Article by Larry Jock
Well, it is finally beginning to look like the start of the fishing season. After weeks of cold weather and cold water temperatures, both are now on the rise and we are seeing more anglers on the water and more fish in the coolers. Water temperatures in the bay have finally cracked the 60-degree mark and the improvement was especially noted for those chasing flounder.
I am happy to report that the I.G.F.A. has officially approved the 28.8 lb. tautog caught by Ken Westerfeld back in January that set a new All Tackle World Record. Ken caught the fish during a trip aboard the charter boat, “Fish Bound”.
Bluefish
The bluefish run this spring has been nothing short of spectacular. The fish are not only plentiful, but they are big, with fish weighing up to 11 lbs. It hasn’t been uncommon to see 8 to 10 pounders hitting fresh bait, rubber shads and metal lures in the surf and around the bridges. The action was particularly fast and furious around the Rt. 50 Bridge over the weekend with a mix of snappers and choppers biting hard as long as the water was moving. The incoming tide seemed to be more productive than the outgoing.
Flounder
As mentioned earlier, with water temperatures on the rise, we saw some much improved flounder fishing last week. I’m not sure if it was an influx of fish or just more folks on the water, but we definitely saw more flatties at the dock.
Scott Peter’s led the way with a 7 lb. 4 oz. flounder caught on Sunday morning around the Rt. 90 Bridge. Every spring, this area seems to be one of the best spots for early season flounder fishing. Scott was using the old tried and true minnow for bait, but the Gulp! Alive Swimming Mullet in pink or white was also an effective bait for flatties.
On Saturday, Jack Kaeufer landed a nice 5 pounder on a pink Swimming Mullet in the West Channel off Gudelsky Park.
We also saw flounder caught in the bay behind Assateague Island where on Sunday, Jessica Shoemaker caught a 5 lb. 6 oz. flattie behind Snug Harbor. Jessica was also using minnows for bait.
The Thorofare is also heating up for flounder fishermen, especially those who are bump trolling across the flats. This is a very effective method for flounder fishing, especially in shallow water since it gives you more control to work the channel edges.
Tautog & Cod
The dense, all day fog over the 3-day weekend prevented a lot of anglers from heading to ocean structure, but early in the week we saw some nice catches. On Wednesday, Capt. Kane on the charter boat, “Fish Bound” had a couple of boat limit days with fish up to 16.4 lbs. Capt. Monty Hawkins on the “Morning Star” had an interesting day on Wednesday when a slow tog day was helped with 15 cod caught on 19 bites.
On Saturday, Capt. Kane stayed inshore and ended the day with 32 tog caught on green crabs in 60-feet of water on an inshore wreck.
Sea Bass
Finally, the black sea bass season opens on May 15th with a minimum size limit of 12.5-inches and 15 fish per person.
In the Surf
Anglers fishing off Assateague Island and up the coast in North Ocean City and Fenwick Island are seeing an excellent black drum run this spring. Surfcasters had a good week, especially on Friday, where several anglers had a double-digit day. Clams and peeler crabs were the baits of choice for those seeking boomers.
Surfcasters are also catching their fair share of chopper bluefish and the striper bite is heating up, but it isn’t at the level we are used to seeing this time of year. Is the number of bluefish we are seeing right now effecting the striper run? If anyone has a theory, shoot me an email.
Black Drum
With most of the black drum being caught by surfcasters off the beach, we did see a couple come in from around the Rt. 50 Bridge on Sunday. Hugh Cropper and his son, Hugh Thomas Cropper nailed a pair while fishing with peeler crabs. Both of their drum measured 27 1/2-inches with the largest tipping the scale at 12 lbs. 14 oz.
Tuna
The first bluefin tuna of the year in Ocean City was caught on Friday by Austin Ensor during a trip to 600 fathoms in the Wilmington Canyon. Austin, Josh Ensor and Bob Ewers came across a 66 to 68-degree water temperature break and went 6 for 6 on bluefins, keeping a single 22 pounder.
We did see yellowfins arrive at the dock on Saturday up at the Indian River Marina. Anglers on the “Knock on Wood” took an overnight trip to the Spencer Canyon and caught 5 yellowfins while trolling Friday night on the cold side of a 65 to 72-degree temperature break.
Another group of Indian River anglers ventured to the Wilmington Canyon on Saturday and returned with a 7.5 lb mahi and 31 lb. yellowfin caught on the troll in 65-degree water.
Also on Saturday, Mike Babcock on the “Even Keeliegh” out of Delaware caught a 20 lb. dolphin deep in the Wilmington Canyon in 71-degree water.
Sharks
A couple of boats went searching for sharks over the long weekend.
On Friday, the “Restless Lady” fished in 49-degree water inside the Washington Canyon and ended their day after releasing a small mako shark and over 20 blue sharks. Capt. Todd reported water temperatures hovering around 59-degrees.
On Saturday, anglers on the “Talk n Trash” had 3 mako shark releases and 2 blue shark releases in 500 fathoms in the Poor Man’s Canyon.
Also on Saturday, Dan Bartnick and his buddies were trolling plugs at Isle of Wight Shoal in search of bluefish and ended up releasing a short thresher shark.
Upcoming Tournament
The Ocean City Marlin Club Memorial Day Tournament is on the schedule for May 23rd and 24th. This year, organizers have made a few changes to the format, adding calcuttas for mako sharks and tuna. With the number of big bluefish we are seeing this year, plus the additional calcuttas, this could be a very interesting tournament. For more information, log on to the Marlin Club website at www.ocmarlinclub.com.
See you at the scales!
