Maryland & Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report
It’s been a challenging week of fishing for Maryland anglers as the recent snow storm, freezing temperatures, and high winds have hampered the efforts of most. However, before the storm, the bluefin were chewing well, and a number of boats even managed to land their 1-fish limit with snow on the deck.
Sailing out of West Ocean City, Captain Monty Hawkins of Morning Star Fishing shared mixed reviews from the tuna grounds since last week’s report. On Friday the 3rd, they were greeted by calm seas on account of the westerly winds until they got about 12 miles offshore; thankfully, the wind remained under 10 knots for a good chunk of the day. The bluefin were more than cooperative, too! The wound up going 7 for 9 with mostly school-size tuna, netting them in order to get safe releases. They boxed one fish and released six, as current recreational regulations permit keeping only one bluefin tuna (from 27″ to less than 73” curved fork length) per vessel per day/trip. The two fish that didn’t make it to the boat were the largest they hooked that day. Sometimes that’s the way the cookie crumbles. The Morning Star headed out again on Monday the 6th in slick-calm conditions, only the tuna, despite their abundance, did not care to play ball with their light crew amid snowy, and eventually gusty conditions. Equipped with a handful of spinning rods in addition to their trolling gear this time around, unfortunately they could not buy a bite even though they were casting to fish breaking just 20 feet from the boat. The captain reported marking hundreds of bluefin on his electronics and said there were plenty more breaking on the surface as they trolled through the area. While it’s possible that the bluefin season is winding down, there is still word of fish being caught in northern New Jersey. With not much happening for them, they headed for port by the early afternoon as the wind increased and the seas began to build. The skipper hopes to get back out there for a couple more shots before it’s all over, otherwise, keep an eye on their availability for upcoming tautog fishing trips! Sign up for their email list at morningstarfishing.com to stay in the know.
In Ocean City, Taylor Bakke from Always Bent Fishing OC said they went on a bluefin hunt of their own on Monday. They had a shot at a solid fish that unfortunately broke off boat side. They would have stayed out longer, but as Monty Hawkins also noted, the conditions were quickly heading south (metaphorically speaking), so they called it quits having achieved a hook up in the snow. Bakke did mention that 3 or 4 other boats that had been fishing in the same area were able to put a catch together. You can get a glimpse of their most recent day on the water by following @alwaysbentfishingoc on Instagram. Check out one of the clips below.
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Anglers Sport Center Fishing Report – Annapolis, MD
The Anglers Sport Center fishing report is written by Anglers Fishing Manager & OTW Columnist, Alex Gallardo-Perez.
Lots of high wind and snow over the past few days have keep most anglers at home. Only a few guys have gotten out and fished some of the local creeks and rivers. Some have been fishing the middle part of the Patuxent River catching a few fallfish, smallmouth bass, and even some yellow perch using small jig heads paired with 2- to 3-inch curly tail plastics or small paddletails. Live minnows on a Carolina rig will also work in some of the deep pools. Most of the creeks on the tidal rivers are iced over now, but the main parts of the Severn and Magothy are still open, so there are still plenty of pickerel to catch as long as the water doesn’t freeze over. We are waiting for a break in the wind so anglers can get out and try to catch some more migratory striped bass.
Captain Jamie Clough of Eastern Shore Light Tackle Charters in Chester reported that aside from the few boats getting out for bluefin tuna, there’s not much going on at the moment. They have been frozen in, and the skipper does not like to trailer the boat in ice and snow, for obvious reasons. Before the snow, they were into big schools of migratory stripers in mixed size classes out front, and there was plenty of bait, so keep an eye on their Facebook for potential changes to upcoming availability once conditions improve.