... July 29, 2020 Coastal Fisherman Page 5 Big smile for Rich Klina from Ocean Pines, MD. Rich took...

Coastal Fisherman July 29, 2020 www.coastalfisherman.net

Don Bayne, Tyler Lingerman, Tom Jewell, Bill Cording, Angela Elburn and Bill Crowding came over to Ocean City from the Eastern Shore of the Bay for some tuna fishing and they hit it hard. Venturing out with Capt. Stu Windsor and mate TJ Coates on the charter boat “Skeets”, they headed to the Hotdog last week and found some of the fading big tuna bite while chunking and brought home these 10 yellowfins. Pictured at Talbot Street Pier.

www.coastalfisherman.net July 29, 2020 Coastal Fisherman


Big smile for Rich Klina from Ocean Pines, MD. Rich took a short break and headed to Assateague Island to work the surf. He caught these 3 fatties in 90 minutes on homemade rigs, two of them at 20”.

We often share details on how tuna are caught fishing on the troll or more recently the heavy yellowfin catch for those chunking butterfish. Eric Martyn from West Ocean City prefers to get his tuna with a Daryl Wong custom tuna spearfishing stick. He is pictured here with his catch taken while spearfishing at the Hotdog.


What a week for fishing! The yellowfin tuna action is still hot and the big highlight of the week was the 7th Annual HUK Big Fish Classic held at the Talbot Street Pier. Given the pandemic, this tournament was a bright light. 106 boats registered this year representing almost double the boats from 2019. This increase of course also boosted the overall purse to almost $900,000. It was a hectic weekend with over 50 boats bringing multiple fish to the scales. Multiple swordfish and white marlins vied for the Heaviest Fish Division with a blue marlin coming in early on Sunday eventually edging them out to take the top spot.

The tuna divisions were dominated by mostly yellowfins with the number of bigeye tunas

weighed being in the single digits. This made for an interesting tournament as the leaderboard changed often, and several times over 1/2 pound differences!

Of course, the billfish were a highlight in both the weighed and released categories. As the white marlin were weighed on Saturday, they grew, ending the day with a 2-way tie for heaviest at 69.5 lbs. each. At one point there was even a tie for second place. Sunday’s scale action broke into the 70 pound range up to 77.5. lbs. for “Kilo Charlie”, however, late in the day 2 boats battled it out. Mid afternoon the “Chaser” arrived with an 80.5 lb. beauty that survived only one challenger to hold the top spot for Heaviest White Marlin. Less than 45 minutes after the “Chaser” was at

the scale, the “Leslie Ann” raised commotion as their white marlin was brought to the scales. As the anxious crew watched, weigh master Dave “Coconut” Hughes called out “80 pounds”! This was an example of the 1/2 pound drama. There is so much more detail in our coverage that starts on page 62 of this issue.

Outside of the tournament:

Tuna

The week that was had its ups and downs for offshore anglers. The weather held for most of the week, but we did see a dip in offshore trips mid-week as boats prepared for the 7th Annual HUK Big Fish Classic. The start of last week continued to see double digits to limit catches of yellowfin tuna for those chunking at the Hotdog mainly, however, as the week progressed that heavy tuna bite slowed significantly. This cycle seems to repeat itself as the number of boats fishing put pressure on the schools, but it is nice to see strong yellowfin catches this late in the season.

The bigeye fishing has been very limited this year, and the bluefin tuna almost nonexistent. We ‘ve included in this issue some nice bigeye catches from June and of course the tournament to remind us of what was. Capt. Demetri Diniakos on the boat “Dorodo Loco” out of Indian River shared a nice catch as well as a June catch from Capt. Eddie Zajdel on “The Zipper” when he was trolling in

the Poor Man’s Canyon in June.

Dolphin

We have reports and you will see pictures in this issue of mahi catches while anglers were chunking for tuna. Most of these mahi were juveniles, but they are abundant inshore. There’s a good shot of a nice catch by the boat “Fishbone” in this issue from their trip during the Ocean City Marlin Club Kid’s Classic. For those who take the time to venture to the Washington and Norfolk Canyons, there are nice bull dolphins being boated.

Upcoming Tournaments

We are in the heat, literally, of tournament season. This weekend will be the Ocean City Marlin Club ladies “Heels & Reels” tournament where anglers can fish either Friday or Saturday.

We also have the 13th Annual Ocean Pines Chamber of Commerce Flounder Tournament with weigh-ins at the Ocean Pines Yacht Club Marina.

Of course the big one is the upcoming and legendary 47th White Marlin Open from August 3rd - 7th. A brand new event will be hosted this year at the ball field located between 3rd and 4th St. bayside in Ocean City. Beginning at 4 pm each day, families are invited to bring lawn chairs and blankets to spread out and enjoy views of the boats headed to the weigh-ins at nearby Harbour Island. Large LED screens will live stream the weigh-ins, allowing attendees to experience the excitement in real-time. Vendors will be on-site selling a variety of items including official White Marlin Open gear. Face coverings are strongly recommended and coolers are not permitted.

Until next week, I’ll see you at the docks.


Big smiles for 12 year old April Bondurant of Ocean City, MD. She landed her first yellowfin tuna (50 lb.) on light tackle while chunking at the Hotdog on the charter boat “Sushi”. Fishing with April were Capt. Charley Pereira with mate James Coane and anglers Rich Bondurant, Jeff Reinsfelder, Rob Nicholson, Timmy Nicholson and John Davis.


It was another great day for the charter boat “White Lighting”. Capt. Bill Raab took anglers Matt Hopkins, Sam Connors, Tom Distefano, Paul DiFebo Jr, Ted Brackin and Bob DiFibo to the 100 fathom line in the Poor Man’s Canyon. Mate Paul Daisey set spreader bars and ballyhoo into 68° water to get these 14 yellowfin tuna.


Have you ever been fishing and wondering why the person next to you is doing better than you are? Maybe they know something you don’t. Living in a coastal town with world famous fishing has extreme advantages when it comes to finding the best fishing equipment. Many people look to places like Amazon and eBay and forget that in a fishing town, it is the locals who have what you need! We have listed a few of the local small town lure makers and their products, along with some history as to how these lures came to be.

