Article by Larry Jock
Between the incredible bite just north at the Indian River Inlet and more anglers heading offshore to take advantage of the good bluefin tuna, sea bass and bluefish bites, it’s starting to actually look like a fishing season.
Striped Bass
With the striper bite being so incredibly hot in the Indian River Inlet, and many local anglers making the run north to take advantage of it, the striper bite inshore and in our bays really didn’t get much pressure last week. The bite from the surf off Assateague and in North Ocean City remained quietly strong as the big stripers moved up the beach. Most surfcasters found success using fresh bunker.
The bite around the South Jetty was also active, although short stripers dominated the action. We are really seeing a lot of big fish this year, and according to the MD DNR biologists, the run may not be over with cooler than normal water temperatures in the Chesapeake Bay delaying the spawning season this year.
Anglers with live bait were able to pull some stripers from the Rt. 50 Bridge pilings last week, although you had to weed through quite a few short fish to get your keeper.
Bluefish
Speaking of the Rt. 50 Bridge, anglers continued to get into smaller, snapper bluefish during the last of the incoming tide. Anglers using spec rigs or any type of metal lure had all the action they wanted.
We saw quite a few chopper bluefish hit the docks last week as boats headed offshore to the Jackspot and the Fingers. The largest bluefish we have seen so far this year came off the “Reel Naughty” on Saturday when they threw a 14.8 pounder on the scale. Also on Saturday, anglers on the “Reel Attitude” caught bluefish weighing over 10 lbs. at the Jackspot.
All of the choppers we saw this weekend were caught while trolling hoochies and spoons.
Sea Bass
The much anticipated sea bass season opened on Sunday with anglers running out to the Subway Car wreck at the Jackspot, the African Queen and the Great Eastern Reef. Anglers had success with squid and clams. The largest sea bass weighed 4 lb. 6 oz. and was caught by Tim Nengel on the “Pure Pleasure II” at the African Queen.
Tautog
We saw some big tautog hit the docks last week when the “Morning Star” returned from offshore. On Saturday, an angler threw a 15 lb. 12 oz. blackfish on the dock. A day earlier, anglers returned with tog weighing 14 lb. 12 oz. and 16 lb. 1 oz. All three were caught on green crabs.
Flounder
We are starting to see an increase in the average size of the flounder being caught. One of the things I have witnessed this year is that the fish are noticeably fat. One angler told me that his fish was filled with small crabs.
The MSSA Ocean Pines Flounder Frenzy was held on Friday and Saturday with 31 anglers participating. A decent number of fish were caught, with Dick Shelley taking 1st place with a 23 3/4-inch fish caught on a frozen mullet, north of the Rt. 90 Bridge. Second place was won by flounder fanatic Budd Heim, with a 21 5/8-inch fish caught on a minnow in the Thorofare. Billy Cook won 3rd place with a 21 1/2-inch flattie caught on a minnow & Gulp! combination, just south of the Rt. 90 Bridge.
Besides the Rt. 90 Bridge and the Thorofare, we also saw flounder being caught near the mouth of the Commercial Harbor and around Harbour Island. Minnows, shiners and combinations with Gulp! artificial baits have worked the best.
Mako Shark
On Friday, the “Nontypical”, no stranger to readers of the Coastal Fisherman, headed towards 67-degree water in the Baltimore Canyon and returned with a 214.5 lb. mako shark and a 46 lb. bluefin tuna. The fish were caught in 100 fathoms with the mako eating a fresh bluefish and the bluefin attacking a spreader bar.
Shark fishermen spending the night offshore are still having to deal with a good number of blue sharks.
Bluefin Tuna
Over the long weekend, we saw a good number of bluefin tuna hooked by anglers fishing in 50-100 fathoms in the Baltimore Canyon and towards the north end of the Poor Man’s Canyon.
On Friday, the “Moore Bills” headed offshore in search of the first white marlin, but abandoned their plans and ended up hooking 19 bluefins in the Baltimore Canyon. On Saturday, the “Double Trouble” ended up between the Baltimore and Poor Man’s Canyons and hooked 7 bluefins during their trip. Also on Saturday, Capt. Kevin Rohe on the “Caliente” called to report hooking 12 bluefin tuna towards the north end of the Poor Man’s Canyon between 50 and 100 fathoms. On Sunday, the “Lisa” was trolling up the 20 fathom line, north of the Jackspot when they landed a 39-inch bluefin.
This Saturday and Sunday, May 28th and 29th, is the 2nd Annual Bluefish Tournament sponsored by the Ocean City Marlin Club. Anglers are allowed to fish 1 out of 2 days with weigh-ins being held at Sunset Marina from 3:30 pm to 6:00 pm.
See you at the scales!
