Article by Capt. BJ Pietryak
Maryland waters saw large storms on many evenings and received some well needed rain in our areas. The nearshore wrecks are still producing a few big sea bass due to colder bottom temps than usual. Flounder fishing is improving but is still very hit or miss depending on the water temps around the wreck you are fishing. The back bays have tons of small fluke, sea bass and croaker around to delight novice anglers. The Rt. 50 Bridge is still producing big rockfish as well as blues.
Nearshore Wrecks & Reefs
The nearshore wrecks are giving up some nice sea bass despite the late season, mostly due to the colder water stuck in our area. Last week produced a couple big cobia as well as some large flatfish from reefs and structure.
Capt. Victor Bunting reported that sea bass were a bit slow for their anglers with lots of undersized fish caught. The crew reports they had a few flounder as well as a unique catch of a big cobia. The large 30 pound fish was caught by Alexandria Platt from Houston, TX. The “Angler” had several good trips and put their clients on some quality flounder. The anglers also found sea bass and other species willing to take a hook. The “Judith M” caught a couple quality sea bass along with a few other species. They said they still have room for additional anglers in the later parts of the week. Lucas Siple took his first trip of the season and landed 5 keeper flounder along with a few sea bass. The group fished the African Queen site and reported that until the tide changed they had constant action, with fish up to 22 inches. Kevin McNelis got another citation fluke. The fish weighed 5.02 pounds.
“Just a Toy Sportfishing” had a great charter catching 10 bluefish as well as a 30 inch slot striper. “Double Trouble Charters” stated, despite the unfavorable weather conditions the group, with MVP Ken Spicer, managed to put a beat down on several quality fish during their outing. The crew put respectable catches of sea bass and flounder in the box. Captain Churchill reports the key is getting a crew that are willing to work hard and pay attention to strikes on the rods.
Back Bay & Inlet
The Rt. 50 Bridge area is still hot for blues and rockfish, and the area directly above and below is the hot spot for flounder. The back bays of Assateague Island are loaded with small croaker and blues. Michael Defrancesco was out with his little girl and managed a couple flounder and a 27 inch rockfish while fishing next to the bridge.
The “Miss Ocean City” stated the water was quite clear despite the storms, and many anglers got lucky enough to bring home dinner. The boat is fishing 3 hour trips on the water for under $40. The “Bay Bee” also reports several good trips last week with anglers catching a variety of fish, including a few big flatfish which were invited home for dinner. The “Happy Hooker" had their annual Jimmy’s Kitchen trip and all aboard had a great time and tons of fun. “Freedom Baits” reports the weather has been up and down lately however, anglers still managed to find quality fish in the bay. John Abbott and Caleb Abbott were throwing the 8” Bare Knuckle Shad landing some world class redfish. Nature Boy also fished and hooked a rockfish up to 35” as well as a few stout weakfish.
Kane Bounds had a slow start to their 8 hour charters, but as the wind settled down the fishing bounced back. Although we are not seeing the big landings from the “Fish Bound Charters” the crew remains vigilant despite the colder water and is managing to catch several big fish. The crew showed off some knothead sea bass as well as several doormat fluke.
Surf Fishing
Assateague Island has been producing quality redfish along with big rays and sharks. The main catch remains kingfish which are showing up in large numbers.
Many anglers are reporting growing tired of baiting every few minutes as these fish won’t stop biting the lines.
Adam Karl had a fun day on the island with his family catching both spot and kingfish. Seth Seger and group caught kingfish from the beach on Monday afternoon while enjoying a relaxing day on the beach. Brian Reynolds ran out Thursday evening and fished a super low tide off Assateague. He stated he didn't set the world on fire, but did manage some spot and a dozen kingfish up to 13 inches. He also caught one overslot redfish. Maybe it's just me but sounds like he was setting the world on fire with all those fish caught, including a big red.
Many anglers missed the early run of big redfish in April and May, however this year they are hanging around for the summer, so now is the time to hit the beach and toss out some cut bait on big vehicle hooks and maybe land that fish of a lifetime.
Jarod Tedesco was not to be outdone and caught his first over slot red fish of the year. He was all smiles showing off his big catch before safely releasing the brute to be caught another day. Jarod caught and released 4 reds on Thursday evening. David Moore stated there were all the spot fish you wanted in the surf Thursday evening. He reported using several of them to catch 7 big reds between 37 and 45 inches.
Until next week...
Tight Lines and Fins Up §
