Morning Star Fish Report

Fish Report 6/17/07

Bullhorns & Subway Cars

Hi All,

Judging by the boat traffic in the inlet this afternoon ~ summer's here. Same could be said of the fishing.

Still nicking away at sea bass. It's not too bad, occasionally quite good ~ sending folks home with dinner at least. Flounder soon I hope, and still the odd tog about.

Seven days - 350 some days of work a year is starting to wear. For the foreseeable future I'll be taking Sunday's off ~ maybe go fishing. Tucker will be running the boat that one day of the week. He started working with me when I was still on deck -1985- did 4 years in the Coast Guard and has captained boats down Costa Rica in the winter for 11 years.

I trust him with my boat and electronics and will give him guidance on fishing as well as all my spots...

There was to be a group of protesters -complete with signs and placards- at the shark tournament this weekend. A certain deckhand of mine thought that would be a great time to set up his own protest ~ a distraction. He chose his cause ~Free Paris Hilton~ made his signs, and bought a bullhorn complete with sirens and musical tunes.

Not one to shirk duty, I also bought a bullhorn. Just the standard Radio Shack variety - one that I could lend to anyone that wanted to help out.

Ah well, no protesters. They were going to protest the taking of sharks by the most conservative, release oriented bunch of sharkers around. Whether they backed out after getting their facts straight or were just posturing for publicity I couldn't guess.

There have been a few bluefin tuna inshore, yellowfins offshore and the first white marlin were caught -local talent- double header even.

We'll be throwing the lures off the stern every time we get near a shoal that might have a bluefin on it. Caught one 11 miles out last year on the fast troll and another on a rental rod baited with clam. I noticed that the charterboats didn't all switch to top and bottom rigs ~ must have been a fluke...

I'm fortunate to have lots of regular customers. Some have high expectations for each trip's catch, others -particularly those whose daily commute includes a portion of one beltway or another- are 80% satisfied once they've cleared the inlet.

And then there's Marvin. His infectious laugh and life philosophy are unique in the world ~ his fishing persistence fortunately makes up for his skill. Quick with a joke and always ready to join in with the joshing ~ he's helped convince many that the big yellow mansion we pass coming and going is my house.

It's that fishing persistence that can be somewhat irritating ~ when the boat's making a move he's always the last to wind up his line.

Did I mention bullhorns?

We were laying for him ~ volumes set to high - sirens at the ready. LINES UP!

It was a heck of a clatter. Haven't laughed that hard in years...

And then there's the more serious Subway Passenger Cars Project. The plan will be going before the City Council on July 2cnd. Partnered up with the Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative for this, the Reef Foundation typically funds and builds on the reef sites, but the Town of Ocean City holds the permits ~ the project needs to get approved. I'm confident that there's zero ecological danger ~ even more confident that the units will be a huge asset to the fishing community for generations to come.

All 630 of 'em.

A lot of folks have told me that they're waiting for approval before making a donation ~ that's fantastic! At $400.00 per unit we're going to have to find more money than ever before. I'm convinced that it's doable!

There's no way to create this sort of artificial reef 'footprint' for less ~ not even if we started tacking zeros on could we build this much reef for the money. It's an opportunity that needs to be seized.

I wrote a suggested reefing plan for the units and have included it below.

If you're looking for limits of sea bass I'll see you in the fall. There's still some good sized fish though and a few folks breaking 20 not too unusual. It's summer...

Regards,

Monty

Capt. Monty Hawkins
mhawkins@siteone.net
Party Boat "Morning Star"
Reservations 410 520 2076
www.morningstarfishing.com

Suggested Reef Plan: Passenger Rail Car Coordinates for Maryland's Marine Artificial Reef Sites.

6/14/07

General Overview:

Maryland's Coastal Artificial Reef Sites are under increasing pressure from a steadily growing fleet of recreational fishing boats and some commercial lobster and sea bass trap fishers. Over 75% of all marine recreational bottom fishing trips now occur on artificial reef. The Ocean City Reef Foundation recognizes the expansion of effort and has been working to increase the amount of artificial reef on permitted sites.

Now, with the creation of the Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative, there is an opportunity to more than double the coastal reef footprint.

Artificial reefs placements dating from the 1960's are now fully encrusted in coral. More recent placements, beginning in 1989, are well on their way to maturity. One recent monitoring trip revealed a placement 12 years old that was already 1/10 covered in coral.

During the past 6 years the positioning of barge loads of concrete culvert pipe and other manufactured cement materials have been the primary expense for the Foundation. Additionally, five steel and ferro cement boats have been obtained and sunk on nearshore sites.

Donations of trans-oceanic communications cable, an excellent reef substrate, have slowed as other countries are using the material for reefing.

