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Ocean City Surf Fishing
Ocean City offers 8 miles of fishing from the sand. During the summer anglers can surf fish from until 10:00 am and after 5:30 pm. Off-season anglers are allowed to surf fish all day. If you are usually someone who fishes from thejetty, offshore, inshore or Assateague Island, it is time to try the Ocean City Surf. Surf fishing gear should include pliers to remove hooks, bait board, a sharp knife, a pail, sand spike and a towel. Of course you will need your fishing rod (preferably medium with 15-20 lb. line for kingfish, flounder, croaker and/or spot that you find inside of the breakers and a heaver rod with 20-30 lb. line for striped bass, bluefish or small sharks. Your tackle box should contain extra hooks (circle hooks  will most likely prevent the fish from being gut hooked and encourage easy release) extra line, pyramid-type sinkers that will hold bottom,
leaders
and "fish finder" rigs, and last-but by no means least---your bait. Make sure you have sunglasses, hat, appropriate clothing, sunscreen and a comfortable lightweight chair is always a plus. If you are planing to fish at night, don't forget your flashlight. Some real pros tape light-sticks on the end of their rod for night fishing. You can pick them up at most Dollar Stores or tackle shops. You will have to use good ole Eastern Shore Ingenuity to concoct a way to tote everything if you are parking any distance from the shore. Choosing the best time to surf fish is debatable, most anglers agree that fishing is best just before dawn and dusk, as well as during the night, but regardless - all ingredients have to be in the bowl for the recipe to be successful so don't forget to check the wind and tides. Lets talk bait... You may choose to dig sand crabs, or cut small fish on your bait board. Clams and squid work, but careful ...not much stinks more than a squid that has been festering since dawn! Your local tackle shop will offer suggestions according to your need. Bloodworms, clams, soft/peeler crabs and/or scraps from the local dock will suffice if you know what you are scrounging around for in the discard tubs. The tackle shops will usually offer friendly information on what's happening and what's not and where to look for the best opportunity to bring home the "big" fish. When fishing for red drum or shark you will want to try, clam chunks, peeler crab, mole crabs, fresh-cut mullet or bunker. When fishing for stripers fresh bunker, live eels, finger mullet, clams and/or peeler crabs are baits of choice. Weakfish (sea trout), spot and croaker like squid, sand fleas, cut peeler crabs, bunker, mullet and bloodworms. Flounder prefer squid strips, sand fleas, or live minnows while kingfish choose squid or bloodworms. Try digging for sand fleas when the waves roll out to sea. You will see the little sand ripples as the water resides and if you are fortunate enough to have a sand flea scoop you can easily fill it up. Keep them cool and dry and you will have enough bait for several days. Kids love digging for sand fleas.
Reading the Beach
When Surf Fishing finding just the right spot is the key to catching the big one or going home with an empty cooler. Without understanding what you are looking for the surf will all look the same. What you really need to understand is that you need to know where the fish reside. For example, the area between the surf and a sandbar is called a trough and fish swim up and down looking for small fish, sand-worms and crabs.. It is easier to locate this trough at low tide when the sandbar is more visible. Especially after a storm or high winds waves will break on the sandbar helping you to identify it. It is important to realize the larger fish like drum will prefer the wider deeper troughs with shallow water at either end, while you can find flounder, speckled trout and sea mullet in the more narrow troughs. Fish need an escape from the trough and it can be recognized by watching the waves pass over the bar. It you see the wave cross the bar without breaking you will realize the water is escaping through a break in the bar. As the water rushes through the break there will be fast moving water shoving smaller fish to waiting predator fish. Low Tide will also reveal tidal pools where the water will roll in a uniform swell. These tidal pools are close to the beach and time to cast for the fish such as Whiting as this is where they feed on bait fish. You might try using sand fleas or fresh peeled dead shrimp on a 2/0 hook with a pyramid sinker to catch whiting as they have small mouths. Whiting will take your bait if they are there and if after 30 minutes and nothing bites it is time to move to a better spot..
Look for a location on the beach that is not exactly the same in formation, such as points, and know that fish are often curious regarding anything unusual. Noting the texture of the beach sand can also be of real value. The tightly packed fine sand will clue you in to the fact that the beach has a gradual slope when coarse darker sand or small gravel will notify you of a steep sloping beach. Beach surfaces change constantly due to winds, currents and waves so what is the perfect spot one time may not be satisfying the next. When piers, bridges, inlets or jetties are stable the beaches around them change often and can be the perfect place to attract larger fish when the small fish are swept out on a residing tide. |
Catch and Release
Fishermen have a responsibility to return any fish that he does not intend to eat unharmed into the water. Before you leave home, study the rules regarding the seasons, creel limits and size limits. Keep a measuring device handy. One with size information clearly marked will aid you in deciding which fish you can show off with pride and which fish needs to return for further growth.
