President s Message. Next Meeting

Transcription

1 Issue 2 September 2018 President s Message Well, Labor Day has passed, and with it the end of traditional Summer. But that has not changed the fishing in the area at all. The offshore bite is as good as it has been in a long time, and the southern Bay has been producing some great fish as well. The month of September promises to be productive all around, as long as the weather cooperates. As for the Club things are getting pretty busy too. Our Crab Feast is coming up on September 15. This is a fun event for the entire family. There will be plenty of crabs, chicken, corn on the cob, and all of the sides. And as always, there will be thousands of dollars in raffle prizes to be won. It is not too late to get tickets, as we have extended the deadline to the Club meeting Wednesday, September 12 at the moose. See Jim Bremer for tickets And then we turn our thoughts to the Tackle the Mackerel tournament in Harker s Island, NC. This has become my favorite event. As many as 15 or 16 boats, and as many as 70 people head South for this tournament. The club will take over the Harker s Island fishing center for a week long king mackerel tournament. Along the way, there will be 2 club sponsored dinners. The first will be a catered barbeque style dinner on Sunday, and then a catered burrito style dinner on Wednesday. And again, thousands of dollars in raffle prizes will be won on both nights! For more information, be at the meeting on Wednesday. Over the next several months, there will be a ton of information about the new club membership. I urge everyone to come to the meetings to get caught up on all of the newest information. Also, don t forget to go to Memberplanet and register with the FSA today. There are no fees and no membership dues until January 1 st. This will give you the chance to get used to how this site works, as a lot of the events from our club will be posted here, along with all important information for members only. Tight lines, Jim Next Meeting Date: September 12, 2017 Food Service begins at 6:15 PM Meeting at 7:00 PM Speaker Steve Fogle will be speaking about different actions in fishing rods Vendor: BKD will have an assortment of their lures for sale Dinner Menu: Hot Roast Beef Mashed Potatoes and Gravy Green Beans Salad Dessert Attendance at August Meeting:

2 Raffle Winners: Jodie Ammerman- Rod and Reel Combo Rob Pellicot- Sea Hawk Lures Cathy Gunder- Specialized Baits Keith Young- knife sharpener, bait scissors, dehooker Ed Susa- Electric filet knife- donated back to club**** Chris Linetty- Huk hat Rodney Baer- Umbrella bait Neal Ammerman- EZ on, EZ off Emory Connor- Cutting Board 50/50 Raffle: Emory Connor $47 Directions To Meeting at the Frederick Moose Lodge: Map From Frederick, take I-70 east to exit 56 (Rt. 144W). Turn slight right onto MD-144. Go 0.8 miles to 828 E. Patrick St. on the left - 2 -

3 Fishing Reports Maryland DNR Fishing Report Maryland Weekly Fishing Report Overview Upper Chesapeake Bay Photo courtesy of Alex Cain The Conowingo Dam is currently releasing water for power generation during the day with waters down river showing signs of clearing. The Gunpowder and Bush will see stained conditions from recent heavy rains adding to conditions in the upper bay. Chumming and live lining spot continue to be the most popular ways to fish for striped bass this week along channel edges. Swan, Love and Podickory points are good places to check at about 20 feet. Chumming is always a mainstay but live lining spot will often put you on larger fish. Smaller striped bass tend to swarm chum slicks and channel catfish will move into areas where the chum drifts to the bottom. Spot can be found on hard bottom in the mouth of the Chester and Magothy rivers in about 15 feet of water. The west side of the Bay Bridge has also been a good place to find spot in about 10 to 15 feet of water. Pieces of bloodworm on a simple bottom rig with a No. 4 hook will do the trick and something as simple as a plastic garbage can will serve as a live well in a pinch. White perch can also be a welcomed part of the bottom fishing mix. The Bay Bridge piers and rock piles, as well as the sewer pipe are holding striped bass this week in about 20 feet of water. Boats have been anchoring up current of the bridge piers near the 25-foot depth curve and drifting live spot back to the bridge piers. Jigging and live lining spot near the rock piles has also been popular. Middle Bay Photo by Eric Packard Thomas Point has been a very popular place to fish, whether drifting live spot, jigging or casting swimbaits and topwater lures in the early morning hours. The outside edge of Hacketts Bar has been also getting some attention from live liners. The channel edge at Tilghman Point in Eastern Bay is a good place to check for suspended striped bass as is Kent Narrows. The channel edges of the False Channel and generally speaking any channel edge has the potential to hold suspended striped bass. Spot can be found on hard bottom at places like Whitehall Bay, Eastern Bay and the lower sections of the tidal rivers in about 15 feet of water. White perch can be found in many of these same areas. The shallow water striped bass fishery continues to be a very early morning affair. Surface water temperatures are holding in the mid-80s so fish often head for deeper water as soon as the sun cracks the horizon. Shoreline structure areas in the lower regions of the tidal rivers and places like the rocks - 3 -