OCEAN ARSENAL TACKLE

Ocean Arsenal is a company that started because owner Ted Proseus had a preference for metal lures over other alternatives. He quickly discovered that his ideal lure was not always readily available and too often was very expensive. He started making his own lures with color combinations and profiles that he found to be successful. His homemade lures led to him catching much sought after fish. In 2019, he created Ocean Arsenal Tackle. The

company started by selling lures at small outdoor shows to having lures in 5 tackle shops in southern Delaware. The lures can also be bought online at DS Custom Tackle. Ocean Arsenal has four main lures, their 1oz Shiners, 1.7oz Surf Bullets, 1.5oz Peanut Pogies, and Sand Eels which are exclusive designs made from custom molds and not available anywhere else. These lures feature extreme casting distances, enticing actions with just a steady retrieve, and stainless steel hardware. Ocean Arsenal also has silicone sand eels which are a deadly teaser for flounder and black sea bass on the wrecks. I personally have used the sand eels for sea bass and found them to be outstanding. A pair of wreck and reef designs for offshore use are due to be released prior to the fall 2020 season. Their lures range in price from $4.95 to $6.95. You can contact Ocean Arsenal at [email protected] and on Facebook.

BAYSIDE JIGS

Bayside Jigs is a company that started with a passion for fishing. Owner Greg Ruditys knew that he could make high quality lures and jigs, so he decided to start making them for other people and we’re glad he did! Bayside Jigs offer jigs that are hand poured. All jigs are made with high quality Mustad hooks. The jig heads come with lifelike 3D eyes that are epoxy coated. The heads also have

barb on them to ensure that your soft plastic stay on. All jigs come in a variety of colors and weights costing between $2 and $8. To buy products from Bayside Jigs, you can go to their Facebook page, visit them on Instagram at Bayside_jigs, call/text Greg at 610-745-0875, or send an email to [email protected]. Keep an eye out, because the Bayside Jigs website is coming soon at www.baysidejigs.com!

FISHnFOLKS

FishnFolks is a local company started by Craig “Big Bird” Cropper. The business was founded 15 years ago after he wanted to find a lure that worked for sea trout and rockfish. Using a jig head with shad bodies, Big Bird found that the long shank hooks did not swim the way he wanted them to, and changed out these more traditional rigs for a 3/4oz short shank hook. He found that his hookups nearly doubled with the short shank hook. The lure was inspired by Roy Venbeckle. The company is currently run by Big Bird’s daughter, Patricia Cropper, but he is still making the rigs. They offer the world famous Roy Rig. Purchase comes with two rigged lead heads with shad bodies and two replacement shads per bag. Each package also comes with the following instructions: For Good Results: Immerse in water, bounce on bottom.

For Best Results: Go fishing with Big Bird Cropper! These rigs are available at 7 local tackle shops for $13. You can also call 443-366-0215 or visit them on Facebook and Instagram. You can use Roy Rigs to catch blues, Spanish mackerel, rockfish, drum, and flounder. One question, do you Roy Rig?

DS CUSTOM TACKLE

Rich King started this company some 20 yrs ago. With a passion for surf fishing Rich began the Delaware Surf Fishing website and Facebook page. Rich at this time began organizing numerous surf fishing tournaments.During this time he found a flaw in the ever popular finger Mullet rig. The problem was when sharp tooth fish such as bluefish short bit the lure the bait would slide to the bottom of the hook and rip off before the fish could be hooked. Rich designed a mullet rig with a top hook to keep the head of the finger Mullet from sliding down the shank. This design is patent pending. These surf fishing rigs along with kingfish, bluefish, and pompano rigs are available online at www.dscustomtackle.com

July 29, 2020 Coastal Fisherman www.coastalfisherman.net

J.C. Dennis, or as he refers to himself, “world famous local electrician J.C. Dennis” stopped by our office to share his catch for the day! He caught these 3 keeper flounders working from the Thorofare to the Inlet with Gulp tipped with minnows on a top & bottom rig.

Capt. Demetri Diniakos of the “Dorado Loco” out of Indian River Inlet, DE shared this picture of a trip in June with anglers Jerry and Dale of Bel Air, MD. They went to the Baltimore Canyon and got a triple hookup of the elusive bigeye tuna this year and were still able to get this 214 lb., 73” monster to the boat.


As we are in tournament season we have gotten more requests to reprint the canyon map to help follow the action. As we reported the tuna bite the last week was inshore at the Hotdog which is a lump shaped like the summer staple located west of the Baltimore and Poor Man’s Canyons a little over 40 miles from the Ocean City Inlet.


Outdoors columnist and writer Tom Tatum of West Chester, PA shows off 2 keepers of the 15 flounder he caught while fishing in the Thorofare on the first of the outgoing tide. Tom was fishing on his boat “Open Debate” using white Gulp paired with a live minnow.

Spot fishing is one of the best ways to introduce kids to the sport. They are relatively easy and fun to catch as well as being potential bait for larger fish! Here, Charlie Plunkert of White Hall, Md shows us the spot he caught fishing in the Assawoman Bay from the Thunder Island Condo pier using Fish Bites Blood Worms to catch and release. Photo courtesy of his proud grandfather, Butch Hensel.


This week in Maryland has shown much warmer weather than usual for July. It's more like August. Fishing however remains great due to lower winds.

SEA BASS & TOG

I spoke to Kane Bounds from the charter boat “Fish Bound” who said the inshore flounder as well as sea bass has been very good of late. The sea bass are moving deeper and areas like Great Eastern Reef and deeper wrecks are producing the best catches. Some sea bass are being caught at the African Queen site according to Victor Bunting on the Ocean Princess but many of the inshore spots are starting to slow. Victor reported a

few nice flounder have also been taken off the wrecks at both the Queen as well as bass grounds. Not many trigger fish have been caught as usual but I’m sure that will change any day now. I have heard of a few tog being caught at the inlet off the rocks but most are undersized. Tog on the near shore wrecks has also slowed.

FLOUNDER

Flounder in the bay areas of Ocean City continues to get better every day with several nice fish coming back to the docks. The main area in front of Martha's Landing as well as the area north of that leading to the RT. 50 bridge remain a local hot spot. The main channel

north of the bridge is always a great location to check out, but remains heavy with the summer boat traffic. The waters by Harbor Island are also producing some nice flatties. Gulp remains the strongest bait being used, however, squid/shiners and spot are producing some big fish as well. Live spot will account for less bites but will hook the bigger flounder. So if you’re after quality, get some live spot. Spot can be expensive at the local tackle shops but are well worth the price if you're looking for that 10 lb. fish of a lifetime. Areas by the airport are also a great area to try and are usually less crowded due to the longer ride to get there.

