Fish Report 7/14/25
Opening Reservations To Sept 1st -
Some Tough Days - Cold on Bottom!
Inshore Mahi Just Beginning -
New Reef Deployments & Explorations..
Fishing Sea Bass/Flounder or Mahi Everyday Weather Allows - Catching some flounder too on cbass runs - Haven't seen a cbass limit in a while(!) Have seen some very tough days with sporadic good trips. Sea bass bite quite fussy of late!..
And just found out why they're fussy on a reef monitoring dive trip Sunday - it's COLD down there. Divers (7/13) were telling (err, complaining!) to me it's 49 on the bottom on top of Jackspot! (Certainly our warmest reef outside 5nm!) It has to be colder still anywhere deeper. Surface temps 79/80 degrees - 30+ degrees colder on bottom.
Holy Thermoclines Batman!
Sea Bass/Founder/Mahi Reservations Are Now open Through Sept 1st. 2025.
Mahi Trips: Every Week to Sept 1st - Sunday through Thursday $250.00 - 6:30 to 3:30 - Twelve Anglers Sells Out - we fish everyone on one side and accros stern where lines favor the drift. Limit 10 mahi per person (and wouldn't that be nice!) Light spinning tackle provided - Anglers are welcome to bring their own light tackle. If mahi just won't cooperate (happens!) I'll try to get some cbass/flounder for dinner!
And if mahi fishing goes toes up? Will redo this schedule!
Otherwise..
Sailing for sea bass/fluke Fridays & Saturdays 6:30 to 3:30 at $165.00 — All Sea Bass (& hopefully some Flounder!) Trips Sell Out at 18 Anglers. I sail up to a half-hour early if all are aboard..
And if mahi fishing goes toes up? Will redo this schedule!
Am now charging 10% gratuity for parties of five or more as a failsafe for crew. Most will surely see robust effort and sweeten that figure..
My long time friend and reigning Reef Queen (handles reef matters & mail!) - Marisa has taken over the helm on my reservation line.
Truly a sharp gal; she is still but a one person operation - & with a toddler at that. My anglers have enjoyed many more live answers and faster voice mail/text responses than in recent years. Have had many positive comments about Marisa already. If she cannot pick up, (she might be putting her 1 yo very handsome future angler down for a nap or any other Mom duty!) leave her a message or text her. She's been getting back to folks quickly.
Reservations at 443-235-5577 - The line closes at 8pm and reopens at 8am. Marisa won’t take reservations for trips that are not announced - but she can note & pass along your desires.
If you want a spot for a summer sea bass/flounder or mahi trip call Marisa on the reservation line at 443-235-5577.. Emailing/FB messaging me is no good. I have plenty on my plate without following the blow by blow of reservations. I won't have real time info on what's available (probably no idea!) - but Marisa knows exactly. I do check email for questions, however, & Facebook messenger from 'friends' too..
Be a half hour early! We always leave early!! ..except when someone shows up right on time.
Clients arriving late will see the west end of an east-bound boat. Seriously, with a limited number of reserved spots, I do not refund because you overslept or had a flat.. If you’re reserved and are the last person we’re waiting on - you’ll need to answer your phone. I will not make on-time clients wait past scheduled departure because of a misfortune on your part.
Sea Bass Size limit 13 inches - 15 per person. Catching a few summer flounder (aka 'fluke' north of DE Bay) most days also - 17.5 inches on them at four per person.
There is no size limit on mahi but we encourage release of truly tiny ones.
I try to always leave a half hour early (and never an hour early!) I rarely get in on time either. If you have a worrier at home, please advise them I often come home late. It’s what I do.
Website was supposed to show latest Fish Report and be searchable for waaayyy back reports. It was also supposed to be showing Facebook posts..
Didn't.
Does now.
All trips are announced via email from the sign-up at
Trips Are Also Sometimes Announced on Facebook on my personal page & at Morning Star Fishing..
I post after action reports (or lack thereof) (and sometimes detailed thoughts on fisheries issues) for EVERY TRIP on my personal FB page and Morning Star page. Posts including OC Reef Foundation work will be included on those pages as well. Most should also post to my website now. You do not need to be a registered FB user to see my posts and should soon be able to see them all on my website morningstarfishing.com
Bait is provided on all trips. Jigging is always welcome - it doesn't always work, but when it does? Fun and productive - we'll have jigs you can borrow too.
No Galley. Bring Your Own Food & Beverage.
If You Won't Measure & Count Your Fish, The State Will Provide A Man With A Gun To Do It For You. We Measure & Count — ALWAYS — No Exceptions!
It's Simple To Prevent Motion Sickness, Difficult To Cure. Chewable Bonine seems our best over the counter preventative because it's (supposed to be!) non-drowsy. It's truly cheap & effective insurance. If it makes you a bit sleepy - but not suffering extreme reverse digestive disorder? That's a great trade!
"The Patch" -Scopolamine- however, is an anti-nausea prescription that beats all comers.
