Article by Marty Gary
Summer Sizzle
I was out on the Chesapeake Bay last week, and couldn’t help but remark that it felt wetter above the water than in it. As the heat and humidity skyrocket, the pleasant prevailing breezes on the coast make Ocean City the place to be to really enjoy a day of fishing. As we settle into the mid-summer season, the big offshore tournaments take a breather for a few weeks before the most famous of all the tournaments arrives, the White Marlin Open. Sportfishermen can take their pick, inshore for flounder, stripers, sea bass, bluefish and a montage of other species. The wrecks and near shore reefs are producing nice catches of sea bass, along with some tautog and remarkably, even a few cod (shaking my head). Surfcasters are seeing a mix of dogfish, clearnose skates, northern whiting (kingfish) and other species. Offshore, yellowfin are dominating from the Hot Dog to the Canyons and into the deep. More and more billfish, along with mahi are in the mix as well.
The colder bottom water is still in place out to at least the 20 fathom curve, but the bluefin appear to have moved north for the most part, as they do at this time of the year. With warm water eddies spinning off the Gulf Stream, the water conditions offshore can change overnight. Captains of charter vessels and private boats alike will be monitoring sea surface temperatures daily, some paying extra for the analyzed versions. A few nautical miles can make all the difference of being in the right place at the right time. Take your pick of where to go and what to catch. There’s no better place to be fishing than Ocean City right now.
License Questions
Maryland DNR set up a special hotline for sportfish license inquiries. The number, 410-656-9526, has had high volume. Initially, we were getting questions on all kinds of license issues, but over the past few weeks, the dominent callers have been asking specifically about coastal issues. Some of the most common questions have been:
•Do I need a license to recreationally crab? A: No, but you do need to adhere to the regulations on size (5 inches), and limits (one bushel per person and up to two max per boat). **Note – peeler minimum is now 3.5 inches.
•Do I need a license to recreationally clam? A: No. Minimum size is 1 inch, limit is 250 per person per day.
•Do I need a Maryland fishing license if I’m fishing off the National Park shoreline on Assateague Island? A: Yes, if you are 16 years of age or older.
•Do I need a license if I rent a boat? A: Possibly. Some boat rental fascilities have purchased special boat decals to cover their patrons who rent boats from them. If this is the case, you will not need a sport fishing license. If not, then you will. Be sure to check before you rent.
•Where can I buy a fishing license? A: Online at www.dnr.maryland.gov or at any of our authorized agents, including: Skip’s Bait & Tackle, Oyster Bay Bait & Tackle, Oceanic Pier, Captain Mac’s Bait and Tackle, Fenwick Bait and Tackle, Sunset Provisions, Ocean City Fishing Center, Alltackle, John Henry’s Bait & Tackle, Frontiertown, Buck’s Place, Assateague Store, Sharkey’s Market & Wal Mart just to name a few.
Maryland DNR Summer Flounder Catch Rate Survey Underway
I’ll continue to mention the new survey by MD DNR to compare catch rates of summer flounder being landed at public and private points of landing. The survey is officially underway and will be running through the end of August. Maryland Saltwater Sportfishermen’s Association (MSSA) volunteers are distributing the simple, easy to fill out survey cards to anglers on the water during their fishing trips, capitalizing on the rapport between fellow anglers. Here is an example of the survey card that will be handed out to other boat fishermen on the water by the MSSA volunteers.
Participating anglers simply need to fill out their card upon completion of their trip, and drop it the closest mailbox when they return to shore. Postage is prepaid. DNR Fisheries personnel will provide the survey design, collect and analyze the data sent in by the anglers upon completion of their trips. Ultimately, DNR will share the results with the NMFS staff that are working on the redesign of the federal recreational fishing survey (MRIP).
So if you are fishing on the water and a fellow fisherman approaches you with a card in hand, please consider taking a moment to listen to them, fill out the survey card at the end of your trip, and drop it in the mailbox.
Radford Update
Work progresses toward completion up at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on USS Radford, a 573 foot long Navy Destroyer in preparation for it’s placement as the largest ship to be used as an artificial reef on the Atlantic coast. EPA inspections have nearly wrapped up, and we are in a week-to-week mode. Once EPA and the Coast Guard provide approval, the ship will be clear to move to the reefing site 32 nautical miles northeast of the Ocean City inlet. We’ll break the news to the readers of Coastal Fishermen just as soon as we hear for sure. The official website for the Radford project is: www.radfordreef.com.
Until next week…….good fishing!
Marty Gary is Assistant Director/Fisheries Ecologist at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Service.
