Ocean City Maryland Spring Fishing Update

Been fighting the wind here on the coast the last few days, but still managing to catch some fish. Fly fishing has been good around the jetties and bridges in the back bays on good tides.  We caught a bunch of schoolie rockfish to 26" yesterday fishing deep lines and chartreuse half and half flies on the jetties. Had some hickory shad mixed in and some bluefish to 3 or 4 lbs.

 

On the first of the incoming we caught lots of blues on clousers rigged tipped with wire. The fish were easy targets chasing silversides in 3 or 4 feet of water.  Caught one gray trout on the fly but couldn't find any others.  On periods of heavy moving tide and high winds we fished back channels for flounder and had some nice catches up to 22" or so fishing half ounce jigs and Berkley Gulp grubs.

Gunpowder River Sulfur Mayfly Hatch Begins

Sulfur Mayflies have begun to show themselves on the Gunpowder River this week.  I have been fishing trips on the River the last 3 days and we have had some great fly fishing in the evenings. The sulfurs provide some of the best dry fly fishing of the year. The first mayflies to hatch are usually the biggest, around a size 14.  The fun part about fishing sulfurs is that they are easy to see too.

The best of the hatch has been later than usual with bugs starting to come off at about 4 pm or so. Our best pattern seemed to be a traditional dress sulfur dun in size 16.  We also caught some fish on soft hackles and sulfur emerger patterns.

We should continue to see the hatch strengthen through early June and hopefully the mayflies will hatch a little earlier in the day offering a good spinnerfall before dark. During mid day periods with no bug activity nymphs and swung wet flies took fish.  Partridge and yellow and partridge and orange wets are hard to beat.

Ocean City Maryland, Fishing Update, Flounder, Stripers, and Bluefish

Been fishing in Ocean City , MD the last couple of weeks.  We have had good fly fishing as is typical in the Spring down here.  We have been catching a bunch of bluefish on the fly up to 7 lbs. throughout the back bays.  Yesterday we caught several dozen rockfish on  the fly on the jetties and around the inlet up to 26". 

The 8 weight rods have been getting good use paired with deep sinking lines, our best flies have been olive and tan half and half styles in 3/0 . The water has been beautiful and as long as the wind has let us fish we have been catching.  A bunch of hickory shad are around too, and they have been eager to take the same flies. 

 Flounder fishing has also been heating up in the bays.  After fishing flies on the best tides we are often chasing around the flatties.  we have been catching some good ones on jigs and gulp baits in Assawoman and Sinepuxent bays.  Clean water is always the ticket when fishing flounder.  we should continue to see great flounder fishing all Summer.  New size limits this year are 16" and 4 per day.

Gunpowder River Fly Fishing Update. Caddis hatch heating up the fishing!

Fly fishing on the Gunpowder has been exceptional for the last week or so. The first caddis of the year have got the trout looking up and on the feed.  We have targeted various sections of the catch and release area on our trips during the last week.  Most of our efforts have been focused on the riffled areas of the stream.  The best of the hatch has been mid morning and fish can be seen rising actively downstream and within the riffles.

Most of the adult caddis we have seen hatching are size 16 and olive bodied.  We have had good success with a variety of dry flies the best being a 16 cdc caddis in olive.  Various small pupae patterns have worked well also tied on dropper rigs under a dry.

The first of our sulfur mayflies have also been spotted for the year also, and this hatch should keep the good dry fly fishing with us for awhile.  Will be on the stream again all weekend.  Keep you posted.  Jeff