Post by freedomrules3 on Aug 15, 2005 18:10:07 GMT -5
OCEAN CITY MARYLAND FISHING REPORT
Updated: August 12, 2005
Welcome to the Ocean City Fishing Report from Captain Skip Maguire of Skip's Bait & Tackle. We will regularly update our report with the latest fishing conditions, tips, and more. Be sure to bookmark this page and visit regularly for the latest on Ocean City fishing.
www.oceancityfishing.com/fishingreport.html
This was a week for fishermen in Ocean City, Maryland. We are currently “smack-dab” in the middle of the world’s top billfishing tournament–the White Marlin Open. Over the past few days, Ocean City has seen many exquisite boats, and some of the world’s finest crews, flood into town seeking to capture this year’s top honors and million dollar purse. Fishing has been hot, and it is anybody’s guess as to who will come out on top.
To compliment all of the excitement offshore, we have seen some very good inshore fishing this past week as well. The new moon has been bringing strong tides through our inlet, and a plethora of fish have followed. Once again, striper fishing has been outstanding, big bluefish have been chomping all types of lures, and flounder fishing has remained steady. We are still seeing tons of croakers throughout our bay and along the surf, and action has continued on large, inshore sharks. A cool front has moved into the area, and the forecast has been calling for fine weather with only a few scattered showers mixed in. Certainly, this was a week for fishermen in Ocean City.
It is hard to believe, but we are still seeing some outstanding striper fishing in our area. I am not exactly sure why these fish are still here, but to key you in on a secret, I have noticed that the best fishing has been centered around the couple of days before and after the new and full moons. Over the past month and a half we have seen a pattern; awesome striper fishing one week, then a slack period for another week, with action picking up again the next, and continuing on, etc... So if you wanna catch a big rock, set your sites on the next full moon and head to Ocean City.
Though anglers have been finding many fish at both the inlet and the Rt. 50 bridge, most accounts seem to suggest that the majority of the largest stripers have been taken from the inlet and are biting live spot. Gary Redcay of Ocean City, was the most successful inlet angler that I know of this past week. On the 6th,Gary came by to weigh in two nice stripers and a big weakfish he caught the previous night. Gary has been having quite a season, so I knew that he would have some nice fish to show me. Still, when I stepped outside, I was amazed to see the actual size of them. His largest fish measured 45 inches and weighed 24 lbs. 14oz. and the other measured 44 inches and weighed 24 lbs. 6oz.–both trophy fish by anyone’s standards, especially for this time of the year. Another happy angler was Capt. Bill Leinemann, who weighed in a big 38 inch 14 lb. 1oz. striper this past week. Bill’s fish came from the Rt. 50 bridge, on the night of the 1st, and was taken on cut bait.
In addition to his rockfish, Capt. Bill weighed in a couple of nice flounder this week as well. Both of his fish were cookie cutter copies of one another, measuring 17 inches and weighing in at 1 lb. 14oz., and both were taken on live minnows. Although we didn’t weigh in any monster doormats this past week, it seems by most accounts that flounder fishing has remained relatively steady. We continue to sell plenty of shiners, squid and live minnows at the shop, and I know that I have personally seen numerous fish caught from the bridge and some of the local docks. If you are able to get your bait past the hordes of croakers, there are plenty of flatties in the area.
I was also informed by a couple of anglers that big bluefish (some in the 30 inch range) made a showing on the Rt. 50 Bridge this week, and were tearing up all sorts of soft plastics. I continue to be perplexed by their constant presence so far this year. Bluefish spawn offshore, during mid-to-late July and early August, and really should not be here. Nonetheless, they do fight hard, and make a lot of fun for anglers of all ages.
In fact, we had a couple of happy young men weigh in two big blues this past week. Broson and Alex Resh of Mountville, PA had a great day fishing offshore with Capt. Dustin Lorah on the “Overboard.” Their two bluefish measured 33 1/4 and 33 inches and weighed 10 lbs. 11oz. and 10 lbs. 6oz. respectively. These two bluefish were taken offshore, and were accompanied by a catch of king mackerel and bluefin tuna.
