Posted on January 13th, 2020
We’ve had some very unseasonable temperatures the past few days and today the wind was light which made conditions ideal for getting out on the water. We look to see cold temperatures move into the area by the end of the week, but as long as the wind doesn’t blow we’ll have anglers heading out to try the rockfish and tog that are being caught.
Captain Kane Bounds of the Fish Bound had a very nice day of toggin’ today. Mike had the largest fish of the day at 12.4 pounds, Karl managed a couple of nine pounders and the crew ended the day with their limit. Captain Kane also reported a lone, fat porgy.
Captain Monty Hawkins of the Morning Star had a nice day on the rip today as well and along the way dropped some more blocks for the Ocean City Reef Foundation.
Dropped 20 chimney blocks on Capt. Jack Kaeufer’s Reef, turned north a touch and anchored.
East wind and 100% cloud cover; not ideal toggin conditions. Still, wanted to see if Capt Willbilly’s Memorial Reef, (500-some tons of concrete pipe & such deployed in May 2019,) was holding tog yet. Generally takes 3 years, even four, before a new artificial reef will support tog. Seemed a better year for mussels than other recent years, plus this bottom is truly robust – tog love shelves & caves; (or, in the reef builder’s vernacular – interstitial spaces & rugosity..)
So, yes, it was holding a tiny handful of tog already.
Shannon Pickens of St Michaels (blue) was first to prove it with a 20 inch male. (Shannon was nudged out of the pool last winter even though he had a 19lb fish in the boat!)
Scott Welsh from Newark DE had a male in the cooler soon after, and Mike Harrison from Clayton DE tagged a 16.5 inch female. We tagged a few other shorts as well before moving on to several other spots.
Not a bad start to the day, and not a bad start for WillBilly’s Reef either..
Maryland does not have a state marine reef program. What we’re able to accomplish with donations to OCRF is it.
Can’t say we’re not pluggin along though. Every little bit helps increase our seafloor’s habitat footprint.
In my experience that can’t be a bad thing.
Visit ocreefs.org if you’d care to help. . .
Be toggin along all winter—whenever the weather breaks our favor. Trips announced here on FB and in emailed ‘fish report.’ Sign up at Morningstar fishing.com if you’d like..
So, Mike Harrison tagged another female later in the day – bigger at 20.5 inches – to win the pool. Yes, yes.. One that’s in the boat counts the same as one that’s been released on my rig..
Derrick Sigvardson of Middletown DE holds up a keeper, as does Drew Silkworth of Dover DE.
John Defazio of Frankfort DE also jumped in the group snap…. Cheers
Young Grayson Wooldridge fished the pleasant weather this weekend with his dad John where they had some good catch and release rockfish action in the mouth of the St Martin’s River. The water was 50 degrees and pretty dirty, but the fish didn’t seem to mind. Grayson also caught some speckled trout on a Holiday trip to Florida.
