On Friday, June 1, the FOMO, out of Lewes Harbour Marina, brought to the scales a 200.9-pound mako shark at the Mako Mania Tournament in Ocean City, Md. This was a three-day contest, but with the nasty weather Sunday, it effectively ended Saturday.
Since no makos were brought in Saturday, the FOMO was declared the winner. Capt. Len Karpen and angler Steve Randazzo took home $28,900 for their effort.
A 644.9-pound thresher captured first place and $6,225 in that division for angler Nick Skidmore on the Fish Ful Thinking. Angler Brandon Miller on the same boat added $1,890 to the pot with his 183.31-pound thresher. Second place and $10,035 went to Ed Ream on the SeaMent. The SeaMent also took home $17,700 for the most mako releases with six.
In the bluefish division, Randy Garner on the Teaser captured a 2.2-pound chopper and won $4,191. Ricky Winsor on the same boat came in second with a 2-pound blue and took home $1,440.
I am sure the new regulation that requires a mako to be 83 inches in length cut down on the number weighed, and that is not a bad thing. There may be fewer mako steaks on the grill this summer, but if that leads to more makos in the future, everyone wins.
Fish & Wildlife police
Each week I receive a report from the Fish and Wildlife Natural Resources Police on their activities during the preceding week. During the last week of May, they were very busy writing up violations.
They arrested a St. Georges man for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest while on the Mike Castle Trail near St. Georges. They also issued 13 tickets for fishing without a license, possession of undersize white perch, possession of sponge crabs, possession of shellfish from a prohibited area, undersize summer flounder, improperly marked crab pot, undersize black sea bass, unlawful possession of snapping turtles, no FIN number and over-the-limit striped bass.
There were seven people arrested for not having PFDs on children age 12 or under. This law has been on the books for many years, and we have not lost a child to drowning due to a boat accident since its inception. I do not understand how anyone who owns a boat could not be aware of this law and why they would put a child in danger of drowning.
Other boating violations include operating an unregistered vessel, operating a vessel with an insufficient number of PFDs, no boating safety certificate, failure to observe no-wake zone, no sound-producing device and no flares, operating a vessel under the influence, operating a personal watercraft after sunset, no throwable device on board, and jumping a boat wake on a personal watercraft.
The officers also become involved in issues that we usually associate with the state, county or town police. They arrested five people for possession of marijuana, three for possession of heroin, and one each for driving on a suspended or revoked license and driving without insurance.
They had 47 issuances of trespassing after hours on a state wildlife area. Sounds like a party to me. Possession of drug paraphernalia ended up with six violations. Two people were arrested for dumping on state property and one for obstructing a roadway or boat ramp.
Add to this a man and woman having sex on state property and two men doing the same. I wonder how the officer begins that conservation. Pardon me, but I couldn’t help but notice ...
As you can see, Fish and Wildlife Police officers have a pretty tough job. During hunting season, almost everyone they encounter has a gun, and I suspect some of the drug violators may be carrying as well. The next time an enforcement officer asks to check your boat, I suggest you be cooperative and remember he is only trying to keep you safe and protect our resources.
Fishing report
Last Saturday saw some good fishing in the Delaware Bay for black drum on the Coral Beds, and some kings, short trout and blowfish in the lower bay. Clams still work on the drum with bloodworms for the kings and blowfish.
The offshore fishing got off to a good start with bluefin, yellowfin and bigeye tuna caught out of 68-degree water from the Baltimore to the Poorman’s canyons. No real monsters, but fish close to 100 pounds were landed on the troll.
Surf fishing produced kings, black drum and blues until the storm Sunday. The water was very dirty during the early part of this week.
A few black sea bass and flounder were caught at reef sites 10 and 11.
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Eric Burnley is a Delaware native who has fished and hunted the state from an early age. Since 1978 he has written countless articles about hunting and fishing in Delaware and elsewhere along the Atlantic Coast. He has been the regional editor for several publications and was the founding editor of the Mid-Atlantic Fisherman magazine. Eric is the author of three books: Surf Fishing the Atlantic Coast, The Ultimate Guide to Striped Bass Fishing and Fishing Saltwater Baits. He and his wife Barbara live near Milton, Delaware. Eric can be reached at Eburnle@aol.com.