The prospect of receiving 630 passenger rail cars is, without question, the greatest opportunity to create reef habitat at hand. Together, these units can completely build-out 3 recently permitted areas, finish 2 more that have been under construction for over 15 years and complete the deeper sections of 3 other reef sites.

This project will greatly increase local marine production and likely go a long way toward rebuilding inshore stocks of important demersals such as sea bass and tautog.

Similar rail cars have been in use by New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia for years and with excellent results. Each of these states has requested more rail cars as they become available.

Reef Plan for 630 Passenger Rail Cars ~ 42 Units per barge load ~ 15 Barge Deliveries.

Staying within permit boundaries is of greatest importance.

Listed in order of priority.

Unnamed Reef. Undeveloped site. Top Priority. Very long but width is restrictive at 2/10's NM. 3 barge loads ~ 126 Units. 38D 20.2N ~ 74N 56.05W To 38D 18.6N ~ 74D 56.7W . 70+ feet of water throughout. 57 feet required clearance. Tighter spacing of units preferred at 1/4 mile intervals with intermittent singles.

Isle of Wight Reef. Undeveloped site. High Priority. Existing historical wreck -Avoid. 2 barge loads ~ 84 units. Run one barge load from 38D 23.0N ~ 74D 58.6W To 38D 22.8N ~ 74D 58.8W. The second delivery from 38D 22.9N ~ 74D 58.95N To 38D 22.9 ~ 74D 58.5. There is 65 feet of water throughout. Permitted clearance 35 feet. Mounding of some units encouraged.

Jackspot Reef. High Priority. Existing wreck - Historical - Avoid. 3 barge loads ~ 126 units. North Set: 38D 05.6N ~ 74D 48.5W To 38D 05.6 ~ 74D 48.9W. Mounding encouraged. West Set: 38D 05.6N ~ 74D 48.9 To 38D 05.3 ~ 74D 48.9W. High mounding encouraged. South Set: 38D 05.3N ~ 74D 49.0W To 38D 05.2 ~ 74D 48.5W Scattered units better. Depth 83 to 98 feet. Required clearance 55 feet.

Inshore Bass Grounds Reef. East side of site too shallow - Avoid. One barge load ~ 42 units from 38D 17.9N ~ 74D 53.85W To 38D 17.4N To 74D 54.45W. 55 feet of water. Permitted clearance 27 feet.

Offshore Bass Grounds Reef. West side of site too shallow - Avoid. One barge load from 38D 17.3N ~ 74D 52.8W To 38D 16.7N ~ 74D 53.6W. 55 to 67 feet of water. Permitted clearance 27 feet.

Great Gull Shoal aka "Russell's Reef." Very large reef site. NW corner of site is where many "Memorial Reef" balls are located - Avoid. East side of site is too shallow - Avoid. Two barge loads - 84 units. First delivery positioned on a line from 38D 16.5 N ~ 75D 01.4 W To 38D 16.0 N ~ 75D 02.0 W. Second from 38D 16.5N ~ 75D 01.8W To 38D 16.0N ~ 75D 02.3W Some mounding encouraged. Water depths vary from 48 to 58 feet along the lines. The permitted clearance requirement is 20 feet.

Great Eastern Reef Site. Site units on extreme west side. Nothing to avoid. 2 barge loads - 84 units along a line from 38D 12.9N ~ 74D 44.4W To 38D12.1N ~ 74D 44.4W. Mounded and scattered units. Water depth 90 to 110 feet. Required clearance 60 feet.

African Queen Site. South east portion of reef has numerous dive sites and a historical wreck - Avoid. 3 barges - 126 units. 1 Barge load of scattered units on a line from 38D 09.55N ~ 74D 57.00W To 38D 09.25N ~ 74D 57.00W. 2 Barges sited west of a line from 38D 09.25N ~ 74D 57.00W to 38D 09.1N ~ 74D 57.25W continuing to near the southern boundary of the site at 38D 08.7N ~ 74D 57.25W. Mostly scattered units with a large mounded pile as convenient. Water Depths 62 to 75 feet. Required clearance 24 feet.

posted by Monty # Sunday, June 17, 2007

Fish Report 6/11/07

Sea Bass &

Hi All,

As is common come summer, the fishing is more variable and the passengers occasionally sunburned.

Mostly working hard for our sea bass. Easy some days, like Saturday's limit-out and home early, but occasionally struggling to get folks into double digits. Still nice fish, pool winners are averaging 4+ pounds. Flounder have been scarce so far, just a few. I look forward to that changing. Tog are only the odd bonus fish; we see 2 or 3 a day. Some bonus though! We had two over 15 pounds this week and about twenty tags.

