Oyster bay tackle
11615 Coastal Highway
Ocean City, Md
410-391-0222
http://www.oysterbaytackle.com/
Nov 23rd, 2009

Fishing Report by Sue Foster

Water Temperature (WTMP): 57.2 °F

Fill your tackle box!
Shop Online

2009 White
Marlin T's! Short Sleeve, Long Sleeve. Still have a few Shark and
Tuna Tournie T's left on sale! ... and plenty Calcutta Shirts and CrewNeck
Sweats, Oyster Bay Shirts & Oyster Bay Tackle Hoodies.... Call 410-524-3433
if you want to order a shirt over the phone.

Oyster Bay Tackle has
launched a brand new web site! We will be adding and improving on the site
in the weeks ahead. Any questions or suggestions e-mail Sue Foster.

A "little" let up in the wind finally gave us some surf fishing this
weekend. Stripers were biting inshore and offshore. There were still tautog
biting, but mostly on the changes of tide. Offshore, tautog were caught up
to 16 1/2 pounds!! There were big bluefish and stripers just offshore as
well.

It took several days for the surf to calm down (somewhat) and the Assateague
beaches to be open to 4-wheel drive areas.

"Axon" posted on Stripers Online on the 19th: "Yesterday was the last day
of a 3 day trip to OC/AI.....yesterday we got what we were looking for. The
wind and current were pretty tough to fish, we were able to get 8oz to hold
until the drifting grass built up on the line. Right on slack tide my last
rod in the row slammed down on the beach and as I ran to it it was getting
drug into the surf, caught it as half my pole was in the water. On the other
end of my line was a 35 incher that weighed 15.2 lbs."
totals:
13 Spotted hake
1 Tog (OC bay area)
1 Striper ( her belly was totally empty except for a very small minnow sized
fish)



Habor Tackle (410) 213-9365) reports the keeper stripers caught in their
Striper Tourney on Assateague this weekend:
28 inch Scott Cooper
29 1/2 inch Dave Kasey
36 inch Scott Cooper
30 inch Jesse Gist
36 3/4 inch Dan Davis
45 1/2 inch Randy Sisco
39 1/2 inch Mark Nicol
30 1/2 inch Steve Coleman
37 1/4 inch Mark Nicol
45 3/4 inch Dan Davis
34 1/2 inch Dan Davis
35 1/2 inch Scott Cooper
43 1/4 inch Steve Coleman
35 3/4 inch Scott Cooper"

2009 4th Annual Striper Tournament Results:

Largest Striper - 45 3/4 inches - Dan Davis
2nd Largest - 45 1/2 inches - Randy Sisco
Most Stripers - 4 fish - Scott Cooper


Want to surf fish Assateague with a guide? Or simply go down to the island
for a BBQ on the sand?
Delmarva Beach Adventures will take you to Assateague Island to surf
fish or just relax. 443-944-3468.

Need a class on surf fishing? Old Inlet has group lessons. (302-227-7974)


Many anglers ask about reading the beach when surf fishing. "Poppy" a very
good angler has posted another very good description with pictures on
Stripers Online. Check it out:
Reading the Beach He draws it out completely! If you're not catching
fish in the surf, you need to study this!

The beaches still weren't open to 4-wheel drive traffic in DE this weekend,
but anglers walked to the beaches from the "walk-on" areas and caught some
fish. Anglers in Ocean City walked out to the beaches with no problem from
most locations. (A few streets in the upper areas of Ocean City were still
pretty steep!)

We at Oyster Bay and Fenwick Tackle heard of some surf action this weekend.
On Friday we had an angler report to Fenwick Tackle that he caught a 14
pound bluefish from the surf on Fenwick Island. Another man reported to me
at Oyster Bay Tackle that he caught and released a 22-inch striper on a
finger mullet rig and a finger mullet from the Ocean City surf. Another
angler (Gary and his dog Moose) reported catching and releasing several
stripers from the beaches in Delaware on Friday.

Some anglers came down and got skunked. A few caught some dog sharks and I
also heard some "red hake" after dark. These are small brownish fish some
people call ling cod. Not very pretty, but very good to eat.... Wonder what
one looks like? Red
Hake

We also heard of some flounder releases and a red drum on Assateague.

Blues in Del Surf!

"Gearjammer" posted on Stripers Online on the 19th: "Yesterday reports were
the beaches were closed. So, I decided to take a chance and go fishing today
at one of the DSSP's that are located north of the IRI. Beaches were still
closed to OSV's but you could walk on.

Glad I went, Blues started to hit around noon and continued till 4:00 p.m.
Bait of the day was mullet &/or bunkers. Needed 6oz to hold bottom. Result
were 6 caught, released 5 (sorry one committed suicide and decided to jump
into my smoker) lost 3 more in the wash. These choppers were all over 10lbs
+. plue one weighed out an even 13 lbs."

Waltsailor posted on Cafe Locale on Sunday:
"Fished 3 R's this afternoon. (4-wheel drive area was open) Caught 2 keeper
flounders and some other short flounder. Saw at least 1 other keeper, a
large bluefish, and a short striper caught. Some beach has been lost but
there is still plenty to drive on. Conquest Beach and the access at Savage's
Ditch were still closed."

