Posted on December 8th, 2019
The 12 Days of Christmas are going on right now at Atlantic Tackle. Check out the above video to the great deals!!
We had a nice December day in Ocean City today with decent temps, sunny skies and light winds for most of the day. The ocean wasn’t quite as nice as it was forecast to be, but it was nice enough.
Reports of migrating rockfish off our coast were confirmed today when I got a report of some keeper fish caught inside of three miles. Lucas Franzetti was fishing with his Dad Juan when they trolled up this beauty of a 37″ rock off of north Ocean City.
Captain Monty Hawkins of the Morning Star found a rougher than expected ocean today, but he also found some bigger than expected sea bass.
Caught a boat limit of beautiful sea bass. Sure wasn’t as pretty a day as I thought I saw coming.
With some already suffering mal-de-mer; we dropped blocks, plus a pair of reef pyramids, at Capt. Bob Gowar’s Memorial Reef and pressed on.
First stop? Uh oh..
It is December. Sea bass are pressing off all the while as waters cool. They’d clearly abandoned the reef I started on – though it had been very productive only days before. We picked up anchors and paddled just a bit further off. Second stop, however, worked in fine style. Lots & lots of double jumbos. Gerald Meadows of Salisbury was first across the line; many were limited within an hour.
Will have to schedule longer trips when the weather breaks.
Going to have time in days to come to work on NOAA’s ridiculous MRIP Recreational Catch data.
We’ve never been in worse position—a more dangerous position—because of bad catch data.
Really needs repair. Recreational catch worries are so far below the national radar: if fishers will not complain to NOAA, the problem will only worsen.
Anyway, Rick Auello of Seaford DE won today’s fish pool with a 20 inch, 4lb 12oz sea bass – one of a double on a jig. Carlos Neves from Portugal had a nice double (all camo.) Dae Kim kept a fantastic limit of cbass (orange top, gold jig.) Courtney Thompson, a Berlin local, was catching doubles on a jig. Mike Sherner of Newport News VA (orange bibs) had a many gorgeous doubles. Ray Ricci If Dundalk MD limited quick (dark coat.)
Also in the group snap are Chuck Burnham of Bel Air MD – Muhammad Emam from Portugal – Duke Park & Shy Yam from Fairfax VA – June Park from Fruitland MD – & Tyler Minner from Boothwyn PA.
Big Bird Cropper and neighbor Dave didn’t catch any keepers, but they did catch and release a bunch of rockfish at the south jetty. More than once it was two at a time.
Jason and Kalani Snader from Bishopville Maryland fishec with David and Cecilia Weller at the route 90 bridge and had some good catch and release rockfish action.