Many of the sea bass are loaded with krill; feeding up in the water column, "off the bottom" as we say. According to Gosner's reference these are big-eyed krill, the small shrimp-like animals that whales feed on as well.

'Spect I need to find plastic "Gulp" krill, put 'em on tiny #22 gold trout hooks - that's what they're feeding on.

Thankfully, we can still nick a few on clams and various Gulp baits - the fleas, shrimp and crabs have worked well. I hope the chemist that came up with the idea has a piece of the action...

This feeding behavior makes the 'shelter' function of reef-like habitat more obvious. Sea bass will be 10 - 20 - even 30 feet off the bottom but never far from structure. Had they no need of a reef to scurry back to, to hide in, the cbass would be scattered all across the shelfwaters. It's a time when I keep a careful eye on the fishfinders hopeful of a new addition to my log of wrecks and reefs. Many of the spots that I fish offer little in the way of profile, as in a wreck that is easily seen on a depth sounder, and are only a collection of rocks or sandstone slabs with growth on 'em ~ natural reef.

Did find a new spot Sunday in fact. Just a quick shot of nice fish, didn't last long, but then no other spot did either. Shoot and move...

Odd. At least some recreational fishers are switching to scented plastic baits. The last few years there've been several new products come out. Ripple effects remain to be seen. Live/frozen bait market economics will surely shift. When we see the boys on 'Deadliest Catch' stapling a strip of scented material in place of bait and the crews on the multi-million dollar sportfishers rigging their dredges with 8 inch plastic "hoos" we'll know the change is real.

Ocean City lost one of it's favorite captains last week to a massive heart attack. Capt. Dale Brown ran the Tortuga's flounder trips for many a year. But at 77 years of age he'd seen many fisheries from the helm, often at their peak. Clamming, trawling, charter fishing ~ he was one of the fellows that told me about catching white marlin at the Bass Grounds scarcely 8 miles offshore. Several times in the early 60's his largest fish came from that area.

Baseline shift in the fisheries complicates rebuilding efforts. If you've been fishing a species for 10 years and then see an increase in catches you might say that fishing has recovered. However, if those 10 years were at the bottom, your 'baseline' -what you accept as the state of things- is quite low; recovery might very well still be a ways off.

If you took all the changes that have occurred at the Bass Grounds in the last 50 years and condensed that transition into 5 years there'd be a terrible cry from the fishing community. But no, our acceptance of today's fishing is based on our experiences ~ our baseline is skewed, the transition's been gradual.

We -as a country- really need to find the Capt. Dales out there and pick their brain. The old-time trawl skippers, trap fishers, clammers, charter operators ~ all of 'em. There's information there that's going to be invaluable if we're to recreate fisheries as they once were.

Meanwhile, we're scratching up some nice cbass dinners ~ putting a few in the freezer too some days. It's not going to be an easy summer of sea bassing, but doable.

Regards,

Monty

Capt. Monty Hawkins
mhawkins@siteone.net
Party Boat "Morning Star"
Reservations 410 520 2076
www.morningstarfishing.com

posted by Monty # Monday, June 11, 2007

Fish Report 6/3/07

Sea Bass & Subway Cars

Hi All,

A mixed week. Saturday's trip was among the best this year, other days we had to work harder. I believe that everyday saw at least one limit along the rail, but we also had some folks struggling to finally break into double digits. I even had a pair of fellows doing their utmost NOT to get into double digits. They just kept throwing back bigger keepers... Makes a customer happy -and is legal- then it works for us.

Took a long paddle one calm day - ahh, the fabled 'hot spot'. Lasted about 3 drops. Sheesh... Pick the anchors up; try another and another and then ~ Eureka! Doubles, good sized fish and a few firsts; the fishing was frantic. Had the first cod for the year -likely the last given the date- and the first sea robin and flounder. Sea robin? Capt. Orie Bunting always said "When you catch sea robins you're near the flounder." Often proves true.

Anyway, I had to rename the spot. Broke two fishing rods and a window in the sudden action - you'll know some of it's history should I tell you we're anchored over 'Combat Rock'...

If you've been fishing any number of years then you've had a period when every time you could sneak a trip in the wind howls. There's always someone who wears that albatross, usually for a period of weeks or even a few months. I have even taken reservations as "Mr. Smith" in an effort to shake the jinx!

And then there's Hurricane Murray ~ his luck with the weather has been that way for so long he could legally change his name and no one would notice!

Not quite living up to his reputation ~just a tropical depression today~ he does get out from time to time. Yesterday Hurricane brought along those dagoned plastic crabs -'New Penny' these, the Berkley product- and ended up one fish shy of a limit. Caught every fish on the "gulp" bait ~ most of 'em on the same one. When he finally lost that first plastic crab he put another on and, with his very next fish, recaptured his first bait ~ that next fish spit it up!

