Fish Report 10/22/23
Opening sea bass trips into a true calm.
Reef Raffle & Reef Building in Recent Years..
Sea Bass fishing remains very good to excellent. We've had several more boat limits and one windy day that was still pretty good, especially for being stuck inshore.
Will our luck hold?
Derned if I know.
Going fishing.
Eighteen Anglers sells out sea bass trips - makes for lots of room.
Tuesday Oct 24 to Sat Oct 28 - 6:30 to 4 - $165 - Will depart up to half an hour early.. Burning fuel - long runs..
Anna is a one person operation. She might be slammed when I hit send. (or maybe not!) 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. She won't take reservations for trips that are not announced.
If you want a spot call the reservation line at 443-235-5577.. Emailing me is no good - any info I give could well be wrong time you receive it - service handles reservations. I do check email for questions; check FaceBook messenger too..
Be a half hour early! We always try to 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.
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.
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.
I've recently discovered ZOFRAN - prescription anti-nausea for chemo and surgery. Seems to work - has worked - for motion sickness. Serious day saver really. It's a prescription - though one Doc I trust thought it should be over the counter..
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 10/22/23 we have 40,584 Reef Blocks & 1,797 Reef Pyramids (170lb ea) deployed at numerous ACE permitted ocean reef sites - there are also 1,336 pyramids deployed by MD CCA at Chesapeake Bay oyster sites working to restore blue ocean water - Counting those awaiting deployment there have been over 4,500 pyramids made since my crew and I fashioned a prototype mold in late August 2019.
Currently being targeted oceanside: at our brand new Uncle Murphy's Reef 100 Reef Blocks; Rambler Reef 320 Reef Blocks & 11 Pyramids - Pete Maugan's Memorial Reef 92 Blocks & 6 Pyramids - Tyler Long's Memorial Reef 698 (+18 Reef Pyramids & a 115 ft barge!) Virginia Lee Hawkins Memorial Reef 526 Reef Blocks (+76 Reef Pyramids) - Capt. Jack Kaeufer's/Lucas Alexander's Reefs 2020 Blocks (+49 Reef Pyramids) - Doug Ake's Reef 4,194 blocks (+16 Reef Pyramids) - St. Ann's 2,969 (+14 Reef Pyramids) Lindsay's Mini Reef 140 Blocks - Sue's Block Drop 1,702 (+30 Reef Pyramids) - Farewell/Kathy's Cable 148 blocks(3 pyramids) - Rudys/Big Dad's Barges 140 Reef Blocks (+9 Pyramids) - Benelli Reef 1,552 (+118 Pyramids) - Capt. Bob's Bass Grounds Reef 4,324 (+ 90 reef pyramids) - Al Berger's Reef 1,786 (+36 Reef Pyramids) - Great Eastern South Block Drop 228 Reef Blocks (+ 8 Pyramids) - Cristina's Blast 120 Reef Blocks & 2 Pyramids - Capt Greg Hall's Memorial Reef 362 Blocks (+2 Pyramids) - Kinsley's Reef 756 Pyramids - Bear Concrete Reef 44 Blocks and 512 Pyramids plus 16 pipes - We've also an Unnamed site at the Bass Grounds in 80 feet with 345 Castle & Terracotta Tog Blocks, 10 Pyramids, & 16 pieces pipe.
Greetings All,
Looking at last year's reef work - and then a few years beyond that. Derned if it doesn't add up.
Now have a big tug in the immediate line up - will need volunteers to help with the dirty work. First need to clear volunteers with big bosses at the yard where it is stored - get permission to enter. There are military projects about that may be 'secret'. Yard isn't far from OC. Please sign up for emails at ocreefs.org and follow on FB too to follow on this one.
I keep promising a reef raffle. Let's start it! Have collected some great weekly prizes and awesome grand prizes. Checking account will be reduced in grand style when I write checks for recent reef building - especially Uncle Murphy's extra-extra long tow.. If you have faith and want in on early prizes, the Raffle button is up at ocreefs.org..
First drawing in one week on 10/29/2023 .. For what? Well, a spinning rod and reel combo from Capt Gus & an Ande spinner from Morning Star Reef Raffle to start.
