Ocean City Maryland & Assateague Island - Delaware Beaches - Ocean n Bay Fishing Report
By Sue Foster, Oyster Bay Tackle Shop, Ocean City MD - Fenwick Island DE


Dec 14th, 2009

Fishing Report by Sue Foster

Water Temperature (WTMP): 51.8 °F

We had some reports of a few stripers in the surf early in the week, some
dogfish, and a couple blues. Not much to report from the surf later in the
week. Offshore was really good on stripers this past Saturday, but
apparently they didn't come close to the beach. Still a few stripers from
the Route 50 Bridge and for anglers fishing the inlet waters.

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We had a few fish reports from Assateague.

"Coop" posted on Stripers Online on 12/8: "Hit the beach today with pop....I
had 4 stripers between 33" and 41"...3 in the early am and another
later...mess of chompers. Managed a couple shorts as well...my pop got a few
chompers too...my fingers were numb...I hate the cold, but fishing was
excellent."

"FishOn" posted on 12/12: " Fished AI/MD Thur/Fri....all I can say is
brrrrrrrr. Seemed like more hunters than fishermen out when I was there.
Only caught a few spiny dogfish."

"jreed" posted: "went out this morning for a few hours. went to the point at
CHSP , blow out tide really shallow with alot of beach to drive on. it was
really cold with the wind in our face. no luck. decided to move to the
jetties at herring point, to get out of the wind. the entire jettie was
exsposed. finally caught 1 striper 26 in on a whole mullet rig."

Someone posted on Cafe Locale on the 9th: "..,Two guys south of me both
there all day; one had 34" striper and the other 28 and 36-inch stripers. I
didn't see anyone else on the beach so it's hard to say."


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) in
season...


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!



Paul Norris tried fishing on a windy Wednesday, but came up empty. "Well I
figured that wind and temperature in the 60's was better than wind and
temperatures in the 40's so I tried yesterday. No luck as that west wind was
very strong. I walked on at Savage Ditch because at low tide there was very
little beach and at high tide the waves were at the dune edge in a lot of
places. I also looked at 3r's at low tide and a lot of beach was gone there
also. That must have been a big blow on Tuesday nite."


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.


Some striper fishing is still happening on the Route 50 Bridge. Local, Tito
was in and said he knew of a couple keepers. 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.

Anglers fishing the Inlets in boats are still picking up some stripers. They
are working for them, but they are there. Offshore fishing for stripers.
Stay within the 3-mile limit! Boaters follow the birds diving up and down
the coast. They jig, troll, or cast. Bucktails, Mann's Stretch Lures,
Swimming Shad Lures, Diamond Jigs.... It all works!


Larry Jock of the Coastal
Fisherman reports: "SATURDAY, December 12, 2009: Fantastic striper
fishing today! Anglers were able to pick away at them close to the beach off
the Carousel Hotel (117th Street). Big schools were also found by anglers
trolling and jigging a little south of Isle of Wight Shoal. Find the
birds... find the fish.

Kevin Weber hooked a bunch of fish off 117th Street, keeping a 41-incher and
a 43-incher. Kevin said his Mojo rig set-up with a black rubber shad was the
hot ticket for him.

The "Get Sum" came back with 5 keepers, also caught in the 117th Street
area. Capt. Nick usually trolls Mojo rigs and Stretch's.

I caught myself a bunch of stripers yesterday while trolling Mojo's and
Stretch 30's. Joe Morris at Lewes Harbour Marina turned me on to a Stretch
30 Cabo Sunset lure. Joe said it was the hot Stretch lure in the Delaware
Bay this fall, and I gotta tell you, I burned them up yesterday on that lure
so I picked myself up a couple. Of the 19 stripers I hooked, 6 were on that
lure, plus another 2 fish shook loose, giving me 8 stripers on that one lure
alone. Sweet!

Looks like the big schools have bluefish have passed us by (Thank God!).
Some were caught on the inshore shoals yesterday, but nothing in the numbers
we have seen during the last 4 weeks.

Hopefully, the larger schools of stripers will move closer to shore and
start banging on the schools of bunker seen cruising off the beach. Right
now, it seems that the stripers farther offshore are munching on sand eels.

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