Fish Report 7/16/2006

Roller coaster still...

Hi All,

I almost sent a 'fish report' after 3 rock solid great days last week. It really was May in July. Many limits. Nice.

Now it's July again!

Which isn't all bad this year. Not bad at all really. Saturday's trip was a bit slower than I'd care for but I'd found a shot of flounder and worked 'em a while. One young man had a double header of keepers. A few folks limited on the flat ones - the largest was 6 3/4 pounds. Some never did catch a flounder that day, though I'm sure everyone had a sea bass dinner.

Those flounder were the exception! We've not been seeing them to speak of. Perhaps soon...

Sea bass remain the target - occasionally some limits.

Today, 7/17, fishing was very kind; about 1/2 the rail was limited...

I've been seeing schools of small sea trout on the fishfinders in some of the inshore sloughs. What you 'see' on electronics isn't really confirmed until you swing one over the rail. One of the half-day boats did just that Saturday - small throwbacks. Really small.

This happened last year too, but a little later in the season. It's new to me. We used to see big schools of small trout (weakfish) in the second to third week of August. In the 80's there weren't any limits and we pounded those smalls pretty hard! But not in July - we were plenty hungry enough to have tried 'em if we saw 'em - they weren't there.

No ideas - no theory on why. They're just really early and really small - two years running...

In Able an Fahay's "First Year in the Life of Estuarine Fishes..." their data shows growth rates for the first year would put newly spawned fish at about 1 1/2 to 3 inches so these fish, about 8 inches, must have been spawned last year.

Sea trout - they spawn multiple times each summer - should be on the increase. Every year we see huge schools of smalls coming down the beach well into October. It's beginning earlier now than ever. But there's no 'comeback' of the larger tiderunners.

Many think that predation by stripers and bluefish, especially on the overwintering grounds, is the problem.

This will be one of fishery management's toughest fixes.

Would the larger nearshore species - the predators - prefer menhaden?

Don't know, but when trout were incredibly thick in the late 70's we sure had plenty of blues too...

Regards,

Monty

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