Next week on Nov 5th we'll have a nice rod and a piece of nautically themed silver jewelry from Park Place Jewelers.
There are some great prizes coming and I haven't asked Atlantic Tackle or AllTackle yet!
Particulars!
OCRF's 2023 Park Place Jewlers/Benelli 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 & 1,000.00 would be 240 tickets.. Great Scott! There will be nice weekly prizes - Grand Prizes will be drawn Jan 1, 2024 with Weekly Drawings every Sunday. Grand Prizes are currently a Sweet 28 Ga. Benelli Semi-Auto from Benelli USA and a diamond encrusted gold fishhook necklace from Park Place Jewelers..
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? (First Check Your Spam Box!!) ..then Email us!
Raceway Citgo by Crabs to Go does Not have tix behind the counter yet! (Soon!)
We'll put your money to work improving the marine ecosystem off Maryland's coast ASAP. We've been building reef - Promise! I'd say the last few years have been among the most active since the foundation was formed in 1997. Indeed, as recently as Oct 19, in dark of night, Capt. Stormy aboard the Tiki XIV finished deploying 292 more reef pyramids at Bear Concrete Reef at the Bass Grounds for a total of 512. Then, on October 5th, 2023 we sank TWO vessels at the Bass Grounds. One was Uncle Murphy's Reef, a 75 ft ex Army landing craft from Aberdeen Proving Grounds (TY Marci!) - the other a 47' tug donated by Murtech Marine in Salisbury which became "Steve's Way" reef. The reef was funded by friends and family of Carl T Osterlof & Steve Braun. The Motsko Family Reef is yet another summer construction. She's a steel trawler sunk on Aug 29, 2023 at the Bass Ground very near, almost touching, the Reynolds Florance Memorial Reef, which was an 85 foot tug we sank in May of 2021. We have more slated in coming months - especially a large tug. Please follow along on Facebook - No FB registration is needed for our page.
Lots of recent history.. On Wednesday June 7th we deployed the "Freedom" an ex-commercial lobster boat. Then, Feb 2nd, 2023, the Tiki XIV (Capt. Stormy's "Tiki Fourteen") carried a small load of pipe to an unnamed reef at the Bass Grounds. Some were even cabled together into 3-pipe units. On Jan 5th, 2023, the last of 4 boat loads (756 pyramids total) were deployed by the Tiki XIV at Kinsley's Restoration Reef at the Bass Grounds. Comprising several acres, Kinsley's Reef has far and away the most pyramids in any one area and shall be productive in the coming summer. On August 24th we sank a 50 foot tug at the Bass Grounds. On May 30th we deployed Tyler Long's Memorial Reef, a 110 foot ex-Navy barge, also at the Bass Grounds. On January 14th, 2022, we deployed Big Dad's Reef (a 120 foot barge donated by Vane Bros) at Jackspot Reef. In 2021/20 OCRF also sank Crocker's Reef, a 200 ft barge donated by McLean Marine Construction loaded with 220 tons of precast cement at the Bass Grounds (our largest single deployment ever) - the PJ Aldridge Reef; Nanna & Barry Daub's Reef at Russell's Reef—both 50ft sailboats; the Reynolds Florance Memorial Reef (a massive 85 foot tug) in deep water at the Bass Grounds; and the DP Bishop Barge Reef in shallow water at the Bass Grounds.
That's in just a few years..
When I was 19 years old I was told the Bass Grounds had once offered the best sea bass fishing on the coast. An uncontrolled twenty year long burst in surf clamming with hydraulic dredges leveled those 4.5sq miles of patch reef.
We're putting it back.
Whether you look for precast concrete scrap, or steel barges/boats/tugs near their last voyage - find a concrete company willing to fill pyramids with waste jobsite excess concrete (had a contact who was hot on it and can't find him! There's at least one - perhaps many!) ..if you're helping with donations of any sort - we're making MD's nearshore marine habitat a better place to fish & dive; better in every way for fisheries and coral production. In fact, the best results of our efforts lie far in the future..
I'd still like to build the dream reef - Pipe Units overlain with block or large cobble will turn a barren piece of bottom into a fish and coral factory.
Help us get after it!
Cheers,
Monty
