Fish Report 11/16/24
Opening Four Fluke/Sea Bass Trips..
Reef and Reef Raffle Goings On..
Have been seeing summer flounder/fluke every trip. George even had a limit! Am going to shift focus somewhat to work on em more. They're on the same reefs as sea bass anyway - anglers can choose to target one or the other, or both.. (but a man with two watches never knows the time!)
Opening Reservations for Sea Bass/Flounder Monday 11/18 through Wed 11/20 - Trips are all 7 to 3:30 (more likely 6:40 to 4:30!) Sell Out at 18 Anglers (That ain't happening either!) at $155.00..
Reserve by spot info below.
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 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 (unless after hours) her service handles reservations. I'll have no idea what spots have been sold. I do check email for questions; check FaceBook messenger too..
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 are 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.
Sea Bass Size limit 13 inches - 15 per person.
Summer Flounder/Fluke Regs are 4 at 17.5 inches.
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. Posts including OC Reef Foundation work will be included on that page as well.
Bait (currently squid/clam) and rigs are included/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 our best over the counter because it's (supposed to be!) non-drowsy. It's truly cheap & effective insurance. If it makes you a bit sleepy - but not chumming? That's a great trade!
"The Patch" of Scopolamine, however, is a prescription only that beats all comers.
If the ocean still wants to get the better of you? Zofran (anti nausea) can be a day saver if you have it left over from a prescription.
Honestly - If you get to go on the ocean once a month, once a year or even less; why risk chumming all day? And then there's the ebullience of youth! Of course you can party hard and go on a moderately rough ocean!
No you can't!
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.
Reef Blocks - As of 11/4/24 we have 42,684 Reef Blocks & 2,340 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 we have exceeded 5,500 pyramids made since my crew and I fashioned a prototype mold in late August 2019.
Currently being targeted oceanside: Ryan & Shari's Bay Breeze Reef 208 Pyramids - Uncle Murphy's Reef 284 Reef Blocks; Rambler Reef 448 Reef Blocks & 13 Pyramids - Pete Maugan's Memorial Reef 136 Blocks & 14 Pyramids - Calder's Reef Improvement 148 Blocks & 12 Reef Pyramids - Virginia Lee Hawkins Memorial Reef 550 Reef Blocks (+98 Reef Pyramids) - Capt. Jack Kaeufer's/Lucas Alexander's Reefs 2162 Blocks (+57 Reef Pyramids) - Doug Ake's Reef 4,194 blocks (+16 Reef Pyramids) - St. Ann's 3,035 (+14 Reef Pyramids) Unnamed Spot at Jackspot Reef 260 Blocks & 12 Pyramids (many w/bamboo added) - Sue's Block Drop 1,810 (+30 Reef Pyramids) - Kathy's Cable 276 blocks (11 pyramids) - Rudys/Big Dad's Barges 140 Reef Blocks (+9 Pyramids) - Benelli Reef 1,552 (+18 Pyramids) - Capt. Bob's Bass Grounds Reef 4,878 (+ 116 reef pyramids) - Al Berger's Reef 2,018 Reef Blocks (48 Reef Pyramids) - Great Eastern South Block Drop 260 Reef Blocks (+10 Pyramids) - Cristina's Blast 140 Reef Blocks & 2 Pyramids - Capt Greg Hall's Memorial Reef 362 Blocks (+2 Pyramids) - Kinsley's Reef 964 Pyramids - Bear Concrete Reef 512 Pyramids, 44 Blocks plus 16 pipes..
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Shirts & Sweats at OCReefs.org for donors..
Reef & Reef Raffle Report 11/16/24
See Reef Update Below (marked with ****) We've a lot of projects going!
Sunday, 11/17 Prizes Announced..
Drawing winners are shown on Facebook..
Greetings All,
Here are the Prizes for the third weekly drawing on Sunday, Nov 17th in the Park Place Jewlers/Benelli USA Fall Reef Raffle..
In first place we'll draw for a 7mm08 Bergara rifle in time for sighting in an optic for rifle season.
