Feb 6th, 2011

Water Temp: 46.9 degrees

Fishing Report by Sue Foster

(Note: Oyster Bay Tackle, Fenwick Tackle, and the online mall are all closed 
for the season. See ya in March!)

It's amazing that anglers are still catching stripers offshore,  a few in 
the surf, and some at Indian River Inlet. Tautog fishing is good offshore.

Not many people surt fishing, but I did see that one angler caught a keeper 
striper on Assateague towards the end of January.


Want to know what's going on Assateague? Check out  Stripers 
Online Delmarva Forum.  Not many people fishing the surf but I saw 
someone landed a keeper on Assateague the end of January.



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!



"Helbent Charters" is done for the season but is booking for next year. He 
offers half to full day bay and coastal fishing trips. Specializing in 
families. North Ocean City. Captain Jeffrey Grimes.  717-574-4010- 
helbentcharters@hotmail.com


Larry Jock of the  Coastal 
Fisherman likes to fish offshore for stripers himself this time of year. 
Read his daily fishing report online and also keep up with fisheries news." 
He posted this week:WEDNESDAY, February 1, 2012

It was a slower pick today for striper fishermen out of OC. The fish were 
scattered and the whales and birds disappeared around Little Gull where they 
have been hanging out recently. Fish continue to hit light, with many swings 
and misses along with ones that came unglued. On boat found them north of 
the Inlet, between 45th and 60th streets. The fish being caught are still a 
nice size... not really any shemps.

The King and his Court trolled all day and ended up with 7 keepers in the 
box, one shy of their limit. All were caught on the troll with mojos and 
Tomic lures.

I think "57 Chins" ended their day with 4 or 5 keeper stripers, also caught 
on trolled mojos.

Early in the morning, "The Natural" ran north, between 45th and 60th 
Streets, and found a mess of fish in 50 feet of water. They ended up with 20 
in the box.

Ron Sanko and Wayne Holman caught their limit of 4 stripers, north of the 
Inlet. Found the whales. No birds. Largest were 44-inches. Left them biting 
at 4pm.


TUESDAY, January 31, 2012

Anglers finished off the month of January with another great day of striper 
fishing. Seas were a little snotty, but fishable for diehards.

The hot spot continued to be around Little Gull Shoal where whales and birds 
showed the way to big stripers underneath. Trolled mojos and umbrella rigs 
were the ticket once again.

Rich Sosnowski, Mike Johnston and John Rogowitz on the "?" had another great 
day that ended with their limit of 8 stripers in the box including the 
largest one ever caught on the boat... a 48-inch pig that weighed 41 lbs. 
Rich and his team continue to have good luck with trolled umbrella rigs.

The King and his Court (Jimmy, Adam and Josh) also caught their limit of 
stripers around Little Gull and capped the day with a double header of 40+ 
inch fish hooked on the "NP" rig.

Tim Romberger reported landing their limit of 4 stripers today and left them 
biting. Fish were caught on trolled chartreuse mojos rigs right at the 
Little Gull buoy. Largest fish measured 39-inches.


MONDAY, January 30, 2012

Another incredible day of striper fishing off the coast of OC. Today, the 
action seemed to center on the area 1-2 miles off the coast inside Little 
Gull Shoal. The best bite looked to be during the early morning. Whales and 
birds... same story. Fish were hitting light, with many anglers reporting 
numerous swings and misses. Those trolling heavy mojos, just off the bottom 
recorded good numbers of hook-ups.

There were a lot of boats out there today and so many fish were caught that 
boats had to go to both Sunset Marina and the Ocean City Fishing Center to 
clean their fish.

Reports came in from the following:

"57 Chins" tore them up again, boating their limit of 10 stripers in only 3 
hours. All came inside Little Gull Shoal. Bo took home largest fish honors 
on the trip with a fat 42-incher. The "Whiff Master General" had a clean 
record today with no fish lost after hook-up.

