean reefs. Willie Uhlig landed himself a 24.5 incher on squid and flounder belly.

"Bill$ 4 Bills" had 6 yellowfins, all caught in 100 fathoms in the Poor Man's Canyon.

"That's Right" had 10 keeper yellowfin (caught 30), all in 300 fathoms in the Poor Man's Canyon. Capt. John reported water temperatures at 68-degrees.

The "Restless Lady" returned with a 183 lb. bigeye tuna and a yellowfin tuna, both caught in 250 fathoms in the South Poor Man's Canyon.

WEDNESDAY, June 24, 2009: The "Marli" brought back 17 yellowfins after catching 51 in 150 fathoms in the Poor Man's Canyon.

The "Ranger" had a 99 lb. mako shark and 5 yellowfin (they caught 20 YFT) in 150 fathoms in the Poor Man's Canyon.

Casey Shaffer had a 3 lb. 6 oz. sea bass at the Bass Grounds.

Lester Herman caught an 18.5-inch flounder and Craig Smith caught a 22 incher, both on the flats north of the Thorofare on minnows.


TUESDAY, June 23, 2009: The Jackson brothers caught 4 flounder in the bay near the airport on minnows.

Jim Lutz and Mark Berry combined for 6 keeper flounder from the flats, north of the Thorofare.

"That's Right" had 6 yellowfins, caught in 200 fathoms in the Poor Man's Canyon on ballyhoo and spreader bars. Capt. John reported 67-degree water.


MONDAY, June 22, 2009: Bill Snyder caught a 26-inch flounder in the East Channel on live spot.

Aaron Frank caught an 18.5-inch flounder in the bay behind the Airport.

Bob Kress caught a 5.5 lb. flounder while fishing on the "Morning Star".

The "Bay Bee" had a nice catch of flounder from the bay behind Assateague. All were caught on squid and shiners.


SUNDAY, June 21, 2009: Well, are you sitting down? If not, you may want to. The "Nontypical" arrived at the scales with a 876 lb. mako shark to win 1st place in the Ocean City Shark Tournament AND set a new Maryland State Record that was set back in 1984 by Frank Gaither at 766 lbs. Angler Jim Hughes caught the beast in 500 fathoms between the Poor Man's and Washington Canyons and took 1 hour to get to the boat.

Here are the final results of the OC Shark Tournament:

Mako Division
1st Place - "Nontypical" - 876 lbs.
2nd Place - "Pumpin' Hard" - 271 lbs.
3rd Place - "Canyon Crusher" - 243 lbs.

Open Division
1st Place - "Capt. Ike II" - 227 lb. blue shark
2nd Place - "Hoos Your Daddy" - 126 lb. blue shark
3rd Place - "Mako Me" - 116 lb. blue shark

Bluefish Division
1st Place - "Tuna Box" - 10.2 lbs.
2nd Place - "Full Load" - 9.9 lbs.
3rd Place - "Game Over" - 9.9 lbs.

Tuna Division
1st Place - "M.R. Ducks" - 41.0 lbs.
2nd Place - None weighed
3rd Place - None weighed

The "Blue Collar Man' fished the Old Grounds and caught plenty of sea bass and flounder from 22 to 23-inches.


SATURDAY, June 20, 2009: The largest shark we saw today came in after the 2nd day of the Shark Tournament ended when the "Toy Boy" (not entered in the tournament) hit the scales at the Ocean City Fishing Center around 8:30 PM with a 642 lb. thresher shark, setting a new Maryland State Record. Brent Applegit from Boulder, CO was fishing with his brother, Todd from Buffalo, NY and his dad, Russell from Ocean Pines when he hooked into the big thresher in 20 fathoms at the Fingers. It took Brent an hour and 40 minutes to get the fish to the boat after hooking it on 40 lb. test line. The fish was too large to get into the boat, so the trio ended up towing the fish back to the docks. Well done, guys!

The second day of the Ocean City Shark Tournament has been completed, and here's how it stands:

Mako Division
1st Place - "Pumpin' Hard" - 271 lbs.
2nd Place - "Canyon Crusher" - 243 lbs.
3rd Place - "Shark Tooth" - 236 lbs.