Second drawn will win a Tica Wreck Series rod donated by AllTackle; 3rd will be a $100 gift card to Sunset Provisions donated by Big Jon; and finally, a gift box of Bigeye Coffee that includes my favorite travel mug - the Reef Roast model! - donated by Bigeye Coffees..
Grand prizes already include a Benelli Montefeltro Silver automatic in 20ga donated (for the umpteenth time!) by Benelli USA; Park Place Jewelers donated a gorgeous diamond 'Wave' necklace for a grand prize, plus four $200.00 gift certificates & eight(!) bracelets as awesome weekly prizes. There's also a full day charter on my boat, the Morning Star good anytime of year save Saturdays. All those (and likely more) will be drawn New Year's Day. The Diawa Saltiga 15 reel is now a Grand Prize also! (A seriously sweet conventional reel..)
(Will gladly add to the Grand Prizes if you've got a great one to donate!)
For more weekly prizes Atlantic Tackle donated three nice reef-fishing rods, two Penn Battle III spinners & a Shimano tackle bag. From AllTackle there's a super sweet Diawa Saltiga 15 (hmmm perhaps a grand prize!) and two more awesome sticks. Big Jon donated three light sea bass/fluke sticks, two Pacificsun mini-level wind reels and $500(!) in gift certificates from local tackle shops for weekly prizes too - Wow!
Jerry donated a sweet custom spinning rod - he's good at building em! Pete's made a pair of custom gaffs (nice!) - Ed from Everstar has donated a high end Christmas yard ornament we'll raffle in early November.
Crabs To Go ponied up a Gift Certificate for a great crab feast - 1/2 bushel of crabs, 3 lbs lg steamed shrimp, 3 orders of hush puppies and a 30 pack of natural light!
Bigeye Coffee donated 4 gift baskets too..
Lots and lots of fantastic weekly prizes!!
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In OCRF news we're getting bids to transport a 55ft steel sailboat from Deale MD - we'll need volunteers to do cleanout and load with block!
The very good folks at York Building Products have donated a load of terracotta flue pipe (that marine growths absolutely luv!) and an insane amount of 12 x 16 inch block. (Thank You YBP!!)
Mechanic Mel is done with overhauling the first engine and started on the second for our (soon to be) self-propelled reef barge, an ex-Navy dive boat in Cambridge. This little craft will be perfect for taking out at least a truckload of reef pyramids or reef blocks per trip. We'll see it get very busy!
Professor Noah Bressman has donated two prints of his scientifically dissolved fish specimens - a flounder & a cutlassfish. They're pretty wild looking!
We currently have two tugs quite nearly ready for towing down the Bay and back up to one of our reef sites. Will likely need one more day of cleaning on the Salisbury tug.
Capt Stormy recently deployed 416 pyramids at Ryan & Shari's Bay Breeze Reef at the Bass Grounds. There are more fiberglass pyramid molds being made, hopefully to make pyramid units that will go out on our 50ft ex-Navy dive boat when its engines are done and the boat made ready.
Earlier this year we deployed our largest collection of precast concrete reef ever in late April - followed by a barge in early September.
We've made positive change on the ocean floor off the Maryland coast - now to make it incredibly better!
See raffle particulars below.
Cheers,
Monty
Reef Raffle Particulars!
OCRF's 2024 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. It keeps going up!
Weekly prizes will be drawn every Sunday starting Nov 3rd. Winners & the following week's prizes will be announced Sunday or Monday.
Grand Prizes will be drawn Jan 1, 2025 with Weekly Drawings every Sunday.
Grand Prizes are currently a Montefeltro auto in 20ga from Benelli USA and a diamond encrusted wave necklace from Park Place Jewelers..
Buy tickets online at ocreefs.org at the 'donation' tab. Marisa or 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 has tix behind the counter for cash donations..
Good Luck!
Monty
mhawkins@ocreefs.org
Capt. Monty Hawkins
mhawkins@morningstarfishing.com
mhawkins@oceeefs.org
