First Bigeye Tuna of the Season and A Big Flounder and Redfish From the Bay
By Scott Lenox
Posted on June 5th, 2025
A little cloud cover and a little wind, but otherwise a very pleasant day on the DMV. It actually got a little hot and humid this afternoon showing signs of summer and I for one was all for it.
I got a text early this morning with some awesome news that the first bigeye tuna of the season had been captured out in the deep by the Restless Lady II and Captain Chris Huk. It was a nice fish too at 66″ and 170 pounds, and RL 2 also added a couple of “under” sized bluefin tuna and a nice monkfish to round out the fillet count. Congratulations to Captain Chris and crew!
Ryan Edgell was jigging pink shine Gulp in the East Channel when he landed the biggest flounder I’ve seen so far this year at an impressive 25 1/2″ and 7.3 pounds.
Big Bird Cropper and Shawn Flaherty were throwing Roy Rigs at the route 50 bridge when Shawn landed this big bluefish and Bird landed this big 32″ red drum.
David Moore fished last night and had several red drum releases to a whopping 53″ and one black tip shark that was also released.
Rick Kramer, John Sonner, Nathan Mangiafico, Randy Swain Sr., Randy Swain Jr. and Louden Swain had a great day on the wrecks with a limit of flounder and some big sea bass.
Even with the size increase to 17.5″, the Tortuga fishing out of Bahia Marina has been putting plenty of keeper flounder in the box.
Captain Chris Mizurak of the Angler reported a good bite today with a bunch of nice sea bass and a couple of flounder loading up coolers.
Captain Monty Hawkins of the Morning Star had a strange day of sea bass fishing, but in the end there were lots of nice fish aboard.
Tied her loose into more wind at the dock this morning than anticipated. Not a day-killer breeze, possibly sportier than most would prefer though.
And the ocean did have an ugly tone for a while; as if she might get angry indeed.
Then it fell out.
Beautiful day off there.
One of my favorite old skippers, Mike, and his friend Jason were aboard. Mike ran a shipping route from NY to Puerto Rico a few years of his lifelong career at sea. He remembers when his first GPS was installed before that run. It was the size of a refrigerator. Now, of course, there might be GPS in a wristwatch.
Mike & Jason sent today’s block unit by the stern rail. It landed very neatly within the existing blocks and pyramids of Pete Maugan’s Memorial Reef, where his ashes and those of his favorite hunting dog are interred in a pyramid.
We kept paddling.
The day’s fish occurred in bursts and not at all equally along the rail. An odd bite; one of the beat schools of sea bas I’ve seen on a screen this season was nearly our worst drop of the day! (pic in post.) Fellow all the way forward, Tim, held good account of his fishing skills while a local fishing celebrity found himself wanting orange or grape soda to sweeten his bait (shades of 1985!) Though it pains me so, Hurricane may have been high hook on yesterday’s charter. (OK already! He was..) But ol’man Murphy, no doubt sensing a modicum of hubris in Hurricane’s innermost thoughts, delivered a spiteful smackdown. Hurricane Murray was, by far, low man today. Then, despite immediate proximity to our Pastry Prince, & I do mean Hurricane his portly self; Sea Bass Bob dern near boxed a limit – just one shy & nice fish too.
Jigmaster Tom, still recovering from shoulder surgery, was only able to fish the artificial his moniker implies for a few drops. He hasn’t forgotten how. For a while it looked dim indeed for Tom; then he too had a good run of luck and nearly climbed to double digits. Cathy, no doubt off her game owing worries of a sick kitty at home, & she so many times bringer of a tear to men expecting a God-given right to outfish the ladies; who today was on the other side of our low-low-low (really low) man, Cathy tied with Jigmaster.
I was also reminded today of another capable lady angler I enjoy having aboard. Sadly Tricia and Jack couldn’t be out today. But, if they had, Sea Bass Bob would surely have had to work harder for high hook status!
Tomorrow’s forecast looked dismal all week: E at 20+ knots and heavy rain. I had a day’s maintenance work in mind when, this morning, it changed to very light easterlies with no precip at all. Derned if something isn’t going on with forecasting this season..
We’ll see what we can do with the fishing.
Still looking for a full time man. Have posted a deckhand position several times. Do have a promising part-time hand in Ethan, but other guys so far just haven’t worked out. Never used to have to make but a mention of it and I’d have applicants.
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