Article by Capt. BJ Pietryak
This past week in Ocean City, we enjoyed calmer seas and, despite a few storms, very comfortable fishing weather. The hot bite continued to be flounder, with many wrecks and reefs holding numerous fish eager to be caught on anything the angler throws. Spanish mackerel were spotted along the near shore humps as well as the Fenwick Shoals. Additionally, a few cobia were being caught on the near shore lumps as well as just outside the inlet.
Near Shore Reefs & Snags
The near shore reefs are alive with triggerfish, flounder, and even a few small croaker. Squid and Gulp are accounting for most of the catches, with fresh clam coming in as a close second. Capt. Dave Allen had the pleasure of taking his family out for the first time trolling along the Isle of Wight Shoal for spanish mackerel with his sons Cobie and Josh. They both caught their first macks using small spoons. What a great way to introduce the young ones to fishing when you can incorporate trolling along with bottom fishing. Great job, dad! Aiden Webster, along with Garrett Elder from Monkton, MD and Richard Hoenes from OC, went to the second lumps to troll and returned with 6 ribbon fish along with 4 spanish mackerel. The fish were caught on small spoons trolled in 54 feet of water that was 72 degrees. Sav Mo was out at Great Gull and used an inline 4 ounce weighted Clark Spoon to hook several spanish before the cutlass fish tore them up and halted the bite. The “Wolf Pack” said they had the best luck for macks trolling silver spoons on a #2 planer at 5.5 miles per hour. David Ditch also had good luck with the Clark Spoons about 3 miles outside of the Inlet. Kevin McNelis went out for a quick trip and returned with a few fluke up to 4.5 pounds. Later in the week he had family in from Louisiana, and despite the tough conditions, managed some big keepers and roughly 30 throwbacks. Kevin fished with Cole Ranun and Brian Ranum. The “Angler” Deep Sea Fishing Vessel out of the Talbot Street Pier boat was out all last week, and although the sea bass were picky at times, the quality of the ones they caught were very good. The crew also put their anglers on some very nice-sized flounder. “Morning Star Fishing” caught a few nice flounder along with a few sea bass this past week on their trips. The “Ocean Princess” had their biggest doormat of the season this past week that measured 23 inches. They also caught triggerfish and even a few spadefish. Lamont Hilbert was on his boat, the “Seabum,” and fished squid at Russell Reef. Lamont brought home a 19.5”, 20”, and 22” fluke along with a triggerfish. Young Cameron Ball of Salisbury MD caught his first keeper flounder while fishing a Trigger Rig out at the African Queen Site. “Tipsy Tiki” Captain Jeremy Michalski and Big Cam also fished on this trip and brought home another 6 fluke, with the largest being 21 inches. The group used bluefish strips as well as Gulp. Congrats to little Cam on his first keeper.
Back Bays & Inlet
Thirteen-year-old Aiden Webster from Baldwin, MD was fishing squid near the OC Airport on a fast drift and landed 2 fluke measuring 15” and 16 inches. Aiden also caught his first weakfish. Joe "The Fish Slayer" Koziol of OC used Gulp near the Coast Guard Station and hooked a 16¾“ fluke while fishing aboard the “Hookin School” with Capt. Allen Timmons. Jeff Fox also had his share of good luck while fishing behind the OC Airport and landed a 17” and a 19.5” fish using 4” white Gulp Swimming Mullets. The "Miss OC” boat had several good trips last week, bringing home nice doormat flounder for their clients. The “Bay Bee” was out on the back bays and reported it was family week. They had several larger groups of families with both adults and children reporting a great time catching fish and having fun. For those visiting OC that have younger kids, these bay boats are a great way to entertain the kids and give a unique view of Ocean City from the back bays. The trips are shorter than most headboat trips and often allow anglers to see both dolphins as well as the wild horses of Assateague Island. The waters are pretty calm, and the captains and mates are well-versed in helping the anglers catch fish and have an enjoyable trip.
“Get Sum Charters” was out in the back bays catching their share of fish as well as showing many families how to clam and crab the back bay waters. They brought home some big crabs and a basket of clams for their clients to enjoy. “Ocean City Guide Service” had several successful days out on the water and even landed a huge southern ray this past week. Rays, even the smaller ones, will put up a hell of a fight on any tackle and are a blast to bring to the boat. The wide wings give it the pulling power of a fish three times its size.
The Ocean Pines Flounder Tournament was held on Saturday with 237 anglers hitting the bays of OC in search of the biggest fish and the $1,000.00 prize. The top 3 fish were only separated by 3/4 of a pound, but it was Ty Hubicki who ruled the day with a 24.25 inch flounder weighing 5.31 pounds. Ty is the grandson of Ron Fischer who started the tournament 16 years ago making the win even more special. The winning fish was caught just outside of the inlet in 37 feet of water. 2nd and 3rd place were a father and son duo. In second place was Kevin McNelis Jr. with a 24” fish weighing 5.04 pounds, and in third place was his father, Kevin McNelis Sr., with a 24” flounder weighing 4.58 pounds. They were fishing at Kelly’s Reef using Gulp. The crew was fishing with Kevin Jr’s fiancee, Dani, who got bumped from the leaderboard. The junior angler winner was Chase Neumayer with a 21¾ “ fish weighing 3.96 pounds. Chase is 11 years old and was fishing live spot at the Coast Guard station in 30 feet of water with his dad. Congrats to all the winners and contestants. On a side note, all the winners today, including the junior angler, have been mentioned multiple times this year in the inshore reports. These guys always seem to know where the fish are located.
Surf Fishing
Assateague Island has had its ups and downs this week, with several anglers getting skunked while fishing the beach. A few big red drum have been reported along with the normal summer sharks, rays, and skates. Kingfish and spot are in the surf for anglers who want to have fun catching multiple fish. Rich Jones got a nice-sized triggerfish from Assateague Island on Thursday, while Lee Ireland reported a few bluefish making their way up from the deep to bite the hook.
Until next week...
Tight Lines and Fins Up!