4 at Poplar Island are good areas to fish. Lower Bay The catch-and-release fishery for red drum continues this week in the general area from the Southwest Middle Grounds to the Northwest Middle Grounds, which includes the area around the Target Ship. At times the large red drum can be seen on the surface chasing small bluefish, sea trout and anything else that looks like lunch. There are bay anchovies in the area, which the bluefish and other smaller fish are working on and they in turn draw the attention of the large red drum. Casting large spoons or soft plastic jigs is a great way to catch red drum but stout tackle is required to ease the stress on these beautiful and valuable fish. It does not take much to drive them down to the depths and curtail the action so motoring through them is a sure way to end the fishing action. The utmost care should also be given to quickly return the fish to the water; don t exhaust them. Ann Rickwood was fishing with her husband and family when she caught this nice cobia near the Southwest Middle Grounds. Photo by Darren Rickwood Trolling is another option with large spoons, bucktails or diving crankbaits when action is not so obvious. One should never troll through breaking fish when your neighbor is casting. It is a sure way to get a stink eye and a bad reputation out on the water. A few cobia are being caught now and then by those casting or trolling, which will spark up anyone s day, and perhaps inspire some to try chumming and live lining eels. Most who are fishing for striped bass are doing so by live lining spot along prominent channel edges in the lower Potomac near St. George Island and Piney Point. The fish tend to be suspended at about 20 feet. There is also some chumming action going on at the mouth of the Potomac and the rock piles north of Point Lookout for striped bass and bluefish. Most of the striped bass attracted to chum slicks tend to be undersized. There continues to be a worthwhile early morning striped bass fishery along shoreline structure areas in the early morning. The lower Patuxent, St. Mary s and the lower Potomac rivers have been fun places to cast topwater and swimbait lures with light tackle. Trolling a mixed spread of red and green hoses, small and large spoons, and bucktails has been popular for a mix of Spanish mackerel, bluefish, striped bass and red drum along the shipping channel edges, as well as Tangier and Pocomoke sounds. Bottom fishing for a mix of spot, croaker, small bluefish and white perch has been very good in the lower Potomac, lower Patuxent and the eastern side of the bay in Tangier and Pocomoke sounds. Peeler crab and clam snouts work well for croaker, bluefish and white perch; bloodworms for the spot. Recreational crabbing has greatly improved in all three regions of the bay. In the upper bay one can expect to catch a half bushel to nearly a full bushel per outing. In the middle and lower bay a full bushel of nice crabs is not uncommon. The crabs being caught are typical late summer crabs that are full and heavy. Fresh chicken necks will work well but razor clams continue to catch the most crabs. Freshwater Fishing The Labor Day weekend has passed us by and boat traffic will start to thin out on Deep Creek Lake giving anglers a little more peace and quiet. Water temperatures are about as high as they will be and cooler nights will start to lower lake temperatures. The shallow areas of coves with grass and shoreline structure are good places to target largemouth bass in the morning and evening with topwater lures. Grass edges can be worked with spinnerbaits - 4 -

