Vol 37 | Num 17 | Aug 22, 2012
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Ocean City’s Last Fishing Frontier
The ocean depths at the edge of the continental shelf hold perhaps one of the last frontiers in the fishing world for saltwater anglers. Fishing close to the bottom in these extreme depths is referred to as deep drop fishing and is a loosely kept secret among those willing to take the effort to explore it. The edges have been probed by offshore lobster potters and trawlers to some degree, but in the case of trawlers a dear price has been extracted and many nets have wound up in Davey Jones Locker. The quest for new fishing opportunities has stirred the adventurous souls of fishermen for years in search of unfamiliar fish species. Inhabitants of the deep waters off Ocean City such as tilefish, snowy grouper and species with names such as wreck fish, black-bellied rose fish and barrel fish can offer some new and exciting fishing.
The range of these species appears to be expanding but by virtue of the depths that they inhabit, much is still unknown about them. This level of uncertainty in long-lived species such as these is a source of concern for fisheries managers and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources is working to ensure a consistent approach to regulations that protect these populations. Most of the deep water species such as grouper, tilefish and snapper are regulated and have daily creel limits. Creel limits and seasons are available at:
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/regulations/table.asp?c=recreational&Region=Coastal.
Golden Tilefish
Golden tilefish are one of the more common deep water species sought by fishermen and were first discovered in May of 1879 by cod fishermen who had set their hooks in 900-feet of water near the Nantucket Lightship. Scientists began to study this newly discovered species and found that the fish live in a defined area along the edges of the continental shelf where a narrow band of the sea floor is exposed to a belt of warm water (47-53 degrees) which varies only by a couple of degrees from season to season. Because of this, golden tilefish have been found to be very sensitive to chilling and mass die offs were reported as early as 1882.
Golden tilefish range from Nova Scotia to South America and also deep offshore of Texas. They tend to like a hard, muddy bottom where they will construct shallow burrows and stay local. Golden tilefish mature in about 5 – 7 years, and can live to be 30-years old. They spawn in July and August and most average around 10 to 25 lbs. They are a very colorful fish with a blue-green back that fades to a pearly white belly and are highlighted with colorful spots and a protruding adipose fin or crest on the head in front of the dorsal fin. They rely heavily on scent in the dark depths and feed mostly during daylight hours on a wide variety of prey such as crabs, lobster, squid, shrimp, starfish, small fish and sea worms. They are prone to attacks by deepwater sharks and juveniles are preyed upon by dogfish.
Blueline Tilefish
The blueline tilefish lives in 250-feet to 800-feet of water and prefer an irregular bottom mixed with sand, mud and shell. They grow to 32-inches in size, are fast growing, live to about 15 years and spawn from May to October. Unlike the golden tilefish they move from location to location and prefer a water temperature range of 59-73 degrees. They are a dull olive-grey color with a white belly and have no fleshy crest behind their head like the golden tilefish.
Snowy Grouper
The snowy grouper is another recent, deep water fish being encountered by Maryland anglers that fish the rougher bottom profiles of the canyon edges. Snowy grouper prefer a broken, rocky bottom and are a structure-oriented fish. They are a uniform dark brown in color with evenly spaced white spots that fade as the fish gets larger. Snowy grouper grow fairly rapidly and can reach substantial size. The world record of 70lbs, 7oz.was caught last year by a Virginia angler at the Norfolk Canyon. Depths of 400-feet to 800-feet are to their liking and crabs and fish such as butterfish and eels are their favorite prey.
Other Deepwater Species
Additional species that can be encountered when fishing the extreme depths of the canyon edges off Maryland’s coast are black-bellied rose fish that are bright red in color, wreck fish, large black sea bass and the occasional angler fish. The tilefish and grouper species are noted for their fine eating qualities as are most of the other deepwater species fishermen will find on the edges of the canyons off Maryland.
Deepwater fishing
Reaching the extreme depths of the edges of the continental shelf requires some specialized gear and modern technology has helped a lot. Forty five years ago, the game was attaching a bottom rig to a breakaway 8 lb sash weight and using Dacron or mono to get to the bottom and back. The first electric reels arrived on the scene in the early 1970’s and those Electro-Mate reels were a salvation for tired arms. The advent of braided lines has changed everything, with no stretch, no memory, better durability and low water resistance. Most fishermen use stiff, standup rods and there are a variety of high tech conventional reels and electric reels out on the market.
Anyone looking to possibly set a state or IGFA record knows that the fish must be reeled in by hand and many anglers actually prefer this type of fishing, especially when jigging. Most fishermen are using multiple hook bottom rigs and start off with a large, ball bearing swivel attached to a 300 lb. to 500 lb. fluorocarbon leader with several dropper loops. Circle hooks in the 9/0 to 12/0 category are used with baits such as cut fish or squid. A flashing strobe light or light stick above the bait is a proven winner for extreme depths and many fishermen also insist on fish attractant scents. Braided lines have done a world of good in regard to being able to use lighter weight to get to the bottom; often 16 oz. to 24 oz. will do the trick. Jigging is one of the preferred methods for fishing for snowy grouper and butterfly or diamond jigs in the 12 oz. to 16 oz. range work well.
A chart plotter and the new, multi-frequency type sonar, or as many call them “Chirp” (compressed high-intensity radar pulse) sonar systems are extremely useful for staying on location and clearly marking fish and bottom structure. The new chirp sonar displays a resolution at great depths that is four or five times better than the single frequency depth finders anglers are used to. Once on site, it is important to determine wind direction and tide, and many captains will use their engines to keep anglers on location and lines straight down so the weight is just touching bottom. Be ready for a knock down, drag out fight when fish strike; especially grouper who always make a dash for some crevice amongst the rocks and boulders. Both tilefish and grouper will give you a run for your money until they are about half way up and then decompression begins to work in your favor and the fish quit.
As with any frontier, there are still many unknowns out there and more than one captain has relayed a story of a 4-hour or more fight where the angler could just not budge some behemoth of a fish far below. Rumor has it that these fish may be giant Atlantic halibut. Perhaps someone will bring a new and mysterious denizen of the deep to the docks of Ocean City for us all to marvel in the near future.
If you have any questions regarding fishing or fisheries management in Ocean City and Maryland’s Atlantic coast, please send them to Keith Lockwood: [email protected] or call 410-226-0078.
