8/27/2017 Coastal Fishing Report Update:
Update after a Team FishTalk over-nighter offshore - Wow, offshore is pretty darn depressing right now, at least it was for us! Tuna and swords were non-existent overnight, despite trying the patch of clear water outside the 1000 fathom line off Poor Man's, where the is some life (two-tone dolphin, flying fish, ribbon fish) and two other spots moving in towards the 100 fathom line. The far water may be a decent bet for hunting whites, but there were no bites out there and no squid. Closer in at about 200 fathoms, there were at least squid to keep us busy... but unfortunately, they were the highlight of the over-nighter.
Bailing the commercial floats after daybreak did provide a bit of action, with most of the balls holding three to five mahi, though all were chickens in the three to six pound range. Plus, offshore is slow enough right now that lots of other people were also hitting the balls and by 10:00 or 11:00 all within range seemed to have been hit. Back at the dock, the NMFS survey guy said he hadn't seen a tuna in a week - ouch! Plenty of boats did catch whites over the weekend though, with several flying two to four flags. So if you're headed offshore marlin fishing is probably the best bet. Guys who really want the tunas should cross their fingers that the big blow expected mid-week shakes things up out there, which is a very real possibility.
8/24/2017 Coastal Fishing Report Update:
Flounder fishing around Ocean City and Indian River has been lackluster, with not many keeper flatfish in either of the bays. Despite this, the surf fishing bite has been good, and kingfish have been abundant. Small blues, spot, croaker, and an occasional flounder have been keeping things interesting in the suds. The Ocean City Fishing Center reports that blowfish fishing has also been exceptional in the OC bay area. Up at Indian River, sand fleas are reported to be the best bait, accounting for an occasional striper or sheepshead.
Offshore, the bite has been slow for most species. Sea bass on the wrecks are taking clam and peeler crab, and have been mixed in with some ling. There are also some flounder falling for five-inch GULP Swimming Mullet in chartreuse and pink. There have also been reports of cobia sitting on surface offshore, according to AllTackle. The marlin bite has been slow but not terrible, and most have been caught in the early morning hours of the day. Mahi mahi have been hanging around flotsam and other offshore structure such as lobster pots. The tuna bite has been slow, as it has been for weeks now.
8/18/2017 Coastal Fishing Report Update:
The Ocean City Fishing Center reports slow fishing offshore this week, with tuna few and far between. Despite a lackluster tuna bite, the white marlin seem to be biting more - just after the White Marlin Open has ended. Washington Canyon has been the better bet for the billfish. Although the overall bite has been slow, the Fishing Center did have some interesting news to tell us in that a wahoo was brought in by one of their boats yesterday, although we couldn't get the details on where it was caught.
James Coane, who's been mating on the Maverick lately, agreed, letting us know that it's been slow offshore with just a few billfish here and there (though they did tie into a 250-pound blue marlin earlier this week). Again, the area near the Washington sounds to be generating the most action but overall it's slow out there.
Meanwhile, chunkers working the 30 fathom lumps, the Hot Dog, and Masseys have been mostly disappointed. A few tuna are being caught but most boats are returning home with empty fishboxes recently. Many anglers have resorted to the back-up plan of deep-dropping for blueline tilefish and sea bass. If you want to explore that option, be sure to read Bass 'N Blue: Sea Bass and Blueline Tilefish, where you'll also find our new offshore bottom fishing how-to video.
Inshore at the wreck and reef sites the flounder bite has improved, according the the folks at Hook 'em and Cook 'em. Sea bass are also biting; use GULP swimming mullet on Fluke Killer rigs for the flounder, and squid strips or cut clam on bottom rigs for the bass. Things are still relatively slow in Indian River, however, with just a few flounder being caught, plus an oddball sheepshead or striper along the inlet rocks. Sand fleas seem to be the best bait for fishing the inlet lately.
The inlet in Ocean City is also producing a few sheepshead, and the bay a few flounder, but nothing is setting the world on fire right now. Surf fishing has noticably improved, however. Our Coastal Correspondent John Unkart has enjoyed steady action in the suds, from a mix of spot, kingfish, and even the occasional flounder.
8/11/2017 Coastal Fishing Report Update:
The Ocean City Fishing Center reports that bayside has had a slow flounder bite this past week, however that has been made up for with plentiful kingfish and bluefish. Kingfish are taking bottom rigs with bloodworms and fishbites, and bluefish have been chasing spoons. Some blowfish are also being caught bayside, as well as a few croaker. Offshore fishing was tough early in the week due to the wind, and boats heading out to compete in the White Marlin Open found a difficult bite when the weather calmed. That said, a beautiful 86-pound white was caught Wednesday. Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow spent a couple of days offshore this week both for the 2017 White Marlin Open Mid-Week Update and also for a meat-trip, and found that the offshore waters changed significantly after the storms last week. Bottom fishing for bluelines and sea bass was great, but for most pelagic species, was slow. Mahi are around but most are small, and temp breaks offshore are few, far between, and minor-league. A huge swath of 70 to 74 degree water now dominates the area from the Wilmington clear down to the Norfolk. On the bright side, reports from the inshore reef sites have been improving with far more keeper flounder now being caught plus sea bass. GULP swimming mullet are the best bait for the flounder, and bass are hitting cut clam and squid.
Hook ‘em and Cook ‘em reported that dolphin are being caught in large numbers offshore, near the sea bass and lobster pots, as well as floating structure. Some have been gaffer size, and mixed with triggerfish. The white marlin open has been going on this past week so the waters offshore have been crowded with boats. Some tuna are being caught along the 30 fathom lumps, however not all boats are coming home with dinner. Indian River has been slow, with some flounder being caught. The better flounder fishing has been on the inshore reef and wreck sites, which has picked up in the past week.
In the surf, Coastal Correspondent John Unkart reports a strong run of spot this week, some big enough to eat, with a few kingfish mixed in. The incoming tide provided the best bite and bloodworms were the best bait, but at one point he had so many bites the bloodworms ran out; squid and Fishbites both proved productive, as well.
8/3/2017 Coastal Fishing Report:
Coastal Correspondent John Unkart reports that kingfish were very plentiful on a recent trip to Cherrystone, and were biting bottom rigs with very small hooks (#6 or #4) baited with bloodworm bits. There's also been an up-tick in the flounder bite, in near-shore ocean waters. Tom Kessler and Mike Herbert had a banner catch of flatties up to 23-inches while drifting GULP and minnow at the Bass Grounds mid-week, and Unkart had a trip with similar success towards the end of the week.
Offshore, the Ocean City Fishing Center reports a solid white marlin bite for anglers trolling ballyhoo and also using live bait. Tuna are also steadily being caught offshore, primarily around the 30 fathom line lumps, though the bite isn't as consistent as it was a few weeks ago. The Hotdog has been a hotspot for bluefin, and chunking has been most anglers method of choice, according to Bishops. There is also a strong blueline tilefish bite for anglers deep dropping. All of that said, this past weekend was a tough one for anglers looking to go offshore due to poor weather conditions.
The surf bite has been good, and many kingfish, bluefish, and small sand sharks are being pulled in. The best baits have been sand fleas, cut squid, and clam.