CRABS & CLAMS

Clamming is slowing as our visiting friends and locals hit the main spots. Try going at low tide with a west wind and clam deeper than usual to get past areas already picked over. Trying the areas further away from the inlet are also a better place, as many will not travel too far to go clamming. Crabs remain good . I talked with Carl from Bob’s Marine who stated his pots were averaging about 12 keepers per pot on a three day soak. Bunker is still the better bait. All tackle, Atlantic Tackle,and Martin’s Fish Market all sell cases of bunker for the serious crabber. Areas up north are still producing the best yields for crabs but I am getting reports that areas by the Verrazano bridge are producing better each day.

EVERYTHING ELSE

The Rt. 50 bridge has seen some nice bluefish caught

on both cut baits and live spot. If fishing from the bridge, drop your line directly in front of a bridge piling and allow it to bounce out with the current until you get too far away, or get a bite. Remember to use a bridge net or these toothy creatures will surely bite off your rig on the way up-fishing from the bridge is an art. Using live spot in the evening or at night is a great way to target both blues as well as rockfish. Again, fishing in front of the pilings where the water breaks is your best location. Many times an 8 oz. sinker is needed to keep the bait down in the heavy currents. The evening hours and night fishing from the bridge lessens boat traffic but also creates more anglers on the bridge. Many older locals use bucktails and other lures off the bridge. In my experience on the bridge, nothing beats a live spot on a three way rig setup. Inshore sharking, especially off the beach, has been good at night with cut bunker and bluefish being the go to baits. Nearshore wrecks are also producing some nice sharks. Cobia are also around on the nearshore humps Chumming with live eels is the best way to target these fish. Reports from anglers are spotting cobia more frequently swimming by, so keep a rod rigged with a live or artificial eel or bucktail ready in case one of these fish show up to check out what you’re doing. Bucktails with colorful plastic worms are a great rig to keep ready and don’t need to be kept fresh like live eels or spot.

So with the wind laid down and temps up, get out and catch some dinner...

Tight lines and Fins up!


The Perina and Aument families had a triple threat day fishing on the charter boat “Pumpin’ Hard” with Capt. Mike Burt and mate Dave Burt. The trip was a gift to ‘newbie’ anglers Amy and James Perina in recognition of her recent masters degree and his 16th birthday. They started the day at the Hotdog, snagging 6 yellowfin while chunking, then a troll through the Baltimore yielded a swordfish and finally a blue marlin hit while they were trolling home. A trip most hope to get in a lifetime, not just on the first outing!

Jim Elidias and Jessica Hurst show off their haul of keeper flounders, weighing up to 3.5 lbs. They were fishing with Capt. Chris Mizurak and mates Rich Fouts & Stephen Andersen on the deep sea fishing vessel “Angler” docked at the Talbot Street Pier.


Capt. Monty Hawkins on the head boat “Morning Star” gives anglers opportunities to catch wide varieties of fish over the season as they migrate into or through our area. Here angler Trey Tozonkowski of Baltimore, MD shows of a nice 16.5 lb. mahi he caught using squid.

Throwback Thursday picture from the charter boat “The Zipper” and their bigeye and yellowfin catch last month. Capt. Ed Zajdel with mate Dom Disanto took anglers Laurie, Jim & Steve Lyter with Amanda Ebersole, Jeff Finger and Paul Johnston to 200 fathoms in the Poor Man’s Canyon to land these beauties.


The owners of the charter boat “Marli” know how to work hard and make time to have fun. Typically fishing once a week in addition to running their large farm enterprise in eastern Maryland, Mike Bostic, Sr. with Mike Bostic, Jr. and the Church Hill, MD crew Bob Schlenzig, J.P. Quillen, Mason Phoenix and Garry Fuss hit the yellowfin hard last week bringing 18 tuna to the dock in just a few hours. Captain Mark Hoos and mates Dakota Bittner and Jon Robertson found them a sweet spot on the chunk!


Capt. Luke Blume kept the yellowfin momentum going early last week when he and mates Wyatt Melocik & Josh Blume took anglers Rusty Lavely, Preston Guy and Tim, Andrew and Ian Stout out to the Hotdog for some chunking. This crew on the charter boat “C-Boys” slammed 14 yellowfin in a frenzy and were back to Sunset Marina by 12:30PM!

Scott and Brady Eichelberger with Mike and Jackson Smith from Dillsburg, PA caught 6 flounder while fishing with Capt. Jason Mumford and mate Ethan Nock on the charter boat “Lucky Break”. They found these keepers working around the east channel jigging Gulp and minnows on the incoming tide. The biggest fish measured 23.5 inches.


5 year old Charlie Hammond, with the help of his dad Michael, caught his first sand tiger shark. They were fishing with Capt. Mark Sampson and mate Nathan Lang aboard the charter boat “Fish Finder”. Pictured with friends and fellow anglers Jackson Dell, Joey Kraeuter and Emme Rhoad.

As the weather gets warmer, the flounder fishing in the bay gets harder. Capt. Nick Clemente on the charter boat “Get Sum” knows where the flounder like to go to cool off and put these anglers on 8 keepers from the south Ocean City bay. The largest was 21.5”. Pictured at the Ocean City Fishing Center.


It was another early day for the charter boat “Rhonda’s Osprey” with Capt. Joe Drosey. He and mates Mike Butler & Erin Adkins took the Parker family of Jake, J.E., Mitch, Joe, Rayne and John to do some chunking with butterfish for tuna. They were hit hard first thing having up to 6 on at one point, with 2 tunas being fought from the bow. After 80 minutes they had their limit of 18 yellowfin tuna by 7:15AM and headed home to Sunset Marina. They even had to call for the fish cleaning service to come in early!


This past week in Delaware has been hot. . . . RED HOT! But even with 78 degree water temps the f ishing has not seemed to slow at al l . Many great catches were made this week from land as well as boats.

SEA BASS & TOG

Sea bass remain good despite the warm water. Usually at this t ime of year sea bass slows to a virtual stand st i l l . This year however, the keepers are st i l l on the deeper wrecks. Areas such as Site 11 and N.J ./DE Reef continue to give up keeper f ish at a ratio of about 7 small for every one keeper. Be advised, these f ish are gett ing more sluggish and the bait needs to remain in the strike zone longer. Anchoring or slow drift under .6 mph is needed for f ishing this t ime of year. Tog are being caught at the inlet . The ratio of keepers is low as i t is the t ime of year, however i f you put the t ime in f ishing the rocks along Indian River, as well as the outer wall of the bay, keepers can st i l l be found. I had several reports of small peanut dolphin around the areas of the A & B buoys. Many anglers f ishing for

sea bass had schools of these f ish coming by. Keep a rod rigged with a circle hook t ipped with squid or a chunk of f ish ready as these f ish wil l not stay near the boat for long. Once you have one hooked, leave i t in the water, and usually you can hook several more looking for a meal .

