Post by freedomrules3 on Jun 1, 2006 21:10:49 GMT -5
OCEAN CITY MARYLAND FISHING REPORT
Updated: May 23, 2006
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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I would like to welcome everybody to a new season of fishing reports here in Ocean City. I hope everybody had a great winter and spring and had a chance to get out and fish this year. As you all know we had a mild winter and a fairly nice spring so far. That resulted in some great fishing this spring , We weighed in our first flounder of the year on March 30. Ray Strausbaugh of Ocean City came in the store to ask me if I would weigh in some fish, I never thought it would be a nice catch of flounder. When I walked out side Ray had one of those looks I see quite often here at the shop . I was expecting to see some tog in the cooler, but when Ray raised the cooler lid I was excited as he was. Inside was a great catch of flounder, thinking back it was the earliest I’ve seen flounder since before I had the tackle shop. The flounder measured 19” 18 ½” and 16 ½” Ray had been fishing in the upper bay around the Rt 90 Bridge and was using live minnows for bait.
Since that time the flounder fishing has been nothing short of spectacular, we’ve been weighing flounder in on a daily bases, with most anglers catching their limits. Jack Koslosky of West Ocean City has been hammering the flounder almost every day . Jack’s been in 3 times in the past week with his limit of 4 flounder, on the 18th Jack weighed in a limit that measured 19” , 17”, 17” and 16 ½” all the fish were caught on a minnow and squid combo, and came from the Thorofare.
Another one of West Ocean City’s better anglers went out on Saturday for his first trip of the year. The notorious “Gary Redcay” , Gary won the first place Striper and Bluefish categories in the 2005 O.C. Inshore Challenge Tournament. But on his shake down cruise Gary decided to target flounder, in only a couple of hours Gary called me and said he was coming over to the shop to weigh in some flatties. When Gary showed up he gave me the low down on his trip, he caught a total of 7 flounder with 4 keepers. The biggest measured 19” Gary also caught all his fish on a minnow and squid combo around the Thorofare area.
One more flounder report coming in from the party boat “Baybee” from mate George Lentz . Last Wednesday was one of their best days with 12 keepers up to 25” during the weekend it slowed due to dirty water but they still managed to catch 4 keepers on the morning trip. In the afternoon they only got one keeper over the rail for the trip. George says most of their best action is coming from behind Assateague near the airport.
If you would like to get out on a Flounder party boat while your visiting Ocean City there is several to choose from. There’s the 2 hour trips available on the “Pony Island Express” at Old Town Marina on Dorchester Street . The “Happy Hooker” on Talbot Street and also the ½ day trips on the “Baybee” at the O.C. Fishing Center. Here at “Skip’s” we also offer private charters for flounder with room for up to 6 anglers. When planning a trip reservations are recommended.
I guess by know most readers have heard of the new state record Striped Bass that was caught on May 6, 2006 by Gary Smith at Assateague Island . The monster was 53” 57.2 pounds with a 30” girth, it was caught on a bunker. I’m going to put the picture in the paper one more time just for all the people not from this area that have not got a chance to see what a Striper this size looks like. I also would like to congratulate Gary again on a great fish!
The Striper fishing in Ocean City has continued to improve during the month of May with lots of nice fish being brought to the shop to be weighed in . Some of the nicer ones have been; Zack Shustrick, of Johnstown, Pa. came in with a 39” 17 lb. Striper off the Rt. 50 Bridge. Zack reports that he caught the fish on a 6” Storm Lure at night on the incoming tide. Another Striper worth mentioning was caught by Mark Sass, of Baltimore. Mark also was fishing from the Rt 50 Bridge at night using a tandem tied Fin-S lures. The Striper was Mark’s personal best and tipped the scales at 24 lbs. and measured 39”.
I finally was able to wet a line this Monday afternoon with good friend , Captain Steve Meadowcroft. We went out to target Stripers on the south jetty, we weren’t there long before we had our first hook up . The action was non stop for almost 3 hours straight with a total of 20 Stripers boated with some nice fish in the mid 30 inch range. We brought 2 fish back for dinner and released the rest for someone else to enjoy on a future fishing trip. The 2 fish we brought back were 34 ½” 14 lbs. and 33” 15 lbs. The Striper fishing will only continue to get better on the south and north jetties through June. I will be doing Striper and Tog Charters on the jetties for the next 2 months . If your interested on booking trip call me at 410-430-5436.
