Article by Capt. BJ Pietryak
It’s many inshore anglers favorite time of the year... sea bass season!
Sea Bass
Sea bass opened on Saturday May 15th. We have not had such a beautiful start in years. With temps in the mid 70’s and flat calm seas the story of the day was who wasn't on the ocean trying to catch the delicious sea bass. Most nearshore wrecks and even a lot of offshore wrecks were packed to the gills with boats. Many of the Ocean City head boats ran extended trips for their clients. Victor Bunting on the Ocean Princess reported that while running his 12 hr. trip they targeted several near shore wrecks and artificial reefs and anglers were rewarded with some jumbo sea bass. Victor as many other anglers chose to target fish in the deeper water ranging from 100-126 ft. Clams remained the go to bait again this year. There are still a lot of tog around and many anglers were rewarded with a bonus tog. FishBound charter service also reports they scored some nice sea bass for the opening day run. The biggest problem with opening day was the lack of a good drift. Many anglers had to bump their motors forward to keep the baits moving along the bottom. The inshore Bass Grounds, the African Queen, Russells Reef, and numerous lone inshore wrecks produced well. Further offshore the Great Eastern reef as well as the Jackspot always produce a lot of quality fish. Marine Electric is a great fall favorite for some huge sea bass but can also produce quality fish in the spring season.
Tog
Tog remains hot on the deeper wrecks. The areas of the twin wrecks remain a good area to target. Green crab and sand fleas are the top baits this week.
Tip of the week: If you hook a tog that goes back into the wreck and you're having trouble getting him clear slacking up on the line and putting no pressure on the line will have the tog relax and move back outside of the wreck.
Black Drum
Black drum on Assateague Island remains consistent. Green crab and peeler crab are top baits. The area furthest south near the Virginia line are producing the best catches.
Rockfish & Bluefish
Assateague Island remains a great spot to catch some big rockfish at night. Peeler crab and big surf clams are the most used baits. Anglers report that the hour just prior to and after a high tide are best when targeting these fish. The regulations for stripers in the ocean make it very hard to find a slot fish that you can keep. 28-35” is just a hard fish to find on the near shore of the ocean. Most fish being caught are in the 40+ size and must be returned to the water. Although not a keeper fish, the fight and experience of having this big fish scream off drag on your reel and almost pull the rod from your hands is worth every minute of the hard work. Bluefish are also showing up in the surf but still not the numbers that we have seen in past years. Cut bait remains the best but bluefish also like shiny things and will take a big spoon or top water plug presented to them. While talking about the surf I'll also state that a few kingfish have been caught in the surf. I have yet to hear of any flounder being caught in the surf. Rockfish and bluefish are still being taken in the Ocean City bay. Paddle tail and jerk baits are the top producers. The main entrance is a great place to start. Make your cast to the rock jetty and don't be afraid to lose a lure or two. These fish are usually right up against the rocks so getting your lure right up next to the rock wall is a must. Rockfish and blue fish are also around the Verrazano Bridge near Assateague Island. Cast by the bridge pilings to target these fish and let your lures sink down to the bottom before retrieving them. Bluefish are also being reported around the Ocean City fishing piers. Cut baits and finger mullet are the most reported baits being used.
Flounder
Flounder in the back bays of Ocean City is off to a great start. I receive daily reports from anglers of nice keeper flounder along the main thoroughfares as well as the back channels behind Assateague Island. Squid and minnow combinations are accounting for most of these fish. The nearshore wrecks are still slow for flounder probably due to the colder water then we have had in past years.
Clams & Crabs
Both clams and crabs remain slow again mostly due to the colder water. Crabs are being taken in the upper part of the bay along the Delaware border. Clams are deep and very hard to find.
As always...
Tight Lines and Fins Up
Captain B.J.Pietryak