If the ocean still wants to get the better of you? Zofran (anti-nausea frequently given by physicians and especially in surgery) can be a day saver. iI you have it left over from a prescription, bring it - if only for someone unprepared. We sometimes have a few aboard also.
Honestly - If you get to go on the ocean once a month, once a year or even less; why risk chumming all day?
Ahhhh, then there's the ebullience of youth! Of course you can party hard all night and go on a moderately calm ocean..
No you can't!
If you howl at the moon all night? Chances are good you'll howl into a bucket all day.
Get Rest & Take Preventative Medicine!
Please Bring A Cooler With Ice For Your Fish – We Do Not Mix Different Party's Catches In a "Boat Cooler" - A 48 Quart Cooler Is Fine For A Few People. Do Not Bring A Very Large Cooler. We have some loaners - you'll still need ice. I want your catch memorable even after the dishes are washed! Should you catch some monstrous fish, we’ll be able to ice it.
No Galley! Bring Food & Beverages To Suit. A few beers in cans is fine for the ride home.
Our daily fish pool is a $20 Split Pool - half goes to the heaviest sea bass or advertised species announced in AM. Perhaps summer flounder/fluke or mahi, for instance - and half goes to our daily 50/50 reef raffle. Reef building works wonderfully off our coast - we're building fish habitat & growing coral like crazy! I do all I can to fund/build & promote it.
Reef Blocks - As of 7/14/25 we have 44,084 Reef Blocks (mostly in units) & 2,551 Reef Pyramids (170lb ea) deployed at numerous ACE permitted ocean reef sites. There are also 1,336 pyramids deployed by MD CCA at Chesapeake Bay oyster sites working to restore blue ocean water. The Chesapeake will soon have many, many more. Counting those awaiting deployment at cement plants, there have been about 6,000 pyramids made since my crew and I fashioned a prototype mold in late August 2019.
Currently being targeted oceanside with reef block units: Crystal Ann Brinker's Memorial Reef - 192 Reef Blocks (mostly loose to create a foundation) - Ryan & Shari's Bay Breeze Reef 208 Pyramids (soon adding 416 more from Kinsley Materials in York PA!) - Uncle Murphy's Reef 284 Reef Blocks - Rambler Reef 488 Reef Blocks & 13 Pyramids - Pete Maugan's Memorial Reef 156 Blocks & 14 Pyramids - Calder's Reef Improvement - 224 Blocks & 12 Reef Pyramids - Virginia Lee Hawkins Memorial Reef 570 Reef Blocks (+98 Reef Pyramids) - Capt. Jack Kaeufer's/Lucas Alexander's Reefs 2202 Blocks (+57 Reef Pyramids) - Doug Ake's Reef 4,214 blocks (+16 Reef Pyramids) - St. Ann's 3,035 (+14 Reef Pyramids) - Gratitude Reef 360 Blocks & 12 Pyramids - New Reef at Jackspot #1 - 60 Blocks - and Another new reef at Jackspot #2 - 140 Blocks - And Yet Another(!) #3 - 32 Blocks - Sue's Block Drop 1,810 (+30 Reef Pyramids) - Kathy's Cable 358 blocks (11 pyramids) - Rudy's/Big Dad's Barges 164 Reef Blocks (+9 Pyramids) - Benelli Reef 1,552 (+18 Pyramids) - Capt. Bob's Bass Grounds Reef 5,206 (first reef to cross 5K) (+ 119 reef pyramids) - Al Berger's Reef 2,090 Reef Blocks (48 Reef Pyramids) - Great Eastern South Block Drop (Now Bill Beacher's Memorial Reef!) 260 Reef Blocks (+10 Pyramids) - Cristina’s Blast 140 Reef Blocks & 2 Pyramids - Capt Greg Hall's Memorial Reef 362 Blocks (+2 Pyramids) - Forgotten Block Drop at Great Eastern Reef 75 Reef Blocks (and caught cbass there!) - Kinsley Construction's Reef 964 Pyramids - Bear Concrete Reef 512 Pyramids, 44 Blocks - New Unnamed Reef at Bass Grounds 208 Pyramids, 20 reef blocks..
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Reef Report 7/14/25
Greetings All!
Been a whirlwind of reef building activity recently. Sank a barge at Ringmaster's Reef Group on Thursday - Sunday morning Capt Stormy aboard the Tiki XIV deployed 208 reef pyramids at Ryan & Shari's Bay Breeze Reef - and Sunday I carried divers for a reef monitoring trip...
Been a long slow period for reef deployments - bursting open now!
Bottom fishing has been a royal pain in the elbow of late. Some days better than others, but it's been tough to get bit! Was on Sunday's reef monitoring dive trip that I found out why - it's COLD down there!
Divers (7/13) were complaining - "It's 49 degrees on the bottom!"
What?!? On top of Jackspot!?!