Tog fishing has been hot this spring starting back in early April. Tog fishing is one of the more popular species of fish for shore bound anglers to target here in O.C. The downtown area is the most popular part of town for anglers to try their luck for the hard fighting, good eating , Tog. Some of the hot spots are 4th , 5th , and 6th streets bayside, the Rt 50 Bridge and of course the North Jetty. If you own a boat the South jetty is the area you want to target. The most popular baits are Green Crabs and Sandfleas.
Some of the bigger Tog we weighed in this week were caught by ; Bob Spetzler of Berlin, Md. Bob came in to the shop with a 20” 5 lb. 5 oz. Tog that he caught at the 4th street bulkhead. Bob was using Green Crabs as bait. Another catch worth writing about was landed by Jeremi Long , of Selinsgrove, Pa. The Tog measured 21” 6 lbs. 6 oz. it also was caught at the 4th Street Bulkhead on Green Crabs.
I would like to mention that the Ocean City Amateur Angler Contest has officially started here in Ocean City. It runs from May 22nd to September 3rd its open to all anglers, beginners to veterans, fishing in the bays and ocean of Ocean City. The contest officially begins every Monday 12:01am and continues until the following Sunday at midnight. To enter, have your fish weighed at any of Ocean City’s official weigh stations and complete an official catch report. Here at Skip’s Bait & Tackle Shop we are a official weigh Station and this year we are offering a free picture of your catch when weighed in here. The categories are; Flounder, Bluefish, Trout, Rockfish, Sea Bass, and Tautog.
Getting back to the fishing here in Ocean City, the Sea bass fishing has been the best in years. As most people know a Sea bass must be 12” in length. Here in the bay its impossible to get a keeper because their all undersized. So in order to land a keeper you most go offshore. There are several party boats who target the tasty Sea bass. The Angler, The Ocean princess, and The Morning Star. All the boats are a great way to introduce your family of young ones to the sport of offshore fishing.
One of the Private Charter boats who has been having the most success is the boat “Bottom Line”. These Boys have been bring their limits back on every trip, on the 13th they brought back 75 Sea bass with the biggest being 23”. Then on the 20th they had another trip this time they brought back a unbelievable 175 Sea Bass with some fish measuring over 25” and weighing over 5 to 6 lbs. If your interested in fishing with this boat their on the Talbot Street Dock or feel free to call me at the shop and I will give you a number to contact them.
The Bluefish and Shad fishing has been up and down this year some days its non-stop action , others there’s no action at all. As I’m writing this article a angler has come into the shop for Got-cha Plugs and Spec Rigs saying that him and his buddy have been catching Bluefish on every cast . So with that said today is one of those days their here. In general the best time to fish for them is the incoming tide. Just remember Shad are catch and release only. Some of the Bluefish weighed in this week worth reporting are; Shaun Campbell of Camden, Delaware caught 31 ½” 6 lb. 11 oz. Blue off the Rt 50 Bridge, Shaun caught the Blue on a Got-Cha Plug. Another nice Bluefish was brought in by Michael Livingston of Glenburnie, Md. The monster Bluefish measured 30” and weighed 7 lbs. 3 oz. Michael caught this Blue from a boat at 28th Street and the Bay. He was using a minnow and squid combo.
The Offshore fishing has also been better this season then most . We’ve already had the first Tuna, Mako, and Dolphin caught by the charter boat “Mojo”. There was a Blue Marlin caught last week and several boats had fantastic Yellow Fin Tuna fishing over Saturday and Sunday of last weekend. This may be the year that most offshore fisherman have been hoping for. This holiday weekend’s weather looks promising for offshore fishing . Many boats will be out trying to hook the first White Marlin of the season or trying their luck at loading up on the Tuna. So good luck to all who are in pursuit of the offshore species.
This year at Skip’s we have three charter boats for your charter needs . We have a 32 ft Topaz Express with twin diesels. This boat we will offer trips for Marlin, Tuna, and Shark this is a full day charter and will leave at 6am and will return at 6pm. The 2nd boat is our 30 foot. Mako CC with twin outboards, this boat we offer full day and half day trips on . Our third boat will be delivered on or around June 1st . This boat is a 24 ft. Sea Ark, single outboard. This boat will be for bay and inlet charters, the price for ½ day charters on this boat are $350.00. We will fish for Tog, Striper, and Flounder, also we have a new ½ day trip for families. This trip will consist of sight-seeing , clamming, & crabbing its also a ½ day trip for $350.00. Reservations are recommended for all trips, call Captain Skip at 410-289-8555 or 410-430 5436.
