Article by Capt. BJ Pietryak
This past week in Maryland, we saw large storms on many evenings and received some well-needed rain in our areas. These storms did cause flooding and have really muddied up the water. Nearshore wrecks are producing small black sea bass and croaker. Flounder are still just off the wrecks and are striking baits more readily. A few sharks and cobia are being found on the nearshore shoals as well as near the wrecks.
Nearshore Wrecks and Reefs
The nearshore wrecks and reefs are full of small sea bass, croakers, and flounder. Sea bass on the inshore wrecks are found with a ratio of 13 throwbacks to every keeper. The deeper wrecks and coral over 100 feet are holding better ratios of keepers, nearly eight throwbacks to every keeper. Flounder fishing has been producing tons of fish, but keepers are scattered. The down-current side of wrecks is producing more keepers than the coral, flatter ground, and large Gulp baits, as well as squid shiner combos, are the preferred baits. Cobia have been seen near the inlet and around A buoy but are reluctant to strike baits. Live eels may be the trick to targeting these fish near the shoals just south of Ocean City Inlet. “Bad Wind Charters” had Billy and his crew on board for a foggy start to their trip. Despite the slow ride out, the group landed limits of flounder using the Bad Wind’s clacker rigs. “Fish Bound Charters” saw group limits on almost all of their trips last week, targeting flounder in deeper areas to the north. They also landed some nice catches of sea bass and triggerfish. “Just a Toy Sportfishing” had a great afternoon trip, bringing home seven keepers after sorting through a ton of short fish. The “Angler” had several good trips bringing home coolers of keepers for their clients. The African Queen as well as the Bass Grounds have been producing tons of action for anglers and even providing fish for dinner for the more fortunate anglers. The “Ocean Princess” has been doing both fishing trips for bass as well as evening wine cruises to the delight of their customers. “Surface Tension Sportfishing” had a window between storms and managed to hook their group up with some quality flatfish off the nearshore wrecks.
Back Bays and Inlets
The back bays and inlets are around 75 degrees and full of small bass and flounder. Keeper flounder are being found, in the deeper channels as well as the inlet areas. Squid-shiner combos are your best tactic for targeting flounder in the bays. The area behind Assateague Island is this week’s hotspot, with the area near the airport being the best. The main thoroughfare just north of the bridge has also been a very productive spot, with anglers finding the incoming tides best for targeting the keeper flounder. The “Miss Ocean City” had several fun groups of kids on board this past week. They stated that on most trips, the kids outfished the adults almost 2 to 1. Many young anglers landed keeper fish for their families to have made by local restaurants for dinner. “Fish OC” found a few days when the back bays were not totally loaded with boats and managed a few good trips to bring home fish for Lake Crisco. The “Bay Bee” was back on the water after some preventative maintenance, and is ready to start catching fish for their clients. Shawn Varner had a good day fishing the RT 50 Bridge and landed two nice fluke. James Tetrault also landed a nice fish near the bridge measuring 21 inches. Chris Jenkins got a nice keeper Friday from the bridge. It seems like that was the hotspot of last week, with many anglers staying close to the bridge and landing dinner.
Surf Fishing
Surf fishing on Assateague Island has been slow, with mostly sharks and rays being taken from the beach. A few small blues and kingfish are also in the mix, being taken on pompano rigs and sand fleas. A few rockfish and reds are still around, but many have already made their migratory run north for the summer. Targeting fish in the late evening and through the night appears to be the most productive, and the period just before and after high tide has also been best. Mango on the Island found that there is more to life than sharks and rays, landing a nice slammer bluefish on a finger mullet while fishing Assateague Island South. Skyler Snead of “Fish Assateague LLC” had a few fun days catching their clients several nice sharks, including a big sand tiger. They report the bite is still going strong, so get out now while these big sharks are still near the shoreline.
How To
This week, we discuss how to catch blue claw crabs. Crabs can be caught in many ways, with the simplest being using a string and a chunk of chicken tied to a dock--slowly pulling the string to the surface and netting the clinging crab. Most crab hunters use crab pots, which can be purchased from any tackle shop for around $75. These pots are baited with either chicken or bunker fish and left to soak for up to three days. The pot is then pulled and the crabs are sorted. Crabs must be 5 inches to be legal. Two pots per recreational angler are permitted in both Maryland and Delaware. The other method is using a trotline. This method uses a line that is most commonly sold in 600-foot lengths. Every 6 ft, the line has bait ropes called snods. These snods are baited with chicken necks, eels, razor clams, or fish pieces. A side pole allows the line to run up alongside the boat, and as the bait comes to the surface, clinging crabs can be netted. For a very informative video, check out the FISH IN OC YouTube video with Kohr Crabbing Supply. Mention the video or this article to get a discount on fully rigged 600-foot trotlines from the shop in Millville, Delaware.
Until next week,
Tight Lines and Fins Up.
