Striped Bass

Trip to Ocean City, MD. (Part 2)

June 22, 2020 by coolwaterfish 1 Comment

OCEAN CITY, MD – My first post related to my trip highlighted my own catches and fishing experiences. This part celebrates some of the people I met and fishing related memories that weren’t my catches. As one might expect in an oceanfront town, there were often people fishing near me, and their catches became memories for me as well.

I met these two fish bums (endearing terminology) while they were organizing tackle by their vehicle. The vast plethora of gear in their vehicle could have fully supplied a small tackle shop. My kind of people. Left to right, that is Noah (Instagram – coolerfullofish) and Joe (Instagram –jmnorton_fishing). I appreciated their willingness to share information and we met early enough in the week that we were hopeful we might get a planned fishing session in together. My decision to leave on Saturday instead of Sunday, is one that I regret. My call to go shark fishing came, but I was well on my way back to Ohio. Hopefully, I can make that happen next trip!

Here we have Kiley and Anthony, a very handsome college student couple that work full time in Ocean City in the summer. I watched Anthony catch a fish about as quickly as he put his Jeep in park after arriving. I learned Kiley was just as avid and competent as an angler, as she showed me some of her recent catches and also provided guidance. They both preached the virtue of the spec rig, with Anthony giving me one that I caught a Bluefish on. I can’t thank them enough for being so gracious with their time.

Surprisingly, I only spent part of one day at the actual Ocean City Fishing Pier. This was largely due to the fact that it sits so high above the water and I had no idea if my gear was appropriate or how to actually land something. I had seen plenty of Youtube videos where pier nets were used, but I didn’t realize their was a ‘community pier net’ available. After being on the pier for a little over an hour, I had already assisted with the net and learned enough that I was bummed I didn’t head over to it sooner.

While I don’t recall his name, the guy on the left was a regular to the pier and fun to hangout with. Anything he caught, he would show tourists and especially made it a point to make sure any kid who wanted to see or touch something, could. He’s pictured in one of those moments, showing a Skate. The middle photo I could dedicate an entire post to. There were two couples fishing next to me and mid conversation with this guy, his rod bends in half and the drag starts screaming. What ensued was a lengthy battle with masses of people crowding to see the action. I would have taken more pictures or video of the fight, but I was recruited to anchor the effort with the pier net. As we counted and pulled in sequence, the Cownose Ray was eventually hauled up. There were lots of people recording so I have been monitoring Youtube with the hopes that it ends up posted. If it does, I will surely link it here. It was very exciting to not simply see a neat catch, but to get to be an active participant in it! The last picture is a guy named Josh, who was staying in the same hotel as I was. We fished a lot of the same stretch of shoreline throughout the week, and he was the fortunate angler that caught the Rockfish (Striped Bass) everyone was hoping for. We all were envious, but of course were good sports in congratulating him on the great catch. Getting one like that, will be my mission next trip!

My timing could not have been better when I pulled in to Fish Tales. I arrived to see the crew of the Flyin’ Late with their #120 Bluefin Tuna doing a photo op. I jumped right in to do some pictures too. It was an awesome fish and I have put some messages out to try to locate them (in case they want some additional shots). The fish was cleaned right at the dock and I’m certain there were a lot of folks hopeful for some fresh sushi!

I have a lot of footage and photos from the trip that would fall into the ‘tourist’ category. Scenic shots, landmarks, boats, dolphins, crabs, waterfowl, and such. I’m sure there are plenty of professional pictures that my contribution to the subject matter wouldn’t really do anything. That considered, these two parts seem sufficient to cover all ‘fishy’ related content from the week. I hope everyone enjoyed the read!

Read Part 1 here!

Filed Under: Fishing, Saltwater Tagged With: Bluefin Tuna, Cownose Ray, Skate, Striped Bass

Trip to Ocean City, MD. (Part 1)

June 21, 2020 by coolwaterfish 1 Comment

OCEAN CITY, MD – In what has been a crazy year with the pandemic, an odd turn of events awarded me an opportunity to take a week long solo fishing trip to Ocean City, MD. With only a week from the idea of doing the trip to actually leaving, I had little time to research in advance. I was fortunate to find a very nice guy on the Roughfish Facebook Group for some conversation and also found some decent Youtube videos, and that would be the extent of what I was armed with. This truly would be an adventure.

