Now that the flounder season is closed in Maryland waters most fishermen have been focusing their attention around the Ocean City Inlet. There they are targeting tautog, triggerfish, bluefish and striped bass. The tautog fishing is improving as water temperatures cool; fishermen are using sand fleas and pieces of green crab for baits.
Bluefish are moving in and out of the inlet usually at night and fishermen have been catching them by casting Got-Cha lures. Striped bass are also being caught at night on swim shad lures, crankbaits and by drifting live eels. The number of throwbacks for the striped bass is high but there is plenty of action.
Surf fishermen got their first licks in on the anticipated run of red drum this week and the fishing is expected to improve later on this week. Fishermen are using large menhaden baits; usually the head to try and thwart the efforts of bait stealing smooth dogfish and bluefish. Small bluefish are being caught on finger mullet and those using squid are catching croakers.
The boats heading outside of the Ocean City Inlet are finding improving fishing for sea bass and triggerfish on the wreck sites. They are also finding that croakers are schooling up off the beaches in the shoal areas.
Offshore fishermen are finding good fishing for a mix of dolphin, small yellowfin tuna, white marlin and a mix of wahoo and blue marlin. Kevin Rosemary sent in this picture of a white marlin coming in for a release on a weekend fishing trip with friends just inside of the Baltimore Canyon.
Small yellowfin tuna are being caught at the Hot Dog and Elephant Trunk areas; the Baltimore and Norfolk Canyons have been a good place to find white and blue marlin and a mix of wahoo and dolphin this week.
Real-time water information for selected points in the Coastal Bay
Click here to view recent bay region satellite images at mddnr.chesapeakebay.net/NASAimagery/EyesInTheSky.cfm
A Couple of Closing Notes...
Don't hesitate to e-mail your recent
fishing/crabbing photos and trip information. Send your photos via E-mail by the
following Monday in order to be included in the next update. The file should be
in .jpg format with the longest side sized at 600 pixels. Please keep the file
size under one megabyte if possible. The photo should clearly depict the angler(s), fish, and ethical
handling practices. For information on ethical angling practices please
reference the Catch and Release information located at URL:
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/articles/catch_release.html
Include the following information:
-
Date
-
Angler(s)
-
Hometown(s)
-
Photo credit
-
Location
-
Weight/length of catch
-
Bait/lure
Important Note:
If anyone in your picture is under 18
years of age, we must have a
photo release
signed by that person and a parent/guardian before we can post your picture. By sending any photos or art to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources you are giving DNR permission to use the image(s) online and in print. You are also giving DNR permission to distribute the photo for non-commercial purposes to other media, print, digital and television for their use. You are not giving up your copyright, but are allowing the photo(s) to be used for educational and news purposes.
Send your photos and information to
Keith Lockwood
The Fisheries
Service is pleased to have you visit. We want to make this
site as user friendly as possible, if you have any suggestions, please
mail them to
Paul Genovese.
