Article by Capt. BJ Pietryak
Several storms passed though the area this week, many very strong and dropping heavy rain. Low lying areas such as the lower part of Ocean City were flooded a couple different times this week. A strong west wind for the first part of the week kept tides low making some areas unpassable. The end of the week saw a ENE wind and also a rise in fish being caught.
Flounder
Flounder in the bay is in true summer mode. Most main channels when drifted with gulp or squid minnow combos will produce fish. With the tourist arriving every day the pressure on the water has taken its toll and keepers are a little harder to come by. Resident anglers who target the lesser fished areas, behind Assateague Island or the northern part of the bay near the rt 90 bridge are still getting several nice flatties to take home. Ocean City bays have always been a place where most locals will use a squid and live minnow combo but Gulp will work. All the tackle shops are loaded up with live minnows and sell minnow drag buckets to keep them alive while fishing. The bay flounder boost saw a big increase in anglers this week and also a rise in keeper fish. If you don’t own a boat or have a friend that owns one, the bay boats are an inexpensive way to get out on the water and catch some fish. All the boats are family friendly and can even rent you the rod if you don't have one. I would recommend any of the boats we have listed here in the paper as I know most of the captains and all are very knowledgeable. On the near shore side, the ocean is also producing some nice flounder. The African Queen is seeing the best catches of flounder off the rubble piles and tire dumps. The low lying structure seems to be what the flounder want this week. Big Gulp dragged along the bottom on the down current size is producing the best results.
Sea Bass
Sea bass remains strong, however with this week's storms the catches were not as good as last week. Anchoring up on wrecks was the main method of getting onto a good catch. The drift and storms made drifting hard for many boats. Monty on the Morning Star reported he had a lot of limits this week even though the wind made it a little bumpy. Victor on the Ocean Princess reported his trips were met with some rough seas but when dual anchored on the wreck the fish eagerly came over the rail. Victor reports some nice flounder have come on board as well. Clam is the number one bait this week. The bass grounds saw some nice bass but not as consistent as the Queen.
Rockfish, Bluefish & Trout
As usual Big Bird Cropper was out with his Roy rigs catching some nice rockfish around the Rt.50 bridge. They caught rockfish up to 30 “. So it’s a nice fillet for dinner tonight. He and Shaun also caught some big bluefish and a few weakfish up to 22”. Morgan Mericle caught some monster rockfish at the bridge. He was on the bridge dropping bait down to the water right next to the bridge structure. Fish were all over slot but still a great catch. It is so good to see these big fish being caught this year. Many may not agree with the slot that is in place but the rock seems to be stronger and more prominent this year after the slot has been in place for the past couple of years. Looking toward sharks, many have been caught from the surf. Both larger ones as well as dogfish are coming in on a regular basis. Most sharks are coming in after dark on cut bait rigged on a fish finder and big circle hook. I received a few reports of cobia being caught below Ocean City near the Virginia line. We have not seen the big numbers yet this year however with the warmer water it should blow up this coming week. Virginia Beach and northern islands are reporting record catches of both cobia as well as big red drum. Anglers report big pods of these fish along any structure in the near shore areas. Throwing eels and cut bait is the most common tactic used. Second method and my personal favorite is large swim jigs and top water plugs. The thrill of watching one of these big fish crush a top water plug is something every angler should experience.
Surf Fishing
This week was a little slow because of rough seas as well as dirty water from the storms.
Clams & Crabs
Clams remain strong in the Assateague Bays. Lots of large clams. Crabs in the northern bays are getting good with pots showing 6-10 keepers per pot. If you find the snails in your traps you’re in the right area.
Until next week...
Tight lines and fins up §
