Article by Capt. BJ Pietryak
We had mixed weather with a few very cool days and a few very hot days last week. The ocean surface temperatures which were in the high 70s have dropped to the high 50s. Flounder has slowed in the nearshore wrecks but many nice fish can still be found if you put in the time and effort. The back bays continue to get better each day with more keeper fish brought in daily. Assateague Island surf fishing has slowed some with kingfish and skates being the main catches.
Nearshore Wrecks & Reefs
Nearshore wrecks and reefs have slowed with the changing water temps.
John Burbage reports he started his early morning at Fenwick Shoals trolling for spanish macks and blues but found the water cold and dirty, and the fish missing. Heading to Little Gull, he found more of the same. It wasn't until he reached Winter Quarters that he finally found warmer water and fish willing to bite. He said the water near Chincoteague Island was very dirty and almost chocolate in color.
The “Angler” reports a mixed catch of keeper flounder as well as some sea bass.
“TLT Charters” were spearfishing when they found a wreck holding several big flatties. The group speared several fish, all in the 20 plus range. The charter says it has dates open if you are looking to go out spearfishing.
Taylor Snyder took advantage of a decent weather day and hit the deep wrecks to score a 2 man limit of sea bass. Brandon Miller said fishing was easy, but despite the tough conditions they caught 10 keeper flounder for dinner.
Back Bays & Inlets
The back bays and inlet continue to get better each day with more keeper flounder coming in as the water warms up. Your hot spot of the week is the Thorofare just north of the bridge as well as the bay just south of the bridge on the west side.
Mark Logullo fished the inlet and caught a chomper blue fish. Mark went out later in the week with light tackle and used sand fleas to catch a nice sheepshead near the bridge pilings. He couldn't believe the fight these fish put up on the light line and tackle. Small jig heads tipped with shrimp or sand fleas work best when targeting these fish. The tog/sheepshead jigs can be found at any tackle shop in the area as well as from many local jig makers in the area.
Sheepshead have been reported all along the rocks at the OC Inlet as well as the Rt. 50 Bridge pilings. Using a light line on a small spinning rod is the best way to get these light lures down to the bottom where the fish are. Fresh live sand fleas will be your best lure, but small crab chunks or shrimp will also work. Mark Locklear fished the Rt. 50 Bridge and reeled in a big 31 inch blue along with several stripers. Mark Jameson with his son Brian fished the bridge at night. Brian caught a personal best 25 inch tank of a weakfish. Dan Crocker and Rob Calcare took a trip with Big Bird Cropper and landed several nice sized bluefish along with two red drum. Mark Jameson caught around 30 fluke and landed 2 keepers. He stated this was his first time fishing for flounder and had a blast despite the new size limits. Luke Wry had a strong day at the bridge catching various blues and rocks and even landed a keeper slot striper. Gerry Rosales was at the inlet using a Thing-a-ma-Jig catching a few keeper fluke. He tipped the lures with live minnows.
“Miss Ocean City' reports that the fishing is improving in the back bays, with more keepers observed. Their catches have been caught using squid, shiners and Gulp. They also reported their biggest catches came from the women anglers who seemed to outfish the men two to one. Go girl power!
The “Bay Bee" continues its success on the water putting their clients on flounder, croaker and bluefish. The crew reports that their anglers are also leading the leaderboard at the Ocean City Fishing Center “Keeper of the Year”. The big 6.15 lb. fluke beat out the standing 3 lb. champion Amando Steimel, who fished on the “Get Sum'. Knowing Captain Nick Clemente of the “Get Sum”, I'm sure he will be getting big flounder this next week to regain his spot on the leaderboard. But congrats to the “Bay Bee' for catching a true trophy fish in the back bays. Ocean City Fishing Center.
Shawn “Nature Boy” Flaherty was out near the bridge and caught a limit of bluefish and small rocks. His biggest fish was a 34 inch bluefish.
Steve Bassett Jr. pulled his new personal best 33 inch bluefish from the Rt. 50 Bridge. He stated it was a hell of a fish and wore him out.
Surf Fishing
The Assateague Island surf fishing has transitioned to the summer season with kingfish being the main catch. Large rays and shark are also being caught in the surf. A few redfish and black drum still remain in the area but are becoming harder to find.
David Skeval spent 4 days on the island catching 12 kings and 4 rays. He hooked a hard fighting fish that ran him all over the beach. He believes it was a big red, but after a good fight the fish spit the hook. Skylar Rehanek caught a solid sandbar shark while fishing at night on the island. The fish was safely released to be caught another day. David Moore had a great night on Assateague when he hooked and brought two big redfish to shore. The big reds measured 45 and 50 inches. He further reported catching rays and sand tiger sharks along with blacktips and blues. There have been several big reds caught off the beach at night this year, so using cut bait and crab chunks is a great option for fishing at night.
Until next week,
Tight Lines and Fins Up §
