Tautog

Piney Run -- Fall fishing tournament Oct. 7 from 6 a.m. to noon, with $300 going to the largest legal tiger musky. Jim Gronaw reports of some largemouth bass caught by anglers using senkos. Some channel cats are being caught on chicken livers and cut baits. Prettyboy Reservoir -- According to Joe Butta, the window for bass is relatively small, with anglers needing to catch the fish as they move from deep structuring to the shallower water for feeding. This is usually in the early mornings or late evenings, using crankbaits, plastics or jigs.

If the unseasonably warm weather has your auto-cast finger twitching, there still is plenty of decent fishing around in fresh and salt water.In the lower bay, bluefish, sea bass and sea trout are still active. zTC Try the wrecks and stony bottoms for sea bass while using squid. Blues will take trolled spoons or hoses. Spoons cast into breaking schools work well also. The Middle Grounds, Tangier Sound and the mouth of the Potomac all have been good spots for blues.In the middle bay, the same methods will work well for blues in the 3- to 6-pound range, but the fish are reported moving south quickly as the weather cools, and catching them may take some work.

Ocean City saw its first puppy drum of the season last weekend, a 10-pounder taken by Richard Gorleski of Denton as he was drifting near the South Jettywith squid. Ocean City got quite a number of puppy drum last season, so this is a good sign of more to come.They normally are taken on cut mullet or sand fleas. Most of the time the anglers are either fishing for tautog at the jetties or bluefish in the surf when they catch these fish.Puppy drum feed on worms and crabs turned up by the waves.

The O.C. Princess described by its owners as the ultimate fishing, and cruising boat, has been added to the fleet of party boats that serve Ocean City fishermen.The 88-foot O.C. Princess, which operates out of the Shantytown Pier, will run to the fishing grounds at 30 miles per hour. Its cabin is heated and air-conditioned, and is equipped with a galley to serve breakfast, lunch or dinner.The reason for the speed and accommodations is, said Charles Nichols, vice president of the Shantytown Marina, that fishing should be pleasant for families that come to Ocean City.

**** EXCELLENT*** GOOD** FAIR* POORSalt waterOCEAN Inshore *** Small blues, puppy drum, flounder, kingfish and spot have been taken in the surf at Ocean City and Assateague, with mullet and bloodworms the best baits. Tautog continue to hit sand fleas at the Inlet and along stone bullheads. Some flounder to be had on drifted minnows from the Route 50 bridge.Offshore * Large sea bass have been taken from the wrecks. Small sea trout have been hitting at Little Gull Shoals. Some long-fin albacore were turned up at the canyons last week.

Labor Day doesn't mean the end of fishing. Some of the best offshore fishing is happening now. Anyone watching the overnight boats come into port will see there are plenty of yellowfin tuna and dolphin.We recently watched the Mud Bucket II arrive at the Talbot Street Pier with six tuna in the 40- to 60-pound range and 30 dolphin.Later we saw the Full House come in at Bahia Marina with 21 yellowfin tuna and a couple of dolphin.Anglers with smaller boats shouldn't feel left out. There is plenty of action closer in. About 5 miles off the beach, Spanish mackerel are hitting on small spoons, and the first and second lumps of the Bassgrounds are seeing false albacore, king mackerel, Spanish mackerel and even bonito.

The two gentlemen on the Cindy Maru had it down, this business of drifting for white perch. And over the space of an hour or so yesterday morning, a parade of fishing boats formed at the mouth of the Severn River, following the lead of the Cindy Maru.So, with a half-dozen bloodworms on board -- left in the cooler from the previous evening -- it seemed only natural to fall in line for a short while and ride the current and wind across the 23- to 22-foot flats to the rise of the bar at Tolley Point.

The charter boat Reelistic, with Capt. Bill Verbanas, drifted in an eerie darkness. It was an overnight shark trip and the anglers had not seen a fish in four hours. Earlier, during the daylight hours, they caught numerous bluefish and several blue sharks.The mate wandered over and watched the five-gallon bucket of frozen chum, slowly melting inside a plastic milk crate tied off near the transom of the boat. He scanned the black slick made by the chum, and noted the position of the ballons that floated the bait away from the boat.

Saturday is youth deer hunting day in Maryland and wildlife biologists say if weather conditions are favorable participating hunters could take as many as 2,000 deer statewide.In order to participate, hunters under 16 must have a state junior hunter license or a non-resident license and be accompanied by a licensed or exempt hunter 21 or older. Adults cannot hunt or carry a firearm, bow or other hunting device."This special youth deer hunting season provides an opportunity for young people to receive the undivided attention of an adult willing to pass on hunting techniques, safe gun-handling skills and the enjoyment of hunting," said DNR Secretary John R. Griffin.

It's that time of year when the locals head out to their favorite flounder hole and give it one last try. The flounder are making their move as they sense the coming of fall and the call of the Continental Shelf.There was a flounder lull for a couple of weeks, and many `D anglers gave up the search for the elusive fish. Now the flounder are back, and anglers are fishing for them once again.Since the flounder are heading out, it makes sense that the inlet area has been a hot spot for fluke.