FLOUNDER

Flounder remains strong both in the back bays as well as the ocean reefs , coral and wrecks. Reports from up north are that the Rehoboth/Lewes Canal is giving up some nice keeper f lounder on Gulp as well as squid /minnow combos. The tr ick in the canal is to f ind the deeper holes with moving water along side of them. John Chance weighed in a nice 4 lb. f lounder at Old Inlet caught on 3R’s beach. The f ish was caught on fresh cut spot. According to Old Inlet , f lounder are being caught in the Indian River Inlet along with some better sized croaker.

CROAKER

They’re early this year but seem to be staying closer inshore and are definitely gett ing bigger. This is a great way to spend a day

with small kids as these f ish are easy to catch and keep children occupied longer. Croaker are also being reported outside IR Inlet by Fenwick tackle. Bloodworms and squid being the preferred bait .

SHARKS

Several anglers are targeting sharks from the beach at night using cut bunker, blues and mackerel . They cruise just around the breakers, so you don't have to make a mile long cast to get to them. Many anglers over shoot them. Cast just outside of the breaking waves and slowly move your bait towards the beach for best results .

COBIA

Cobia are st i l l being caught at the Fenwick Shoals and inshore humps. Eels are the choice bait . I f you’re not wild about handling l ive eels , Hockers on Central Ave. has several art i f icial eels which seem to work very well . Bethany Auto Parts also has a large selection of Savage eels which I have used many t imes to target these f ish as they come to the boat .

SURF REPORT

Surf f ishing is in summer

mode with kingfish and spot being the best catches.Several anglers f ishing spot have caught a few nice f lounder as well . Croaker and blues are also in the surf . Bluefish rigs and pompano rigs being the best this t ime of year. I have received only one report of pompano in the surf , but i f this year fol lows l ike last they should be showing up soon. Pompano are usually only found down south but have started making a summer appearance the past few years. Squid and shrimp being some of the best baits to catch them with.

CRABS & CLAMS

This week my daughter and I averaged about 12 keepers per pot. We ended up with 48 crab for 4 pots on a 2 day soak last t ime we were out. I have heard that others closer to the inlet are doing about the same with those in Rehoboth Bay doing a l i t t le less , about 10 per pot.Clamming is gett ing tough with al l the anglers targeting them, many local spots are clammed out. Try going at low tide and head further out to f ind unspoiled areas to clam. Due to the muddier bottoms, the clams are also deeper than normal this year and require you to rake a l i t t le deeper.

So brave the heat and get out and catch some f ish this week. . .

Tight l ines and f ins up!


Stephen McPherson caught this nice citation worth 26.2 lb. dolphin while fishing with Capt. Chris Keller on the charter boat “Strike Zone” based in Lewes, DE. The fish was caught on the east wall of the Baltimore Canyon on a blue and white Ilander with a ballyhoo. Big G, Bud, Chopper, Tee and Duke were part of the charter as well.


Dave Vetter and Will Land of Ellicott City, MD were able to get in on the action at the Hotdog last week chunking for tuna from Will’s boat “Sandy’s Beach House”. This is just one of the 7 meaty yellowfin tuna they brought back to the dock.

It took some work, but there was flounder to be had last week if you worked for it. Tim Goodman of Lancaster, PA caught these nice keepers in the Indian River Inlet using bucktails tipped with white Gulp, the largest at 19”.


Capt. Troy Cook of the boat “Team Wallhangers” along with Angler Jason Delucia had a great day on water just trolling outside the Rockpile early last week before most boats switched to chunking. Here they show off their 4 yellowfin tuna and cool boat graphics!


By the time you will be reading this the fishing buzz around town will be centered on the Ocean City Marlin Club “Heels and Reels” Ladies Tournament and final preparations will be underway for the biggest of them all, the White Marlin Open. This issue will have pictures of the winning fish from the Huk Big Fish Classic Tournament throughout its pages. The summer is definitely flying by!

Over the course of the season so far I have done my best to get my column emailed off to Larry in a timely manner. Faithful followers of Fish Stories know that historically speaking I am not always successful in that department. Last week

I clicked send sometime Wednesday evening (deadline is Thursday afternoon, so that was pretty good, and rare for me). It is currently Friday morning…. OOOPS!!! Too much fishing and marine surveying this week.

My long time readers are also aware that my old buddy Jocko (man I miss him every day) would administer varying levels of punishment to me depending on the severity of my tardiness in getting my Fish Story to his inbox. The disciplining ranged from minor beatings to public humiliation. One time I even had to trot him up and down Coastal Highway in a rickshaw!

You may be wondering how

my new boss handles my procrastination. Let me put it this way. Removing a filet knife from my truck tire and having to swap a flat out for my spare before heading into town to get a breakfast sandwich this morning was not how I planned to start my day. Message sent and received Mr. Budd, sir.

After I finally made it over to Anthony’s at 17th Street for my scrapple, egg and cheese sandwich I was hurrying home to get to my desk so I could start typing when my cell phone began to buzz. Looking at the caller ID it was my buddy John Prather of Ocean City Guide Service. I answered the phone to see what he was up to. I figured he was out fishing-that dude doesn’t miss too many days. Sure enough he was on his way out with a party. He was calling to let me know that he had left some bullet bonito in a cooler for me in the back of his truck. You see, yesterday while we were chatting on the radio I requested any extras he might catch during the day. They make good bait, either cut up or whole, for anything from mahi to sharks. You can never have too much fresh bait, especially when the fishing is good!

As I was thanking Prather for his contribution to my future fishing I had to relay a funny bait related story to him. About a week and a half ago some friends of mine were fishing on the charter boat “Talking Trash” out of the Ocean City Fishing Center. They had caught a nice blue marlin that had unfortunately died while they were fighting it. This happens from time to time. Being responsible sportsmen, they brought the fish in and had it cut up and were distributing bags of marlin to the folks around the marina. I happily accepted a bag. Smoked blue marlin is exceptional table

fare, and it is not too often I get the chance to have any these days. I packed the bag in the ice chest on the Last Call so I could take it to the smoker when I got in from fishing the following day.