Open Division
1st Place - "Mako Me" - 116 lb. blue shark
2nd Place - "Playmate" - 111 lb. blue shark
3rd Place - None weighed

Bluefish Division
1st Place - "Wayne's World" - 9.8 lbs.
2nd Place - "Triple Threat" - 9.5 lbs.
3rd Place - "Wayne's World" - 9.1 lbs.

Tuna Division
1st Place - "M.R. Ducks" - 41.0 lbs.
2nd Place - None weighed
3rd Place - None weighed

Here's the action we saw at the scales, in order of appearance:

"Shark Tooth" - 236 lb. mako
"Canyon Crusher" - 243 lb. mako
"Jezebel" - 109 lb. mako
"Playmate" - 111 lb. blue shark
"M.R. Ducks" - 41 lb. bluefin tuna
"Triple Threat" - 9.5 lb. bluefish
"Press Time" - 223 lb. mako
"Pumpin' Hard" - 271 lb. mako

Final day is tomorrow (Saturday). Scales open at 3:30 PM.


FRIDAY, June 19, 2009: The AKE Marine Flounder Pounder, scheduled for next Saturday (June 27th) had been cancelled.

The first day of the Ocean City Shark Tournament saw 5 boats head out. Here's the standings:

Mako Division
1st Place - "Fin-ness" - 152 lb.
2nd Place - None weighed
3rd Place - None weighed

Open Division
1st Place - "Mako Me" - 116 lb. blue shark
2nd Place - None weighed
3rd Place - None weighed

Bluefish Division
1st Place - "Wayne's World" - 9.8 lbs.
2nd Place - "Wayne's World" - 9.1 lbs.
3rd Place - "Fin-ness" - 9.0 lbs.


THURSDAY, June 18, 2009: First day of the OC Shark Tournament is today. 54 boats are entered... down from 62 boats last year. Five boats are fishing today.


WEDNESDAY, June 17, 2009: No reports. Everyone gearing up for tomorrows Shark Tournament.


TUESDAY, June 16, 2009: The yellowfins are here in mass!!!!

The "Restless Lady" had 11 yellowfins, releasing another 12, while fishing in 100 fathoms in the South Poor Man's Canyon. Ballyhoo and spreader bars

The "Reel Chaos" had 20 yellowfins, releasing another 45, in 100 fathoms in the South Poor Man's Canon. They also had 5 dolphin. Capt. Anthony Matarese, Jr. reported water temperatures between 67 and 70-degrees.

The "Pumpin' Hard" took out the Air Force Thunderbird team. They caught a 111 lb. mako and a 31 lb. bluefin. Also released 3 makos and some bluefins.

Darin Turner caught a 22.5-inch flounder off the beach on Gudelsky Park.


MONDAY, June 15, 2009: Terry Layton on the "Nontypical" reported an incredible bite of cookie cutter 40 lb. bluefins on the 20 fathom line just north of the Washington Canyon. Terry said that his group had a really fun day catching the tuna on spinning rods and poppers. They then ventured south to their honey hole outside the Poor Man's Canyon and got into some makos.

The "Marli" had 6 yellowfins and a mako from the Lumpy Bottom area.

The "Morning Star" had a nice catch of sea bass and flounder. Largest flattie weighed 4 lbs. 12 oz.

Darin Turner caught a 22.5-inch flounder off Gudelsky Park.

The "Restless Lady" had a 130 lb. mako shark from southwest of the Hambone.


SUNDAY, June 14, 2009: The "Marli" ventured down to the 100 fathom line in the Norfolk Canyon and returned with 17 yellowfin tuna, totaling 276 lbs. They released 37 yellowfins during the trip.

The "Topless" also headed to the Norfolk where they had 10 keeper yellowfins, all on ballyhoo.

The "Teaser" returned from 20 fathoms south of the Fingers with a 450 lb. thresher shark. Caught on a whole bluefish.

Noalle Dean caught a limit of flounder while fishing over the flats north of the Thorofare.

Russ Garufi caught a 26.5-inch flounder, weighing 6 lbs. 15 oz., in the East Channel south of the Rt. 50 Bridge.

The "Get Sum" came back with 5 keeper flounder from the bay behind Assateague Island.

The "Tuna Dog" had a mako shark from the Sausages. It was caught on a bluefish fillet.