"?" had good results trolling umbrella rigs in the same location.

With water temps between 44 and 46 degrees, combined with some warmer 
weather coming in the next few days, there's a good chance these fish could 
stick around for a while.


SUNDAY, January 29, 2012

Would someone please get me a new calendar, because mine says that today is 
January 29th and that can't be correct. STRIPER FISHING IS OFF THE HOOK!!!!

It was another great day for anglers fishing off the Delmarva coast, with 
limits of big, fat stripers being caught from off Fenwick Island down to 
Little Gull Shoal. Interestingly, the bite moved closer to shore today with 
the best bites coming barely more than a mile off the beach. Whales continue 
to be found balling up schools of bunker with hungry stripers lurking 
underneath. Best bites were while trolling down sea. A lot of anglers 
mentioned how frustrating it was the number of swings and misses today. Fish 
were biting soft.

Not many Shemps today with a lot of Cartrights hitting the deck. The fish 
were fat, feasting on bunker and even some bellies full of sand eels were 
reported. This class of fish are really beautiful and have really turned 
what was a horrible season inside the 3-mile line, into a good one. A lot of 
happy anglers are walking around the streets of OC right now!

"57 Chins" burned them up again today with another limit of big stripers. 
Collin "The Crusher" Hurley led the way with a big 44-incher that he 
successfully battled after hooking it on a trolled mojo. Collin said that he 
put Mr. Charlie to shame today with superior angling skills. The Little 
Rooster Rules!

Tim Romberger and his crew caught another limit today after "having one of 
the best fishing days of my life" yesterday. Tim found his fish south of the 
inlet, just off the shoreline.

The King and his Court caught their limit of stripers with a fat 42-incher 
leading the way. All fish were caught on trolled mojo's with the majority of 
bites coming down sea, south of the Inlet. Nick "The Net" Clemente landed 
his first fun trip fish.

The "Gotcha" also caught their limit of stripers for the second day in a row 
after getting a late start around 10:30 am. Busy day yesterday for these 
veteran anglers required extra sleeping time this morning.

"Happy Endings" made the Arabs (and Sunset Marina) very happy today, burning 
many gallons of fuel chasing the load of striped bass that ultimately met 
their demise. They even ventured over into the dark side, catching their 
fish on the TROLL (say it isn't so, Guy... say it isn't so!!!).

Rich Sosnowski and his team on the "?" really burned them up while trolling 
umbrella rigs. Hope Rich got some money from the guys for gas after all the 
trolling they did today.

Eric Quisgard emailed to report catching his first striper, a 40-incher, 
while fishing inshore of Little Gull Shoal. His pals Dan and Jim shared info 
to put Eric on the fish in 40 feet of water. Fish hit a trolled #19 white 
Tony spoon.

There were a ton of boats out there today, so I'm sure there were many more 
limits of stripers caught than those listed above. Let us know how you did 
by dropping us an email at coastalfisherman@comcast.net.

From the feedback I'm getting, the information lines for "One Way Charlies" 
are starting to be disconnected! The revolt has begun!!!!!






 E-mail Sue Foster at:  Oyster Bay 
Tackle with your pictures and/or reports.  Vacation Pictures are 
welcome! (Please send me a real picture and not a link to a "Kodak moment" 
or a Facebook page.") Phone pics are fine.
E-mail me your name and where you are from so we
can put you in our weekly fish reports and/or Gallery!


Anglers now need a DE Fishing License to fish, crab, and clam in DEL: 
Individual Delaware Fishing Licenses are now available  
online



Capt. Monty on the " 
Morning Star e-mails in on Feb 1st:


"Sunday's tog trip was very OK for some. Others got their head handed to 
them. Biggest was 13 1/2..
Awesome winter weather but the water is chilling.. "
.................................

