Article by Larry Budd
This Week Last Year
• White marlin releases were reported up and down the line from the Wilmington to the Norfolk Canyon with many boats releasing multiples per trip.
• The tuna bite remained strong and picked up a little after seeing a lot of pressure from the August tournaments. Captains were still using both chunking and trolling mainly in the Poor Man’s Canyon and the Hot Dog catching yellowfins in the 50 lb. range.
• Wahoo and cobia remained elusive with the man in the brown suit being found mainly to our south off the Cape or Virginia Beach. The “Strollaway” did find a 73” wahoo in the Baltimore.
There was both triumph and tragedy off of our shores this past week. Some of the best blue marlin fishing in the history of the area was overshadowed by the report of a collision in the Baltimore Canyon resulting in the loss of Capt. Chris Ragni, Sr. and of the loss of the long time charter boat “Last Call” that erupted in flames on Sunday. Both serve as a reminder that the sea can be very unforgiving for the men and women who work upon the waves. Our thoughts are with Capt. Chris Ragni, Jr. and Capt. Frank Pettolina and their families. We also recognize the many people and boats that came to their aid that kept these events from becoming more tragic, a real testimony to the community we have.
Billfish
As we highlighted, the blue marlin bite through the middle of last week has been some of the best ever seen. Many boats reported single and double releases with the “Reel Chaos” even reporting 4 releases on a single trip! The Baltimore and Poor Man’s Canyons were the spots for the majority of the releases with warmer water temps in the upper 70ºs. Depth for the Baltimore was around 500 fathoms and a little shallower in the Poor Man’s at 100 fathoms. The blue catch did slow however this weekend.
White marlin fishing has been spotty with mostly singles and a few doubles being reported from across the line in shallower waters between 70 & 100 fathoms.
Tuna
It has been tough sledding but steady for tuna over the past week with most reports from the Baltimore and Poor Man’s Canyons. Most boats found single or double yellowfin catches in the 35 - 50 lb. range and then switched to tile fishing. A couple of trips stood out like the “White Lightning” catching 5 in the Baltimore Canyon and the “Playmate” returning with 6. The “Reel Chaos” landed a nice approximately 70 lb. yellowfin from the Poor Man’s Canyon in 200 fathoms and 80º water. This may be turning around because as I write this I am getting reports Sunday that saw several boats returning with 4, 5 or even 6 yellowfins like the ones that were caught on the “Pumpin’ Hard”.
Mahi / Wahoo
It is mahi season and this year and this week are no exception. Offshore boats like the “Finatic” and the “Gret’s Three J’s” came back with 40+ dolphins each. Inshore spots like the Fingers, Hot Dog, Jack Spot, Old Grounds and the coral beds north of A Buoy all saw great action under weed lines and sea bass pot markers as well as on the troll. Headboats “Angler” and “Morning Star” have had great success on 3/4 day or specialty trips focused on these tasty and colorful fish. Ballyhoo on the troll and squid are the baits of choice.
Several nice sized wahoo were caught last week in the 30 lb. range with a big 84 pounder caught last Wednesday on the “Daydreamer”. The Baltimore Canyon and the Del-Jersey Reef Site were the hot spots with the speedsters hitting lures on a faster troll.
In the roundup category, the “Pumpin’ Hard” did land a swordfish from the Baltimore canyon in 1500 ft. and several cobia were reported. Check out those and other details in our Ocean City and Delaware reports.
Upcoming Tournaments
• The Ocean City Marlin Club will also host it’s 63rd Annual Labor Day White Marlin Tournament on September 3-5 with anglers fishing 2 of the 3 days. Always a popular end of season event with lively action at the Sunset Marina Tournament Scales from 6-8PM daily. You do not need to be a member of the club to participate in this event.
• Always a fun family event, the Ocean City Fishing Center will host the 20th Annual Spot Fishing Tournament held on Saturday, September 11th this year. Entry fee is only $5 and registration starts at 4PM with fishing from the docks from 5:00 - 6:00PM. Call 410-213-1121 for more details.
• Bahia Marina in Ocean City will hold it’s one day Flounder Pounder on Sunday, September 12th. This tournament is a lot of fun and great for the kids. You may fish from your own boat or rent a skiff, skimmer, or pontoon from the marina if you wish. Call 410-289-7438 for more info.
Until next week, I will see you at the scales! §
