A successful sea bass trip out of OCMD

I went fishing Dec. 21 on the Angler out of Ocean City, Md., after having had several cancellations due to the weather. I was up at 3:30 a.m. and out the door at 3:50. A short stop at the Wawa for coffee, ice and Tastypies, and I was at the Talbot Street dock by 5 a.m.

The boat boards by the order of registration, and I was No. 14. That was great since I not only like to sit at one of the two tables, I sort of need to sit there to save my back. I put my two rods close to the side door that is very close to the table so I have a short walk between the two.

The captain ran for three hours before we put a line in the water. I figured we would be running farther out since the sea bass and flounder are moving east as the inshore water cools.

I called him a genius when my first four drops produced keeper sea bass. In fact, keepers were coming up from all over the boat. This is true drop-and-crank fishing!

Then my luck changed back to its normal self. Every drop was a short. I caught one seas bass that I swear was smaller than the hook! The only thing that made me feel a little better was the guys around me were doing the same. The captain moved several times and my luck didn’t change. In fact, I went for about an hour (it seemed like at least a week) without any action at all. I would drop down, feel these tiny little pecks, pull up my rig and find empty hooks.

Then to add insult to injury, my rig finally hooked a fish and then got hung up in the wreck. I tried to get it free without result, and then the mate tried and finally broke it off. I began to tie on one of my special rigs, but before I could get it out of my tackle bag, the mate had tied on one of his including the sinker. My rig had all sorts of fancy feathers, Mylar, leadheads and plastic dangles. His had two plain hooks. As soon as his rig hit the bottom, I was back into fish. Sometimes just plain hooks and salted clam work better than all the fancy doodads in the world. I still caught my share of shorts, just not everyone else’s. Before the end of day was announced, I did put three more keepers in my cooler.

The three-hour run back to the dock was kind of quiet. Most of the men on the boat were, to be kind, not exactly young. As soon as we were underway, most of us were asleep.

Another thing about older men. We just about wore the hinges off the door to the head.

I do want to thank the mates and all the kind folks around me who helped me get around on the deck. I have never been fleet of foot, but I have always been able to walk on deck in all but the worst weather. Last summer, I fell on the concrete floor in my garage and busted up both knees. Since then, I have trouble walking across my living room. The very kind men around me gave me a hand as I tried to navigate to the head and back and forth to my fishing station.

I have said it before – people who fish on head boats are special. Seldom do you meet a jerk. You could be fishing next to a nuclear scientist or a dumb old outdoors writer; the fish don’t care, and unless you ask the guy what he does, you will never know.

I am pretty sure that will wrap up my fishing for 2021, unless I get an invite between now and New Year’s Eve.

Fishing report

You just heard my report, but other boats have been fishing and doing quite well. In fact, on the Angler when I was onboard, a few big blues were caught along with some flounder to six pounds.

Most of the boats out of Indian River and Lewes have been fishing for tog. When they can reach ocean structure, boat limits are common. Delaware citations are also found in the ocean. Capt. Cary Evans on the Grizzly had five citations one day last week, plus a boat limit of tog.

The Surface Tension, also out of Lewes, had 35 sea bass, plus four big blues.

When the ocean is too rough, the Lewes boats can fish bay structure. They find some tog, but generally not as big or as many.

The Judy V out of Hook ‘em and Cook ‘em has been doing well with tog in the ocean.

Merry Christmas!