Article by Capt. BJ Pietryak
This week in Maryland, the near shore and bay waters were alive compared to last week with all the wind. The break the fish got from the wind brought many fish back to their normal areas and the anglers were pleased with the catches.
Seabass
Maryland sea bass is definitely getting into the summer months with many small undersized bass being caught. The ratio of keepers is still about 10 throwbacks to 1 keeper. The couple of boats I talked to that went to the Jackspot and deeper wreck areas did much better with a ratio of 6 throwbacks for every keeper .The head boats in Ocean City did well on catches for their clients. Clams and jigs are still the best baits with squid also catching sea bass.
Bluefish
This week showed some nice slammer bluefish caught on the near shore wrecks. The back bays and closer inshore wrecks are full of small snapper blues. Both the bigger blues as well as the smaller ones will take cut bait and small jerkbaits. Night fishing from the fishing pier as well as public docks and the bulkhead along 3rd Street have produced some nice flurries of bluefish. I heard that mid-week showed lots of action at night along the 3rd street causeway. Most anglers were throwing cut bait. Many anglers used a wire leader to prevent bite offs. When fishing the area, which is just north of the Route 50 bridge, be aware that the current can be strong. Flounder and small sharks were also reported in this area.
Flounder
This week flounder fish also became much better than previous weeks. Areas such as the Ocean City Inlet produced some nice flounder. Some of the other productive areas were the main channel both above and below the Route 50 bridge. When fishing these areas be aware of boat traffic and watch your drift. The area behind Assateague Island, both south of the commercial harbor on the west side as well as the area near the airport have also been productive. Look for deeper holes like the one right behind the entrance to the commercial harbor as these fish like the drop offs due to the baits being caught in the swelling of the holes. Shiners and squid strips were the top producers of quality fish. Gulp, jigheads,and bucktails also caught some nice fish. Blake Gunther caught a few nice doormats along the Ocean City Inlet.
Sharks
The story all week off shore was hammerheads everywhere! Many tuna charters came back from offshore with tails of big fins everywhere. Nearer to the coast saw many smaller sharks. Dogfish sharks are still thick on both the inshore wrecks as well as the back bays. The rays are still here as well and these smaller sharks tend to follow the rays. Blacktip and dusky sharks are showing up inshore both near reef areas as well as cruising the shoreline. Dusky and blacktip are larger than their smaller cousin dogfish and will put up quite a fight. Just a reminder the dusky shark still remains on the endangered watch list and it is unlawful to land, purchase, or harvest these fish. When catching a dusky shark leave the shark in the water and cut your line if you don’t have a long enough dehooker. Big cut chunk type baits are the best when targeting sharks. A chum bag deployed behind the boat will also help to bring these sharks into range. If you are not wanting the mess of a chum bag, dry chum such as bloodline is a great alternative. Always remember to be careful when fishing for sharks as they can be quite dangerous to anglers.
Crabs & Clams
Crabbing in Ocean City has definitely improved. The north end of Assawoman Bay is producing the big and plentiful crabs. Areas behind Assateague Island are also producing some nice crabs. As the summer draws on the females go deeper leaving larger male crabs to take their place. Clamming has also been very good along the shoreline of Assateague Island. Cynthia Bunting Harper was out on Sunday with friends and using both her feet and rakes managed to get over 80 clams from the island. The area on the north end across from the commercial harbor is the hangout spot for sandbar parties. It’s also a great area for clamming . The area right in front of Hoopers Crab House is another sandbar and a great spot to go clamming.
Surf fishing
The surf has seen lots of rays and small blues. Mullet rigs and cut bait have been the best producers. Some small flounder have been caught from the surf. Spot are now being caught by anglers fishing for weakfish and kingfish. The kingfish bite has also started to turn on.
So as the weather and fishing heats up get out and catch some fish!
Tight lines and fins up!
Captain B.J. Pietryak
