Fish Report 9/8/24
More Mahi Fishing
Tales of a local barge..
I'm going to continue to run mahi (or sea bass in a jam!) trips with a light rail so everyone can fish going away from the boat. These are mahi trips. Should mahi flee offshore, however--and this for the last time so late in their season--sea bass become the backup. If you only want sea bass? Wait. Won't be much longer. If you only want mahi? Pray!
Opening through September 16th for mahi (with sea bass as a back-up!) Fare is $225 and sells out at 12. (and maybe one more but I'd never advertise THAT number..)
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 - 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.
Mahi are limited to 10 per-person and have no size limit save what your conscience allows.
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 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 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.
Block Update - As of 9/8/24 we have 42,176 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 5,000 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 424 Reef Blocks & 13 Pyramids - Pete Maugan's Memorial Reef 116 Blocks & 14 Pyramids - Calder's Reef Improvement 100 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 176 Blocks & 12 Pyramids (many w/bamboo added) - Sue's Block Drop 1,762 (+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 4,670 (+ 116 reef pyramids) - Al Berger's Reef 1,946 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..
Now available as 'name a (small) reef' are 'Tog Cabins' made of parking lot car stops & 'Coral Castles' made of concrete pipe.
See ocreefs.org's 'donate' page for this opportunity.
Greetings All,
Lost quite nearly a whole week to a dry northeast wind that was just strong enough to hold us in port. Fortunately, it did not drive water temperatures down. They held stable throughout the period. When we were able to get out Saturday, I was very pleased to find mahi still present. We caught fairly well. Am hoping to get another week of mahi before returning to sea bass fishing full time.
Here from my Facebook post 9/5/24..
..about a dozen guys showed up to help move 70-some pyramids onto the two barge sections donated by McGinty Marine.
Thanks Josh!
Thanks Sunset Marina too for the short notice haul out!!
And Thanks Men!
Thanks also to Miones Pizza for feeding our volunteers two very nice pepperoni pies!
Come calm seas on a weekday we'll have Sunset put her back over ((very soon if forecasts hold!)) Once launched it will be a challenge to drop her connecting pins in - reassemble the barge - but we'll sort it out.
Her decks are quite rusted out; one really bad - dangerous bad
..which is wonderful good if you're a tautog or sea bass!
Promise - this small barge will become part of a tog Mecca in just a few years time..
100% guaranteed!
Want to see more? See ocreefs.org for our email signup.
We're just starting to collect biweekly prizes for our fall raffle. Grand prizes include a sweet 12ga Benelli autoloader sporting gun donated by Benelli USA, jewelry from Park Place, and a full day charter on my partyboat, the Morning Star.
Pete's pledged a couple custom gaffs (nice!) - Ed from Everstar has some high end Christmas yard ornaments we'll raffle in earky November. We also have the super sweet Beraca in 7mm08 Mike donated we'll raffle in time for deer season.
I'm sure Alltackle, Atlantic Tackle, Crabs to Go, and Lewes Harbour Marine will pile on too. They've been great sponsors in past years
..but we'll have at least seven biweekly drawings!
Help!!
Also - If you know (or are!) a professional mariner? Eyes-on along our waterfronts are how we find reef material. The two tugs we have coming would have been perfectly serviceable for many years to come, but they were caught up in new CG regulations. All our tugs of late have been donated because of that.
Barges large or small makes no difference; if we can tow it a couple hundred miles? (or sometimes truck a sectional..) Barges make awesome reef with virtually zero clean up costs. They're made far better still when we can strap some precast concrete to em.. Nooks and crannies (interstitial spaces or 'rugosity' to the reef builder) makes a world of difference..
I don't know if the beautiful clear water we had nearshore this year is a one-off event. I'd sure like to think oyster restorations are starting to help turn the ocean blue but a few months won't tell the tale. It should, however, have greatly aided coral spawn this summer.
More Coral - More Fish! ..and squid, lobster, white crabs, mussels, ect -- plus smiling faces of excited divers and successful anglers!
Even bottlenose & common dolphin benefit from reef building. It was just discovered a few years ago those marine mammals feed upon reef habitat at night with echolocation.. Must be a bad time to be a fish - a straight up Spielberg experience..
Several species of turtles too feed on reef habitat. Crab and lobster certainly, but when sea bass have a temp shock (and absolutely will NOT bite!) I'd wager loggerhead turtles make good use of it. I've had divers describe sea bass piled in under ledges that would not move. They'd open their kill sack and hand pick the sea bass they want..
(Now tautog won't do that until 38/39 degree bottom temps.. Don't fancy many divers taking advantage of it. Have had repeated descriptions of tog deep in a wreck in a 'tupor' or, more accurately I think, 'brumation' - essentially a marine hinernation. Here we can see habitat with grand rugosity clearly aids tautogs' overwintering survival..
We may be the only state from Texas to Massachusetts without a marine reef program, but derned if we're not making a difference off the DelMarVa coast.
Sure would like to see some donations coming in. None of it happens on a wish.
Cheers All,
Monty
Capt Monty Hawkins
Mhawkins@morningstarfishing.com
mhawkins@ocreefs.org