5 or swimbaits. Floating docks and overhead structure such as fallen treetops are great places to find largemouth bass loafing in the shade. Soft plastics are a good choice for working these areas. Smallmouth bass can often be found on rocky points and near deep grass. The trout management waters of the western region offer wonderful fishing this time of the year and Alan Klotz offers us some fun tips: Photo by Alan Klotz The weather is still rather warm and terrestrial insects are at their peak. This is the time to use foam grasshopper or cricket patterns. Fishing with these large flies can produce some rather explosive strikes from trout! One of the best areas to fish is the Catch-and-Return Trout Fishing Area of the North Branch Potomac River just downstream of Jennings Randolph Lake Dam. The property adjoining the river near the upper boundary are large fields loaded with grasshoppers and crickets. Just cast out toward the middle of the river and swim the fly in short twitches, just like a real grasshopper trying to get back to shore. The strikes are aggressive and about as much fun as one can have while flyfishing. Other good terrestrial patterns include beetle and green inchworm imitations during the early fall. Tim Campbell and Scott Sewell are a pair of fun-loving fishing buddies. They spent a fun morning in the Middle River and hold up two whooper largemouth bass before slipping them back. Photo courtesy of Tim Campbell Largemouth bass are still holding to a summer pattern of behavior and in fact the extreme heat has them leaving the shallows earlier and staying in cool shade longer into the evening. As the amount of daylight begins to shorten, grass beds in tidal waters are diminishing in some areas. Targeting existing grass before dawn with topwater lures, tubes or small lipless crankbaits is a good tactic. The places where the largemouth are retreating to during the day are often under thick grass, sunken wood or similar structure. Dropping stick worms down through the thick overhead grass works well and grubs and soft plastic jigs, tubes or drop shot soft plastics can be worked around deeper structure. Crappie can be found near deep structure; bridge piers, marina docks or sunken brush piles are good places to look for them. Small jigs, jig minnow combinations or drifting minnows near these places can often provide good crappie fishing. Bluegills and similar sunfish can be found in a wide variety of ponds and reservoirs. Fishing with small lures, worms or crickets is a fun way to fish for them, especially for children. Using a lightweight fly rod with small rubber-legged poppers is another fun way to fish for them. Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays Photo by Bob Mott Surf fishing for kingfish is very good with the best catches occurring in the morning before the heat sets in. Bloodworms has been the best bait. Spot and croaker can also be part of the catch. Strip baits or finger mullet is a good choice to catch small bluefish and the occasional flounder. Small black drum can be caught on clams or sand fleas

6 At the Ocean City Inlet and Route 50 Bridge flounder are being caught on strip baits, minnows and small live mullet or fresh peanut menhaden. Sheepshead can be caught at the South Jetty on sand fleas. At night bluefish can be caught as they move in and out of the inlet by casting spoons and small diving plugs. In the back bay channels flounder fishing has been excellent. Clear warm water and accommodating flounder has for some of the best fishing of the season. Boat traffic is down so fishing in the channels is a little safer and a little more peaceful. Outside of the inlet there is some trolling action on the nearshore lumps inside of the 30 fathom line for a mix of Atlantic bonito, Spanish mackerel, bluefish and small dolphin. The wreck and reef sites have been producing excellent flounder fishing along with a mix of triggerfish and spadefish. The Poormans and Baltimore canyons have been the hot spot lately for white marlin with several boats reporting double digit releases. Blue marlin are also part of the mix along with dolphin and occasional Bluefin or bigeye tuna. Deep drop fishing for tilefish has also been very good. Virginia Beach Action TH Spangler Connie Barbour (Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle) September is typically the best month for Flounder. The bite inside the bay has been picking up. The bridge tunnel is the most popular area for bay flounder. The Cell is also a good spot. Ocean structure is still producing as well. A lot of sheepshead are being caught around bridge tunnel pilings. Lawson Freeman picked up a stray mahi at the third island last week. Cobia are being spotted just about everywhere. Sight casters are finding them cruising the surface, be sure and check out all the buoys. The cobia season closes September 30th. The commercial cobia fishery will also close in state waters the same day. Red drum are being caught throughout the lower bay. Locating a large school of drum is a memorable experience. Spanish mackerel fishing remains excellent. There s a nice class of fish available now, some topping four pounds! Spot fishing is good in the rivers. The Rappahannock River, the Potomac River, Colonial Beach and Buckroe Pier, all good By locations. There s been reports of puppy drum and trout inside Lynnhaven Inlet lately. Offshore, limits of mahi are being caught by the offshore charters. The red hot white marlin bite has been in the canyons to our north, but over the past few days the bite seems to be picking up closer to home. Look for it to really turn on any day. The blue marlin, and wahoo action will pick up as well. There are some big blues out there, the Virginia Beach Billfish Tourney produced a 683 and a 440 pounder

