FEBRUARY
The Triangle Reef
Sea bass fishing heats up off Virginia Beach.
Winter wreck fishing heats up this month off Virginia Beach, where species like black sea bass like to hang out in structure and get a bite to eat. Anglers can also hook into flounder, puppy drum, and gray trout (aka weakfish). One favorite spot is the Triangle Reef, which consists primarily of four sunken Liberty ships and a Coast Guard cutter.
Eighteen American shipyards built more than 2,710 Liberty ships between 1941 and 1945, an average of three ships every two days. The ships were made assembly-line style from prefabricated sections and were usually named after famous Americans, starting with the signatories of the Declaration of Independence. Seventeen of the Liberty ships were named in honor of outstanding African-Americans like Booker T. Washington and Harriet Tubman. Three of the Liberty ships broke in half without warning, including the SS John P. Gaines, which sank off the Aleutian Islands, resulting in the loss of 10 lives. Around 100 of these decommissioned ships are now helping marine ecosystems by providing habitat and, consequently, creating sport and sustenance for anglers.
Typically, we find hungry sea bass in water from 50-100 feet deep. I prefer a quality lever drag reel loaded with 20-pound braid on a six-foot, six-inch medium-heavy action rod. Cut squid on 3/0 to 5/0 hooks fished on a bottom rig with a 4- to 10-ounce sinker works well. Diamond jigs, butterfly jigs, and soft-plastic jigs bounced along the bottom also produce strikes.
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The Best Time for Indoor Action
With many boaters and anglers feeling pent-up and looking forward to warmer weather ahead, this month tends to dominate the calendar year for indoor social, educational, and retail events. Those in Maryland include the Edgemere Bait and Tackle Fishing Expo (February 1-2), the Annapolis Maritime Museum lecture series (February 6, 13, 20, 27), the Pasadena Sportfishing Expo and Nautical Craft Show (February 15-16), the National Outdoor Show (February 21-22), the Annapolis Anglers Club Saltwater Fishing Expo (February 22nd), and the Mid-Shore Fishing Club Flea Market (February 22nd). The 42nd Annual Seaside Boat Show in Ocean City (February 14-17) is the biggest of them all, taking over the Roland E. Powell Convention Center with about 150 vendors, including boat dealers with more than 350 boats as well as a huge selection of nautical and fishing equipment. The show is organized by the Ocean City-Berlin Optimist Club. Proceeds from the event provide educational scholarships for local students.
Angling for a Cause
The Big Rock Foundation has continued its astounding success, announcing allocations of more than $1.7 million in 2024 to charitable community and conservation causes. Ironically, a Hatteras, North Carolina, captain and crew won a cash prize of $1,729,750 on the first day of the 66th Annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament last June, catching a 504-pound blue marlin. That tournament attracted more than 300 boats and created a total purse of $7,560,575. Foundation funding from participants, retail customers, sponsors, and others comes from the marlin tournament as well as the Keli Wagner Lady Angler Tournament and the Big Rock Kids Tournament. Charitable contributions included $83,000 to the Town of Atlantic Beach for enhancements to the bridge abutment at 809 Atlantic Beach Causeway, one of the area’s few public sound-side access points. The foundation also donated $22,500 to the International Game Fish Association to support the world’s largest citizen-based satellite tagging program for blue marlin.
-by Chris Knauss
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