SATURDAY, June 13, 2009: Very busy day at the scales.

The "Knot Rite" had 5 yellowfin tuna, caught between 150 and 500 fathoms outside the Poorman's Canyon.

The "Game Over" arrived at the Ocean City Fishing Center with the largest thresher shark we have seen this year... weighing 506 lbs. The fish was caught at the Fingers by Bob Wenger. Kudos to Capt. Steve Pfeiffer!

Immediately following the "Game Over" weigh-in, the "Bill$ 4 Bills" hit the scales with a 443 thresher, also caught at the Fingers on a bluefish fillet.

Jenn Pettolina is on fire, taking a commanding lead over Capt. Franky Pettolina for bragging rights. Jenn arrived at the dock with a mako shark and a 39.5-inch bluefin tuna. The bluefin was caught at the Hambone while the mako was hooked at the Fingers.

"That's Right" had 2 keeper bluefins, measuring 38.5 inches and 60 inches, in addition to releasing 6 other bluefins at the Hambone.

The "Always Late" had 1 keeper bluefin and a mako caught at the Marine Electric. They also released 9 bluefins and a mako during the trip.

The "Bay Bee" had a nice catch of keeper-size flounder from the bay behind Assateague.
Island.

The "Morning Star" had some nice flounder, sea bass and tog. Largest flounder weighed 6.25 lbs.

The "Lisa" had a mako shark and a bluefin tuna, caught east of the Hambone. They also released 2 other makos and a bluefin.


FRIDAY, June 12, 2009: The "Marli" came back with a nice catch of yellowfin tuna. They ended up with 6, all caught on the 100 line between the Washington and Poorman's Canyons.

The "Morning Star" had a nice catch of sea bass and flounder. Largest sea bass weighed 5 lbs. and the largest flounder weighed 6 lbs.

Ronnie and Jeannie Spittle, along with their daughter Bethany Righter had 7 keeper flounder while fishing in the bay behind Assateague Island. Largest flounder measured 26 inches and weighed 5 lbs. 8 oz.

"Skip's Bait & Tackle Charters" had 4 keeper striped bass around the South Jetty. Capt. Doug reported over 50 throwbacks, all caught on live spot.


THURSDAY, June 11, 2009: Benny Thumma on the "Fugitive" released a white marlin and caught some gaffer dolphin in 1,200 fathoms outside the Poorman's Canyon. Benny said he had water temps as high as 81 degrees.


WEDNESDAY, June 10, 2009: The first white marlin was caught today by Terry Layton of Ocean City, MD. Terry was fishing on the "Nontypical" with Jim Hughes when the 69-inch white marlin ate a trolled, naked ballyhoo in 1,200 fathoms outside the Poorman's Canyon. Capt. Terry reported water temperature at 74-degrees. The catch is worth $10,000 ($5K from the Town of OC... $5K from the OC Marlin Club).

Only a mile away from the "Nontypical", the first blue marlin was caught by Jake Burger of Williamsport, MD. Jake was fishing on the "Marlin Magic", Captained by Marty Moran, in 1,200 fathoms outside the Poorman's Canyon when the blue marlin, estimated at 275 lbs., hit a horse ballyhoo skirted with a Pink Express as soon as the first line went in the water. The "Marlin Magic" went 1 for 2 on blue marlin during the trip.

Elsewhere, Rick Valderas caught a 4 lb., 24-inch flounder behind the OC Airport.

Doug Sims caught a 180 lb. mako and Chris Johnson landed a 33 lb. bluefin tuna, both at the Hambone in 20 fathoms. The bluefin hit a spreaderbar and the mako ate a bluefish fillet.

The "Angler" came back with some nice sea bass and tog. Heaviest tog weighed 7 lbs. 7 oz. and the top sea bass weighed 4 lbs. All caught at the Great Eastern Reef.

Mike Burt on the "Morning Dew" caught 3 keeper flounder in the bay behind Assateague Island.

The "Press Time" took some soldiers back from Iraq out on a sharkfishing trip where John Longendorf caught a 111 lb. mako on a bluefish fillet.

The "Restless Lady" went on a 1/2 day bottomfishing trip and returned with 21 sea bass and a 24-inch flounder.