Fast forward to the following day. I was trolling along the hundred fathom line checking out the commercial fishing gear to see if any mahi were hanging around the floating markers. On our trips up to that point the poly balls marking the bottom traps had been barren. Not that day though! I think it was the fourth or fifth float I passed that had a good quantity of small to medium mahi on it. Due to the prior poor fishing my mate, Mr. Evans, was caught a little unprepared in the cut bait department. After a couple of laps around the ball I could see that his bait cooler was taking a beating, and the mahi were winning the battle so far, so I pulled away a little bit and called him up to the bridge. I instructed Mr. Evans to cut a slab of meat off of my future meal in the ice bin and to use it for cut bait. A few minutes later the mahi were stacking up in the kill box. Oh the irony!!! One of the main meals on a Marlin’s menu is the mahi mahi. On this day the tables were turned. In my thirty plus years in the charter business I can honestly say that I have never used blue marlin as a bait for anything…. let alone for mahi.

Prather and I had a good laugh about this and I thanked him for helping me out in the fresh bait department. My charters over the next few days thank him too, even if they don’t know it yet. And at least this way, if I happen to get lucky enough to get any more fresh Marlin for the smoker, I won’t have to share any with Mr. Evans, and definitely not for bait!


Matt Romanowski and Rick Stewart caught these two flounder while drifting Gulp and minnow combos behind Assateague. Matt’s fish was 17.5” while Rick took first place with his first keeper flounder at 18.5”. Taking the photo was John Romanowski who failed to catch a keeper!

Wayne Gower caught these nice sea bass on the nearshore wrecks and reefs while fishing with Capt. Chris Mizurak and mates Rich Fouts and Stephen Anderson on the head boat “Angler”. These two fell for bucktails tipped with squid.


We are seeing more dolphin at the dock, but those that head further south are finding the bulls. Capt. Chris Kinsley with Andrew Kinsley and Scott Dolmetsch went down to the Norfolk Canyon on the private boat “Kilo Charlie” to get this mahi, estimated at 20 to 30 lbs.


PAN-ROASTED TILEFISH WITH PROSCIUTTO, LEMON,

WHITE WINE AND CAPERS

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper • Two 6-ounce tilefish fillets • 3 tablespoons butter • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • 2 slices prosciutto, cut into strips • 1/2 cup white wine • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus whole sprigs for garnish • 2 teaspoons capers • Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Spread the flour on a deep plate or in a shallow bowl and season generously with salt and pepper. Dredge the tilefish fillets in the flour.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon each of the butter and olive oil. Add the fillets and sear until browned on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. At the same time, add the prosciutto and cook, stirring, until browned. Flip the fillets and place the skillet in the oven. Roast until the fish is just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Set the fillets on serving plates and drain the prosciutto on a paper towel-lined plate.

Return the skillet to the stove top and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the white wine, parsley,

capers and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced and thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the sauce over the fish, top with the prosciutto, and garnish with parsley sprigs. Serve immediately.

GRILLED SWORDFISH

Ingredients:

• 4 swordfish steaks 4-6 ounces each• 1/4 cup olive oil• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce• 1 teaspoon lemon zest• 2 teaspoons fresh parsley chopped• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper• 3/4 teaspoon minced garlic• Lemon wedges for serving

Directions:

Place the olive oil, honey, soy sauce, lemon zest, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper in a bowl or resealable bag. Whisk to thoroughly combine.

Reserve 1 tablespoon of the marinade for later use. Add the garlic to the marinade and stir.

Add the swordfish to the marinade.

Cover the bowl or seal the bag, then marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours.

Remove the swordfish from the marinade and scrape off any excess bits of herbs or garlic (otherwise they could burn on the grill!).

Preheat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan over medium high heat. Add the swordfish steaks and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side or until swordfish is opaque throughout.

Brush the reserved marinade over the fish, then serve immediately, with lemon wedges if desired.


Andrew Manuael found good luck fishing on the head boat “Angler” docked at the Talbot Street Pier, landing these 2 sea bass. Capt. Chris Mizurak put Andrew and his fellow anglers on the bite on the nearshore reefs and wrecks fishing with bucktails with squid.

GRILLED PEACHES

Ingredients:

• 4 peaches ripe but firm

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey

• Pinch of cinnamon

BACON WRAPPED SCALLOPS

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. large scallops

• 1/2 lb. thin-sliced bacon

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 cup good quality mayonnaise

• 1/4 cup siracha hot sauce

• 1 lime, juiced

• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish

Directions:

Heat the broiler. Wrap each scallop in a piece of bacon and secure it with a toothpick. Place the bacon wrapped scallops onto a baking sheet, drizzle them with olive oil, and season them with salt and pepper. Cook them under the broiler for about 10 to 15 minutes until the bacon is cooked through, turning once.

Make the spicy mayo by combining the mayonnaise, siracha, lime juice, and chopped cilantro. Stir well and refrigerate until ready to use.

Directions:

Preheat a grill pan or outdoor grill to medium heat.

Cut the peaches in half and remove the pits.

Brush each peach half with vegetable oil.

Grill the peaches for 3-5 minutes or until dark grill marks form. Rotate the peaches halfway through to get cross-hatched grill marks.

In a small bowl, mix together the honey and cinnamon. Brush the honey mixture over the warm peaches, then serve.

Coastal Fisherman July 29, 2020 www.coastalfisherman.netLOBSTER MAC & CHEESE

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter divided use• 2 tablespoons flour• 2 1/2 cups water• 4 cups whole milk• 1 lb. corkscrew pasta such as cavatappi or cellentani• 3/4 teaspoon salt• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika• 1/4 teaspoon pepper• 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese• 1 1/2 cups chopped cooked lobster meat plus more for garnish• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs• 2 tablespoons chives thinly sliced

is golden brown.

Sprinkle with chives and garnish with addition chunks of lobster if desired. Serve immediately.

MAHI FISH STICKS

Ingredients

• 2 mahi fillets

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 large egg

• 2 tablespoons half and half

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying in pan (see note for baking)

Directions:

Slice fillets into 3/4” wide pieces.

Prepare breading station: in one shallow dish, whisk egg and half and half; in another dish, place flour; in the last dish, combine breadcrumbs with garlic powder and Italian seasoning.

Season fish pieces with salt and pepper.

Dip each fish stick in flour first, then egg mixture, then finally in breadcrumbs. Coat evenly, shake of excess. Repeat with all fish pieces. Set them on a plate next to stove. Prepare another plate with a paper towel.

To fry in pan: heat up vegetable oil in pan. Fry fish sticks in batches, until golden brown. Remove onto paper towel lined plate to absorb excess oil.

