Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
A couple of years ago, I was casting around some back-bay marsh banks when I hooked into a little "something" that I thought was going to be a tiny flounder or perhaps a small sea bass or bluefish. Much to my surprise, when I got it to the boat it ended up being a 5 or 6-inch grouper!
Anyone who's aware of what fish are and are not usually caught around here should know that grouper reside on the "are not" list. Notice that I didn't say "never". I said "usually" not caught around here. Obviously, by my own account, grouper are occasionally taken in Delmarva waters, but as most folks know, grouper are primarily a southern fish that (unfortunately) don't wander this far north in any great numbers. In all my years of fishing, that was number three. The other two were taken on offshore reefs.
Actually, I wanted to mention the grouper catch not because of "what" I caught as much as "where" I caught it. Like I said, I was casting to marsh banks in the back bay, which is something you don't see a lot of anglers doing, but it can be a lot of fun for those looking for a break from normal routine of fishing the Rt. 50 Bridge or bottom bouncing the channels for flounder. Where I hooked that grouper was at least 100 yards from anywhere boats would normally travel and a place where few anglers would go unless they're either lost or looking for crabs or clams. And while the grouper was indeed a rare catch, I was fishing that spot because many times I've found decent action in there with rockfish, bluefish, flounder and an occasional redfish. Yea - it can be a pretty good place to fish!
But before anyone musters up the nerve to ask me for the "exact" location of that little strip of marsh, let me say two things; First - I'm not telling. Second - our bay waters are full of places like that! Even though I've caught a lot of fish in that particular location, there are countless other places just like it scattered all round the bay both north and south of the inlet that (minus the grouper) have provided similar results.
A lot of anglers have come to know the fun of inshore structure fishing and are well versed at fishing around the inlet jetties, the Assateague, Rt. 50, and Rt. 90 bridges and the rocks next to Gudelsky Park. But just as those chunks of "hard" structure provide food and habitat for predator fish, so do the almost endless marsh banks that line both sides of the bay. Many fishermen mistakenly think that to find the fish they need to find the deeper waters of the bay, but guess what - there's a whole lot of fish that regularly move into 2 to 3-feet of water to feed on the incredible amounts of baitfish that also frequent those depths. I've found great action in the marshes anywhere from the Delaware line to miles well below the Assateague Bridge, with the best of it usually occurring on the west side of the bay.
Anglers should look for areas where there is a little bit of current moving past a marsh bank that has two or more feet of water in front of it and at least 4 to 5-feet of water close by. Fish will move in close to the marsh to feed on crabs, shrimp and other life that lives in the marsh grass and where the bank has been undercut by the current. The slightly deeper water nearby gives them a safe place to transition to if they feel threatened in the shallows.
A big part of successfully catching fish in such shallow areas is being able to present the baits or lures without first spooking the fish. This will almost always requires that anglers quietly approach within casting range, which means that they will either need to drift in or use a push-pole, paddle or electric motor to close the gap to where they can reach the target waters with their casts. Obviously, because it requires some element of stealth and precision, the available equipment on the boat and the casting abilities of the angler can make or break the success of this kind of fishing.
Fish won't be at every decent looking place. The height of the tide matters and even though you caught fish in one place last week doesn't mean they'll be there today. So this type of fishing requires a lot of moving around. Typically you pull up to one place, work a bunch of casts into it and if it doesn't produce you move on. You can always try it again later under different conditions. Anglers should pay attention to where they are, and are not, seeing a lot of bait as well as if it looks as though the bait is being harassed.
As for tackle, I prefer 15 lb. spinning tackle, 20 lb. fluorocarbon leader tied to a 1/4 oz. jig head with a 4-inch soft plastic tail in either white or chartreuse. Small bucktails will also work as will live bait such as minnows, bunker or spot. A big problem with bait is that there are A LOT of crabs in the marshes and they play havoc with all natural offerings.
As you can see, fishing the marsh banks is a bit more technical than drifting the channels hoping for a flounder to bite. But the scenery is beautiful, you won't be plagued by a bunch of other fishermen crowded around you and you might just be surprised by what you might catch, even if it doesn't include a wayward grouper!
Capt. Mark Sampson is an outdoor writer and captain of the charter boat, “Fish Finder”, docked at the Ocean City Fishing Center. During the winter months, Capt. Mark runs charters in the Lower Keys.
