Posted on March 11th, 2020
Aaaaaah YES….another fishing report!! Things are starting to wake up slowly, but surely……..slowly……but surely. There are some small striped bass being caught in the shallows around the marshes north of the route 90 bridge, yellow and white perch are being caught in some of the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay, snakeheads have reared there ugly heads on the Eastern Shore and Captain Monty is still catching tautog over ocean structure when he can get out. All of these things will get better as the weather warms up and more fish like bluefish and flounder are on the near horizon.
Today Captain Monty Hawkins was able to steer the Morning Star to the east and help keep me in the fishing report business, and that’s where he found confused seas and a couple of jumbo tautog.
Cleared the inlet before first light. Ocean plenty calm despite yesterday’s heavy south winds; full moon and coming sun made for fine night visibility as we cleared the inlet before dawn. Snapped a pic in that darkness and couldn’t believe what the iPhone had pulled from it. Picture looks like it was shot after sunup..
As we got further off & deeper yesterday’s remnant swell became more pronounced as did today’s light northerly wind-driven wave set. Must have been a heavier NE wind too somewhere above us; that easily distinguished swell was also rocking the boat. Those three different wave patterns, though small, made for confused seas.
No matter, press ahead: dropped 24 blocks & two pyramids at an artificial reef site and kept going.
Two anchors tight in a fire & aft straddle, first drop wasn’t bad. Took a handful of keepers, some smalls went back in—tagged short females along with three seriously nice jumbos including Bill Krug of LongNeck DE’s 25.75 inch, 12lb 6oz pool winning bull.
As the current backed off so did the bite. We moved to a new spot & found the current picking up a touch – but still no bites.
Not a sniff.
That reef’s been kind to my clients in the past—not today.
Our third drop was sacred bottom to me. Here we had my second state record, Sam Beauchamp’s 21.5 pounder long years ago and also Frank Graziano’s 19.5 pound tog in 2011 that came up briefcased (one hook in the lip, another in the side or tail.) Pull mighty hard when foul hooked – we all knew that fish was going to be 30 lbs! ..was still a dern good one though.
Today? Not so much. Caught a lonely little fellow on one of my all-time favorite spots.
Moved again. Catch a few more keepers, including Darica Ward’s new personal best, a 25 inch 11lb dandy.
Tog can get mighty fussy in a north current off here. I remember one winter in the late 2000s where every time the current came north we’d have just as well gone home. This year we’ve had a number of good days (including fantastic days) in a strong north current. How can you figure it?
Nothing to do but go fishing!
Bronson Dhume of New Jersey shows off his jumbo female alongside Bill Krug’s pool winner. Both were tagged & released.
In the group snap are also Garrett Weir from NY who waited to the very last before showing off with a nice keeper, and Frank Graziano who nicked a few this day.
