Ocean City MD Pier - 15Nov20

[Johnsfolly]

I might have preferred to be deer hunting with the crossbow, but MD has closed the Sunday hunting for deer this weekend and pretty much throughout the rest of the archery season . While folks were either trout fishing the catch and release in the trout parks, slamming urban trout, or hunting deer in Missouri this weekend, we fished the saltwater. I have been seeing reports that tautog or blackfish were being caught in the Indian River inlet in DE. We have been on a quest this year to try and get Livie to catch a tautog to add to her lifelist. Livie does not have a DE fishing license so we headed down early to the 4th st pier in Ocean City to try again. I had caught one tog there back in May and we have seen quite a few YouTube videos of winter tog being caught at this pier. Tried to get live green crabs at a local tackle store, but ended up with frozen sand fleas since they were out of crabs. We had some softshell crabs bait with us and bloodworms. Also I had been picking up a hand full or half dozen 2 or 3 oz sinkers each time that I was in a tackle store, just to be prepared for losing a dozen or more to the rocks when we went after tog. Our setup was a couple of long ocean rods rigged with pieces of crab or sand fleas and two lighter rods for bloodworm baits. I haven't caught a fish on my new Penn surf rod and was hoping to break it in.  

Livie got us off with a black seabass on the bloodworms. I was losing crab pieces pretty regularly to bait stealers on the Penn. I switched to sand fleas and landed the first sea bass on that new rod. No photo, but Livie fished it for a bit while I re-rigged the other long rod after losing it's tackle to the rocks. Livie got a seabass on the Penn and did get a photo.

 

Would have been nice if it was a legal fish, but still a nice local inlet fish. We both caught seabass on the long and shorter rods pretty regularly, but not like we have done in the summer where we would have fish on before we could get hung in the rocks and lose our lead, hooks, or both. Though fewer in number, these seabass were nicer sized fish and some had great markings.

At one point I was fishing the Penn and thought I had a bite. I pulled and felt like I was hung. I pulled the line straight up and felt a give and then a fish on the line. I got the rod tip high and landed the a small tog. 

Though Livie fished hard this was the only tog of the day . She's getting anxious and really does not want to tog when it gets really cold. We'll see if we can get it done sooner than later.

As the wind kicked up and the tide started dropping quickly, we left the pier for the gulls and headed home. I only broke one rod and we lost less than a dozen sinkers, we both caught fish so all in all it was a good day.

 

[Phil Lilley]

Fun...

[FishnDave]

2 hours ago, Johnsfolly said:

I only broke one rod .... so all in all it was a good day.

Wait...what?  Only broke one rod?? 😜

[Johnsfolly]

16 minutes ago, FishnDave said:

Wait...what?  Only broke one rod?? 😜

It could have easily been two 🙄 including my new Penn surf rod. 

[FishnDave]

Get you an Ugly Stick!  😂

 

[Johnsfolly]

29 minutes ago, FishnDave said:

Get you an Ugly Stick!  😂

 

I actually did the "bend" test on an ugly stick back in the 80's and broke the rod. I immediately put the rod down and left the establishment . 

[FishnDave]

46 minutes ago, Johnsfolly said:

I actually did the "bend" test on an ugly stick back in the 80's and broke the rod. I immediately put the rod down and left the establishment . 

Sounds like breaking rods may be ONE of your superpowers?

[Johnsfolly]

31 minutes ago, FishnDave said:

Sounds like breaking rods may be ONE of your superpowers?

Just might be. Car doors and screen doors have taken a few tips in my day as well . I can repair tips easy enough.