To bake: preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake fish sticks on parchment paper lined baking sheet for 15 to 18 minutes.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 2 or 3 quart baking dish with cooking spray.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the flour, then whisk until combined, about 30 seconds.

Pour in the water and whisk until smooth and just thickened.

Add the milk and whisk until combined.

Stir in the pasta, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and pepper, then bring the mixture to a simmer.

Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is done.

Turn the heat to low, then stir in the cheeses. Keep stirring until the sauce is smooth.

Fold in the lobster meat. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, and stir it into the panko breadcrumbs.

Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top of the pasta. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until topping


Burro Gonsalez on private boat “Kilo Charlie” is working hard as he handles this marlin on a beautiful day offshore.

The bulls are coming! John Sharpley was fishing south of Ocean City aboard the boat “Alibi” out of Greenbackville, VA when he caught this nice mahi on Friday July 24th at the Lumpy Bottom. This monster weighed in at 32 lbs. at Captain Steve’s on Chincoteague Island.

It was another big tuna day for Capt. John Oughton on the charter boat “That’s Right”. He took anglers Steve Harbold, Steve Weaver, Anthony Moore, Wayne Bristol, Tom Lambert and Troy Turner from western MD trolling just below the Poor Man’s Canyon and got these 14 yellowfins to hit naked ballyhoo in 100 fathoms.


I remember many years ago watching a group of adventurers paddling up a jungle river in a remake of an old Tarzan movie. At one point, and without warning, a fellow at the bow of one of the boats quickly shouldered his rifle and fired a shot off into the water at the side of the riverbank. As the resulting eruption of water and mud rained down on the everyone aboard, someone asked the rifleman, “what was it?” To

which he proudly responded, “I don’t know – but I think I got it!”

That scene comes to mind every time I hear about someone who decided to bring home a fish that they caught, but have no idea what kind it is. When you think about it, you’ve got to conclude that it’s really kind of backwards, kill first - figure-out what’s lying dead in your cooler when you get back to the dock. If you don’t know what it is,

how do you know if it’s legal to keep the last remnants of a critically endangered species, or even safe to touch?

Back when I used to work at a marina it seemed that every few days someone would stroll into the tackle shop with a cooler, bucket or just a fish on a stringer and ask if I could identify this “strange looking fish.” If I knew that they had been fishing in the bay, I could usually answer their question without even looking at the fish. “It’s a stargazer,” I’d say with a confidence acquired from years of witnessing that most fishermen have never seen or heard of this local and fairly common species that resembles a slicked-up oystertoad on steroids sporting eyes and mouth on the top of its head (hence the name “stargazer”).

Even without looking I’d usually be right because stargazers were the most commonly hooked “whattheheckisitfish caught in the bay. Next on the list was the “lizard fish.” Hotdog shaped, brown back, white belly, triangular head, lots of teeth, voracious appetite – that’s a lizard fish. Particularly in the late summer and fall flounder fishermen would bring them in and always comment on the fact that they “ate a bait as long as the fish itself!” Other inshore species often came from minnow traps or cast nets and included, filefish, butterfly fish, pinfish, and the mini barracuda-looking sennet fish.

Inexperienced offshore anglers would also bring home their share “UFC’s” (unidentified fish catches). Topping the list would have to be the “ocean sunfish” which is related in NAME ONLY to the freshwater bluegill variety. Ocean sunfish (or mola-mola) are perhaps one of the oddest creatures in the sea as they look like a fish that’s been literally cut in half and left to swim with its large dorsal and anal fins. With small almost human-size and shaped mouths, these jellyfish eating critters will grow to over a thousand pounds and are often seen flopping about on the surface of the ocean, or

until some Yahoos who think they’ve found a disabled sea monster happens upon them and decides to bring the beast back to shore.

Other catches that often baffle deep-sea anglers include different varieties of jacks, mackerel, cutlass fish, eels, tripletails, monkfish, angel sharks, cobia, barracuda, and needlefish. I can even remember when a local charter captain had no idea, until he brought it back to the dock, that the big silvery fish he caught off Ocean City that day was a tarpon. Come’on bud – wa’d ya think it was some kind of giant shiner or something?

I don’t fault anyone for not knowing the proper name for every fish they catch. Heck, it’s big ocean, and there are no fences or signs to keep uncommon species from crossing into turf they aren’t expected to be, or to take a bait or lure that’s not intended for them. But I do have a problem with the “shoot first and ask questions later” mentality that has some fishermen flipping fish into their coolers when they have no idea if the catch is legal, endangered, poisonous, edible, or have laser-beam eyes that could burn an unsuspecting angler ’s head clean-off! Hey, ya never know!

On the flip-side, I’ve always had a lot of respect for fishermen who would catch something strange and, maybe after a couple photos, make the effort to carefully release it, and then come back to the dock and try and figure out what they had. It sure makes a lot more sense than having some guy in the tackle shop tell you that what you have soaking up ice-water in the bottom of your cooler is one from the last remaining breeding pair of the almost extinct whatyoumaycallit fish!

As we move into the second half of this summer season warming temperatures will bring new and strange varieties of marine life to our waters. Hopefully more fishermen will release first – and ask questions later.


What a way to start a bachelor party! Groom Brian Linback with brother Jonathan and childhood friends Trevor Wyand, Brett Berry, Asa Lepradd, and Charles Porter departed from Fisherman’s Wharf Marina with Capt. John Oughton and mates Dennis & Alex on the charter boat “That’s Right” early last week. As soon as they started chunking with butterfish at the Hotdog they connected with multiple hookups! After a short flurry of action they had 15 yellowfin tuna in the box and were back to the dock by 9:30AM leaving more time for the ‘party’ in bachelor party. Congrats to Brian!


10 year old Gabe Dalfonso of West OC and 9 year old Kyley Bielski of Mardela Springs, MD show off their catch after a great day trolling the Bass Grounds. They were aboard the “Drop Money” with Gabe’s dad Dave Dalfonso, ending the day with 2 king mackerel and 2 spanish mackerel caught on gold spoons behind planers.

Local angler Bo Schultz likes to fish and does not hesitate to travel to get to the fish. Here he is at the Bay Bridge Tunnel by Norfolk, VA with a 50”, 41lb. cobia he caught using bunker.

July 29, 2020 Coastal Fisherman www.coastalfisherman.net

Despite a thick fog early last week, angler Daulton Der was able to catch this 50 lb. yellowfin tuna while chunking on the north side of the Hotdog. He and fellow anglers Dominic Magnolia, Jon Der, Greg Der, Angler Daulton Der , Wyatt Stephens, Dylan Der and Chris Stephens (not pictured) were fishing on the 28 Grady White “Double D”.