Although much of Ocean City’s offshore fishing fleet is now focused on the White Marlin Open, a good portion of boats are still running regular charter trips. Action has continued much the same as last week. Tuna fishing has been somewhat spotty, especially at the nearshore locations, like the Jackspot, but areas farther offshore seem to be producing more steadily. King mackerel continue to be present in strong numbers, which helps to ease the troubled minds of those struggling to find tuna. Dolphin are also showing in better numbers now, and add another “delectable” variable to the mix.
Just a reminder, for those interested the weigh-ins for the White Marlin Open are being held daily at Harbor Island, which is on 14th street, bayside. Come check them out, you will certainly have fun, and you may just get a look at this year’s million-dollar fish.
With all of the fishing-minded people in town this week, the local party boats have been very busy. Most of the boats typically find slow sea bass fishing this time of the year and begin to target croaker, which are fun to catch and are here in abundance. I have heard that catches have been quite good. Still, some boats continue to seek sea bass. In fact, we weighed in a rather nice one this past week. Craig Wild of Burtonsville, MD stopped on the 5th after spending the day fishing with his father on the party boat the “Angler.” Craig was excited to show off his catch which measured 21 ½ inches and tipped the scales at 3 lb. 11oz., an awesome catch. If you are looking to do some low-cost fishing while having fun with your family, do not be afraid to try out one of the many party boats docked in Ocean City.
Here at Skip’s we offer private charters for up to six people. So if you would like to experience inshore bay fishing for croaker, flounder, and rockfish; or try your hand at near-shore shark fishing, wreck fishing, or offshore trolling and chunking–we do it all. I tell people that if it swims, we fish for it. Give us a call at (410) 430-5436, or stop by the shop for more information.
This was an exciting week to be in Ocean City Maryland. With many people spending a lot of time on the water and big fish cooperating, we saw loads of happy anglers. The five-day White Marlin Open is currently in full swing and the top prize is still up for grabs. So whether you are fixing to fight a prize-winning marlin or trying to tackle a trophy rockfish, get out there and fish. Who knows? Maybe I will be writing about you next week.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Skip Maguire
Updated: August 12, 2005
Welcome to the Ocean City Fishing Report from Captain Skip Maguire of Skip's Bait & Tackle. We will regularly update our report with the latest fishing conditions, tips, and more. Be sure to bookmark this page and visit regularly for the latest on Ocean City fishing.
www.oceancityfishing.com/fishingreport.html
This was a week for fishermen in Ocean City, Maryland. We are currently “smack-dab” in the middle of the world’s top billfishing tournament–the White Marlin Open. Over the past few days, Ocean City has seen many exquisite boats, and some of the world’s finest crews, flood into town seeking to capture this year’s top honors and million dollar purse. Fishing has been hot, and it is anybody’s guess as to who will come out on top.
To compliment all of the excitement offshore, we have seen some very good inshore fishing this past week as well. The new moon has been bringing strong tides through our inlet, and a plethora of fish have followed. Once again, striper fishing has been outstanding, big bluefish have been chomping all types of lures, and flounder fishing has remained steady. We are still seeing tons of croakers throughout our bay and along the surf, and action has continued on large, inshore sharks. A cool front has moved into the area, and the forecast has been calling for fine weather with only a few scattered showers mixed in. Certainly, this was a week for fishermen in Ocean City.
It is hard to believe, but we are still seeing some outstanding striper fishing in our area. I am not exactly sure why these fish are still here, but to key you in on a secret, I have noticed that the best fishing has been centered around the couple of days before and after the new and full moons. Over the past month and a half we have seen a pattern; awesome striper fishing one week, then a slack period for another week, with action picking up again the next, and continuing on, etc... So if you wanna catch a big rock, set your sites on the next full moon and head to Ocean City.