Its hard to believe that the beginning of the summer season is right around the corner, the weather is forecasted to be sunny and in the 80’s this holiday weekend . So get your boat in the water and your fishing rods out of the shed it’s a perfect weekend for fishing . Who knows? Maybe I will be writing about you next week.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Skip Maguire
Updated: May 23, 2006
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I would like to welcome everybody to a new season of fishing reports here in Ocean City. I hope everybody had a great winter and spring and had a chance to get out and fish this year. As you all know we had a mild winter and a fairly nice spring so far. That resulted in some great fishing this spring , We weighed in our first flounder of the year on March 30. Ray Strausbaugh of Ocean City came in the store to ask me if I would weigh in some fish, I never thought it would be a nice catch of flounder. When I walked out side Ray had one of those looks I see quite often here at the shop . I was expecting to see some tog in the cooler, but when Ray raised the cooler lid I was excited as he was. Inside was a great catch of flounder, thinking back it was the earliest I’ve seen flounder since before I had the tackle shop. The flounder measured 19” 18 ½” and 16 ½” Ray had been fishing in the upper bay around the Rt 90 Bridge and was using live minnows for bait.
Since that time the flounder fishing has been nothing short of spectacular, we’ve been weighing flounder in on a daily bases, with most anglers catching their limits. Jack Koslosky of West Ocean City has been hammering the flounder almost every day . Jack’s been in 3 times in the past week with his limit of 4 flounder, on the 18th Jack weighed in a limit that measured 19” , 17”, 17” and 16 ½” all the fish were caught on a minnow and squid combo, and came from the Thorofare.
Another one of West Ocean City’s better anglers went out on Saturday for his first trip of the year. The notorious “Gary Redcay” , Gary won the first place Striper and Bluefish categories in the 2005 O.C. Inshore Challenge Tournament. But on his shake down cruise Gary decided to target flounder, in only a couple of hours Gary called me and said he was coming over to the shop to weigh in some flatties. When Gary showed up he gave me the low down on his trip, he caught a total of 7 flounder with 4 keepers. The biggest measured 19” Gary also caught all his fish on a minnow and squid combo around the Thorofare area.
One more flounder report coming in from the party boat “Baybee” from mate George Lentz . Last Wednesday was one of their best days with 12 keepers up to 25” during the weekend it slowed due to dirty water but they still managed to catch 4 keepers on the morning trip. In the afternoon they only got one keeper over the rail for the trip. George says most of their best action is coming from behind Assateague near the airport.
If you would like to get out on a Flounder party boat while your visiting Ocean City there is several to choose from. There’s the 2 hour trips available on the “Pony Island Express” at Old Town Marina on Dorchester Street . The “Happy Hooker” on Talbot Street and also the ½ day trips on the “Baybee” at the O.C. Fishing Center. Here at “Skip’s” we also offer private charters for flounder with room for up to 6 anglers. When planning a trip reservations are recommended.
I guess by know most readers have heard of the new state record Striped Bass that was caught on May 6, 2006 by Gary Smith at Assateague Island . The monster was 53” 57.2 pounds with a 30” girth, it was caught on a bunker. I’m going to put the picture in the paper one more time just for all the people not from this area that have not got a chance to see what a Striper this size looks like. I also would like to congratulate Gary again on a great fish!
The Striper fishing in Ocean City has continued to improve during the month of May with lots of nice fish being brought to the shop to be weighed in . Some of the nicer ones have been; Zack Shustrick, of Johnstown, Pa. came in with a 39” 17 lb. Striper off the Rt. 50 Bridge. Zack reports that he caught the fish on a 6” Storm Lure at night on the incoming tide. Another Striper worth mentioning was caught by Mark Sass, of Baltimore. Mark also was fishing from the Rt 50 Bridge at night using a tandem tied Fin-S lures. The Striper was Mark’s personal best and tipped the scales at 24 lbs. and measured 39”.
I finally was able to wet a line this Monday afternoon with good friend , Captain Steve Meadowcroft. We went out to target Stripers on the south jetty, we weren’t there long before we had our first hook up . The action was non stop for almost 3 hours straight with a total of 20 Stripers boated with some nice fish in the mid 30 inch range. We brought 2 fish back for dinner and released the rest for someone else to enjoy on a future fishing trip. The 2 fish we brought back were 34 ½” 14 lbs. and 33” 15 lbs. The Striper fishing will only continue to get better on the south and north jetties through June. I will be doing Striper and Tog Charters on the jetties for the next 2 months . If your interested on booking trip call me at 410-430-5436.
Tog fishing has been hot this spring starting back in early April. Tog fishing is one of the more popular species of fish for shore bound anglers to target here in O.C. The downtown area is the most popular part of town for anglers to try their luck for the hard fighting, good eating , Tog. Some of the hot spots are 4th , 5th , and 6th streets bayside, the Rt 50 Bridge and of course the North Jetty. If you own a boat the South jetty is the area you want to target. The most popular baits are Green Crabs and Sandfleas.
