Fishing Center

This fall, there will be a new tournament in town for Ocean City's bluewater fishermen, the Toyota Fins Offshore Game, which organizer Mike Pivec said "probably is the most level offshore competition there ever was."According to Pivec, the competition will have boats entered fishing the same five locations over a three-day period, with points earned for catches at each spot.Eligible species are dolphin, wahoo, tuna and white and blue marlin."It's similar to the skins game in golf," Pivec said.

While many anglers head for Eastern Shore creeks and rivers to fish the run of white perch, black bass fishing has been improving on the Potomac, Susquehanna and Wicomico rivers as the weather warms.Life Outdoors Unlimited's Ken Penrod reports that guides working for his service (301-937-0010) have had good success throughout the region, even though river water temperatures are cool.The Upper Potomac and the Susquehanna from Duncannon to Halifax are in very good shape for smallmouths, and the upper tidal Potomac and Wicomico in the Salisbury area are good for largemouths.

From the waters off Ocean City to Garrett County, fishing is steadily improving, and rockfish spawning activity in two primary Chesapeake Bay tributaries is peaking.The headboats out of Ocean City have switched from Atlantic mackerel trips to wreck fishing for sea bass, which Charles Nichols of the Ocean City Fishing Center said are "coming in fast."Yesterday, more than three dozen anglers showed up for the O.C. Princess' 7 a.m. departure from the fishing center.The run of Atlantic mackerel, which was the best in several years off Ocean City has ended, with the fish moving northward.

None among the 157 tuna weighed in at the Ocean City Tuna Tournament last weekend was large enough to set a world record and win a $100,000 bonus prize, but the tournament still paid out a record $106,000 in cash and prizes.Alan Kelley of Chicago caught the largest tuna of the tournament, a 141-pound bluefin caught aboard Capt. Tom Martin's Stand Up Girl, fishing out of the Ocean City Fishing Center.Kelley caught his winning fish on Saturday at the Hot Dog and fought it for an hour and 15 minutes.

OCEAN CITY -- As the first boats came to the scales late Thursday afternoon on the first day of the annual O.C. Shark Tournament, murmurs of expectation spread through the more than 200 spectators gathered on the deck near the Flying Fish Saloon.Mark Sampson, the tournament director, who has popularized shark fishing over the years at Maryland's bustling oceanside resort, had relayed committee boat reports of good catches of blue and mako shark coming in, and the crowd at the Ocean City Fishing Center was anxious and curious.

TILGHMAN -- Capt. Bud Harrison was standing along the starboard quarter of his charter boat Beaudacious early last week as a news crew from a Washington television station began conducting an interview on the spring rockfish season.What, Channel 7 reporter Brad Bell asked, were the advantages of going out with a charter boat, as opposed to shoreline fishing or taking out one's own boat?"When you go with a pro, he knows where the fish have been moving, what they have been biting on, and because of that he usually can catch "Harrison had been speaking calmly when the rod positioned in the holder immediately behind him bent deeply and the reel quickly gave out line.

TILGHMAN -- "Oh, not another one already," Bobbie Seger said to no one in particular as she left her deck chair and again took up her fishing rod. "I was just going to get out my book, but these blues won't give me a moment's peace."Two hours out of Harrison's Fishing Center in Talbot County, with 18 or so 3- to 5-pound bluefish already in the box, the fishing had indeed been good -- and there had been little down time for the Seger family of Easton and Oxford and their houseguests from Denmark.

Hurricane Felix hasn't materialized in Ocean City, but the huge, erratic storm adrift and losing power yesterday in the Atlantic roughly 150 miles to the east, nonetheless left its mark. Hardest hit were marinas and fishing boats, which were grounded for the week.At about $1,000 per day for a charter boat, losses were significant, said Annette Cropper of the Ocean City Fishing Center."We had to cancel our nature cruises Tuesday, and our fishing and nature cruises through the weekend -- all the trips were canceled," Ms. Cropper said yesterday.

Ocean City's famous White Marlin Open Tournament was followed by even more good offshore fishing. Though chunking for bluefin tuna was sporadic there were some good catches.Scott Stine of York, Pa., picked up a 92-pound bluefin tuna while chunking approximately five miles east of the Jack Spot with butterfish. He was fishing aboard the private boat Daddy's Toy. A 128 1/2 -bluefin tuna was taken by Greg Anderson of Edgewood while fishing aboard the Dollar Bill out of the Fishing Center. He was also chunking southeast of the Jack Spot.

The owner of D.J.'s Hunting and Fishing Center in Crofton has been arrested on charges of failing to turn in fees for fishing and hunting licenses totaling more than $48,500, Natural Resources Police said yesterday.John Charles Albero, 35, of Spindle Lane, Bowie, was arrested June 4 on one count of embezzlement and five counts of felony theft, police said. He also faces 34 counts of failing to submit money and reports, and one count of theft in a continuing scheme.An marine police spokesman said Mr. Albero has been released on his own recognizance.

