Fish Report 11/2/22
Opening a few days..
Reef Raffle Up & Running!
IF YOU BOOK, LEAVE YOUR BEST POSSIBLE CONTACT NUMBER & LISTEN TO YOUR MESSAGES!
Anna might be slammed when I hit send. If she cannot pick up, Leave her a message. She has a method to her madness.. Reservations at 443-235-5577 - She's a one person operation & has other jobs too. The line closes at 8pm and reopens at 8am. (If you want to get on Friday 10/21 e-mail me until 9:30 or so. There's about zero chance I'll sell out tomorrow!)
Weather Cancellations Happen - I Make Every Attempt To Let Clients Sleep In If The Weather's Not Going Our Way.
Fishing for Sea Bass Fri/Sat/Mon - Nov 4/5/7 - Trips are sold out at just 18 passengers - Friday 11/4 from 6:30am (really 6* - always try to depart half an hour early) to 4pm @ $175.00..
Saturday 11/5/22 from 6:30 am to 5:30pm @ $200.00..
Mon 11/7 Depart 6:30 to 4 at $175.00..
18 sells out. Bait, rigs, & Gulp provided as desired.
If fishing the stern area waterproof boots are advised in fall & winter.
*Be a half hour early! We always leave early
..except when someone shows up right on time.
Clients arriving late will see the west end of an east-bound boat. Seriously, with a limited number of reserved spots, I do not refund because you overslept or had a flat.. If you're reserved and the last person we're waiting on - you'll need to answer your phone. I will not make on time clients wait past scheduled departure because of a misfortune on your part.
Try to always leave a half hour early (and never an hour early!) I rarely get in on time either. If you have a worrier at home, please advise them I often come home late. It's what I do.
Trips Also Sometimes Announced on Facebook at Morning Star Fishing
https://www.facebook.com/ocfishing/
I post after action reports (or lack thereof) (and sometimes detailed thoughts on fisheries issues) for every trip on my personal FB page and Morning Star page..
Bait is provided on all trips. Gulp too.
No Galley. Bring Your Own Food & Beverage.
If You Won't Measure & Count Your Fish, The State Will Provide A Man With A Gun To Do It For You. We Measure & Count — ALWAYS — No Exceptions!
It's Simple To Prevent Motion Sickness, Difficult To Cure. Bonine seems best because it's non-drowsy. Truly cheap & effective insurance.
Honestly - If you get to go on the ocean once a month, once a year or even less; why risk chumming all day? Similarly, if you howl at the moon all night, chances are good you'll howl into a bucket all day.
Bring A Cooler With Ice For Your Fish – A 48 Quart Cooler Is Fine For A Few People. Do Not Bring A Very Large Cooler. We have a few loaners - you'll still need ice. Should you catch some monstrous fish, we'll be able to ice it.
No Galley! Bring Food & Beverages To Suit. A few beers in cans is fine for the ride home.
Wishbone doesn't replace backbone.. Have to keep a shoulder into reef building to make it happen.
Block Update! As of 11/02/22 we have 38,340 Reef Blocks & 545 Reef Pyramids (170lb ea or an equivalent) deployed at numerous ACE permitted ocean reef sites - there are also 786 pyramids deployed by MD CCA at Chesapeake Bay oyster sites working to restore blue ocean water… (and, boy are those pyramid numbers about to rise!)
Currently being targeted oceanside: at the Brand New Rambler Reef 240 Reef Blocks & 10 Pyramids - Tyler Long's Memorial Reef 508 (+17 Reef Pyramids) Virginia Lee Hawkins Memorial Reef 406 Reef Blocks (+71 Reef Pyramids) - Capt. Jack Kaeufer's/Lucas Alexander's Reefs 1,968 Blocks (+46 Reef Pyramids) - Doug Ake's Reef 4,174 blocks (+16 Reef Pyramids) - St. Ann's 2,847 (+14 Reef Pyramids) - Sue's Block Drop 1,642 (+24 Reef Pyramids) - TwoTanks Reef 1,303 (+ 15 Reef Pyramids) - Capt. Bob's Inshore Block Drop 912 - Benelli Reef 1,552 (+ 118 Pyramids) - Capt. Bob's Bass Grounds Reef 4,071 (+ 88 reef pyramids) - Wolf & Daughters Reef 734 - Dr. Berger's Reef 1,505 (+33 Reef Pyramids) - Great Eastern Block Drop 1,528 (+25 Reef Pyramids) - Two more brand New Drops Begun at Cristina's Blast 80 Reef Blocks & 2 Pyramids - Unnamed Site South Side GEBD 160 Reef Blocks & 2 Pyramids - Capt Greg Hall's Memorial Reef 222 Blocks & 2 Pyramids — And 325 Castle & Terracotta Tog Blocks & 10 Pyramids 81 feet Bass Grounds Unnamed ..
Opened the reef raffle a couple weeks This year we discovered nearshore reef constructions only seven years on the bottom that were already covered in sea whip (a soft coral.) Used to be fifteen to twenty years to even get going. As the spawning population of sea whip increases, so too their spawning success.
Efforts to build huge biofilter oyster reefs, while not OCRF constructions, are working fantastically too. More & more & more oysters are doing the heavy lift of removing estuarine nutrients and algae before they escape seaward.
I believe we truly can quickly turn a good portion of the Mid-Atlantic Ocean blue again.
Soon.
From massive estuarine oyster reef constructions and deployments of marine substrates where corals can flourish, we shall restore not only temperate reef species but pelagic species such as white marlin long pushed offshore..
This effort is far, far greater than simply improving bottom fishing and creating diving opportunities. Your sponsorship will help push it ahead.
