Posted on July 29th, 2021
Hit the vid for the Daily Catch at Sunset Marina!
We had another beauty of a day out on the ocean today and though there was a little breeze out of the south on the bay, it was nice enough to be out there too. There was some flounder catching in the back bay, some sea bass catching in the ocean and some of everything catching out in the canyons for at least one lucky boat.
Captain Anthony Matarese Jr. and the crew of Reel Chaos had a crazy good day of trolling the canyons today with a bounty of offshore species. Reel Chaos released a blue marlin and a white marlin and boxed a couple of tuna, several mahi and two wahoo. A crazy good day offshore for sure!
Tuna fishing was good for the crew of Rhonda’s Osprey with Captain Joe Drosey at the helm. Captain Joe put his crew on a nice catch of yellowfin tuna first thing this morning.
Anglers on board Turnin’ Fins with Captain Ron Callis found some meat today putting five yellowfin and a mahi in the box.
Captain Mike Burt and the crew of Pumpin’ Hard had a better day today prepping for the White Marlin Open when they boxed a some yellowfin and some mahi on the troll.
The Ocean City Girl did some deep dropping today and had much success with blueline and a couple of golden tilefish.
Anglers on the Bay Bee out of the Ocean City Fishing Center had some luck today putting some keeper flounder, and oddly enough, tautog in the fish box.
Captain Chris Mizurak of the Angler had good fishing for sea bass on today’s trip to ocean structure.
It was Lady Luck on board the Morning Star with Captain Monty Hawkins today.
Day began slick as glass. Forecast promised more of same.
Grandpa Bill, (sometimes from Mechanicsburgh PA/sometimes local,) and Kurt M of West Chester PA dropped our reef blocks atop Al Berger’s Reef in bullseye fashion. We pressed on.
Fishing began as though it were high summer—summer calm. Catching was a lot better than “OK” too until the wind & current picked up. With 8ounce sinkers off & 12ounces hung around the rail; I’d soon offered, but no one accepted, 16 ounce sinkers. We caught with 12s fair enough. Had to work em.
Spinning rods are brutal with that much lead. One client was so worn out using monofilament on a spinning reel with a 12oz sinker that Vic had to finish winding up an 11in sea bass for him. We switched him to a conventional reel with braid and he got to work. Fishing a spinner loaded with mono in these conditions would be like sending our troops into Baghdad with flintlock rifles. Sure, they’ll work; but a bit of modernizing would help you do what you came to do.
Heavily overcast most of day; didn’t know any where mahi were. Knew exactly where they weren’t—under my boat. Never saw one.
With Ms. Holly aboard my crew was well & healthily fed. An easy prediction (& correct) had her as first in double digits. You might have also guessed (correctly) that she’d be first to limit out. That was at 12:30 while my nearest male angler was at 8.
It’s even possible you’d have guessed Holly at 20 (five give away sea bass) before any of my guys were at 10. But no, one fellow couldn’t take it and got to 13 while Holly finally got hung in a rut at 18. (3 giveaways)
Don’t matter how much testosterone is coursing (or once coursed) through your veins – her 30 years of angling skill was hard to beat today.
And the pool? Biggest fish money?
Why surely that was another matter, Right?
HaHa!
Not.
No it wasn’t.
Holly won today’s ‘sea bass only’ pool money too.
Tomorrow’s another day boys!
Cheers!
Monty
Dave Borrell from Pennsylvania caught this 17″ keeper flounder on a live minnow in the Thorofare.
