Article by Capt. BJ Pietryak
The start of sea bass season signals the start of our fishing season here in Maryland. This year sea bass have not let us down.
Sea Bass
In the NJ/DE reef down to Marine Electric, fish have been ready to bite clam, squid, Gulp, and cut bait on most near shore wrecks. While in shore areas such as the Bass Grounds and African Queen Reef hold a lot of fish, finding keeps on them have been sporadic. The African Queen Reef has given up the most amount of keepers in the in shore area. Deeper wrecks, such as the NJ/DE Reef, Site 11, and the Jack’s Spot, where wrecks are over 80 ft are bringing in the most limits and bigger size fish. Fish up to 5 lbs have been caught in the Jack’s Spot area, many headboats are returning with limits for all patrons. Maryland regulations are 12.5 inches with a 15 fish creel limit.
Bluefish
Bluefish are being caught on the surf this week. Assateague Island is producing the largest and highest quantity of fish. This is due to warmer water in the southern area. Mullet rigs or cut bait on double bluefish float rigs are working the best. Most near shore wrecks are holding some nice slammer blues with Jack’s Spot and Marine Electric being the hot locations. When targeting big blues, a wire rig is strongly recommended as these fish are ferocious biters with very sharp teeth. As a note this year, limits on bluefish have changed. Maryland regulations are a minimum size of 8 inches with a creel limit of 3 per person.
Black Drum/Red Drum
Several nice drum have been caught off the beach on the lower end of Assateague near the Virginia line. The fish are passing through on the way to spawn in the Delaware Bay. Early morning times with fresh clams seems to be the best way to catch these brutes. These fish are quite often over 40 lbs. Although the fall/September time is the best on the MD/VA line, the spring does produce several nice fish and has shown an increase in catch the last few years. For those wanting to catch a large fish that fights hard, this is the species you want to target. At this time of year, black drum are most readily available, however, several large red drum are also spotted in the surf.
Cobia
Several reports from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia are indicating cobia catches are on the rise. Although I have not received any reports from Maryland, this is usually the time of year they begin to make themselves known. In Ocean City, the Little Gull area is known for holding a plethora of cobia all summer long. Chunking and using live eels or casting bucktails with a rubber worm trailer seem to be the best method. Many people use a wire rig as these fish make long runs and have sharp teeth and jaws which can easily cut thin mono or braid.
Shark
In shore wrecks and surf fishing areas have seen several spiny and smooth dogfish. These are being caught on cut bait and mullet rigs. On near shore wrecks, Dusky and Thresher sharks are starting to be seen with the weeks slight rise in temperatures. As the water continues to warm, we should continue to see an increase in these sharks being caught. A federal HMS permit is required for shark fishing along with a shark endorsement. Check the federal regulations as each species has unique regulations.
Flounder
Ocean City Inlet and Assawomen Bay have shown a large increase in flounder being caught this week. Deep holes near the Ocean City airport, as well as areas by Harbor Island and the thoroughfare leading towards Ocean Pines have been the best producers. 4-6” Gulp shine seems to be the bait of choice for most anglers, however bucktails tipped with squid and shiners also account for many fish taken in these areas. Ocean wreck fishing for flounder has been slow with the temperature at around 64 degrees but should pick up as the temperature increases.
As things start to heat up for our fishing season, get out and catch some now!
Tight lines and fins up!
BJ Pietryak
Samantha Pietryak