On Feb 5th, Capt Monty writes:

New Tog Dates:
Tuesday & Wednesday - 2/7/12 & 2/8/12 - 7 to 3 - $100.00 - 12 Sells Out.
Thursday - 2/9/12 - Long Tog - 5:30 to 5:30 - $150.00 - 14 Sells Out.
Green Crabs Provided -- No Live Fish Leave The Boat.
..................................
Hi All,
I've had to cancel a few trips due to changing weather forecasts, Sunday's 
included. Looked good all week. Raised to 20 to 25 NE with gusts to 30 on 
Friday and is now just 15 to 20 NE with rain.
Nice calm coming this week; light westerlies. With high temperatures in the 
low 50s it should almost be like Key West
..or not.
If you're going, better to dress for forecasted lows."


Regards,
Monty
Capt. Monty Hawkins
mhawkins@siteone.net
Party Boat "Morning Star"
Reservation Line 410 520 2076
http://www.morningstarfishing.com/

Watch the 
weather.


Check out the link on our web site to the local chapter of the  MSSA.   They are keeping us 
abreast on all the Fishing Issues.  From our  Oyster Bay Website, go to "More 
Fishing Info" on the left hand side, and click on "MSSA Atlantic Anglers".

Check the weather before driving hours to go offshore or fish the surf.  Go 
to  
Coastal Marine Forecast to get an idea of the weather and height of the 
waves.

Capt. Rick Yakimowicz of the "Thelma Dale V" Reports from Fisherman's Wharf 
on Dec 15th:

.... We will be trying to run special trips for Codfish, Ling and Tog 
throughout the winter; weather and some willing participants allowing. There 
is a complete list of all trips on our calendar link from the website at 
fishlewes.com I look to start up again with our regular schedule sometime in 
early March. If you would like any more information about trips sailing out 
of the Wharf or you are interested in booking a private charter or you would 
like to reserve a spot on an upcoming special trip please give us a call at 
(302) 645-TUNA.

His full report and boat info is  
here.

Capt. Rick Yakimowicz
Thelma Dale V
catchfish@verizon.net"

Old Inlet Bait and Tackle (302-227-7974)  posted on Feb 4th: "Wow!! Hard to 
believe that we need to post a fishing report on the first weekend in 
February! They are still picking up some stripers in the Indian River Inlet. 
Longlining with deepwater flies is the most effective method. The last part 
of the outgoing tide is good on sunny days when the bay water has been 
heated by the sun. A couple of stripers reported from the Fenwick beach last 
Thursday. There are schools of stripers about a mile off the beach from 
Bethany south to Assateague."



 Capt.Dan Stauffer (866-623-4746) of the  Fin Chaser does wreck, 
inlet and trolling trips.  "Fin Chaser's 2012 season will begin in mid-April 
running targeting Tog. By mid-May we will also be running Sea Bass Trips 
too. Shark fishing takes off in early June and by mid-June our first Tuna of 
the year will be here."


 VA 
charters.
(Wilson Cropp Charters and Guide Service. Cape Charles, VA- 1-434-531-6376) 
Stripers....Flounder....Drum...  Speckled Trout....Tog...  Eco tours as 
well.



CHECK OUT the Fish Talk Forum - At 
The Beach - Fishing Ocean City MD Assateague Island - Delaware Fishing 
Beaches


 (Just a note to say to my readers that many of my fishing reports are from
other anglers and party boats that come over my e-mail. When I "copy/paste"
their reports I try to leave them intact. It keeps the fishing reports
lively and interesting. But any comments/politics within the quotes are
their comments and views, and not necessarily mine.)

Need info on where, how, when to fish, crab, and clam? Go 
to  
Drifting Easy Archives and READ UP! It's all in there and it's 
FREE!!!!!!

 James A. Donofrio, executive director of the  Recreational Fishing 
Alliance
has been actively working on the fisheries crisis. The RFA believes the 
future of our fisheries is dependent on fixing the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act which has laid down strict time-frames that 
do not take into account livelihoods and that a fishery is rebounding 
steadily.


