Article by Larry Budd
This Week Last Year
• The “Reel One”was on the cover with a 102” and 340 lb. blue marlin they caught in the Washington Canyon.
• The hot tuna bite was in the Washington Canyon. The “Spring Mix II” bagged an 85.5 lb. yellowfin, the “Playmate” brought back a 216.6 lb. bigeye and the “Top Dog” reeled in a 243 lb. eyeball that was the heaviest for the year.
• The “Carol’s Teakettle” boated a 132 lb. bluefin at the Hambone on a naked ballyhoo.
• Tyler Enslin and Andy Swope caught one of the last legal mako sharks in the Washington before the ban took effect last July.
• The first wahoo catch of the season was reported from the “Chasin Tides” at the Hot Dog.
With the Ocean City Tuna Tournament and its rich purse only 9 days away, everybody was keeping an eye on the tuna bite this week. To quote a famous novel, “it was the best of times and the worst of times” for tuna fishing, and these extremes could occur on the same day. The week started out with decent action on yellowfin tuna. Last Monday saw several boats hitting the dock with high single digit catches, mainly from the Poor Man’s Canyon. Capt. Chris Ragni on the “Bill Slayer” out of the Indian River Marina, took some of his high school buddies there and got 7 yellowfins in the box. The charter boat “Talkin’ Trash” based at the Ocean City Fishing Center slammed 10 yellowfins weighing 346.2 lbs. in total. Most are reporting wide trackers and chains as the baits of choice as usual.
There were not a lot of bigeyes reported, but the ones brought in were notable. Last Thursday the private boat “Lucky Duck II” managed 4 chunky eyeballs from the 800/800. While most captains on Saturday reported very slow tuna action, the “Obsession” out of Bahia Marina bucked the trend and dragged a 225 lb. bigeye to the scales. Angler Bren Mayhew reeled in that bad boy north of the Washington Canyon while trolling the edge of the shelf. The crew also managed a 50 lb. yellowfin. Our last reported bigeye upset the leaderboard on the final day of the Ocean City Marlin Club’s Canyon Kickoff! That is where most of our reports came for the weekend offshore, so let do a round up!
The Marlin Club held its 41st Annual Canyon Kick Off over the weekend from Friday thru Sunday. 34 boats entered this years fish 2 of 3 day event with most fishing on the first two days. Friday saw 29 boats trying their luck with 11 making their way to the scales. All of the tuna that day were yellowfins, mostly in the 35-45 pound range. It was the “Mackenzie Rae” however that broke the trend and topped the leaderboard on day 1 with a 55.5 lb. yellowfin they caught at the Rock Pile. That one held the top spot through day 2, but slipped to 2nd Place overall for the tournament. A couple dolphins also hit the dock, with 2 over the tournament limit of 10 lbs. The “Reel Estate” lead that category Friday with a 15 lb. mahi from the 461 Lump north of the Washington Canyon. They would however finish in 2nd Place for Heaviest Dolphin for the event. As for releases, the “Christine Marie”, “Undertaker” and “Buckshot” all reported single white marlin releases. The “Christine Marie” went deep into the Norfolk Canyon in 1200 fathoms to raise their white and a 40.5 lb. yellowfin. Shout out to the crew for sharing some tuna with the tournament staff!
Day 2 saw fair weather in the morning with 32 of 34 boats fishing. Even with the leader board filled and anglers knowing what they needed to beat, the action at the scales was again lively with 11 boats weighing fish. Everyone reported tough fishing, with most reporting only 1 or 2 bites for the day. Still, there were some change ups to the leaderboard. The “Barbara Rose” slid in with a 51.5 lb. yellowfin from the Poor Man’s ending day 2 in 2nd Place. The “Undertaker” found a weed line deep in the Washington Canyon catching several mahi. Only one was over the tournament limit, and at 19 lbs., it easily slid into the top slot where it finished the tournament. They also released a white marlin, when combined with the one from Friday put them on top of the Release Division. The “Christine Marie” also released another white to lock in 2nd Place. A lone blue marlin report came from the “Loose Knot” for their marlin released in the Wilmington Canyon. That blue ran up their spread hitting on the long line, then playing with a spreader bar before finally taking the short line!
We expected day 3 to be uneventful with only 5 boats fishing. The weather was also more ‘sporty’, and early reports from the canyons for tuna were pretty bleak. The energy at the scales however perked up about 5:30 PM when we got word that the “Fish On” had something special aboard and was 7 miles out. Once to the dock they did indeed have fish on! It took a hefty tail rope and two mates on gaffs, but eventually a 219 lb. bigeye slid onto the dock! Capt. Andrew Dotterweich was trolling in the middle of the Washington Canyon when angler Josh Jasper hooked the big fish. He made fast work of it, getting it to the boat in only 35 minutes. That eyeball dominated the Heaviest Tuna Division as the only bigeye and finished in first place. It is also the Heaviest Bigeye caught so far this season! You can see our full coverage and results starting on page 60.
Outside of the tournament we heard of some other nice catches. The “Boss Hogg” released a white early last week in the Poor Man’s. Bill ‘Squidnation’ Pino headed out with the crew on the “Blood Money” last Friday and reported ‘one of the most exciting and unexpended days of fishing offshore of Ocean City, MD in 38 years’. 30 to 40 giant bluefin tuna were swarming around them all day. The “Reel Current” out of the Ocean City Fishing Center caught a wahoo in the Poor Man’s Canyon on a skirted ballyhoo. This is only the 2nd one we have heard of this year so far.
Sharking is still going strong in the Delaware Bay, mostly brown sharks. 11 year old Lucia Perez caught her biggest fish ever when she landed an approximately 7 ft. sand tiger shark in the suds off of Assateague Island. A slow tuna bite usually results in an uptick of tile fishing, and we are seeing some pretty golden tiles on the scales. Many in the 40 lb. range, like the 48.5 lb. golden caught on the “Game Changer” in the Washington.
Lastly we have not gotten a report of a keeper cobia in the MD/DE area yet. Several small ones have been reported, some even in the Ocean City Bay. They are thick as thieves in the waters to our south, so we expect to get that First Fish Category filled soon.
Well, that about sums up last week, so until next time I will see you at the scales!
Upcoming Tournaments
• The world’s largest tuna tournament returns to the Ocean City Fishing Center on July 14-16. The 36th Ocean City Tuna Tournament promises more action and big money payouts. Purses over the past 2 years have exceeded $1M. Scales will be open from 4-8PM on Friday & Saturday and 4-7:30 PM on Sunday.
• The 19th Annual Marlin Club Kid’s Classic will be held on July 22-23. This event benefits the Wish-a-Fish Foundation and is always a blast for the kids. You do not have to be a member to participate. More at OCMarlinClub.com.
• Marina madness is headed to the Talbot Street Pier as they host the 10th Annual Big Fish Classic on July 28-30. Always a fun event with of course, big fish! More at BigFishClassic.com
