Fish Report 10/28/25
ReeeeeePower!
ReeeeefRaffle!
Greetings All!
Oh Mercy.. Thought I'd take advantage of the recent calm - take a few friends on a Shelly Trip, see if we could nick a few fluke.
Departed at the crack of 8:30 into the calmest of calms on Monday (9/7/25) - a gorgeous day. Got a few miles off and lost my port engine.
Again.
Not simple, yet wouldn't cost a whole lot to repair (in boat repair dollars!)
..but that was the last straw.
Was going to repower this winter; now it's a task that will not wait. Going to put new Cummins engines with new twin disc gears in her.
Be applying some much needed paint too if the weather will let us.
Been time - for a long time.
Can't wait to be in debt again. (Ahhhh Jeez!)
People joke that boat stands for 'break out another thousand.'
In the real world it's spelled boatt (ten thou) and, for the second time in my life, boaht... (hundred thou)
Couple of em.
Sure will be nice to have new power though.
Grand Plans - I really cannot guess how long this repower job will take. Three weeks? Six? Will not keep it a secret when I resume fishing.
And, since I hardly have anything to do (wayaminit!) it's time to get the OC Reef Foundation's fall raffle cranked up.
Oh Boy!
As they have for almost 20 years, Benelli USA donated another fine sporting arm. This year it's a fantastic 828U o/u in 12ga. It's truly a fine shotgun. (I wish I could play the raffle!)
Park Place Jewlers has just been amazing these last several years. Not sure what and how, but they've pledged to sponsor us again.
This year too we have Red Sun Apparel in Selbyville pledging a prize of 50 t-shirts with screen art for your boat, kid's sports team - you name it!
Speaking of fine sporting arms, Larry's Trading Post is also onboard this year for a nice prize. Hmmm.. I suspect we'll draw a winner for Larry's prize the week before deer season.
Atlantic Tackle, AllTackle, Fenwick Bait & Tackle & Lewes Harbor Marina are all in.
Sea Bass Bob donated a perfect reef fishing St Croix rod. I'd sure anticipate Big Jon will sponsor some cool prizes; Shelly is donating a manicure/pedicure with a basket of goodies to match. (Seems like girls think about things other than fishing!) Jerry has made yet another custom rod, but....
Need More! We give away prizes every two weeks and then every week! We'll need more!
Need Help! Tell me about donation/s (not suggestions on who I should ask - am jammed up with way too much going on with my repower & impending reef work!) send to mhawkins@ocreefs.org (email is working now! Thank You Walter!)
The fall raffle is our number one fundraiser now - and a LOT of work.
Worth it too! This year we've sunk a barge, a boat, and over a thousand pyramids with more boats and pyramids (TYVM Kinsley Materials and Bear Concrete!) coming soon!!
Artificial reef is looked down upon by some. Just within 12 miles of Ocean City inlet I can identify almost 6 square miles of natural temperate patch reef that were lost to industrial fishing decades ago..
Rebuilding that footprint of lost reef is crucial to restoring fisheries to post WWII levels.
It's 100% doable.
Maryland is the only ocean state from MA to TX that lacks a state marine artificial reef program. Our little non-profit is it.
We've already made a difference that will last many generations.
Let's Do More!
Cheers!
Monty
(PS - have a piece coming on MRIP that shows how absolutely wrong NOAA's recreational catch estimates are..)
Capt. Monty Hawkins
mhawkins@morningstarfishing.com
mhawkins@oceeefs.org
Reef Restoration Makes Fisheries Restorations Simple!