11.25.07 Sea Bass, Bluefins & Spiney Dogs

[Skylar]

Fish Report 11/25/07
Sea Bass, Bluefins & Spiny Dogs
2 Tog Trips ~ 4 Cbass Trips ~ Bottom Paint

Hi All,
If the water temps fell for the next month like they have the last few weeks we'd soon be icebound north of Cape Hatteras.
Tuesday we had the first few spiny dog sharks come over the rail. Wednesday.. Dogged up! They pushed us off a couple spots. Came out of it alright with the sea bass, but in the space of 2 days we went from being occasionally terrorized by bluefish to sporadically overrun with spiny dogs. There's still a few blues around -an occasional flurry- just not like it was.
Cbassing's not bad. Mostly. Had a day last week where a guy had 5 fish in his box. Fellow and his grandson, standing immediately adjacent, had 30 some. Wasn't his first time out either. Not by a long shot. Bad luck...
Lost a couple days to weather. Back out Saturday~ the long trip OK for some, excellent for others. Tuna everywhere it seemed, miles of 'em, but not that would bite! Along with the sea bass, blues and a single tog, we had about a dozen flounder. Don't recall seeing that before. Scrubbing down that evening the boys were making ice with the washdown hose ~ coming winter, yet still some flounder.
Tuna. I see them every year in the late fall, early winter. Haven't figured out how to catch 'em. Tried like heck to do just that Sunday. Tuna rolling right next to the boat. Dern near could have free gaffed 'em. Chunks thrown right in the middle of 'em. Fish Bonz, charter boat down the dock a bit, did catch a couple.
Blame things...

Fortunately, the sea bass were very cooperative.
As was the weather. Near perfect a November day as could be had. Calm as I've ever seen.

Just added next weekend to the reservation book. Didn't know how the bass were going to hold up ~ should be just fine. December 1, 2, & 3 ~ Sea Bass ~ Nov 30th too.
Sea bass are open in December. Tautog, in Maryland, are not. Thought we'd try and sneak a day or two in before they close. Water temp's good. November 28th and 29th ~ Tog trips. Not blues, not sea bass and I sure hope no horndogs! Just tog. Sell out at 15 people. Green crabs provided.
Then 4 more days of cbass and whatever else wants to bite.

Couple of the guys at Tow Boat US, Ocean City, took advantage of that calm we had Sunday. Took a barge load of concrete out to Russell's Reef. That project's coming along ~ building near the top of the shoal. The barge had about 10 tons of concrete and a very unique reef unit, the gun reef. That was the one made by Mumford's Sheet Metal from weapons that had been confiscated by the Millsboro Police Department. First rendered unusable, then welded into an mini 'oil rig' tower. Good stuff. Millsboro's a small town in southern Delaware. Wonder what a D.C. or Baltimore P.D. gun tower would look like.
The "guns to fish" program? I bet oysters would take right to 'em! Politicians too...
10 - 15 tons of concrete on our little barge per trip. Each trip adds to the reef footprint off the coast. Permanently. I've seen it grow ~ seen it work. Fishery management isn't going anywhere without fish habitat. Here's a way to make it happen.
The MARI program is putting down 1000 plus tons per trip in the Chesapeake. I doubt many realize what they're getting.
I know what we're getting with the upcoming NYCTA subway cars project ~ a lot of footprint for the money. Excellent value with long term positive effects on regional fisheries. Some of those units starting to get names ~ sponsor a railcar for Christmas!

Couple trips left in the year. Try and get the heavy, unavoidable maintenance done before tog reopen on Jan 1st.
See how it plays.
Regards,
Monty

Capt. Monty Hawkins
mhawkins@siteone.net
Party Boat "Morning Star"
Reservations 410 520 2076
www.morningstarfishing.com