Article by Larry Budd
This Week Last Year
• Offshore waters remained cold. Despite a bluefin tuna catch the week before, no tunas were reported this week. Several sharks were released including a large female mako from the “Ro Sham Bo” and a dusky from the “Finatic”.
• The inshore bite was very strong, especially for flounder.
• Opening day for sea bass was on a Saturday with good weather resulting in a crazy day with loads of fish hitting the docks.
• Several black drums over 60 pounds were caught off of Assateague Island including a 78 lb. fish caught by Greg Forenschak on the Virginia side.
The obvious news for the past week was the weather. I wish I could say that a spring nor’easter that sits on the coast for days is unprecedented, but it sadly is not. It was almost 60 years to the date since the big Ash Wednesday storm of 1962. That early March Nor’easter sat on the coast for days as well and was also associated with a full moon cycle making the tides even higher. The record tide for that event was 9 ½ feet, two feet higher than the 1933 storm that carved the Ocean City Inlet! Fortunately for us, much has advanced since then in beach management and replenishment, otherwise this storm could have been a repeat of the ‘62 one that caused $200 million in damage or almost $2 billion in today’s dollars.
For all the energy and erosion that this storm brought, inshore fishing returned quite fast. We can assume the fish were hungry! Anglers got out on the inlets, bridges, bays and beaches as soon as last Thursday and found spots of clear water for good flounder action as well as an abundance of bluefish in the surf. Rockfish were also in the suds with some nice keepers and trophy size releases as were a few remaining black drum. Nearshore, the final days of the tog season saw good action. Despite the fog on Sunday limiting the number of boats heading out for opening day of the sea bass season, those that did get out reported good fishing. Many reported getting their limits of the knotheads with not having to deal with a lot of throwbacks, even with the new 13” minimum in DE, MD and VA. With the weather looking fair over the next week we expect even more from inshore.
The story in the canyons however painted a different picture. It is unclear if the storms pushed the warm water we saw coming north a few weeks ago back south, but it is clear that the water offshore is cold. We also consider what is going on in the Carolina’s Outer Banks for insights and precursors for our conditions. As of late they are not seeing bluefin or bigeye tunas in their fishery but are experiencing a better than normal mahi catch. The tuna are out there, just where?
Captains fishing for sea bass this past weekend reported water in the mid 50°’s in the Poor Man’s Canyon in 500 to 600 fathoms. Capt. Willie Zimmerman on the “Ro Sham Bo” shared that he sees some warm water pushing in behind the Poor Man’s and is planning a trip this Wednesday to try his luck. That may be a 100 mile trip, so we wish him good luck! Capt. Mark Malamphy on the “Finatic” feels the water is right for sharking and is planning an overnight trip on May 21/22 targeting threshers and mako’s prior to the latter’s ban being implemented in the U.S. from the ICCAT agreements earlier this year.
So again we wait to see what Mother Nature has in store for us and man-made conundrums of course, like fuel prices. Be safe and let us know your plans for the canyons this season! §
Upcoming Tournaments
- The Lewes Harbour Marina hosts the Joe Morris Memorial Flounder Tournament to benefit the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. This one day event on May 20th is focused on fishing in the Lewes Harbor. Details at LewesHarborMarina.com.
-Old Inlet Bait & Tackle hosts their Cast for a Cure Team Surf Fishing Tournament on May 21st to benefit the Tunnell Cancer Center Special Needs Fund. More at OldInlet.com.
- The first offshore tournament of the season is the 13th Annual Frankie Pettolina Memorial Day Tournament. This two day event is May 28th & 29th. Details at OCMarlinClub.com.
