Finally, a weekend that allowed the local boats to leave the docks. With that happening, we saw many reports of successful trips that harvested sea bass, triggerfish, porgies, bluefish and pollock. It was a virtual cornucopia of fish. Sorry for that, but it is the season. You can also throw some stripers from the back water into the mix. When the weather allows, the fall fishing seems to be taking off. Let us do the same.
Captain Chuck and the Sea Star III finished their upgrades and are back on the water daily at 9 a.m. Right now the main quarry is sea bass, with other catches of porgies, triggerfish and tog, plus some small bluefish also making it into the cooler. A couple of the pool winners this week were Kathy Mulvehill with a 2.90 pound sea bass and Jerry Levin with a 4.25 pound triggerfish. From the pictures I saw, the anglers had plenty of fish and lots of smiles.
The Starlight felt the effects of the windy weather early in the week, and as a result its six-hour trips were impacted. As the conditions improved and trips were made, plenty of fish came aboard. “Porgies, blues and sea bass were caught in abundance.” The sea bass had some good size to them. Pool honors went to Jason Spengler of Ocean City and Irene Miller of Cape May.
Remember, its six-hour trips on the weekdays, and two four-hour trips on Saturday and Sunday.
Captain Skip and the Stalker keep getting action in the back. They headed out early and have been getting many fish between 22 and 27 inches. They have also “had some larger models recently.” Some were taken on rubber baits, while top-water plugs are still the biggest contributor to the catch total. If you’re considering getting out, you should jump while the action is hot.
A few other Cape May boats got out recently as sea bass season opened and the weather finally cooperated – at least a little anyway, as it was sunny, but windy.
The Fishin’ Fever with Captain Tom got an early start on the weekend. From Thursday on, they have been bringing in “quality” sea bass, and a lot of them. A couple of notable catches had one angler bringing in a 4 pounder on Thursday, while Mike Hoyer came home with a 5.5 pounder after another trip. More trips coming up mean more opportunities to get some large fish.
The Full Ahead with Captain Bob started their week on Wednesday. Their trips through the weekend brought in the main target of sea bass, plus other ocean occupants like pollock, bluefish, triggerfish and a big slab porgy. That’s a good mixed bag any way you measure it.
Finally, the Miss Chris had a quality weekend with plenty of sea bass being caught. They had some anglers limit out, while others had a lot of action and came close to their limit. Actually, the other boats at the marina, the Lady Chris and the aforementioned Sea Star III, all did well at the areas they were working.
Sailor’s Delight Back Bay Fishing was out on the back water Saturday. They reported “a sluggish bite” with an angler named Kyle bringing in a nice striper. Even though things were basically slow, “the fish were there.” It’s just a matter of putting in your time.
The Miss Avalon got back out and scored with sea bass, triggerfish, bluefish and porgies. They had a 10-hour trip on Saturday, and followed it up with a productive Sunday excursion.
All the boats mentioned are running their fall schedules, so call ahead for their schedules and availability, and to see what they’re after. All seem to be after sea bass, but some may switch over to stripers totally, or fish for both in the same trip. Either way, good luck.
Word from Boulevard Bait and Tackle is that the bass are still in the back and being taken “on poppers and soft plastics.” Ted and Cameron were out recently and found fish “schooled up.” They caught over 30 fish with some going up to 29 inches. They also said the fish were hungry and were fun to catch “on light tackle.”
I just wanted to give a shout out to a reader named Ray. I was out fishing Monday after work, we got to talking, we introduced ourselves and I mentioned the column. Ray said he reads the column, and I thanked him. We proceeded to fish and talk for the hour-plus until dark descended. It was nice to meet you and talk fishing. Keep on reading.
Congratulations to Dick Shepherd who was recently elected president of the 103-year old Ocean City Fishing Club. Dick has been a club member for 12 years. Previously he has served in the capacities of vice president, trustee and a member of the membership committee. He plans to continue the club’s strong community relations effort through tournaments, a scholarship program for graduating seniors at Ocean City High School and an Open Houses during the city’s Family Nights on the Boardwalk.
An interesting report came in from Bucktail Willie. As some of you know, Bill (obviously his real name) tags fish for the American Littoral Society (ALS). He has tagged multiple thousands of fish, probably over 20,000 by now, with striped bass being a main target.
The report concerns the Maryland 2016 Striped Bass Young of the Year, or YOY. The main focus concerns stripers born during this past spring. This figure is calculated by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The process of how this occurs follows.
In the late summer of each year, a seine net is hauled through an area of the Chesapeake Bay. During each previous year, at basically the same time and place, a similar process occurred. By keeping everything as consistent as possible, it allows for a more uniform understanding of the results. The number of baby bass in each collection is recorded, then averaged, and a final count for the year is calculated. In 2016 the number was 2.2, which compares to the long-term average of 11.86. “In fairness, striped bass spawning success in the Bay has historically varied considerably on a year to year basis. Since the collapse of the 1970’s the YOY trend has declined. From 1987-1996 the average was 17.3, 1997-2006 it was 16.2, and 2007-2016 it was 10.9.”
This is a decline of 37 percent since the height of the recovery that provided great fishing in the late 1990s and early 2000s. What is more alarming is that two of the worst years in the past 30, 2012 and 2016, occurred within the past five years.
Clearly the numbers aren’t good, and some tough questions must be addressed, including how to manage the fishery in a commercial and recreational manner. The larger breed fish will be watched, plus how younger, smaller fish fit into the equation will be examined.
Stripers Forever, a concerned group that helped with this report, is promoting a Release A Breeder Club designed to aid in the release of “breeding size” fish that “are mostly female.”
Submit your fishing news and photos to mrobbins@cmcherald.com.