It has to be colder still in deeper sloughs. Jackspot is absolutely our warmest reef outside 5 miles in summer.
Surface temps of 79/80 even 82(!) degrees in July are not normal - they're warmer than usual so early in summer -- but 30+ degrees colder on bottom?
Holy Thermoclines Batman!
Was an absolutely beautiful day to go for a dive: Nick Caloyianis--two time Emmy nominated for U/W videography and long veteran of NatGeo and Discovery Chanel's U/W safaris - a man we at the OC Reef Foundation are truly fortunate to have on our reef monitoring team, Nick was joined by dive instructors Travis, Jason & Andrew for our explorations this day.
I so remember many Saturdays of my youth (translation: four+ decades ago) when a dive boat from NJ, DE or MD would give a Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! call on the the Coast Guard's emergency channel because a diver had made a fatal or near-fatal error in his dive calculations. As a young partyboat mate l witnessed a diver surface in an absolute panic - his eyes seemed to be bulging from their sockets. Capt John Steffy of the "Good Time Diver" leapt from his transom to drag the diver back aboard..
Then?
Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!
..and that's why I only carry the most experienced divers - pretty much just 4 main guys and those they'll vouch for.
Dive #1 was at St. Ann's Reef where Nick had shot pics I often use. Then covered in mussels; many of you have seen pics of a flounder next to a block unit or a sea bass contemplating escape into a tog condo (four chimney blocks tied together make a square pipe 'tog condo' if you will.) This time there were only encrusting growths & the beginnings of star coral colonization.
Why no sea whip? Perhaps scoured clear in a major winter storm? Perhaps too there's just not enough sea whip growing at that reef for good spawning. Am contemplating allowing blocks and pyramids to colonize with whip at the Bass Grounds or Sue's Reef (lots there!) and moving the pieces to Jackspot to spur the soft coral's spawning production..
Dive #2 was at the Bass Grounds where we'd sited concrete pipe cabled together in units in April 2024. Both were fully grown over on the two units they saw - inside & out.
Unfortunately visibility was kaput - 3 to 5 feet - so I cancelled the dive on a deeper, older reef colonized by corals where vis would have been even worse.
We'll try it again in two weeks!
Cheers,
Monty
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Reef Report 7/11/25 - another barge deployed at (Marci's) Ringmaster Reef Group..
Greetings All! (7/11/25)
The tug Southern Star with Capt Justin at the helm brought us over a century of fish and coral production this morning - a 75x40ft barge Capt Jerimiah had found.
Been a good while getting it lined up - but here it was.
Tow Boat US/MD Coast Towing's Rob Copenhaver, plus Adam, Gabe & Brett were today's sink team - with Billy making an emergency run with more gas for pumps. Took a LOT of water to put it down!
The team removed 144 bolts with wrenches and a sledgehammer - opened up a lot of tautog habitat. We'll surely build atop the barge too with reef blocks.
Today's efforts will be rewarded with over a century of coral growth..
Might be a few fish on it too.
The back story..
My regular contact at a Norfolk tug company on vacation, someone from the company left me a voicemail: "The barge is being towed north."
Not in two days.
Oh no.
Right Now.
I hadn't checked voicemail Thursday until a bit after 6pm...
I texted the tug skipper - "Be there around 8:30 am" he wrote.
Oh Chit!
Done daily chores for my boat, the Morning Star, I began to assemble an emergency deployment team for the 75x40ft barge we'd had donated some months ago. Thank Goodness MD Coast Towing's Rob Copenhaver was available.
Thank goodness too my neighbors put up with my mess. Pyramid molds, anchors and all manner of rope for reef building clutters my side yard. (Know anyone with a lot near WOC I can buy to store all this? Put a pole barn on?) Shelly and I fashioned a heavy mooring with two 100lb danforth anchors and loaded it in my truck for loading on my boat the next morning.
Mates Carlos and Owen secured mooring gear on the transom - then helped our anglers aboard for a regular cbass/fluke trip.
Putting out a heavy (for us!) two anchor set is no joke. Has to be done safely. Once I determined set and drift on station at Ringmaster's Reef Group, I used my boat's port anchor to get in position -- made my boat's anchor set so we'd swing slowly from east to west while deploying the mooring.
Slow is key.
Once released, a hundred pound anchor screams for bottom. Arms, legs, anything that shouldn't be tangled in with it is headed that way too. Reef building moorings must be deployed very, very safely...
And we did.
Next we hauled my port anchor back aboard and came about to make certain both mooring anchors were well dug-in to bottom. Unlike states building reef with huge ships and giant barge-loads of concrete pipe (eg - well-funded state reef programs!) OC Reef Foundation gets it done with private donations & many smaller pieces of reef such as tugs, barges, steel boats.. (see ocreefs.org to help build more!) Requires accuracy to assemble a decent sized reef with 3 or 4 boats/barges and a few thousand blocks.
Dern sure fish and corals grow on em. It's working.
Regards,
Monty