Posted on August 30th, 2021
Click the vid for the Daily Angle at the Ocean City Fishing Center
It was warm today, but otherwise pretty awesome as the wind was light and the sun was shining. Great conditions to be out on the water taking advantage of some good fishing.
I got a cool report from Paul Lebling of the Spring Mix II this afternoon that read, “the small one was in a blue marlin that let him go when he saw the boat.” Yes, blue marlin eat tunas and the bigger the blue marlin, the bigger the tuna they can eat. This tuna was relatively small so the blue marlin could have been just a couple of hundred pounds, but I’ve heard stories and seen in person blue marlin eat 90-100 pound tunas. Pretty cool story. Spring Mix II with Captain Chris Watkowski also had another nice yellowfin as well.
Captain Mike Burt and the crew of Pumpin’ Hard had a good day offshore today trolling up a white marlin release, some yellowfin tuna and some mahi.
Captain Chase Eberle of Chasin’ Tides Charters had a couple of nice trips today that ended with some flounder and mahi for his anglers.
Anglers fishing on Ocean City Girl enjoyed another good day of mahi fishing on today’s trip.
Captain Chris Mizurak of the Angler found the right spot for flounder today and had several limits of four fish per person around his rail.
Anglers fishing on board the Morning Star with Captain Monty Hawkins had some more fun today putting some mahi in their coolers.
Nice, Nice, Nice…
Wonderful day at sea began with a reef-block unit going by the rail at St Ann’s Reef @ Jackspot. (Named for Ann Bauer who was truly a saint to raise long time reef supporters Jeff & Dave..)
We pressed on.
First stop we lit into mini-mahi pretty good. Sea Bass Bob nearly became renamed when he landed 3 in very short order.
After that? Boy did I have to hunt. Found a few schools though. Right decent inshore mahi at one spot – it was a day where we had to take whatever luck we could muster.
While fishing Jackspot — one of the most commonly targeted recreational spots off DelMarVa — I was advised by a plane to head west “if possible” for some manner of target exercise.
What?
What in the heck were they thinking..
Boats all around—both visible and on radar.
Lots.
Damn few would be in compliance with long-standing post-Titanic congressional regulation that has all vessels monitoring the emergency channel (vhf 16) while underway.
The Titanic, you may recall, radioed into empty ears prior to sinking. Though boats were near, especially the Californian who factually stood too at 10 miles away — saw Titanic’s flares and did nothing: the Sampson, an illegal seal hunter that didn’t respond for fear of being caught; & Carpathian which did respond in heroic fashion owing a chance radio call but was nearly 60 miles away: none were on radio watch nor required to be.
After I (impolitely) asked if they intended to close one of the most well-known recreational fishing spots on the coast, in August, the gentleman on the radio surmised “it would not be possible” for me to hold a course west.
At least not without leaving a dozen other boats in harms way and destroying my clients’ chances at a decent catch.
There was no possible harm.
Just codswallop.
Irritating codswallop at that.
Perhaps 7 or 8 years ago another plane insisted I leave Jackspot.
I did.
Boy did it screw up my day. You can bet none of those clients became regulars.
While engaged with the plane’s radio operator years ago he suggested (in a most sarcastic manner) that I write my congressman.
Oops.
I took him up on it. Was pretty dialed in with congressional staffers at the time owing sea bass closures & MRIP recreational catch estimate fights. Letters about struggling fishermen losing their livelihood started somewhere near the Joint Chiefs. (not kidding – it’s an appropriations thing)
Never bothered us again on Jackspot until today.
Might need to get this ironed out once more.
It’s just a short hop for the Navy to be in a part of the ocean where no recreational boat shall ever venture.
They’ve no need to extend safety zones beyond what’s necessary.
It was optional — “If possible” is what they said.
Bunch of sea biscuits.
I looked for more mahi – found two additional schools, one of which had a few well educated dandies.
That’s where I got most of today’s airborn snaps.
Sea bass tomorrow. Will there be any more mahi?
One way to find out.
Inshore mahi fishing is NOT going to last much longer. One bad wind or change of current? Green water will sweep back through sending the fish out.
Charter boats won’t have lost em though. Guys with outriggers will still be able to get to them.
In fact, the very best of it is sometime between late September/mid October every year.
Will have to get up mighty early to get my rig off there.
Might though!
Cheers
Monty
