Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
Most of the time, when anglers in these parts talk about “structure fishing” they’re referring to the many artificial and natural reefs and wrecks that lay of our coastline, anywhere from less than one to as many as thirty or more miles offshore. Some of these structures can produce fish 12-months of the year and at times prove to be a paradise for fish as well as for the fishermen who happen upon them when they are loaded up with hungry tenants. Black sea bass, flounder, triggerfish, spadefish and tautog are the fish most anglers associate with this type of habitat, but as seasoned anglers know, from striped bass to bluefin tuna, when conditions are right, anything that swims might be found on, in, over or around underwater structure.
Although offshore wreck and reef fishing is pretty much reserved for those who have boats capable of safely carrying them out into the ocean, folks who have small bay-type boats, or, for that matter, no boat at all, shouldn’t feel slighted that they don’t have access to good fishing structure because the inshore waters hold plenty of opportunities for anglers to fish on structure if they wish to pursue it. Inshore structure fishing is different than what is done offshore in both what is being fished over, how it is fished and often what is being fished for, but it’s structure fishing none the less and at times can be just as, if not more productive, that what’s done offshore.
When considering inshore structure, most anglers will likely think first of the Ocean City Inlet’s stone jetties as well as the Rt. 50, Assateague and Rt. 54 Bridges. All of these structures feature key elements that help make them annual destination spots for both fish and fishermen, including solid mass that allows for the attachment and growth of marine plants and animals, good current flow through the area with still-water eddies that form behind various parts of the structures, areas of both deep and shallow water and plenty of places for fish and other marine animals to hide from larger predators. Another good thing for fishermen is that these fishing-holes are easy to locate. At least I hope no one needs a GPS to find the Rt. 50 Bridge!
Other inshore structures that can hold fish, or at least give them a reason to hang out for a while, include wood, steel and stone bulkheads, piers, hard bottoms covered by mussels or shells, any kind of debris on the bottom and aids to navigation such as the chains and anchors of floating buoys or the wooden poles for day-board markers. Even the edges of shoals or marsh-banks that have been carved steep or undercut by strong currents can create an environment that holds a bunch of fish or gives a few of them a place from which to hide and ambush their prey.
Fishing inshore structure usually requires that anglers first consider the current and come up with a strategy that will allow their baits, lures, flies or whatever they’ll be fishing with to get down to the fish and work properly once it’s there. Since the size and position of most bay structure is seldom conducive to drift-fishing, anglers fishing from boats will usually find that the best way to position themselves is to either anchor the boat or hold it in position with their motor. When fishing bay structure, an electric trolling motor can be a huge asset when trying to hold position.
In most cases anglers will want to position themselves up-current of the structure and then either drift their baits back to it or cast their artificials beyond it and crank them back into the current. Since no scrap of cut bait is going to drift against the current, anglers should allow them to float naturally back from their boat to the structure and any waiting fish. Lures, however should normally be cast beyond the structure and then cranked back against the flow of water, which gives the artificial the best action and allows it to be worked slower and remain in the strike zone longer.
Some of the bay’s most productive and heavily fished structure is that which is located in or close to the inlet, such as the stone jetties, the Rt. 50 Bridge along with the steel bulkhead just north of it, and the stone seawall off Martha’s Landing at the south end of Gudelsky Park. At one time or another, everything that swims will poke around these structures but they are most known for producing tautog, small sea bass, sheepshead, stripers and bluefish. Structure in other parts of the bay is more likely to be frequented by sea trout (weakfish), stripers, bluefish, flounder and drum.
Both in the bay and on the ocean, “structure” usually equals fish and the key to getting those fish on the line is working a strategy that allows one to effectively fish the different structures under different conditions of wind, current, tide and the problems associated with having other fishermen and/or boaters nearby. Like anything else, “practice makes prefect” and the more experience one has with fishing a particular piece of structure, the more they will learn how and when to get the most out of it.
Captain Mark Sampson is an outdoor writer and captain of the charter boat “Fish Finder”.