7 The Tilefish bite has been very productive and should stay that way for a while. From Virginia Beach Sport Fishing website Delaware Fishing Report Delaware Bay With the slot rockfish season in the rearview mirror, Upper Bay anglers are working on the white perch and catfish. These fish are available from the New Castle area all the way south to Port Mahon. Bloodworms or cut bunker remain the prime baits. Flounder have been caught at Miah Maull Shoal and the Crossover on squid and minnows. The Upper Bay reef sites also hold a few flatfish. Reef sites in the Lower Bay have seen good action from croaker, small trout, bluefish and spot. Bloodworms work for all of the above. The occasional flounder is also taken from the structure either by accident on bloodworms or on jigs decorated with Gulp!, squid or strips of fresh fish. The south end of the Outer Wall has seen small blues attacking just about anything that shines during outgoing water. Sand fleas have produced sheepshead to eight pounds on the Outer Wall and Ice Breakers. The Lewes and Rehoboth Canal, Broadkill and Mispillion rivers hold decent numbers of spot and croaker. The action can be fast once a school is located and bloodworms will catch both species. Broadkill Beach has seen a mixed bag of croaker, spot, small black drum and bluefish. Bloodworms or cut bunker will work here as well. The fishing pier at Cape Henlopen State Park is producing plenty of spot on bloodworms. Some anglers have been able to fill a cooler with tasty panfish. A few croaker and even fewer flounder have been caught from the pier. Inshore Ocean On Tuesday Larry Weldin, Mike Pizzolato and I fished the Del-Jersey-Land Reef. We tried for sea bass with squid strips, but found those fish had lockjaw. We did manage to catch four dolphin to Larry s gaffer on live minnows fished without weight. Other boats have caught more dolphin as close to shore as B Buoy. Sea bass and triggerfish have also been caught over inshore structure. Blues continue to take trolled spoons at Fenwick Shoal. A few Spanish mackerel occasionally find these same spoons. Triggerfish have been caught on small bits of clam from the wrecks on the shoal. Offshore Ocean The tilefish bite continues in the canyons with both blueline and goldens caught during the week. Marlin, both white and blue, are also available in the deep. Indian River Inlet The Inlet remains all but dead. The croaker have moved out to the red and green cans or back in the bays. A few flounder continue to be taken from the Back Bays, but most of them are shorts. Surf Fishing - 7 -

8 A mixed bag of spot, croaker, small black drum and blues were caught last weekend from the beach. This weekend looks like a washout, but once the wind and rain settle out the fishing should only get better. Freshwater Early or late trips to the ponds result in bass hitting surface lures. The tidal creeks and rivers hold bass in the upper reaches and white perch and catfish throughout. Defensive Boating I am sure you have heard about the head-on crash of two boats on the Colorado River over the holiday weekend. It amazes me that under clear conditions two captains or their crews failed to see the other boat approaching bow to bow. We may never know exactly how the accident occurred, but with serious injuries and loss of life, this case will be in the court system for many years. I think we can say the crew of both boats failed to keep a watch. This is so important not just in the Colorado case but in the boating we do every day on our local waters. When I am on the boat and someone else is driving I am on watch looking for boats or any danger the captain my miss. If I see a boat approaching from the stern quarter I will tell the captain right away so he can make any corrections necessary. I expect my crew to do the same when I am running the boat. I think it also safe to say there are many boat operators who have never heard of, let alone read the rules of the road. For this reason defensive boating is a must. Assume the other operator is going to do something irresponsibly, and be prepared to act in your own defense. A perfect example is a boat to your right and just ahead. I expect this operator to turn across my bow at any moment without ever looking to either side before making the turn. After all, he is operating convinced he is the only boat on the water. Two boats running towards the same inlet is another example. Certain individuals who are at the helm would consider this a race, as if getting there first has some advantage. I will pull back the throttle and let the other guy win. That is so much better than a tie. Please be a safe and defensive boater so you may live to boat another day. By Eric Burnley Sr.* taken from the Delaware DNR website - 8 -

