This is where Delaware Lightship was once anchored however, a large platform buoy equipped with both lights and a transmitter to alert cargo ships of the approach channel to Delaware Bay has replaced the ship. More often than not, all four rods will go down at the same time and everyone onboard will be grunting and groaning trying to lĪsk anyone who fishes out of Delaware's Indian River Inlet where to find bluefish and most will tell you to head about 20 miles offshore on a course of 120 degrees until you see a post sticking out of a floating platform in the ocean. Usually, I'll rig up some heavy-action spinning outfits or lightweight boat rods for trolling, and then drag the lures over the dropoffs near the wreck site. When the tuna bite is off, or the weather's just too sloppy to run offshore, I can usually find all the slammer bluefish anyone can handle at this location. "The Bass Grounds is one of those locations that has saved a lot of days for charter captains. Therefore, under these circumstances, he fishes closer to the inlet, but still provides his parties with lots of big fish action. He is a veteran charter captain who spends a lot of time chasing tuna, marlin, dolphin and wahoo along the canyon edges, but there are days when the weather will not permit anyone to venture that far offshore. He'll run offshore in his 26-footer that cruises at 30 knots on a calm day. Ohler caters to smaller parties, often four or fewer anglers. "I've caught most of the bigger bluefish here over the past 20 years while trolling 10-inch-long Hoochy-Trolls, red surgical hose eels, and an old lure made from a length of lightweight chain with a bucktail head called a Rag-Mop," said Captain Ted Ohler, skipper of the charter boat Volcania out of Ocean City he can be reached at (410) 879-0939. While the DNR no longer maintains the reef, the Ocean City Reef Foundation continues to add materials ranging from lengths of concrete pipe to abandoned boats, which have been cleaned and then sunk at the site. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) put this reef in place many years ago. This particular spot has always been popular for anglers seeking seabass and tautog, both of which congregate within the submerged rubble of an artificial reef. Large schools of this game fish will lay claim to an area known locally as the Bass Grounds, which is located about 12 miles due east of Ocean City Inlet. The bait is attached to a 5/0 to 7/0 stainless hook by passing the hook through the thick end of a 4- to 6-inch slab of meat that still has the skin attached.Īs the season progresses from late July into August, additional schools of bluefish will arrive on the scene. Use just enough to keep the blues around your boat, but don't feed them too much or they'll soon stop eating or vanish into the deep.įor bait, fresh-cut slabs of bunker, butterfish, spot or any other oily species seems to work just fine. This puts just enough chum in the water to get and keep bluefish around. Mix the chum with equal parts of water, then cast it overboard at the size of a large soup ladle filled to capacity every 30 seconds. Two five-gallon buckets filled with chum is usually enough to last most of a tidal change, especially during July and August when water temperatures are in the low 70s and the fish are actively feeding. The most effective method involves the use of fresh-ground menhaden: the fresher, the better. This can be done from an anchored boat, or if conditions are favorable (light winds and slight tides), from a drifting boat.Ĭhumming is an art, a technique that involves more than just tossing chum in the water and waiting for the fish to arrive. Topwater action can occur at almost any time through the end of August however, as water temperatures rise, chumming with ground menhaden is the preferred method of attracting large schools of slammer bluefish. Additionally, unless the blues are actively feeding, do not cast into the middle of the school, as this, too, would be something unnatural. It doesn't take much noise to send them scurrying toward the bottom and going off their feed. When the fish are feeding on the ocean's surface, they tend to be extremely wary because of their increased vulnerability to larger predators, such as sharks and tuna. Avoid dropping things on the deck, limit your movements and turn the VHF radio down. The secret to success here is to motor upwind or upcurrent of the school, kill the engine and allow the boat to drift to the fish.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |