Article by Capt. BJ Pietryak
Ocean City saw some great fishing last week. The only species that isn't very strong this year is croaker. More moonfish, mahi and sheepshead than we’ve ever seen, but very few decent size croakers.
Near Shore Wrecks
On the near shore reefs, the wrecks are holding some nice sea bass as well as flounder. The Marine Electric wrecks were the top producers. Last week we reported the rare catch of a 66.5 pound cubera snapper there in just 30 ‘ of water. This year has seen many unique fish in our waters, but this is the first cubera I recall ever seeing. Chuck Sharp told me they were out at the same wreck earlier in the week and shot one that was close to the same size as Kai’s, but the fish pulled the spear, bending the rod and swimming off before they could retrieve it. So it seems there are more than one of these big brutes in our waters. Blake Gunner and Morgan Mericle were out at the Queen and managed a few quality flat fish over 4 lbs. Danial Mattio, a die hard flounder fisherman, also brought home a nice flattie around 25”. Great job Daniel! Rodney Myers didn't start fishing until 2 pm, however he still managed to bring 20 nice sea bass home for dinner. It's great to see that the sea bass are still biting despite the strong heat wave we have had for the past several weeks. Krzzy Alex was out for the third time on his boat and said he has learned a lot about fishing in the Atlantic. His boat, a 22 ft. Wellcraft, got him a little wet on the ride out, but with the calm seas he made it out 30 miles and came back with several nice mahi pulled off the pots as well as a few fluke.
When heading offshore in a small boat make sure the safety equipment is in working order and a float plan is filed. A good working radio or Epirb is also recommended to have on board. Jesse James only caught one flatfish, but it was a big doormat making up for the lack of numbers. “Bad Wind Charters” was out again last week with Art, Tracy and Carl managing to put together a limit of fluke. First mate John said that was when the mahi decided to cooperate, and by the time they were ready to return to the docks the cooler was stuffed full. Art also got his personal best flounder just over 5 pounds. Pete Renzi and Mike Renzi of West Ocean City went out site casting for bluefish and spanish mackerel, and had a table full upon their return. They even managed a nice flounder and saw a whale.
Austin Wagner also returned to the docks of OC with a mix of keeper fish. He started off with some triggerfish that followed his line up to the boat. He caught his first tog, and ended the day with two nice keeper fluke. David and Cheryl LeCates were out with Captain David Collins and mate Alex on the “Captain Ike' and managed to bring home several nice blueline tilefish and even pulled some mahi off the inshore pots on the way back in. This was also Cheryl’s birthday. That's not a bad way to spend your birthday, out on the Atlantic Ocean catching delicious fish! Chris Fontana was out getting some blood on the boats when he went fishing for bluefish. For any of you that have fished for bluefish you know the mess they can make on a boat deck. “Bottom Bouncer Fishing” was out chasing the elusive and hard fighting moonfish. They have caught over 15 in the past 3 trips as well as the usual flounder and sea bass. The crew also caught some jumbo ribbonfish and even a few croaker. If the drum come back in the fall, this could be one of the best years of fishing we have had in a while. “Fish Bound Charters” was out again last week putting their usual hurting on big flat fish. The crew always seems to know where the big fluke are hiding! Matt Moran, the mate on the “Ocean Princess” told me that they have had several productive trips with their clients bringing home a plethora of sea bass and flounder. Several ribbonfish and a few croaker have also been caught. The “Angler” continued its productive season last week catching their anglers several knot head sea bass along with a few mahi and fluke. The “Angler’s” big fish last week was just under 5 pounds. This is just under the seasonal pool run by the boat. Out at the Great Eastern Reef, Lucas Siple fought the heavy current and chop to bring home a 3 man limit of flatties as well as several nice knot head sea bass.
Back Bays
In the back bays, flounder is still the king. Many nice fish have been caught on minnow and shiner duos as well as some on big Gulp baits. “Ocean City Guide Service” was out and managed to bring home several nice fluke. The area behind Assateague Island has been very productive but the bigger fish I'm seeing are coming from the south jetty wall of the inlet. Along with some big fluke the south wall is also home to some citation sheepshead as well as a few redfish and trout. Christopher Singer caught a nice 21”, 7.50 lb. sheepy off the rocks. Tony Walls thought the first sheep was big at 18”, but the second one was 21”. That will make quite the dinner I’m sure! At the Rt. 50 Bridge, Craig Cropper had his friend Karl in from Germany. The duo had a great day catching lots of small rockfish and even managed a pair of 32” keepers for dinner.
Hmmm, I wonder if he used Roy Rigs?
Fishing from the shore, Jason Bowes caught and released a nice 46” red drum. Hopefully within the next few weeks we will see the bigger red and black drum migrate past our waters allowing us the opportunity to target them as they swim by. The inlet jetty is a great place for puppy drum while Assateague Island is great for the bigger trophy fish.
Until next week,
Tight lines and fins up