After the eight hour plus drive I was pretty tired, but not so tired as to not try fishing right away. After catching a Horseshoe Crab and also some type of Spider Crab, I began catching some small fish (pictured above). Locals fishing near me would ID these fish as Tautog, with me later learning they were actually Bergall Wrasse (Cunner). I caught many, hoping for a larger specimen, but none exceeded 8 or 9 inches. I was pleased to be catching something, and it was a species that I had never caught prior.

The first full day in Ocean City, I decided I would bottom fish with a rotation of trying squid, raw shrimp, or minnows while intermittently casting various offerings. Sadly, everyone was talking about how slow the fishing was and I found myself changing what I was doing too frequently. I wish I would have just slowed down and stuck to something with more patience. There would end up being no magical lure or bait to catch fish. The highlight of the day, was a solid strike that came off about as fast as I felt the hit. The pictured swimbait is what I reeled in, a short strike that missed the point of the hook and simply sheered off the tail. Locals I showed this to, said a Bluefish was the likely culprit.

I am not sure if that hit was a blessing or a curse. On the positive side, it caused me to spend countless hours throwing the same thing which provided two awesome huge hookups (unfortunately both fish coming off). It also helped me to stay in the same area and watch and learn about the tides. On the downside, I lost focus and attention on keeping other rods for bottom and bait fishing going. I have to believe if I stuck with those, I would have had some catches to show for it.

At some point, I did finally realize that I could potentially spend all week hoping for the big hookup and landing of a massive fish. Sure, if I got it, a single fish could have made the whole trip… but if I didn’t get that bite I would be kicking myself for not moving around and trying other things. Thankfully, I made a move and committed to using bait for awhile. I was rewarded with a series of catches of American Eels. This is a new species that I had never encountered before, with the largest eel being 24 inches.

Mid-week I caved on my solo exploration, I stacked the odds in my favor of getting to catch fish by booking my spot on the party boat The Angler. I was treated with consistent Black Sea Bass action throughout the trip, with 7 or 8 being keeper size (12.5″+). Along with being plenty entertained by my own catches, I witnessed a 15# fish get ‘almost’ caught by an angler at the front of the boat. The angler was inexperienced and proceeded to reel his fish out of the water and into the air before the mate got up to him with the net. As expected, the fish did a few head shakes and dropped back into the water. I’m not sure what species it was, but I had a clear view of the event, and I felt pretty bad for the guy.

The following day after the party boat, weather took a turn for the worst. Fishing was slow but I did manage another new species catch, a Skate. I learned quickly in the week that the anglers look at the skates and rays with disdain for the most part, but I was happy to add something new to my life list. With the fishing being slow, any bite was welcomed, let alone a new species. On a whim, I decided to get myself a spot on the Tortuga, but I did not manage anything on the three hour trip. The Captain worked hard to get us on the fish, but it just was slow fishing, I would go out with them again. The highlight of the trip was the kid sitting next to me that managed the only keeper, winning the big fish pot.

As the trip was coming to an end, I put some time in throwing a Spec Rig. This had been introduced to me in a Youtube video, but more importantly and of more influence was some new friends I had met (will be seen in Part 2) who recommended it. While neither the Bluefish or Striped Bass (Rockfish) I caught on the rig were very big, the catches meant a lot to me. Not just for the simple fact of how hard people were working for a bite and how much time it took, but rather it made me feel like I had legitimized myself as an O.C. shore angler. I celebrated these small fish and their release as a big accomplishment.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed that I didn’t land any great trophy type fish. I didn’t really have a lot of time to set goals for the trip, and I have wavered between wondering if I had set the bar too low or too high for expectations in my mind. In the end, I had a great time. I caught some fish, made new friends, found new areas to fish, and learned a lot. By any definition, that has to be success!

Read Part 2 here!

Filed Under: Fishing, Saltwater Tagged With: American Eel, Black Sea Bass, Bluefish, Cunner, Skate, Striped Bass

A successful trip to New Hampshire!

July 20, 2014 by coolwaterfish 2 Comments

Every now and then things just fall into place for something good to happen. This past week, it was a work trip that took me to Bedford, NH, with a fantastic boss who allowed me to stay long enough to get a 5 hour fishing trip in. It’s hard to put into words how excited I was to go after a new species for the life list (Striped Bass), as well as, simply to get an opportunity to fish in saltwater for only the 4th time in my life.

The Atlantic Ocean at Hampton, NH, 7 a.m., July 17th

We will fast forward past the nightmare of delayed and cancelled flights that took place trying to get to NH, and pick up with the morning of the charter. As you can see from the photo above, you could tell it was going to be a beautiful day right from the start. Outside of not having my wife and kids with me, I couldn’t think of a better place to be than aboard Reel Job Charters embarking on a new fishing experience.

