Article by Larry Budd
This Week Last Year
• Shark fishing was in full swing. The first thresher shark at 267 lbs. was caught at the Twin Wrecks by the crew of the “MAKO me CRAZY”. The “Fish Finder” caught and released 4 mako sharks up to 200 lbs. at the Fingers in 60 ° water and the “Ro Sham Bo” overnighted in the Washington Canyon releasing a blue shark and two duskys as well as boating a 72” male mako shark.
• The second bluefin tuna catch for the season were caught by the “Gringo Loco” in the Washington Canyon. The “Ro Sham Bo” made a 36 hour trip south to the Norfolk Canyon and hooked into a couple of blue marlin and white marlin.
Well, Memorial Day is finally upon us and the weather is starting to feel like summer, or at least we got a couple of days of it before yet another cold front put the temps into the low 60’s again! As of this writing the holiday weekend looks sunny and warm as does the first half of next week, so maybe summer is here to stay.
This issue does add many catches to our First Fish and Heaviest Fish charts for the season, including first yellowfin tuna, bluefin tuna and thresher shark, more on those later in the offshore report. We have also included our Dock and Dine guides from Issue #1 this year based on popular demand. We appreciate the feedback and are always looking for more ways to enhance the Coastal Fisherman lifestyle on DelMarVa!
As for offshore fishing, we did have some action last week. The excitement ran high last Tuesday when rumors of a tuna circulated. As the day progressed it was confirmed that the private boat “Take Em” was in fact returning to Harbor Island in Ocean City with a mix of 10 yellowfin and bluefin tuna giving the crew status for First Fish both fish. They ran 71 miles to a spit of warm water southeast of the Poor Man’s Canyon, almost halfway to the Washington Canyon, to about 800 fathoms to snag these using a skirted ballyhoo. The report of tuna was short lived however as several boats like the “Ro Sham Bo” took a run back there on Wednesday to find colder waters and no bites at all! Even the trip the “Take Em” took had an element of luck. Owner Richard Osborne was originally planning to go out on Wednesday when a last minute schedule change moved the trip up a day! Capt. Skip Daisey had to hustle up from NC in time to get the cushions and gear ready to go!
We also saw the first thresher shark of the season as the water temps are getting right for sharking. The big 88” and 347 lb. fish was caught on a whole mackerel in the Fingers in 57 DEGREE water. Capt. Zach Brunner and the crew of the “HotLine” fought the beast for two hours before they could get it in the boat.
As for the forecast, several of the captains I talked to this week are encouraged by the solid tuna bite that showed up the past couple of days at the Oregon Inlet in North Carolina. While tuna have been caught, the bite was slow. Not so for the past few days, so that is a good harbinger for us. Most captains like Mark Malamphy, Joey Drosey and Ronnie Fields feel that if we can get some south winds we could see action for the holiday weekend. Right now we are seeing 60° water over 100 miles out and fluctuating. Registration and results from the Ocean City Marlin Club’s Franky Pettolina Memorial Day Tournament should provide some more insight.
The good news is that when the action picks up, you can read all about it in the Coastal Fisherman and see the latest on our social media accounts. Another quick reminder that we have moved offices and are now a few yards west of our old offices at 12703 Sunset Avenue, Suite 8.
Until next time, I will see you at the docks! §
Upcoming Tournaments
• The first offshore tournament of the season is the 13th Annual Franky Pettolina Memorial Day Tournament this coming weekend, May 28th & 29th. Weigh Ins are from 4:30-7:00 pm at Sunset Marina. More details at OCMarlinClub.com
• The 1st Annual Blues for DU Tournament is being held on June 3rd to 5th with weigh ins at Bahia Marina from 4:30-7:30 pm. This a new bluefish tournament to benefit Ducks Unlimited. More details at BahiaMarina.com
• The 2nd Annual Tuna & Tiaras Ladies Tuna Tournament returns on June 17th & 18th. Scales are open both days from 4PM to 7PM at the Ocean City Fishing Center. More at TunaandTiaras.com
