Article by Capt. BJ Pietryak
Welcome back to another season of summer fishing in the Delmarva region! The past year ended with a bonanza of big bluefin tuna coming very close to the shoreline. Anglers fought huge 100-300 pound tuna within sight of land through in the early winter season. As we look to the spring and early summer season, many anglers are cashing in on the black drum and rockfish migrations. The trophy red drum has also started showing up to our south in Virginia, however a few have been pulled off of the Assateague beaches north of the Maryland line. Tog are on a few of the nearby wrecks, as well as along the rocks, in the inlets and back bays. The first flounder were caught, and with the size minimum at 16 inches until June 1st, now is a great time to score some delicious table fare.
Surf Fishing
Assateague Island has been on fire lately with several big stripers, as well as huge black drum being reported each day. A fish finder rig with a bigger circle hook is working the best with a high low rig a close second. Many of these fish are swimming just past the break waters, so long casts are not required and many times anglers are over throwing the fish. Set multiple rods at different distances allows the angler to hone in on the correct distance of the fish. Tristan Archer took the kids out for a day on the island and was delighted to find the black drum willing to accommodate. All the kids caught drum and had a blast reeling in the big fish. Spring fishing is really kicking in down south, so now is the time for those wanting to hook a true monster fish in front the beach. Bri Smith from Delmar found a nice fat drum she hooked from the surf and was all smiles as she showed off her catch. Scott Wolf of Easton, MD used a high low rig to fool another drum. Fresh sand fleas and crab did the trick to lure this big ugly into biting. Connor taught his dad a thing or two about catching drum on the island, and the father and son duo had a great day with tight lines many times over. Mike Rogers has managed two drum so far this year and is off to an awesome start! Annie Lott reeled in her first ever black drum of the season using cut crab. Tyler Mathis used a beetle spin rig to catch his first fish of the year. He stated they liked the ones with the yellow stripe. Chris Taylor, Lucha Haberlen, and Skyler Snead fished Assateague Island and landed a few big drum using sand fleas on fish finder rigs. Erick Field fished a cut and was rewarded with a big black. Steve Maddox had a great couple of days fishing the beach and hooked several drum and even a few rockfish. Josh Barfield had a fun morning with friends and besides hooking a nice drum saw a seal basking on the beach. Many people who do not live here fail to realize the population of seals we have here in the winter. Mark Stull caught a 31 inch black, just north of the Maryland line. The southern areas of Maryland, near the state line have produced the best spots for drum, as well as rockfish. Tayler Pari looked positively ecstatic upon catching her first black drum off the beach. Her smile radiated as she held her prize for the world to see.
Back Bays
The backwaters of Ocean City are finally coming to life with flounder being caught more regularly, as the water warms with the heat of the days. You can find Bluefish and rockfish at the Rt. 50 bridge most days, with good schools of rockfish being found at the Rt. 90 bridge after dark. Small swimbaits are the best lure when targeting these fish at either bridge. Flounder have been found in the deeper water of the Thorofares mostly on an incoming tide close to high tide. Gulp tipped with squid or minnows appears to be the bait of choice for these sought after flatfish. Congratulations to Rick Gorsuch for catching the first keeper flounder in OC. Rick, while fishing with Paul Musser and Paul Musser, Jr, caught an 18.25 inch keeper on a Deadly Tackle Deadly Double with pink and white Gulp in the Thorofare. He caught the first flounder last year as well, is this the start of a streak? “Lucky Break Charters” have had some good trips already this season. Capt. Jason Mumford reports they went 3 for 5 in the south bay behind Assateague Island last week. There were also a few caught in the Thorofare. He stated the fish were caught on minnow/Gulp combos. John Foreman has received numerous reports of keeper flounder in the 17-24 inch range being taken from the warmer shallow waters of the bay. White Gulp appears to be the fisherman's best friend. Chris Murdock told us that the inlet was on fire back in early April and caught so many tog he lost count. He and his crew did bring 6 keepers home for dinner after their 3 day fishing excursion. Bob Haltmeier fished the Oceanic Pier and hooked several tog including a couple of keepers.
Near Wreck Fishing & Reefs
Tog are being found on the nearshore wrecks along with some traveling bluefish. Fresh crab chunks and clam are your best bait when targeting these fish. Deeper wrecks near the Jacks Spot and great eastern reef have produced the best. “Double Trouble Charters” got out a few days on their new boat and were very pleased with the performance of both the boat and the anglers. A few nice sized tog were brought home for dinner much to the delight of the clients. Captain D.J. Churchill has a few days open in the upcoming weeks and believes the bite should really start heating up as the water temps continue to rise. “Fish Bound Charters” reports the weeks have been pretty windy for getting to the wrecks, but despite the wind they’ve had a few decent days with a steady bite and a few anglers saw limits up to ten pounds. Captain Kane stated the southern swell has made some days very tough. Anglers are still managing to reel fish in the boat but really need to be diligent to catch the fish in the rough water.
Crabs & Clams
Not much word on clamming behind Assateague due to the colder water. The few reports I've gotten indicate that the areas are for the most part untouched and clams can be found in knee deep water while still being found deep at the bottom. The crabbing is much like our northern areas and has been slow so far with 3-6 keepers per pot when fresh bunker is used.
Until next week...
Tight Lines and Fins Up!