Need to tie a knot? Click 
Here. This is really cool! You can also click  Here!


Maryland Fishing License

Anglers fishing in Ocean City will need to purchase a  saltwater fishing
license. This license will cover both the Chesapeake Bay and the coastal
waters and surf of Ocean City and Assateague Island. Yes, this includes surf 
fishing. If you already have a Chesapeake Bay Saltwater license you are good 
to go!  Anglers will be able to purchase the license  online. The
license you want to choose is "Bay and Coastal Sport"  You can either choose
a year-round or 7-day.  The online site will add on a small convenience fee. 
The state has set the tackle stores up with paper licenses so we can do your 
licenses in our stores.
If you know you are coming to Ocean City,and you want to get it done ahead 
of time you can
also call a toll free number (1-800-918-2870)
or print and mail in an   application.  Boat 
Licenses: $50 and everyone on your boat can go
fishing without a license. You will get a personal license along with your 
boat license, so you can go shore fishing as well. They will send you your 
sticker for your boat in the mail.  If you come to our stores, in season, we 
will have the stickers.

Mail the application to their main office:

Maryland Dept. of Natural resources
Annapolis Service Center
P.O. Box 1869
1804 West Street, Suite 300
Annapolis, MD 21401


If you are going to be fishing on a private boat with someone who has a Boat
License, you don't have to buy a license, but you do have to   register online. This
is free but cannot be done over the phone.Print out your number and keep an 
id with
you when you go fishing. You can also download it to your smart phone and 
show it to the DNR officer.
It only takes a couple minutes. If you have no printer or smart phone, write 
down the authorization number.

Another interesting note about the license is that if you buy a VA license,
it is good in MD, and vice versa. If you are fishing in MD with a VA licence
you do need to register with MD online. Again, this is free. This is so each
state can "try" to figure out "how many" fish are being caught in their own
individual states.  (VA Free 
Registry)

If you want to go fishing in Ocean City without a license, your choices will
be the "Oceanic Pier" or to go fishing on a party or charter boat.  You can
also go crabbing and clamming in Ocean City without a license. Or you can
fish off your own private dock.

Senior citizens 65 and older. Cost is $5 if you have a MD driver's license 
and are a resident of MD,
but if you are a non-resident there is no break. No break for boat licenses 
either. $50 resident or non-resident,
plus around $3 for the internet fees.

Contact Info
If you have any questions regarding Maryland's sport fishing license
requirements, you may contact Fisheries Service via e mail:
customerservice@dnr.state.md.us or by calling (410-656-9526).


Following is the fee schedule for 2011:

Senior License (year round) - $5.00
Resident License (year round) - $15.00
Resident License (7-day) - $6.00
Non-resident (year round) - $22.50
Non- resident (7-day) - $12.00
Pleasure Boat Decal (covers everyone on boat - year round) - $50.00
Commercial Fishing Pier License (year round) - $290.00

No license is required for:
Boat decal passengers
Those fishing in "free fishing" areas
Those fishing from their waterfront properties
Anglers under 16 years old
Anglers fishing on a licensed charter, party or guide boat
Anglers fishing commercially under a valid license

For more information, log onto www.dnr.state.md.us



Good fishing...
*************************************************
Sue Foster ~ Oyster Bay Tackle~
11615 Coastal Hwy. Ocean City, MD 21842
(next to the Green Turtle- bayside)
phone- 410-524-3433 / fax-410-213-7642
*************************************************
Fenwick Tackle~ Rt.1 and MD Ave.
Fenwick Island, DE, 19944
(next to the Atlantic Book Store- Ocean Side)
Phone- 302-539-7766
*************************************************
web address~ www.oysterbaytackle.com
**************************************************
online shopping~ http://shop.oysterbaytackle.com
**************************************************
Email:  mailto:sue@oysterbaytackle.com
************************************************* 

This page can be printed out on your printer/simply utilize the printer icon
or under the print feature under the file pull down menu at the top of your screen.