What's the world coming too... Dogoned plastic baits...

A charter boat is sitting in the parking lot - hauled out for repair. Months of preparation shot in a moment, all lost on their first trip when they struck a log.

There's been a lot of debris. Whole tree trunks, huge timbers, logs and just plain trash. I attribute it to the floods up in the NY region some while back. According to the news it was an area that hadn't flooded in anyone's memory. Several tug skippers have told me that the Hudson was a mess - a likely source given tributaries that haven't been 'flushed' in some while.

As the timbers drift they become more waterlogged -lower in the water- and far more dangerous. Propellers, shafts, struts, haul-out and the highly skilled labor needed to make repairs can do permanent damage to a business plan.

But, eventually, those timbers will sink - make a little reef somewhere.

And then there's the stuff we sink - hopefully to make a large and productive reef somewhere.

A huge project's brewing ~ steamrolling actually. Through the Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative, MARI, the coast is on track to get over 600 of the next batch of the NY City Transit Authority's rail cars. If all goes well, these EPA certified stainless steel subway cars should begin arriving in August or September.

Similar -but not stainless- units are now on the reef sites of five coastal states and are well documented to perform very agreeably as reef. Unlike the last batch of 8 years ago when Maryland was going to get 3000 of these units -and was the only state getting them until Delaware's Governor signed off on the project- they are now a tried and true artificial reef unit in wide use.

That's a good thing.

And, I don't think 600+ units will overwhelm our reef system. Spread out over 8 sites, I anticipate that marine growth -destined to become total encrustation of hard coral- will be swift. The fish will follow suit.

To me it's not about 'attracting' fish, although that does happen in the very early stages of an artificial reef's existence ~ it's about creating habitat where they can thrive - and are.

No one would argue that the reef life associated with a sunken tree wasn't naturally occurring - it's been happening since trees grew next to rivers that flowed to the sea. Our artificial reefs simply speed up that process. The substrate is sunk on purpose ~ all the rest is up to natural settlement.

I have video of an artificial reef sunk in the 60's. It is, by far, the most exquisite hard coral habitat I have yet found. And it's only about 8 miles out...

So, from groundwork I did some 9 years ago with the commercial trawl community, we have 3 new permitted reef sites that are perfect for these units and 5 existing ones. Rather than simply plotting out areas and having our Town engineer push them through the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) permit process, I met several times with trawler skippers to find pieces of seafloor that they already couldn't tow upon ~ smoothing the flow as it were. The new sites have been permitted now for almost 3 years.

This project is it. This is a chance to double our region's artificial reef habitat footprint in the space of a few months. The positive effects to Maryland's coastal fisheries will last for many generations ~ within a few years I would anticipate a fantastic improvement in the fishing for boats that stay within 10 miles of shore. Perhaps, given time and surgical fishery management, we can return the nearshore fisheries to their former glory.

'Tis a costly thing though. Not too bad in the scheme of things, but far more than the Ocean City Reef Foundation has ever raised in it's funding history in a year ~ let alone a few months!

Each unit will cost $400.00 ~that's about $800.00 less than our little barge loaded with concrete costs to site~ and each railcar probably offers triple the footprint.

It's a fantastic opportunity. For less than the cost of the average charter boat -less than a year's interest on some of 'em- we can change a whole fishery for the better. It's very likely that increases in reef abundance will also have clear positive effects on predators.

Name one of 'em - a few if you can. There are 3 new reef sites that need a name too.

$400.00 is a lot of coin but it will pay for a unit ~ $60,000 far more coin; a corporate sponsorship perhaps that would build out an empty reef site nearly two miles long by a quarter mile wide. Conservatively, it's possible that there could be over 20,000 anglers fishing that reef in a years time - 200,000 in a decade. Cost averages are quite low -incredibly low over generations- and that's with no attempt to calculate the benefit of resting other reefs, or scuba diving enjoyment, or the very likely benefits to the commercial sea bass and lobster community.

The Ocean City Reef Foundation is a 501c3 tax deductible non-profit ~ we'll be donating as much as possible to this project if it gets approved. We'll take all the help we can get! http://www.ocreeffoundation.com/main.html

Lets make this happen.

It's a good thing.

See you on the rail,

Monty

Capt. Monty Hawkins
mhawkins@siteone.net
Party Boat "Morning Star"
Reservations 410 520 2076
www.morningstarfishing.com

posted by Monty # Sunday, June 03, 2007

Morning Star Fish Report

Fish Report 6/17/07

Fish Report 6/11/07

Fish Report 6/3/07

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