Article by Larry Jock
With the White Marlin Open going on last week, there wasn’t much happening offshore outside the tournament. A big congratulations go out to our local boats who really did us proud in the tournament.
Billfish
This year’s White Marlin Open saw quite an increase in the number of billfish hooked, but most were on the small size. Here’s the stats:
White Marlin Released & Boated
2011 - 808
2010 - 589
Blue Marlin Released & Boated
2011 - 41
2010 - 24
With these types of numbers, the scale should have been action packed. Besides Thursday, this wasn’t the case.
On the first day of the tournament, no billfish qualified. On Tuesday, the “Tighten Up” arrived with an 86.5 lb. white marlin that set the bar for the rest of the week, only to be beaten by the “WeeWun IV” on the final day of the tournament with an 88.5 pounder. The “Tighten Up” hooked their fish in the Norfolk Canyon on a ballyhoo, while the “Wee Wun IV” hooked theirs on a whole mackerel in the Washington Canyon.
The only blue marlin boated during the tournament was the 699.5 pounder caught outside the Washington Canyon by the “Restless Lady”. The fish measured 120-inches and took 55 minutes to get to the boat.
Outside of the tournament, the big news was the “Billfisher” venturing down to the Washington Canyon on Saturday and returning to Sunset Marina with 20 white marlin releases. Capt. Jon Duffie reported 30 bites in 650 fathoms and was surprised they had that many since it didn’t look like anything was holding the fish. No bait... nothing. On Sunday, a couple of boats went down to the Washington Canyon, where the “Reel Chaos” released 2 whites and the “Billfisher” released 4 whites.
Tuna
Bigeye tuna dominated the scales at the White Marlin Open. On the first day of the tournament, the “Playmate” weighed a 241 pounder caught in the Washington Canyon. The fish held on to 1st place until the “Pipe Dreamer” threw a 279 lb. bigeye on the scale the following day. Also on Tuesday, the “Last Straw” weighed a 225 lb. bigeye that ended the tournament in 3rd place after being caught in the Washington Canyon. The 1st place bigeye on the “Pipe Dreamer” was caught in the Norfolk Canyon in 250 fathoms.
Dolphin
Local charter boat, the “Ranger”, took first place in the Dolphin Division with a 41.5 pounder caught in 500 fathoms outside the Washington Canyon. Another local boat, “Reel Estate”, ended the tournament in 2nd place with a 39.5 lb. mahi caught on the first day in the Baltimore Canyon. The “Alexis” landed the 3rd place dolphin, weighing 39 lbs., also on the first day in the Norfolk Canyon.
Wahoo
The largest wahoo in the tournament was caught on the first day, when the “Reel Desire” ventured to the Poor Man’s and hooked a 71 lb. speedster. The “Restless Lady” boated a 68 pounder in the Washington Canyon on the 2nd day of the tournament and held on to win 2nd place in the WMO. Third place went to local charter boat, “Marli”, with a 58 pounder caught on the 1st day in the Washington Canyon.
Sea Bass
Sea bass fishing is hanging in there for those venturing off to ocean reefs and wrecks. Those fishing with clams and squid are having the best luck. The African Queen, the subway cars at the Jackspot and the San Gil wreck are some of the top producers.
Took a neat photograph this week of Susan Power and her husband Jack. The duo donated the money to create the Susan Power Reef at the Jackspot and Capt. Monty on the “Morning Star” took them out to do some sea bass fishing. They returned with 22 keepers. Good things for good people!
Flounder
It’s getting to be prime time for those looking for large flounder. Just take a glance through the pages of this issue and you will see what I mean. We saw numerous flatties 23-inches and larger caught last week.
Friday and Saturday in the Inlet and around the rocks was very productive. A couple of 26-inchers topped the list last week. Bob Sharbaugh caught a 26-incher by the South Jetty on Saturday and Brian Arni landed one on Friday at the African Queen.
Saturday was an especially good day. Steve Meadowcroft caught a fat, 25.5-inch flattie that tipped the scale at 8 lbs. 3 oz. He was fishing around the Jetty with Tom Hughes, who landed himself a nice 23-incher. Dan Wagner was also drifting live spot around the Jetty and came away with a 25.5-incher.
These fish are big, and require big baits to whack them. Spot or live bunker are the baits of choice right now.
This is also the time of year when the shoals off the beach start heating up. Capt. Monty on the “Morning Star” and Capt. Chris on the “Angler” have both been putting their customers on to some nice flounder. Mike Popiel caught himself a 24-incher while drifting over the Isle of Wight Shoal in the middle of the week.
Those of you who like using the popular and effective Gulp! Swimming Mullet will be happy to hear that the company has just come out with a 6-inch model. Previously, the largest Swimming Mullet you could get was 4-inches. Check with your local tackle shop for availability.
Croaker
The elusive croaker has arrived in the bay again. These fish showed up a while ago, only to vanish after a couple of days. They have shown up again, but the fish are small. Best bet is to fish around Harbour Island or around the mouth of the commercial harbor. Use small hooks, because the fish are tiny.
In the Surf
Sue Foster at Oyster Bay Tackle reports, “Kingfish, Norfolk spot, croaker, sand perch, snapper blues, and occasional sea trout are biting from the beach. The best bite is early in the morning. At night, we're still seeing sharks, skates, huge rays and snapper bluefish. Remember, you cannot keep a sand tiger, sand bar, or dusky shark. If in doubt, always release any sharks with teeth.”
Upcoming Tournaments
This Thursday, Friday and Saturday is the Capt. Steve Harman’s Poor Girls Open at Bahia Marina. Weigh-ins are each day from 4:00 PM to 7:30 PM. This is a great tournament and you will see a lot of excitement at the scale.
Monday starts the 20th Annual Mid-Atlantic $500,000 at Sunset Marina. Like the White Marlin Open, this is one of the premier billfish tournaments in the world. The tournament runs out of both Cape May, NJ and Ocean City, MD. Weigh-ins are each night from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Swing on by and check out the action.
See you at the scales.
