Post by freedomrules3 on Oct 4, 2005 9:03:23 GMT -5
stripers should be running soon , the big ones like 40 lbers...
OCEAN CITY MARYLAND FISHING REPORT
Updated: October 03, 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. Click here for past fishing reports.
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Photos from two charters by Skips Charter Service. Call Skip to arrange a trip.
This is one of my favorite times of the year. After a summer full of heat and humidity, I am always ready for the cooler mornings and longer nights that are welcomed back to Ocean City in September. Oftentimes, I like to wake early and enjoy a brisk walk. As I walk, my thoughts drift about and I am usually filled with a sense of anticipation and I see visions of the upcoming fall. Rutting whitetails and schooling stripers run and splash through my head– "I wonder If this fall will be as good as the last...or maybe even better? I wonder if we will land a 40-pounder this year? Or maybe even a fifty? Wouldn't that be nice..." I say this because I think that most of the time we sportsmen gain just as much from the anticipation of the hunt or fishing trip as we do from the actual act of hunting or fishing. As we think, and as we dream, this anticipation becomes the fuel that feeds the fire of accomplishment, and makes our successful days afield so much more rewarding.
Well folks, anytime is good for dreaming...but right now is a good time to fish! This past week our calendar year brought us the "autumnal equinox," which is defined as an equal amount of daylight and darkness, and signifies the official beginning of fall. From here on out our nights will continue to get longer, our days will become shorter, and migratory fish will be on the move. Our mullet run is now at its peak, and along with it gamefish are feeding. We are moving closer to the height of our fall flounder run, rockfish are on the move, and hordes of snapper blues are lining our beachfront and chopping up our bay. Tautog are here in good numbers, and along with them a shot at a nice black drum or sheepshead still remains. On fair-weathered days, offshore fishing can be fast and furious, with numbers of tuna, marlin, dolphin, and king mackerel ready to feed. Now is the time, pick your poison and go fish.
This week we saw some very nice flounder taken in Ocean City. With the cooling water temperatures, the flounder that have been spread throughout our bay all summer begin to congregate and move towards deeper channels and the inlet. Oftentimes September and October provide us with some of the best fishing for large flounder that we see all season. Small spot and live mullet usually make the best baits for the largest of these fish, but anglers should not overlook peanut bunker as a fine alternative.
On Tuesday the 20th, Robert Spetzler of Berlin, MD came into the shop to weigh a couple of beautiful flatties that he just caught from the 4th Street Bulkhead on live mullet. The larger of the two fish measured 26 inches and weighed in at 6 lbs. 13oz, while the smaller one measured 21 inches and weighed 3 lbs. 14oz. To my surprise, the smaller fish still had some life left in it when I placed it on the scales, and the feisty specimen almost went home with a token piece of my right index finger.
Bill Kelly of Timonium, MD was the next lucky angler to weigh in a fish at our shop this week. Bill stopped by on the morning of the 22nd, after spending a few successful hours of flounder fishing on the Rt. 50 bridge. The largest of Bill's fish was a 21 ½ incher that tipped the scales at 4 lbs. even. The heavy fish ate a frozen shiner, from Skip's Bait and Tackle!
This time of the year surf fishing gets more and more popular along the shores of Delmarva. From the Delaware Seashore parks to the beaches of Ocean City and Assateague Island, anglers line the sand in search of "Mr. Big," as well as some fine eating. The usual summer-time suspects like kingfish, croaker, spot, and sand perch are still available this time of the year, and make for some fine eating and excellent bait. Bluefish and some big sharks are available also, and as the water cools many anglers will take to the sand in search of the ever elusive red drum.
Toby Jones who works here at Skip's has been spending a lot of time probing the cuts and holes found in the Assateague surf–hoping to hook up with his first Assateague Island bull red. Toby reports decent numbers of snapper blues in the surf this week, along with a couple of big sharks (including one fat, 62-inch sand tiger), and the usual dogfish and skates. Anglers who are interested in doing this type of fishing often rig their largest baits, like bunker and various other fish heads, on a fish-finder rig complete with a heavy pyramid or hurricane style sinker. Also, bluefish enthusiasts typically favor a whole finger mullet fished on a mullet rig as one of their top baits. As this fall progresses, it won't be long until some larger, chopper blues invade the surf, with some hungry linesides not too far behind.
