Posted on October 11th, 2020
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WOW….Just Wow!! I just got done with our Facebook live virtual awards banquet for the 4th Annual Ocean City Inshore Classic and all I’m reely left with is Wow! We had an absolutely awesome event with incredible teams and sponsors that we can’t thank enough. We had a record turnout of 44 boats, we are paying out $14,500 and we had a fish and a story that I might not believe if I wasn’t there to see it. Thank all of you anglers that fished this year’s event and thank you sponsors for supporting us. We are truly grateful!
The story of the tournament is truly one that people are going to pass along like I have been since it happened. It just goes to show you that there is good Karma in the world. On Saturday the crew of the Miller Time pulled into the scales to weigh some fish and they had a 30″ rockfish looking to get onto the leaderboard. Team member Cleon Aitkins had fish transport duty and on his way to the scales he went to squeeze by our table and Miller Time’s rockfish literally jumped out of the bucket into the Commercial Harbor and swam away. I watched it happen. Cleon was obviously dejected as his team watched what I believe was a rockfish that would compete with the eventual winner swim away, but he and his team took their photos, smiled all the while and then went back to it and fished hard. Well this morning, on calm water at the route 50 bridge, with a sunrise starting to the east, Cleon dropped a live spot down looking to replace the rockfish that had escaped to freedom and redeem himself with his friends. Cleon didn’t catch that rockfish…..but what Cleaon did catch was a fish bigger than I’ve seen in the species in my 30 years in Ocean City. We heard rumor of the fish at the scales early on, but that didn’t prepare us for what we would see. The Miller Time arrived at the scales this afternoon and (very carefully) greeted us with a 31″ flounder that tipped the Atlantic Tackle scale out to 13.2 pounds and bested the second place fish by 7.8 pounds!! It’s definitely the largest flounder caught in Maryland and Delaware this year and the largest flounder I’ve seen in my 30 years here. Congratulations to Cleon and the crew of Miller Time for a beautiful flounder….and a great story!!
Thanks to Cleon for letting me hold this fish to feel what a 13 pound flounder feels like!!
On to our winners!!
Jr Angler Ryan Neves 3.0 Pound Flounder Wins JPR Rod
Open Division
3rd Place On the Run 7.0 Bluefish*
2nd Place Sea Nick Route 7.4 Pound Bluefish*
1st Place On the Run 11.8 Pound Sheepshead*
Tautog Division
3rd Place Knot Again 3.6 Pounds (3rd weighed) $224
2nd Place Blue Gill 3.6 Pounds (2nd weighed) $336
1st Place Big Stick 3.6 Pounds (1st weighed) Ronnie Fields on the pole $2,340
Flounder Division
3rd Place Sea Nick Route 5.2 Pounds *2nd Open Division Total $540
2nd Place Fin City 5.4 Pounds $684
1st Place Miller Time 13.2 Pounds $3,330
Rockfish Division
3rd Place Salty Girl 9.0 Pounds $448
2nd Place On the Run 9.6 Pounds *1st Open/3rd Open Total $1,954
1st Place Dat’s Hoo 10 Pounds $4,680 and JPR Rod
Away from the tournament there was some pretty good fishing in the ocean today. Captain Chris Mizurak of the Angler had a nice day with some flounder limits, some sea bass and some triggerfish.
The crew of the Fish Bound with Captain Kane Bounds and mate Kevin Twilley has been having some great fishing the past few days with flounder, red drum and some quality sheepshead.
Anglers on the Morning Star with Captain Monty Hawkins enjoyed calmer seas and good fishing today as well.
Mornings don’t get much darker, not without a heavy rain. At least the ocean had calmed down after yesterday’s hearty breezes – calmed all the way down.
Dropped blocks atop a barge, paddled a while more and started fishing. Bite wasn’t memorable, wasn’t bad either. Saw an ocean sunfish—a shy one, not at all into picture taking. Also over the reef were three loggerhead turtles & camera shy too; plus numerous schools of little tunny (false albacore to most.)
While moving back to make another drift, just jogging along at clutch speed, I’d told Vic to drop a sea bass sandeel jig off the stern — Fish On! — nice albacore too. Went ahead and did that a while. Everyone who wanted the work caught one. Last several were on a light mahi spinning rod – good exercise, promise.
Quit playing with albies and, soon after, found the sea bass bite dying off.
Moved.
Found the bite at this new spot also mediocre; figured I wasn’t going to do much better & ground it out. Rains due to arrive after four came early; ocean became calmer still in a light drizzle..
I think most clients were in double digits. If anyone limited they were in a cooler with at least two others—hard to tell.
A calm, quiet, peaceful day at sea with some top-water, and bottom action all day.
Works.
Raymond McCall took everyone’s pool money today with his flounder. Young man with
the ‘can’t touch this boys’ smirk would have won with his trigger. Wonder if that look changed any during the pool weigh-in..
Heather Roth of Baltimore was our shark angler today. In the bad old days we’d have gaffed that rascal – released instead. Haven’t killed a shark in almost 30 years..
Elizabeth Zwickle from Lancaster PA & Natalie Schiazzi of Frederick MD were our guest reef builders today. Those blocks will have had fish nosing around em by now, corals growing on em by 2035 or so..
Add a bit every day. Helps.
Cheers
Monty
Captain Chase Eberle of Chasin’ Tides Charters was out there amongst the sea bass and false albacore today and had a good day for his anglers.
Captain Willie Zimmerman of the RoShamBo isn’t done offshore fishing yet, and he showed it today with a nice catch of mahi and tilefish.
The crew of the private boat Sea Hag had another quality swordfish today that they brought into Sunset Marina.
