Article by Larry Jock
A couple of times every season you have a week where you could write the fishing report on the back of a matchbook. Well, unfortunately last week was one of those weeks due to some nasty weather from a Nor’easter.
Flounder
Flounder fishing was T-O-U-G-H last week. The never-ending wind and just plain ole’ nasty weather really created dirty water throughout the bay. Some nice fish were caught before the Nor’easter, like Matt Papthakis’ 21 1/2-incher hooked in the East Channel.
On Saturday, Paul DiForte was fishing on the “Bay Bee” and caught a 22 1/2-inch flounder in the bay behind Assateague near #14.
Also over the weekend, when the wind was really whipping, the MSSA/Ocean Pines Anglers Club held their Flounder Frenzy with 33 anglers participating. Only 2 flatties were caught during the two-day tournament with Tom Breen coming in first with a 22 1/4-incher that tipped the scales at 4.85 lbs. In second place was JoAnn Shelly with a 17 1/4-inch flounder that weighed almost 2 lbs. Some good flounder fishermen participated in this tournament, so with only 2 fish caught, it gives you an idea how bad flounder fishing was over the last 3-4 days.
Although you couldn’t tell from last week’s action, the best flounder baits have been the Gulp! Alive Swimming Mullet in white, chartreuse or pink. If you don’t like fishing with artificial baits, then bull minnows or shiners are also effective.
Bluefish
Bay anglers, who have been struggling with flounder fishing, got a reprieve when the shad and bluefish moved into the bay. Unfortunately, the bad weather prevented them from really getting out to take advantage of the bite, especially around the Rt. 50 Bridge where the bluefish bite was getting pretty good around sundown. We were starting to see larger fish than we had seen during the previous week.
Tautog
Tautog regulations changed effective May 16th when anglers can now only keep 2 fish at a minimum size of 16-inches. This goes on until October 31st.
A few tog were caught on green crabs by anglers fishing off the 4th St. Bulkhead and also around the South Jetty (before the Nor’easter arrived).
Sea Bass
Sea bass season in Maryland opened on May 19th, three days earlier than originally planned. Unfortunately, the rough sea conditions prevented anglers from getting to their favorite sea bass grounds.
From what I have been hearing, sea bass are plentiful. Sites like the Great Eastern Reef, the subway cars at the Jackspot, the Bass Grounds and further north, around “B” Buoy have all been locations where anglers have reported great catch-and-release sea bass fishing this spring.
Minimum size is 12 1/2-inches and anglers are allowed to keep 25 fish per day.
In the Surf
We were seeing some nice striped bass and black drum being caught by surfcasters off the beach from Assateague to 3R’s Road in Delaware. Unfortunately, the bad weather caused a very rough surf and it became almost impossible for anglers to hold the bottom.
The nicest catch we saw came in from Jim Thompson, who has had a very good spring season of striper fishing from the beach. On this day, mid-week, Jim weighed 2 beautiful stripers measuring 43 and 45-inches. They were plump too, weighing 29 and 34 lbs.
Offshore
It was a tough week for offshore fishermen, especially after some nice catches of yellowfin tuna arrived at the dock the previous weekend.
I know one boat, the “Restless Lady”, attempted to head out on Saturday but ended up turning around. If those boys turned around, you know it was rough!
Upcoming Tournaments
It’s hard to believe Memorial Day is here already, but that means that the local tournament scene is ready to get into high gear.
The 3rd Annual Ocean City Marlin Club Bluefish Tournament will be held on May 26 & 27, with weigh-in’s at Sunset Marina from 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM. This is a bluefish-only tournament and you don’t have to be an Ocean City Marlin Club member to participate.
Right on the heels of the Bluefish Tournament is the 16th Annual Mid-Atlantic Mako Mania Tournament held at Bahia Marina. The three-day event will run from June 1st to June 3rd with weigh-in’s from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM each day. Although it is primarily a mako shark tournament, there are added entry levels for bluefish and thresher sharks.
See you at the scales!