Speaking of stripers, this week produced some very good rockfish action in the bay. The majority of the fish came from the Rt. 50 bridge this week, but some reports indicate some action at the inlet as well. Anglers have been finding fish on the both the incoming and outgoing tides, with the outgoing proving a hair better. The hot baits have been swim shad lures, like storms, and various other soft plastic baits. Anglers have been encountering loads of bluefish as well. On those nights when the blues are eating everything in sight, try using a Got-cha' plug or a bucktail jig to save some money on soft plastics.
Moving East from Ocean City, croaker fishing has been good nearshore and sea bass fishing has been picking up on the offshore wrecks. Most local head boats have been splitting their fishing time–targeting sea bass early, then switching to croaker to finish out the day. This is the time of the year that sea bass fishing really picks up offshore. Loads of fish are present and some real trophies are a possibility. In addition to our usual inshore striper fishing this fall, we will be offering half-day bottom fishing trips for sea bass, tautog, and trophy flounder. Take advantage of this opportunity to have lots of fun and fill you freezer with some truly delectable fillets.
Other news coming from offshore includes a good tuna bite around the 30 fathom lumps, out to the Washington Canyon, and the lumpy bottom. Reports from further inshore indicate tons of false albacore and bonito at the jackspot, along with good numbers of dolphin and some king mackerel.
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, wreck fishing, or offshore trolling and chunking–we do it all. Give us a call at (410) 430-5436, or stop by the shop for more information.
This past week we saw our fall season begin in earnest. The mullet are running, the flounder are following, and bluefish and hungry stripers are not far behind. This next month should provide some of the best offshore fishing of the season, and things will continue to heat up inshore. So get out there and fish. Who knows? Maybe I will be writing about you next week
OCEAN CITY MARYLAND FISHING REPORT
Updated: October 03, 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. Click here for past fishing reports.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Photos from two charters by Skips Charter Service. Call Skip to arrange a trip.
This is one of my favorite times of the year. After a summer full of heat and humidity, I am always ready for the cooler mornings and longer nights that are welcomed back to Ocean City in September. Oftentimes, I like to wake early and enjoy a brisk walk. As I walk, my thoughts drift about and I am usually filled with a sense of anticipation and I see visions of the upcoming fall. Rutting whitetails and schooling stripers run and splash through my head– "I wonder If this fall will be as good as the last...or maybe even better? I wonder if we will land a 40-pounder this year? Or maybe even a fifty? Wouldn't that be nice..." I say this because I think that most of the time we sportsmen gain just as much from the anticipation of the hunt or fishing trip as we do from the actual act of hunting or fishing. As we think, and as we dream, this anticipation becomes the fuel that feeds the fire of accomplishment, and makes our successful days afield so much more rewarding.
Well folks, anytime is good for dreaming...but right now is a good time to fish! This past week our calendar year brought us the "autumnal equinox," which is defined as an equal amount of daylight and darkness, and signifies the official beginning of fall. From here on out our nights will continue to get longer, our days will become shorter, and migratory fish will be on the move. Our mullet run is now at its peak, and along with it gamefish are feeding. We are moving closer to the height of our fall flounder run, rockfish are on the move, and hordes of snapper blues are lining our beachfront and chopping up our bay. Tautog are here in good numbers, and along with them a shot at a nice black drum or sheepshead still remains. On fair-weathered days, offshore fishing can be fast and furious, with numbers of tuna, marlin, dolphin, and king mackerel ready to feed. Now is the time, pick your poison and go fish.