5 year old Brayden Pielert does a happy dance after catching his first flounder all by himself. He, sister Ava and grandmother Sharon Pielert were fishing at ‘Stinky Beach’ using a live shiner. This fish was a little too short to keep so was released to grow bigger!


The crew of the boat “Fishbone” had a great time during the 16th Annual Ocean City Marlin Club Kid’s Classic. Here they are at Fisherman’s Wharf in West OC showing off their smiles and abundance of mahi!


The 16th Annual Ocean City Marlin Club Kid’s Classic was a hit all the way around. In addition to all the diversity of fish caught and ‘unusual’ catches, the event raised almost $7,000 for the Wish-A-Fish Foundation. We also saw these three girls share in the tradition of jumping into the harbor after catching and releasing their first marlin. From left to right are Brinley Hess on the boat “Slaughterhouse” for her white marlin release, Skylar Donohue on the boat “Griffin” for her blue marlin release and Grace Willard on the boat “Fish On” for her white marlin release. Pictured in the harbor at Sunset Marina.


How to be Cool

The recent above average heat and humidity reminds us how nice it is to have air conditioning on the boat. Most mid and large size boats have multiple marine air conditioners to keep us cool while on-board.

Many smaller boats are also equipped with air conditioning, some are even DC powered compact units allowing them to run from the boat's battery system without the need for a generator.

During the hottest days of the season, keeping your marine air conditioner running at its best requires constant maintenance. There are a few common areas that need constant maintenance during the summer season.

A marine air conditioning system is similar to your home's air conditioning; the marine systems removes heat from the interior space using refrigerant moving through the system just like your home. At your home, the refrigerant is circulated to the outdoor unit and cooled with a fan. On a warm day, you can feel hot air blowing out of the outdoor condenser, that’s the heat that was in your house.

On your boat, the system works in a similar fashion except that the heat removed from the cabin is transferred to the seawater, through the use refrigerant and a water cooled condenser. This seawater cooling circuit is a common source of trouble for a marine air conditioner system. The most common issue is a clogged sea strainer that restricts the volume of water flowing through the system. A typical system requires 3 GPM per ton of air conditioning capacity (1 Ton = 12,000 BTUs) or about 200 gallons an hour/ton. If debris or marine growth clogs or restricts water flow to your air conditioning system, the unit will not work properly and may have reduced cooling or shut down automatically due to high refrigerant pressure. If this happens, it is best to clean the system as soon as possible, you may only have a clog in the seawater strainer or you may have a buildup of scale in the entire seawater plumbing lines –requiring an extensive cleaning.

At the opposite end of the system, the evaporator (usually located close to where the discharge air vents are located)

can be a trouble spot too. Similar to the seawater side of the system but this time we need good air flow across the evaporator, to allow the refrigerant to remove the heat from the cabin. If there is a restriction in air flow, the refrigerant can freeze the coils, adding to the airflow restriction and this too can cause the system to automatically shut off due to high refrigerant pressure. A frozen coil will appear to look like a block of ice instead of many rows of shiny metal fins and tubing that make up the evaporator coil.

Just like your home, there should be an air filter that needs to be regularly cleaned

or replaced at or near the air conditioner evaporator in the cabin. This is not always in a logical location and often there is more than one filter. It is necessary to find and clean this air filter on a regular basis for best performance. On the discharge side of the evaporator there is often flexible ductwork used to direct the cool air into your cabin. Often these hoses and discharge vents are located in areas that are also used to store gear and supplies and boaters can inadvertently block this ductwork, causing decreased air conditioning performance or frozen coils. If you have completed the preventative maintenance work and are wondering how to

www.coastalfisherman.net July 29, 2020 Coastal Fisherman tell if the marine air-condition system is working properly – there is an easy test. Set the fan speed on the maximum level, let the system run for a while (15-30 minutes) then use a thermometer (digital is best) to measure the temperature of the warm air (return air) going into the evaporator (near where the blower is located) and measure the temperature of the cool air coming out (supply) of the evaporator. Most marine air conditioners should be able to cool the air about 12-20 degrees. If the temperature differential is lower than 12 degrees, you should have your system checked out by a professional, there could be a loss of refrigerant or other technical issue causing the system to not function properly.

As many of you know, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has many laws that affect the refrigerants used in air-conditioning systems. There seems to be an endless variety of new refrigerants and brand names used in today’s modern units on boats and on land too.

Most of the newest refrigerants are a blend, made up of many individual gasses, each with its own physical properties. If you have a loss of refrigerant from a system with one of these modern gases, the system should be properly evacuated to remove all refrigerant and after repairs are made, the system should be re-charged to factory specifications. The reason the modern refrigerants need special attention is that a refrigerant leak can cause one of the many components the gas to leak out disproportionately from the other compounds in the mixture, therefore topping off a system with modern refrigerants will result in an improper ratio of the gases in the refrigerant often causing unexpected decreased performance.

Checking your system regularly, ensuring good water and air flow will save you money in service and also prolong the life of the marine air conditioner system.


Chris Kokenzie of Harrisburg, PA caught a good size sea bass while fishing with Capt. Monty Hawkins on the head boat “Morning Star”. He put Chris and other anglers on the bite while fishing over a natural reef with clams for bait.


We got an unusual call to the office last Saturday from Walt Smakulski from Berlin, MD. He was down at Altantic Tackle in West OC and asked if we could come take a picture of his catch. As it is our custom, we asked what he had and he surprised us with the response - “atlantic tripletail”! These warm water fish have been found as far north at Massachusetts, however they are rarely found north of Chesapeake Bay. This one may also be only the second recorded tripletail catch in MD, the first one being in October, 2019. Walt found his fish while chunking butterfish and bloodline in 19 fathoms in Massey’s Canyon. Measurements from Atlantic Tackle were 27 ¾” and weight of 15 lbs. For his catch Walt will receive a Maryland Citation (the good kind!) and might be the record holder for largest tripletail caught in the state. With Walt are Capt. Nate Berkheimer, Mike Berkheimer, Meghan Krulock, Skye Dujardin and James Maxwell.


The bigeye tuna have been elusive this summer especially over the past 2 weeks, however angler Eddie Lippert on the boat “Just One More” landed this 139 lb. baby during the 7th Annual HUK Big Fish Classic. That catch combined with 3 yellowfin tuna lead them to the 1st place position in the Heaviest Tuna Division for the bigeye and 3rd place overall in the Heaviest Stringer Division earning a total of $103,050 in award money. Fishing with Eddie were Capt. Stew Hitchner, mate Brian Cartidge, Tom Corbett and Tim Corbett.

