Posted on July 7th, 2025
The remnants of tropical storm Chantal had the weather jacked up pretty good today with rain, wind and nastiness. It was still fishable for the most part, but this weekend was much nicer.
Captain Dale Lisi of the Foolish Pleasures had another stellar day trolling plastics and ballyhoo in the Poorman’s Canyon today putting seven nice yellowfin on the dock at Bahia Marina.
Captain Dave Caffrey of On the Run had to deal with dirty water, but he was still able to find keeper flounder for his crew.
Captain Monty Hawkins of the Morning Star fished inshore of where he likes, but still found the fish for his anglers.
Hmmmm… Not such a pretty morning this day. Tropical Storm Chantal – a storm that has nothing to do with our local and lovely skilled angler Chantal(!) – is making its way inland leaving gray skies and a bit of southerly wind as it travels. Took measure of the wind about 4 miles out – quite fishable. Carter, Hudson & Mike deployed loose blocks at Crystal Ann Brinker’s Memorial Reef where I’m creating a foundation for later reef; we soon found ourselves fishing. Holly, of course, was first over the rail with a nice cbass – & a first for her new rod. (What a sweet stick too!)
Been a long long time since I fished inshore all day with clients. Prudence demanded it this day. Forecasts had seemed plenty OK yesterday but showed higher afternoon winds when updated this morning.
Was just starting to get saucy when a heavy rain came and I headed for the barn.
Actually had some good action. I know a guy who can locate artificial reefs pretty good. Sez he helped site a few of em. Caught some nice triggers, Holly’s pool winning fluke and some big sea bass.
(Was ‘sea bass and flounder only’ in the pool. I think several of the triggers would have pushed Holly’s flounder out of the running.)
The size and number of these inshore sea bass very much supports my theory: “When the size limit went from 11 inches to 12 & then 13 it shifted age at maturity from one to three and even four years old in sea bass. This shift caused a steep decline in spawning production.” Today only 10 to 20% of ocean found sea bass are spawners vs EVERY ocean found cbass when the size limit was 11 inches and under (and when the MD Wind Energy Area was recolonized after three years of surveys had pushed them out. With no bullies ruling each piece of reef little guys switched from F to M in great number). Today just a few big bull sea bass rule each reef. Little guys are run off or spined in the eyes with forward dorsal fins. There must surely be some manner of pheromonal delay in maturity also. Where once my crew might have even seen a thousand under nine inch males in a day (yes, in a day! I used to fish 85 anglers and sea bass were THICK. We’d see bright blue male knotheads as small as 6.5 inches..) ..this year we’ve only seen one male sea bass at exactly nine inches, a handful under ten (all age two) and none under 9 inches (which would be age one.)
What should be (using scientifically precise measure) skajillions of small randy males spawning like crazy is but a few brutes protecting their harem on our inshore pieces. I hope managers will one day look at it in depth. We should have 50 or more sea bass for every one we have now. That’s not an exaggeration. It really could be many more than that even. I’ve seen periods of exponential spawning production twice. Makes for some dern fine sea bassing..
Oh Joy.. More Joy?
As Noted by Scott at Fish in OC – The Coast Guard published a “notice to mariners” with the route the power line would take if they build offshore wind. It has to be surveyed – subbottom surveyed.. Some readers will remember those troubles.
The route threads its way between some of our best fishing.
Oyyyyy…..
Might be OK though. I know for certain they can survey without disturbing fish. A short piece on it below from 2023. (No, really. It’s short!)
Cheers, �Monty
Capt Monty
mhawkins@morningstarfishing
From a post; Our Coming Troubles With Sea Bass 6/23/23..
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My assertions concerning fish behavior during survey work, especially sub-bottom profilers, are based on dozens of logged interactions with survey boats and interviewing people with direct knowledge. I’m NOT making anything up.
Also – after three years straight of surveying (2013/14/15) with multiple boats?
Nothing died.
Then two more years of surveying twenty miles out in 2020 & 21?
Nothing (died).
Dang sure sea bass moved though – fluke too. I fought effects of surveys as hard as I could.
Those more recent survey works didn’t last long enough to create a fisheries catastrophe like three years straight (2013/14/15) with multiple boats.
One survey boat, the Emma McCall, however, received a full suite of new equipment in 2021..
Although BOEM and the survey companies continue to deny any affect to fish; strangely, the new gear truly did not have any affect on sea bass feeding.
After many encounters with the new gear it was evident whatever frequency bothered sea bass and flounder was gone – absent from the new suite of electronics.
A wind rep, Wolfgang Rain wrote: As a side-note, it’s important to understand that any gear replacement on the Emma McCall had nothing to do with what frequencies may or may not disrupt fish feeding—that is not part of their focus in the least, and all of the sub-bottom profilers manufactured to date have the sole purpose of mapping the sea bed. To my knowledge, no manufacturer has altered their gear for any purpose other than improving its mapping abilities in various conditions (salt water vs. fresh water, sediment types and such issues). It’s possible that the Emma had the SBP off and was only filling in with sidescan or multi-beam and/or magnetometer and was not using the SBP at the time you were nearby.
(I asked the skipper if he was running sub-bottom gear. “Yes”)
I can tell a survey boat is approaching from 8 miles away with regular sub bottom profilers. With new survey gear passing within a mile of my clients fishing? Sea bass keep feeding.
I wonder how they knew what frequencies to eliminate?
Admission would imply culpability..
There are no surveys taking place off our coast now nor were there this winter.
My point here is the MD Wind Area (about 125 sq miles; but, of course, sound doesn’t stop at permit boundaries. The actual effected area where sea bass and fluke fled from was estimated by GIS professionals at 525 sq miles.)
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Cheers,
Monty