One thing's for sure, we'd be further along if I were a better promoter for the Ocean City Reef Foundation. I didn't even remember to send an email to reef sponsors about the start of our 2022 Reef Raffle.
Ahhh well.. It's not too late. Last Sunday (10/30/22) was only our second weekly drawing. Grand prize drawings, of course, will be New Years Day as they always have been in the annual reef raffle.
Most readers know Maryland has no state marine reef program (and only dedicates one man for Chesapeake artificial reef work!) Reefs we build offshore are funded through private donations. Our raffle is vital to what we'll build in the coming winter.
Great Mercy!
We have much to give away! Sponsors who donate for raffle tickets early will be in more weekly drawings. All winning tix go right back in the fishbowl for all other drawings. Four of our five Grand Prizes will be drawn New Year's Day 2023 by my eight year old friend, Lilly.
As we have the last few years we'll also have weekly drawings of at least one prize every Sunday.
This Sunday (11/6/22) we have two rods. One, a Lamiglass spinner, is perfect for inshore mahi, the other one is great for light tackle marlin or even tile fishing.
Prize drawings will continue every Sunday through New Years Day when we'll draw (at least!) 4 grand prizes. Winning weekly tickets are not out of play, they go right back in the fish bowl for all future drawings..
For a very long time Benelli USA has donated a sporting shotgun for our annual raffle. This year's Grand Prize Benelli is an Ethos Sport in 12ga, a claybird busting machine if ever there was, (or $1500.00 if not a shooter)
Newly joining our reef building effort is Park Place Jewlers of Ocean City. The Ferrantes have donated a handsome men's watch and a diamond covered gold hook necklace we'll also give away during the grand prize drawing on New Year's Day.
Another awesome donation was made by Ben Wood. Generous in the extreme for our pre-covid dinners and now having outdone himself, this year he's given us a new Savage rifle in 30-06. We'll draw a raffle ticket for that the week before MD's deer season.
And, yet another grand prize, I've decided to add a full day charter aboard my boat good any time I'm in the water and fishing. A February Tog charter? Yup! An August inshore mahi charter? Yup! Gather strong volunteers and go build a reef we'll name as you see fit (with approval from Ms. Manners!) Yup - build a reef then do some fishing too. Winner may not charge guests though(..I'll hope that the winner devises a way to make it a great day for OCRF's reef building too.)
Lilly will draw grand prize tix New Years Day. First ticket drawn has first choice among grand prizes; second ticket/second choice… Like that. Right now we have four New Years Day prizes. There could be more.
I think it fair to say every single weekly prize will be worth a hundred fifty bucks - some an awful lot more. Grand prizes go to $3,000.00 ..
Pitching into weekly drawings: St. Croix Rods - AllTackle & Atlantic Tackle in West O -- Nick Denny's Photography - George Kalwa's Art - Crabs to Go - Optical Galleria/Hook Sunglasses - Lenny Rudow's Fish Talk - Scott Lenox's Fish in OC.. Acie Mankins - Sea Bass Bob - Gerry Meadows - Morning Star Partyboat & Morning Star Reef Raffle.
We can Add More Prizes!! Don't be bashful!
Particulars!
OCRF's 2022 Benelli/Park Place Jewlers Annual Reef Raffle. One ticket for $10 - six for $50 - fourteen for $100 - plus an additional ticket for every additional hundred.
A buyer of $200.00 worth, for instance, would be getting 15 tix per hundred; at $300 it would be 16 tix per one hundred so 48 tickets.. $500.00 would be 90 Tix!
Buy tickets online at ocreefs.org at the 'donation' tab. Courtney and I will fill the name and phone number in on all your tickets, then send a pic via email. If you don't have a pic within 48 hours? Email us!
Raceway Citgo by Crabs to Go has tix behind the counter (at last!)
Regular reef building sponsors will know the Ocean City Reef Foundation has no one on salary, no office rent - no one's having steak dinners on donors' dollars (though we will treat volunteers to a slice of Miones' pizza or Royal Farms chicken on occasion!)
In as much as absolutely possible, expenses are diminished so donations become reef.
Many of the reefs we're building will still be enjoyed by divers and fishers centuries from now. This year we've already deployed two big barges, a small tug, & thousands of reef blocks.
Coming up we have another small tug, a barge with some spare room bringing pipe bundles to deploy, and our first load of 260 pyramid units all in the immediate pipeline.
I also have in mind the most biologically productive reef I've yet imagined. Need to build a demo at the Bass Grounds 9 miles off Ocean City, MD to show its possibilities. Sponsors, their children, and many generations into the future to enjoy the fruits of this labor. This style reef would make an incredible biofilter in Chesapeake or Delaware Bay. Time has come. I'll even be sending a fundraising letter for that. Haven't used snail mail in forever (told you I was a terrible promoter!)
This year we discovered nearshore reef constructions only seven years on the bottom that were already covered in sea whip (a soft coral.) Used to be fifteen to twenty years to even get going. As the spawning population of sea whip increases, so too their spawning success.
Efforts to build huge biofilter oyster reefs, while not OCRF constructions, are working fantastically too. More & more & more oysters doing the heavy lift of removing estuarine nutrients and algae before they escape seaward.
I believe we truly can quickly turn a good portion of the Mid-Atlantic Ocean blue again.
Soon.
From massive estuarine oyster reef constructions and deployments of marine substrates where corals can flourish, we shall restore not only temperate reef species but pelagic species such as white marlin long pushed offshore..
This effort is far, far greater than simply improving bottom fishing and creating diving opportunities. Your sponsorship will help push it ahead.
Cheers
Monty