Though anglers have been finding many fish at both the inlet and the Rt. 50 bridge, most accounts seem to suggest that the majority of the largest stripers have been taken from the inlet and are biting live spot. Gary Redcay of Ocean City, was the most successful inlet angler that I know of this past week. On the 6th,Gary came by to weigh in two nice stripers and a big weakfish he caught the previous night. Gary has been having quite a season, so I knew that he would have some nice fish to show me. Still, when I stepped outside, I was amazed to see the actual size of them. His largest fish measured 45 inches and weighed 24 lbs. 14oz. and the other measured 44 inches and weighed 24 lbs. 6oz.–both trophy fish by anyone’s standards, especially for this time of the year. Another happy angler was Capt. Bill Leinemann, who weighed in a big 38 inch 14 lb. 1oz. striper this past week. Bill’s fish came from the Rt. 50 bridge, on the night of the 1st, and was taken on cut bait.
In addition to his rockfish, Capt. Bill weighed in a couple of nice flounder this week as well. Both of his fish were cookie cutter copies of one another, measuring 17 inches and weighing in at 1 lb. 14oz., and both were taken on live minnows. Although we didn’t weigh in any monster doormats this past week, it seems by most accounts that flounder fishing has remained relatively steady. We continue to sell plenty of shiners, squid and live minnows at the shop, and I know that I have personally seen numerous fish caught from the bridge and some of the local docks. If you are able to get your bait past the hordes of croakers, there are plenty of flatties in the area.
I was also informed by a couple of anglers that big bluefish (some in the 30 inch range) made a showing on the Rt. 50 Bridge this week, and were tearing up all sorts of soft plastics. I continue to be perplexed by their constant presence so far this year. Bluefish spawn offshore, during mid-to-late July and early August, and really should not be here. Nonetheless, they do fight hard, and make a lot of fun for anglers of all ages.
In fact, we had a couple of happy young men weigh in two big blues this past week. Broson and Alex Resh of Mountville, PA had a great day fishing offshore with Capt. Dustin Lorah on the “Overboard.” Their two bluefish measured 33 1/4 and 33 inches and weighed 10 lbs. 11oz. and 10 lbs. 6oz. respectively. These two bluefish were taken offshore, and were accompanied by a catch of king mackerel and bluefin tuna.
Although much of Ocean City’s offshore fishing fleet is now focused on the White Marlin Open, a good portion of boats are still running regular charter trips. Action has continued much the same as last week. Tuna fishing has been somewhat spotty, especially at the nearshore locations, like the Jackspot, but areas farther offshore seem to be producing more steadily. King mackerel continue to be present in strong numbers, which helps to ease the troubled minds of those struggling to find tuna. Dolphin are also showing in better numbers now, and add another “delectable” variable to the mix.
Just a reminder, for those interested the weigh-ins for the White Marlin Open are being held daily at Harbor Island, which is on 14th street, bayside. Come check them out, you will certainly have fun, and you may just get a look at this year’s million-dollar fish.
With all of the fishing-minded people in town this week, the local party boats have been very busy. Most of the boats typically find slow sea bass fishing this time of the year and begin to target croaker, which are fun to catch and are here in abundance. I have heard that catches have been quite good. Still, some boats continue to seek sea bass. In fact, we weighed in a rather nice one this past week. Craig Wild of Burtonsville, MD stopped on the 5th after spending the day fishing with his father on the party boat the “Angler.” Craig was excited to show off his catch which measured 21 ½ inches and tipped the scales at 3 lb. 11oz., an awesome catch. If you are looking to do some low-cost fishing while having fun with your family, do not be afraid to try out one of the many party boats docked in Ocean City.
Here at Skip’s we offer private charters for up to six people. So if you would like to experience inshore bay fishing for croaker, flounder, and rockfish; or try your hand at near-shore shark fishing, wreck fishing, or offshore trolling and chunking–we do it all. I tell people that if it swims, we fish for it. Give us a call at (410) 430-5436, or stop by the shop for more information.
This was an exciting week to be in Ocean City Maryland. With many people spending a lot of time on the water and big fish cooperating, we saw loads of happy anglers. The five-day White Marlin Open is currently in full swing and the top prize is still up for grabs. So whether you are fixing to fight a prize-winning marlin or trying to tackle a trophy rockfish, get out there and fish. Who knows? Maybe I will be writing about you next week.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Skip Maguire