9 DNR in the News Frederick County Easement Protects Water Quality September 5, 2018 Board of Public Works Approves Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program Acquisition The Board of Public Works today approved a Maryland Department of Natural Resources item that will grant more than $468,000 to acquire a 77-acre Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program easement in Frederick County. Program Open Space funds will be used to purchase a permanent conservation easement on property located north of Unionville. Through our partnership with Frederick County, we can preserve agriculture and farmland while benefiting the environment and water quality, Maryland Natural Resources Secretary Mark Belton said. This voluntary program is a win-win for our bay and our farmers, and is essential to protecting the state s 134 unique watersheds. Frederick County is considered a Target Level 1 county, where easement practices have the greatest impact on water quality. The easement on the Toll Road Farm Property will permanently protect water quality by requiring 1,250 linear feet of forested and vegetative stream buffers along tributaries to Clemson Branch. The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, a federal-state partnership, helps develop wildlife habitat, establish wetlands, plant streamside tree buffers, and preserve forests and natural areas by providing landowners with dependable and steady rental income. The completely voluntary program benefits the state s agriculture community and contributes to enhanced and improved water quality throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

10 Tips and Tricks Crystal Coast Fishing Discoveries Trophy fish and a wide range of game abound off this stretch of North Carolina coastline BY ALEX SUESCUN NOVEMBER 17, 2017 AS IT APPEARS IN SALTWATER SPORTSMAN MAGAZINE The sun had barely cleared the horizon when the line popped off the right-rigger clip. Young Jack Geer jumped in the fighting chair, and his dad handed him the rod just in time to see the sailfish take to the air. A second sail grabbed a bait and the boy s mom, Kristi, took this one, and we had ourselves a doubleheader. The crew aboard Reel Country out of Morehead City, had reason for celebration. Fast Action: Wahoo are a top Crystal Coast offshore quarry. Zach Stovall Effective Spread While North Carolina s Crystal Coast is renowned for the variety of species, it was October, and wahoo are the autumn offshore headliner. Capt. Mark Microwave Chambers instructed mate Dylan Rhudy to rig for the striped torpedoes. Sails Ahoy: Many sailfish patrol the area s blue water in summer and fall. Zach Stovall Like the day before, when Luke Snedaker and Zach Davenport helped us boat five up to 50 pounds, the hoos made more than a cameo. A rod off the starboard corner with a planer ahead of the bait, keeping it 20 feet below the surface was the first to connect. After some huffing, I brought a 30-pounder to gaff. Hits Parade Bryon Geer, the boys dad, added to the wahoo in the fish box, and I grabbed the rod when a 40-pounder skyrocketed with the bait in its jaws

11 Sails Ahoy: Many sailfish patrol the area s blue water in summer and fall. Zach Stovall As if three sailfish and four nice wahoo weren t enough, dolphin made the scene after lunch. Patches of sargassum appeared in our path, strewn along the edge of the continental shelf, some 42 miles off Cape Lookout. Hungry dolphin were on patrol, and several pounced on our spread, putting on a show before chilling in the fish box. Closer to Shore The next day we hopped aboard Fish Finder, Capt. Joe Shute s 23-foot Parker, for some nearshore fishing. Armed with fly rods and a box full of Clouser Minnows, we zeroed in on shrimp boats near Beaufort Inlet in hopes of finding the false albacore. We hit pay dirt. The aggressive fish stuck around the boat, which enabled us to amass 20 releases in about two hours. That s when Shute pointed to the 13-weight fly outfit racked under a gunwale, to set our sights on larger game. He meant the 6- to 8-foot spinner sharks finning across the wakes of the shrimp boats. Family Affair: Jack and Kristi Geer battle sailfish; family and crew offer support. Alex Suescun Apex Predators The game plan: run to a shrimper, cast across its wake, let the fly sink, and set the hook hard when a shark took it. I soon found myself in a tug of war with 120 pounds of ticked-off shark. A 20-minute give-and-take culminated with the release of the dogged spinner. Serious Game: Big and aggressive spinner sharks made for tough fly-fishing battles. Zach Stovall No time to waste, said our guide, who put in position for another shot. Dorsals zigzagged in front of the boat, and stayed on the spinner shark merry-go-round for another hour before going back to the albies. Inside Flush The next morning started with a quick look-see at The Hook, the local name for Cape Lookout, which shields Lookout Bight from winds coming from three quadrants. Albies churned the surface, launching attacks on baitfish before disappearing and turning up again some 50 yards away. Shute kept up with the fish until we d released a few and the tide was right for redfish and trout inside Beaufort Inlet