Nervous energy, excitement and anticipation of what the day might hold

It was awesome to have a co-worker, who is also a friend, that wanted to join me. I do a lot of fishing solo and it was a welcome treat to have someone to talk with on the trip. While Erin is not an overly avid fisherwoman, she does enjoy the outdoors and has an adventurous spirit. Certainly the type of person that is fun to hang out with. An added benefit, was Erin’s willingness to not only take photos – but take really exceptional photos (you will see).

The fishing plan for the day was to start out by catching our bait, Atlantic Mackerel. This proved to be very challenging and I was worried it would be an omen of what was to come. Fortunately, we had a bucket full of somewhat ‘fresh’ dead Mackerel, and Captain Steve had a great back up plan as a friend of his linked up with us out on the water to give us some live fish. With plenty of bait, we were ready to go after our target.

Once we began fishing for the bass it was evident the fish weren’t just going to ‘jump in the boat’ for us, we were going to have to work for them. Captain Steve set us up perfectly on the path we were drifting (as evidence by seeing other boats right by us hooking up), but we couldn’t muster a strike. So much about fishing is patience, and I knew we just needed to stay positive and keep at it. Finally, I heard the scream of line peeling off of a reel and looked to my left to see Erin expertly engaging the drag after letting the fish run with the bait. She did it just as the captain had instructed and continued to fight the fish like a pro, all the way to the net. Erin ‘breaking the ice’ for us was fun to watch and I was very excited for her! You can click HERE to see her with her fantastic catch, awesome job Erin!

Fish on!, the author finally hooked up

After Erin’s fish, it wasn’t too long until there was another hookup. This time it was a third party on the boat, a real nice guy named Mike. Mike landed a short fish but promptly followed it up with another hookup. The second fish was a monster and it was an amazing fight to watch. The fish tried every tactic possible to come off, long runs, circling at the surface, under the boat, around the prop, but Mike and the captain were successful in getting it in. It ended up being the biggest Striper of the year for the boat thus far, and it was neat to be there to witness it. I can’t give the exact size, as I was anxious to get my line back in the water on the bow of the boat.

Seeing that catch, that fish, was bittersweet. While I was happy that everyone had made a fishing memory, as for myself I might as well have been a photographer than a fisherman at this point. I knew I had to coach myself into a good attitude, so I grabbed a fresh Mackerel, and launched my bait with renewed vigor. I was intensely fishing, paying attention to every movement of my Carolina Rigged Mackerel, even giving it a bit of action in addition to the steady drift of the boat. As we were nearing the point to take in our lines and motor back to the beginning of our drift, my index finger felt the line go tight, and a half second later the line was flying off the reel. There was no wondering, it was a fish. I let it take line for several seconds, then engaged the drag and set the hook. Until that moment, I just knew I had a fish, but when I got to feel the weight, I knew it was nice.

All I was thinking was, “please don’t come off!”

While I don’t exactly know what constitutes a big fish or an exceptional fish verse average for the locals, all I knew was the fish was fighting hard and was heavy. For me, an avid Ohio fisherman, it would be a trophy if I got it in. The fight remained pretty traditional other than the size and strength of the fish. It was far stronger than anything I have fought in freshwater. I was pretty exhausted by the time I got it to the boat, and thankfully it only took a few passes to get it head first into the net. I’m not certain if my biggest emotion was happiness or simply relief at making the catch, all I know was it felt great!

Freshly landed, removing the hook and ready for pictures

Once the fish was on the boat, I was intent on measuring it and shooting a host of pictures. The fish measured around 39″ and Erin was great as she just kept snapping away. I was thrilled when I reviewed the photos to see that she captured so much of the memory so well, and the fish itself. It was definitely a fishing experience that ranks high on my all time best.

As perfect of a photo as I could have asked for and what a fish!

The author with Captain Steve

After my fish, we still had an hour or so of fishing and that’s when things really heated up. Multiple additional Stripers were caught, but none that rivaled my first, and certainly none that touched Mike’s beast. I was content and more than pleased at how the day turned out. On the trip in, I snapped a few scenic shots and we also had the unique experience of watching a kayak fisherman land a nice Striper on the fly rod. It was incredible to watch and that guy had to be having the time of his life. What an epic day!

How fun does this look?! Striper on a 7wt.