Only a few bigeye tunas showed up at the scales during the 7th Annual HUK Big Fish Classic. Angler Steve Holly landed one of them bringing this 243 lb. bigeye to the dock. Dante Sorriente and Shawn Hawthorn added 3 yellowfin tuna to secure the boat “MJ’s” 1st place position in the Heaviest Stringer Division for a total weight of 393.5 lbs. earning $61,425 in award monies. All of the tunas hit on ballyhoo on the troll.

Eddie Kehl rolled into some serious award money landing this 255 lb., 87 inch swordfish during the 7th Annual HUK Big Fish Classic. He and Capt. Jake Farley with mates Corey Schaible and Gary Rett on the “Roll Groove” were deep dropping for swords in the Washington Canyon when they landed this winner. Fishing with Eddie for 32 hours were Jeff Caroll, Bill “Squidnation” Pino, Bukk Pinl, Darren Helwig and Steve Poore.



The tuna divisions in the 7th Annual HUK Big Fish Classic were dominated by yellowfin tuna. Most came to scales weighing between 40 and the mid 50 lbs. The crew of the “Whiskey Kilo” however found a school of slightly larger fish in the 60 lb. range in the Washington Canyon and came to the scale with 4 large ones. This advantage let them dominate the tuna divisions with1st, 2nd & 3rd finishing positions in the Heaviest Yellowfin Division; 2nd & 3rd place in the Heaviest Tuna Division and 2nd place in the Heaviest Tuna Stringer Division! Overall Capt. JoJo Joachimowski and mates Brad Clark and Conner Tillman with anglers Zeb Zebley, John Allen, Brendan Hanley, Ian Hanley, Dave Black and Kevin McCabe earned $79,020 in award money.

The Heaviest White Marlin Division was competitive this year during the 7th Annual HUK Big Fish Classic. The weights of fish measured kept growing through Saturday to 69.5 lbs., then into the 70’s on Sunday finishing with 2 boats bringing 80+ lb. catches to the scales late in the day and within 45 minutes of each other. Angler Capt. Mark Murphy on the “Leslie Ann” landed this 80 lb. white and was just ½ pound short of the heaviest fish, yet held on to 2nd place in the division earning $6,525 in awards. Angler Tyler Robbins, Mark Robins and Mike Bradley with mate Jim Arnold also landed 135 lbs. of yellowfin tuna.

Last year’s big money winner did well to represent this year in the 7th Annual HUK Big Fish Classic. Zach Burt on the charter boat “Pumpin’ Hard” landed this 77 inch, 213 lb. swordfish in the Washington Canyon while fishing with Capt. Michael Burt, mate David Burt and fellow anglers Adam Glushakow, Kevin Hales, Dan Burt, Paul Corraine and Austin Townsend. This one held onto the competitive Heaviest Swordfish Division to earn $3,015 on award monies.


Day 1 of the 7th Annual HUK Big Fish Classic is traditionally slow at the scales since boats can fish for 32 hours straight. Capt. Croft Upchurch and mate Brian Riley decided to return early however to weigh this 82 inch, 243.5 lb. swordfish caught by Matt Facchina. They resisted sharing info on location as they were heading back out and held on to hold 3rd place in the Heaviest Fish Division earning $27,353 in awards.

Even though the scales officially closed at 8PM on Sunday during the 7th Annual HUK Big Fish Classic, there were still 11 boats waiting in the harbor to weigh in! Capt. John Azato with mate Vito DiFrancesco and anglers Hunter Unruh, Andrew Coffiey, Norm Wallis and Phil Shetzler were the lucky boat to be last to the scales at 10PM. It was worth the wait as the swordfish caught by Hunter at 91.5 lbs. earned the crew 1st place in the Small Boat Division earning $26,775 in award money.

The 7th Annual HUK Big Fish Classic was a huge success this year with 106 boats registered and 53 of them bringing back fish to the scales, most with several catches. These unsung champions of the dock worked tirelessly to measure, tag and transport all of the fish to and from the scales as well as assist the boats while docking. Pictured here on the last day of the tournament at 10PM after working with 38 boats they were ready for a break and a shower!


The 7th Annual HUK Big Fish Classic saw a lot of turnover in the Heaviest White Marlin Division. Saturday saw some nice whites in the 60 pound range ending the day with a tie for heaviest at 69.5 lbs. Sunday turned up the heat with whites weighing in at up to 77.5 lbs., but it was the “Chaser” who closed the deal with this 80.5 lb. fish caught by Shane Surrency. Angler Chase Burbage also landed a 52 lb. wahoo with both fish being caught in the Norfolk Canyon on ballyhoo. The combined payout for 1st place in both the Heaviest White Marlin and Heaviest Wahoo Division earned the “Chaser” a total of $119,385 in award money. Rounding out the team were Dave Wangel and Todd Burbage with Capt. Dale Gurgo and mate Shane Surrency.

It was a beautiful sunset on the last day of a great 7th Annual HUK Big Fish Classic Tournament at the Talbot Street Pier. 106 boats entered, many great catches brought to the scales, many bill fish released and a record purse of $891,560. Our thanks to tournament director Brian Roberts, the Lewis family and Sean Welsh for having us be part of this wonderful tournament.



It was a busy morning for the anglers on the charter boat “Restless Lady II” last week when they went chunking for tuna at the Hotdog. As soon as they had the butterfish in the water the yellowfin started hitting. Working in the frenzy were anglers Scott & Suzy Smith from Arnold, MD, Johnny Cupps from Annapolis, MD with Jeff Cupps, Mark Jordan, George Barr, Greg Barr and Nick Wells from Pasadena, MD. Capt. Adam Price and mates Justin Strouse and Nathan Price kept the lines straight to get these 15 yellowfin to the boat and in the box.


Capt. Rob Miller with mate Adam Glushakow and anglers Melvin Miller, Andy Mast and Tommy Attix of Hartley, DE took advantage of the hot tuna action last week at the Hotdog to land 2 yellowfin on the boat “Christie M”.

... July 29, 2020 Coastal Fisherman Page 5 Big smile for Rich Klina from Ocean Pines, MD. Rich took...

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Transcript of ... July 29, 2020 Coastal Fisherman Page 5 Big smile for Rich Klina from Ocean Pines, MD. Rich took...