An angler online Cafe Locale added: "As of Friday morning, all of CHSP is
open except for the Navy crossing, predictions are for these drive on
beaches to remain open."

Libby Kelly of Oyster Bay Tackle reports on Sunday:

"Customer Reports: Saturday Rich from Harrisburg, PA had a great day of
fishing on the beach in Ocean City. Rich caught several Stripers ranging
from 22 inches up to his keeper 30 inches on chunks of Bunker and a he used
the Head and caught the 30 inch Striper. Rich also caught a 14 inch
Flounder on the chunks of Bunker as well.

Mr Kenny Fulmer a Oysterbay Local came in to report that he caught a nice
Big Bluefish on Thursday and on Saturday he released 2 nice 26 inch Stripers
all caught on Finger Mullet. Thanks Mr Ken for the fishing report.

Taug seem to be biting on the outgoing tide, Jessie has been fishing from
the Bulkhead during the early incoming with slim results and a lot of small
Taug stealing the bait."



Bluefish bite on finger mullet and mullet
rigs or simply chunks of finger mullet or box squid on surf rigs.
Stripers bite chunks of mullet or bunker. Sharks take any kind of cut bait
or squid. Lures also work.

Oceanic Pier (410-289-2602) reported some keeper tautog on Sunday. They also
had some "short" stripers over the weekend. They will be open Friday-Sun
Thanksgiving Weekend.

Bobby Gower on the party boat " Bay
Bee did some striper fishing this weekend. He had one keeper on Saturday
and some really good hits. On Sunday when I called him mid-day, he had one
throw back and one keeper so far. They will be fishing Thanksgiving Weekend
with live eels and live spot for stripers.

(The Bay Bee runs out of O.C. Fishing Center. Call 410-213-1121 for
reservations.

Striper fishing was happening on the Route 50 Bridge. Some are biting during
the day but more are biting after dark. One customer came in to say he saw
some "regulars" doing pretty good with some keepers this week. Anglers have
been working Gotcha
Plugs, Swimming Shad lures, and lead heads with soft bodies attached.
Five and Six Inch bodies seem to be the ticket. Anglers are also using live
eels and live spot.

Stripers are biting just offshore within the 3-Mile Legal Zone. Christy
Berry sent me a picture of a 40 inch and 27 pound striper caught trolling at
Little Gull Shoal, within the 3 mile limit of Ocean City, MD with her
husband, John. Her picture is in our Photo Gallery Under Inshore
Pictures.

Anglers have been catching stripers offshore Ocean City and Bethany as well.
Last Monday after my report was already in, Bob Harden from Fenwick Tackle
reported anglers catching stripers on Spro Bucktails just offshore of
Bethany.

Buddy Seigel of Ocean City fished the MSSA striper tournament last Monday
and Tuesday and reports that several stripers were caught on eels and live
spot, and also for anglers jigging just offshore of the Pyrimid in Ocean
City. Their full report and pictures are on the
MSSA website.

Tautog! The tautog bite is still good at times, and quiet at other times. I
caught a nice one last Monday afternoon from the Inlet, but couldn't buy a
tautog on Wednesday. On Tuesday afternoon the tautog bite was "hot" at the
very end of the day at the end of the outgoing tide. Tautog bite from the
Route 50 Bridge, the bulkhead along 2nd thru 4th Street, the end of the
Oceanic Pier, and the Ocean City, MD Jetty and the Indian River Inlet, DE
Jetty. Tautog bite on green crabs or sand fleas.

Nick of the Get Sum has been
fishing for stripers and tautog. He has had some very good trips.

Larry Jock of the Coastal
Fisherman tells us about the action on stripers "Saturday, November
19, 2009: Very slow day, both in the bay and the ocean. The "Playmate" was
high hook, coming back with 8 stripers caught right on the 3-mile line, 2
miles north of the Maryland/Delaware line. Capt. Willie was trolling 16
lines on planer boards and all the fish hit on trolled umbrella rigs. Max
Thumma caught himself a 32-incher in the bay behind Assateague Island. The
AKE Marine Primetime Rockfish Tournament was held Saturday. The winners
were:

1st place - Dale Miller - 24.9 lb. striper (caught near Snug Harbor)
2nd place - Bob Carson - 16.9 lb. striper (caught off 115th St)
3rd place - John Lentz - 16.6 lb. striper (caught off 115th St)

On Thursday, November 18, 2009: Striper action is really picking up,
although you really need to put your time in to hit your limit. The "Get
Sum" had a good day, returning with 3 keeper stripers and some tog. All were
caught in the Inlet... stripers on spot... tog on green crabs. Largest
striper measured 37 inches. "Skip's Guide Service" ended their day with 4
stripers in the box... all caught on live spot around the South Jetty. There
were also some small stripers caught in the bay behind Assateague, down by
Snug Harbor.


Wednesday, November 17, 2009: Windy day... water in the bay is dirty. Some
stripers being caught by anglers bluefishing on Fenwick and Isle of Wight
Shoals. Schools have also been seen a little southeast of Great Gull.
Also heard of some nice stripers being caught near the airport. Danny Cox
landed a 41-inch striper on an eel around the Rt. 50 Bridge. He also caught
a 31-incher near the Assateague Bridge."