12 Starter Model: This 20-pounder kicked off a bite that yielded five hoos up to 50 pounds. Alex Suescun After cast-netting our supply of shrimp in Harlowe Creek, we anchored off a marshy shorelines lined with oyster beds and proceeded to catch black drum, black sea bass, and bluefish, as well as the intended targets, redfish and trout. The half-dozen plump trout we brought over the gunwales would make any angler s day. They averaged 2½ pounds, and Shute boated a kicker of 4 pounds. Game Fish Galore The dozen species we caught was but a sample of the array available. Blue marlin appear in the spring, wahoo peak in spring and fall, dolphin, sailfish and white marlin abound in the summer, blackfin and yellowfin tuna come to forage at different times of the year, and during winter, giant bluefins move into 40 feet of water off the beach. Bottomfishing for snapper and grouper is pretty good too. Cobia roam the Shackleford Banks and adjacent beaches in May. The kingfish bite is red-hot in the fall. Spanish mackerel and bluefish congregate at nearshore wrecks and hunt along the beaches during summer and early fall. Little tunny (aka false albacore) follow suit in spring and fall, while other popular inshore species like redfish and seatrout are available year-round in one spot or another. Nice Bonus: When the tide slowed down, the trout started chewing. Zach Stovall SWS Planner What: Wide array of offshore, nearshore and inshore species Where: Cape Lookout to Bogue Inlet, North Carolina

13 When: Year-round action with a number of seasonal species Who: Seaworthy boats with electronics are a must for runs offshore. Two Local Pros: Capt. Mark Chambers, Reel Country Sportfishing, ; Capt. Joe Shute, Fish Finder Charters, , captjoes.com Exploring the Crystal Coast The Crystal Coast hosts many fishing tourneys and seasonal festivals, and the beauty of the natural surroundings makes it a superb destination for outdoors lovers. For instance, while cruising along Shackleford Banks, we spotted wild horses known as Bankers, descendants of a herd dating back to the 1500s. There s no shortage of places to eat in the area, and accommodations range from historic bed-and-breakfast inns to hotels and beachfront rental homes and cottages. We stayed at Suncatcher in Pine Knoll Shores, one of several outstanding properties managed by Bluewater Vacation Rentals ( ). For more information or help with lodging, visit crystalcoastnc.org. Speedy Targets: Packs of little tunny, aka false albacore, raced each other to the fly. Zach Stovall 2018 Officers President: Jim Lorditch Phone: jlorditch23@gmail.com Senior Vice President: Rob Pellicot Phone: r.pellicot@yahoo.com Secretary: Cathy Gunder Phone: catgun@hotmail.com Treasurer: Chris Linetty Phone: retiever@myactv.net Bobby Hurt- Member At Large Phone: itbquik1@yahoo.com

14 Frederick Saltwater Anglers Calendar of Events ( JULY 11 - Member Meeting 18 - Board Meeting AUGUST 8 - Member Meeting 15 - Board Meeting SEPTEMBER 12 - Member Meeting 15 - Crab Feast and Picnic 19 - Board Meeting OCTOBER orth Carolina King Mackerel Tournament 17 -Member Meeting 24 - Board Meeting OVEMBER 14 - Member Meeting 21 - Board Meeting DECEMBER 12 - Frederick Meeting 19 - Frederick Board Meeting