Some of the bigger Tog we weighed in this week were caught by ; Bob Spetzler of Berlin, Md. Bob came in to the shop with a 20” 5 lb. 5 oz. Tog that he caught at the 4th street bulkhead. Bob was using Green Crabs as bait. Another catch worth writing about was landed by Jeremi Long , of Selinsgrove, Pa. The Tog measured 21” 6 lbs. 6 oz. it also was caught at the 4th Street Bulkhead on Green Crabs.
I would like to mention that the Ocean City Amateur Angler Contest has officially started here in Ocean City. It runs from May 22nd to September 3rd its open to all anglers, beginners to veterans, fishing in the bays and ocean of Ocean City. The contest officially begins every Monday 12:01am and continues until the following Sunday at midnight. To enter, have your fish weighed at any of Ocean City’s official weigh stations and complete an official catch report. Here at Skip’s Bait & Tackle Shop we are a official weigh Station and this year we are offering a free picture of your catch when weighed in here. The categories are; Flounder, Bluefish, Trout, Rockfish, Sea Bass, and Tautog.
Getting back to the fishing here in Ocean City, the Sea bass fishing has been the best in years. As most people know a Sea bass must be 12” in length. Here in the bay its impossible to get a keeper because their all undersized. So in order to land a keeper you most go offshore. There are several party boats who target the tasty Sea bass. The Angler, The Ocean princess, and The Morning Star. All the boats are a great way to introduce your family of young ones to the sport of offshore fishing.
One of the Private Charter boats who has been having the most success is the boat “Bottom Line”. These Boys have been bring their limits back on every trip, on the 13th they brought back 75 Sea bass with the biggest being 23”. Then on the 20th they had another trip this time they brought back a unbelievable 175 Sea Bass with some fish measuring over 25” and weighing over 5 to 6 lbs. If your interested in fishing with this boat their on the Talbot Street Dock or feel free to call me at the shop and I will give you a number to contact them.
The Bluefish and Shad fishing has been up and down this year some days its non-stop action , others there’s no action at all. As I’m writing this article a angler has come into the shop for Got-cha Plugs and Spec Rigs saying that him and his buddy have been catching Bluefish on every cast . So with that said today is one of those days their here. In general the best time to fish for them is the incoming tide. Just remember Shad are catch and release only. Some of the Bluefish weighed in this week worth reporting are; Shaun Campbell of Camden, Delaware caught 31 ½” 6 lb. 11 oz. Blue off the Rt 50 Bridge, Shaun caught the Blue on a Got-Cha Plug. Another nice Bluefish was brought in by Michael Livingston of Glenburnie, Md. The monster Bluefish measured 30” and weighed 7 lbs. 3 oz. Michael caught this Blue from a boat at 28th Street and the Bay. He was using a minnow and squid combo.
The Offshore fishing has also been better this season then most . We’ve already had the first Tuna, Mako, and Dolphin caught by the charter boat “Mojo”. There was a Blue Marlin caught last week and several boats had fantastic Yellow Fin Tuna fishing over Saturday and Sunday of last weekend. This may be the year that most offshore fisherman have been hoping for. This holiday weekend’s weather looks promising for offshore fishing . Many boats will be out trying to hook the first White Marlin of the season or trying their luck at loading up on the Tuna. So good luck to all who are in pursuit of the offshore species.
This year at Skip’s we have three charter boats for your charter needs . We have a 32 ft Topaz Express with twin diesels. This boat we will offer trips for Marlin, Tuna, and Shark this is a full day charter and will leave at 6am and will return at 6pm. The 2nd boat is our 30 foot. Mako CC with twin outboards, this boat we offer full day and half day trips on . Our third boat will be delivered on or around June 1st . This boat is a 24 ft. Sea Ark, single outboard. This boat will be for bay and inlet charters, the price for ½ day charters on this boat are $350.00. We will fish for Tog, Striper, and Flounder, also we have a new ½ day trip for families. This trip will consist of sight-seeing , clamming, & crabbing its also a ½ day trip for $350.00. Reservations are recommended for all trips, call Captain Skip at 410-289-8555 or 410-430 5436.
Its hard to believe that the beginning of the summer season is right around the corner, the weather is forecasted to be sunny and in the 80’s this holiday weekend . So get your boat in the water and your fishing rods out of the shed it’s a perfect weekend for fishing . Who knows? Maybe I will be writing about you next week.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Skip Maguire