Understanding that fish need to be released before the point-of-no-return is important. A fish that has been fighting for a long period of time needs a lot of oxygen to balance the ph of their blood and to be released into cool salty water will provide them the best chance of recovery. Gentle remove the hook as fast as possible. If the proper tools are not available for a gut hooked fish the angler is advised to cut the line and quickly return the fish to the water.
Using circle hooks
will prevent gut hooking since they almost always hook the fish in the corner of the mouth.
There are many hook removing tools on the market from which to choose .
Use pliers or a J- style de-hooker
. Squashing the barb of the fishhook will make the process much easier, especially for fish with tough mouth tissue like sharks and use a Deep Throat type de-hooker on a long pole. Hemostats can be used to remove hooks, especially flies, from freshwater fish like trout. Keep you tools handy and make sure you know how to use them no what what kind you choose. This will cause the least stress, not only to the fish, but to you as you attempt to free the catch.
It is necessary to avoid scuffing off the slime (protective layer on the skin of the fish) to prevent bacteria and fungi from attacking the fish. You can accomplish this by using wet rubber gloves, wet hands or a wet towel. Covering the fish's eyes with a wet towel can help keep him calm and prevent a lot of thrashing that may injure the fish or yourself by the sharp spines of the fish. Bacteria can cause nasty wounds that may prove difficult to heal and let's not forget to mention the pain involved.
Large fish should not be hung vertically since internal damage can occur to the fish. Don't grip the fish by the mouth as it can cause damage to the jaw muscles and joints of any fish. Never hold fish up by putting your hand in the gills if they are going to be released. Remember fish live in a weightless environment and the strain of being held out of water without proper support while a photographer takes a beautiful picture can prove disastrous to the fish you intend to release. Be quick with the camera and when returning the exhausted fish, hold it by the tail and move it back and forth to help the water move through the gills.
Understanding that fish need to be released before the point-of-no-return is important. A fish that has been fighting for a long period of time needs a lot of oxygen to balance the ph of their blood and to be released into cool salty water will provide them the best chance of recovery. Gentle remove the hook as fast as possible. If the proper tools are not available for a gut hooked fish the angler is advised to cut the line and quickly return the fish to the water.
Using circle hooks
will prevent gut hooking since they almost always hook the fish in the corner of the mouth.
There are many hook removing tools on the market from which to choose . Use pliers or a J- style de-hooker
. Squashing the barb of the fishhook will make the process much easier, especially for fish with tough mouth tissue like sharks and use a Deep Throat type de-hooker on a long pole. Hemostats can be used to remove hooks, especially flies, from freshwater fish like trout. Keep you tools handy and make sure you know how to use them no what what kind you choose. This will cause the least stress, not only to the fish, but to you as you attempt to free the catch. It is necessary to avoid scuffing off the slime (protective layer on the skin of the fish) to prevent bacteria and fungi from attacking the fish. You can accomplish this by using wet rubber gloves, wet hands or a wet towel. Covering the fish's eyes with a wet towel can help keep him calm and prevent a lot of thrashing that may injure the fish or yourself by the sharp spines of the fish. Bacteria can cause nasty wounds that may prove difficult to heal and let's not forget to mention the pain involved.
Large fish should not be hung vertically since internal damage can occur to the fish. Don't grip the fish by the mouth as it can cause damage to the jaw muscles and joints of any fish. Never hold fish up by putting your hand in the gills if they are going to be released. Remember fish live in a weightless environment and the strain of being held out of water without proper support while a photographer takes a beautiful picture can prove disastrous to the fish you intend to release. Be quick with the camera and when returning the exhausted fish, hold it by the tail and move it back and forth to help the water move through the gills.
The most common accident during fishing season involves hook!
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The most important tool any angler should always have with him/her for removing a hook is a sharp pair of wire cutting pliers.
Here are a few methods for removing hooks.
When a hook's point and barb are protruding out the skin, it's easier to cut off the barb and back the hook out of the wound. This is when those sharp wire cutters come in handy.
The snatch method of hook removal is simple and effective, and it's the best method to remove a hook that's deeply imbedded in the skin and when the barb is buried.
This method is quick, simple and relatively painless, as long as you get it on the first try. The secret to a first time success is yanking the loop of line, which is wrapped around the embedded hook, rather hard so the hook comes out on the first try. The reason you should get it out on the first try is obvious, the patient might not stick around for a second try.
To perform the snatch method when the barb is imbedded, all that's needed is a short length of fishing line, at least 10 pound test, approximately 2 feet long.
Remove hook from lure.
Double the fishing line and loop it around the hook, as close to the skin's surface as possible.
Hold onto both ends of the doubled line, wrapping them around your hand for a firm grip and holding the line parallel to the skin's surface in line with the hook.
With your other hand, press the eye of the hook down onto the surface of the skin and back toward the hook's bend, as if trying to back the hook out of the wound
While pressing on the hook eye, yank the line sharply, parallel to the skin and in line with the hook, to snap the hook back out of the wound.
Apply antibiotic ointment, bandage wound and check to make sure tetanus shots are current.
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Make sure you check with the MD Department of Natural Resources for up to date regulations.