This week we saw some very nice flounder taken in Ocean City. With the cooling water temperatures, the flounder that have been spread throughout our bay all summer begin to congregate and move towards deeper channels and the inlet. Oftentimes September and October provide us with some of the best fishing for large flounder that we see all season. Small spot and live mullet usually make the best baits for the largest of these fish, but anglers should not overlook peanut bunker as a fine alternative.
On Tuesday the 20th, Robert Spetzler of Berlin, MD came into the shop to weigh a couple of beautiful flatties that he just caught from the 4th Street Bulkhead on live mullet. The larger of the two fish measured 26 inches and weighed in at 6 lbs. 13oz, while the smaller one measured 21 inches and weighed 3 lbs. 14oz. To my surprise, the smaller fish still had some life left in it when I placed it on the scales, and the feisty specimen almost went home with a token piece of my right index finger.
Bill Kelly of Timonium, MD was the next lucky angler to weigh in a fish at our shop this week. Bill stopped by on the morning of the 22nd, after spending a few successful hours of flounder fishing on the Rt. 50 bridge. The largest of Bill's fish was a 21 ½ incher that tipped the scales at 4 lbs. even. The heavy fish ate a frozen shiner, from Skip's Bait and Tackle!
This time of the year surf fishing gets more and more popular along the shores of Delmarva. From the Delaware Seashore parks to the beaches of Ocean City and Assateague Island, anglers line the sand in search of "Mr. Big," as well as some fine eating. The usual summer-time suspects like kingfish, croaker, spot, and sand perch are still available this time of the year, and make for some fine eating and excellent bait. Bluefish and some big sharks are available also, and as the water cools many anglers will take to the sand in search of the ever elusive red drum.
Toby Jones who works here at Skip's has been spending a lot of time probing the cuts and holes found in the Assateague surf–hoping to hook up with his first Assateague Island bull red. Toby reports decent numbers of snapper blues in the surf this week, along with a couple of big sharks (including one fat, 62-inch sand tiger), and the usual dogfish and skates. Anglers who are interested in doing this type of fishing often rig their largest baits, like bunker and various other fish heads, on a fish-finder rig complete with a heavy pyramid or hurricane style sinker. Also, bluefish enthusiasts typically favor a whole finger mullet fished on a mullet rig as one of their top baits. As this fall progresses, it won't be long until some larger, chopper blues invade the surf, with some hungry linesides not too far behind.
Speaking of stripers, this week produced some very good rockfish action in the bay. The majority of the fish came from the Rt. 50 bridge this week, but some reports indicate some action at the inlet as well. Anglers have been finding fish on the both the incoming and outgoing tides, with the outgoing proving a hair better. The hot baits have been swim shad lures, like storms, and various other soft plastic baits. Anglers have been encountering loads of bluefish as well. On those nights when the blues are eating everything in sight, try using a Got-cha' plug or a bucktail jig to save some money on soft plastics.
Moving East from Ocean City, croaker fishing has been good nearshore and sea bass fishing has been picking up on the offshore wrecks. Most local head boats have been splitting their fishing time–targeting sea bass early, then switching to croaker to finish out the day. This is the time of the year that sea bass fishing really picks up offshore. Loads of fish are present and some real trophies are a possibility. In addition to our usual inshore striper fishing this fall, we will be offering half-day bottom fishing trips for sea bass, tautog, and trophy flounder. Take advantage of this opportunity to have lots of fun and fill you freezer with some truly delectable fillets.
Other news coming from offshore includes a good tuna bite around the 30 fathom lumps, out to the Washington Canyon, and the lumpy bottom. Reports from further inshore indicate tons of false albacore and bonito at the jackspot, along with good numbers of dolphin and some king mackerel.
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, wreck fishing, or offshore trolling and chunking–we do it all. Give us a call at (410) 430-5436, or stop by the shop for more information.
This past week we saw our fall season begin in earnest. The mullet are running, the flounder are following, and bluefish and hungry stripers are not far behind. This next month should provide some of the best offshore fishing of the season, and things will continue to heat up inshore. So get out there and fish. Who knows? Maybe I will be writing about you next week