Ocean City concert and fireworks: Uptown and Downtown Where:: Northside Park, 127th Street and the bay; or North Division Street and the beach. When:: 8 p.m. July 4 What:: Family activities and music at both locations, with a fireworks show kicking off at 9:30 p.m. How much: : Free What's nearby: : The Ocean City Tuna Tournament begins July 10, so why not brush up on your fishing skills before the weigh-ins begin? There are free piers and fishing areas on the bay where you can drop a line.

Learning to fish is easy, right? Take one fishing pole, one worm and just add water. But there's a little more to it than that, especially when the angler-to-be is a youngster. With school, sports teams and computer play competing for ever-shrinking free time -- and parents experiencing the same time crunch -- fewer children are experiencing what was once considered a rite of passage: catching a wiggling bluegill. Still, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources says that with an estimated 216,000 anglers between the ages of 6 and 15, there's plenty of life left in the sport.

Carole Lorden played 6-1-3 in the Maryland lottery and lost. But her husband, Don, struck it big with the same numbers during last weekend's Ocean City Shark Fishing Tournament, setting a state record for thresher shark. Don Lorden hooked the 613-pound deep-sea monster on June 13, the middle day of the three-day tournament. The thresher was just under 15 feet long, or better than two David Robinsons end-to-end, and was bigger around than Verne Troyer, or "Mini-Me," is tall. To put it another way, Lorden's boat is only 10 feet longer than his catch.

The locations Piney Run: All the rainy, chilly weather has kept the bass on the beds, say Jim Gronaw and Loren Lustig at the park office. Anglers are sight fishing with plastic lizards and worms. The fish are averaging 2 pounds, with a handful twice that size. Chicken livers and cut bait are enticing channel catfish. John Brosene of Sykesville landed a big cat weighing 6.59 pounds and 26 1/2 inches long. Huge bluegills are being reeled in by dock fishermen using worms and mealworms. Yellow perch are taking minnows and worms.

Fishing report The locations Piney Run: It's citation city at the reservoir, with anglers landing big fish of several species, said Jim Gronaw and Loren Lustig at the park office. Bring the kids out for some panfish action. Big bluegills are eating mealworms, waxworms and nightcrawlers, with anglers on the docks and piers using bobbers and bottom rigs. Largemouth bass are hitting crankbaits pig and jigs. The fish are moving into the shallows, where the water temperature ranges from 53 to 58 degrees.

The yellow perch run was pretty much a bust. The Susquehanna Flats is colder than my ex-mother-in-law's heart. And the Potomac is high and muddy. Good thing St. Patrick's Day is tomorrow and spring begins Thursday. Looking for a little cheering up, I called Kevin McComas at the Loch Raven Fishing Center. "We're waking up, stretching out and knocking the ice off things," he said. "There's 4 inches of ice in the coves, but it's spongy. A couple of warm days and it should be gone. The main lake opened up last week."

Fishing report The locations Piney Run: Channel cats are providing the action now, says Loren Lustig at the park office. Fish are running 2-4 pounds, with a bigger one occasionally tipping the scales. Cut bait and chicken livers will do the trick. Hydrilla beds are limiting shore action, so you're best off in a boat. Michael Anthony Orr of Finksburg received a state citation for his 8.8-pound, 28 1/2 -inch channel cat. Bass fishing has slowed from its frantic summer pace. Small plastics and spinnerbaits are the best choices.

By now I'm guessing you've seen the TV commercials or magazine ads that have adorable children urging grown-ups to "take me fishing." The ads and commercials are the work of the nonprofit Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation and the message is a good one, and not just because it helps create a new generation of readers for this column. Fishing's not hard to learn (although the number of how-to books and TV shows out there might scare you into thinking that you'd be better off learning bypass surgery)

The locations Piney Run: "It's basically a panfish thing," says Jim Gronaw at the park office. Slab bluegills are around the docks and crappie are taking minnows in the fallen wood. The crappie aren't done spawning yet. Skilled anglers are taking stripers in the 18- to 26-inch range on chicken livers and live minnows. Catch-and-release bass are being caught on plastics, and a few citation-size channel cats are being landed. Prettyboy Reservoir: The water level is down about 32 feet, making launching a "little hairy," says Duke Nohe, president of the Maryland Aquatic Resource Coalition.

Fishing report The locations Piney Run: Tonight's another session of fishing until midnight at the park. The fee is $3 per boat plus the park entrance fee of $4 per carload. Top-water lures will attract bass, say Jim Gronaw and Loren Lustig at the park office. A deep-running, rattling crankbait cast along the edge of the hydrilla beds is another excellent choice. Work the tops of the beds with 9-inch, heavily scented rubber worms. Panfish are sitting 18-24 feet deep. Prettyboy Reservoir: Fish the humps, lumps, bumps and points, says guide Duke Nohe.