Fishing Center

The recreational flounder season will be closed for 13 days this summer, and the size limits for ocean and Chesapeake Bay catches will increase under revised regulations released by the Department of Natural Resources. The new rules, which take effect immediately and run through the end of the year, close the season beginning July 25 through Aug. 6. The minimum size for the Atlantic Ocean, its coastal bays and tributaries has increased one inch to 17 inches. Flounder caught in the Bay and its tributaries must be at least 17 inches long, an increase of 1 1/2 inches.

Spring is a time for new beginnings, and that includes new hobbies. As the air gets warmer and the days last longer, it's the perfect time to try out a new outdoor sport. The Baltimore region offers plenty of opportunities for outdoor fun, from biking to paddleboarding. Thanks to local retailers that rent sporting equipment, budding outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen can try out new hobbies without investing too much money. Gary Weeden, of Annapolis boat and bike rental shop Paddle or Pedal, likens renting to test-driving a car. "Before you spend your money, this is a great way to try things out. Like with cars: Before you buy, rent and say, 'This is what I like and don't like.' " "If someone hasn't been on a bicycle for a while, and they're not sure of the type of bike they'll want to purchase, we offer several types they can try out at low cost," adds Jim White of Monkton Bikes.

Almost everything an angler needs to know about the three bodies of water owned by Baltimore City in Baltimore County can be found in the annual guide published by the city's Department of Public Works. The 2008 Pocket Guide to Boating & Fishing is a 34-page guide filled with helpful maps and charts to tell you what kinds of fish are hanging out at Loch Raven, Liberty and Prettyboy reservoirs and cool facts about the fishing holes. The booklet won't catch fish, but it will get you pointed in the right direction and help avoid trouble with the watershed police.

The mackerel run is starting to pick up steam off Ocean City, with customers aboard the head boat Miss Ocean City catching herring and 20 to 30 mackerel apiece last Saturday and Sunday.Last weekend, the Miss Ocean City ran south to Winter Quarter shoal, but Capt. John Bunting, master of the Miss Ocean City, predicts that by this weekend the mackerel will be much closer to the inlet.Weather permitting, the Miss Ocean City sails daily at 7 a.m. from the Shantytown Docks in West Ocean City. Trips end at 2 p.m.The cost is $30 per angler.

On July 5, Bill Bennett of Timonium was aboard the charter boat Job Site, trolling the 100 fathom line out of Ocean City in search of marlin.The catch that Bennett brought aboard Captain Mitch Pierson's boat that day was, to say the least, unexpected -- an 11-foot, 857-pound mako shark that may qualify as the state record.The state record for mako shark is 766 pounds.Bennett caught the mako on 80-pound test monofilament and mono leader. The fight to land the fish lasted approximately 45 minutes.

The Marine Traders Association of Maryland has elected the followingofficers and directors for 1991:President, Bob Slaff, Inshore Maritime Group; vice president, John Burgreen, Annapolis Yacht Sales; secretary, Sandy Zimmerman, Turkey Point Marina; and treasurer, Tom Best, Best Associates.Executive Committee:John Burgreen, chairman; Matt Gambrill, Calvert Marina; Mitch Nathanson, The Costal Group; Louis Phipps, Yacht Basin Company; Fred Quimby, Fred Quimby Marine Services; Tom Trainer, McDaniel Yacht Basin.

Each July over the past eight years, tuna fishermen have been drawn to Ocean City for the annual Ocean City Tuna Tournament, four days of competition that often have coincided with the height of the coastal run of yellowfin, bluefin and bigeye tuna.This year's tournament will be held July 11-14, with competition categories added and the top cash prize doubled from $50,000 to $100,000.In addition to categories for largest fish caught, most fish caught, and tag and release divisions for tuna, tournament organizers have added a catch category for dolphin and a white marlin release division.

Cast your luck at fishingThe second annual bluefish tournament sponsored by the Ocean City Fishing Center will take place Thursday to next Sunday. The center is home to Ocean City's largest charter fishing fleet, with more than 25 professional charter boats. Participation in the tournament costs $350, and 60 percent of the take goes into the prize pot. For more information, call Marci Seidel at 289-8121.Visit Life Saving MuseumThe Ocean City Life Saving Station Museum is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Displays in this quaint white building and lighthouse at the inlet capture the town's history through miniatures of historic buildings, authentic bathing costumes, maps of shipwrecks and five saltwater aquariums filled with sea life native to Maryland's Eastern Shore.

OCEAN CITY -- Delmarva Power, the Coast Guard, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and city officials joined forces this week to remind boaters to watch out for power lines."