Coastal Fishing Report, August 30, 2019 Update:
Let’s start offshore this week, because this part of the report will be brief: It was windy. A handful of boats escaped the inlets mid-week, and found a few yellowfin and respectable numbers of white marlin. Brief? Well sorry, we warned ya. Inshore, cobia are on the shoals one to 10 miles off the beach from Delaware down through Virginia waters and sight casters had been doing well on days with good visibility, with live eels the top offering, but most of this past week was a bust for much of the region thanks to the conditions. Fortunately there have been kingfish, bluefish, and Spanish mackerel on the inshore shoals up and down the coast, and big ribbonfish in the Virginia Beach zone, all of which should be reach-able over the weekend.
The back-bays and inlets have been stirred up by the front. Despite the dirty water and radio silence from Indian River, we did hear of a decent flounder bite plus bluefish and small catch-and-release stripers in the vicinity of the Rt. 50 bridge in OC. Many of the flounder are also undersized but squid chunks were working well, along with white and pink Gulp! lures. The Ocean City Fishing Center backed up the reports from the Route 50 Bridge. Indian River and OC inlets are also currently home to a healthy population of bluefish, which come and go with the tide and can be caught on bucktails and metal lures. In the VA inlets, most of the chatter is still of the specks that have been showing up with a bit more regularity. Yes, most are small and no, the numbers aren’t huge, but it’s a good early indication of a decent fall speck run which would make everyone quite happy. Some flounder are being caught in the inlets, too.
Let’s stick with VA waters for a sec, because much of the beach from Assateague north was essentially unfishable this week. In fact, Coastal Correspondent John Unkart checked in one day early this week to let us know that “man has not invented a sinker that will hold in this surf.” Fortunately, it’s calmed a bit since then and this weekend looks downright nice. Farther south, however, Oceans East mentioned that the bite in the surf has been wonderful; kingfish, croaker, spot, bluefish, and the occasional flounder are all being caught. Bloodworms and squid bits work well for most of these species, while bluefish are more prone to taking spoons and metal lures.
Coastal Fishing Report, August 23, 2019 Update:
Although the White Marlin Open and now the MidAtlantic have now passed, there’s still a ton of action going on all along the coast. Let’s go around the dial from north to south. Captain Cook on the First Light reported a nice flounder bite on the wrecks and reefs out of Indian River, heading out earlier this week and pulling in 13 flounder, six of which were keepers. For oceanic flatfish, Delaware waters seem to be the best bet this summer. He also mentioned that the cobia bite has now stretched north, and these brown beasts are being sighted with regularity on the shoals off the Delaware coast. Also on the shoals, trollers are getting a mix of Spanish mackerel and blues on small spoons. Those pushing a bit farther out are finding small mahi. And those making the canyon runs are encountering a solid billfish bite, a few tunas here and there, and some mahi. At the opposite end of the extreme surf fishermen are catching mostly kingfish, on bloodworms and Fishbites, with a few spot mixed in. Flounder fishermen working the inlet and the ditches are catching a few fish, but it’s far from a sure thing.
In Ocean City, many anglers are still chasing those cobia on the shoals. However, it can be quite crowded, especially at places close to home like Big Gull. Some anglers are opting instead to hit sea bass pots and flotsam in search of mahi, which have moved inshore in good numbers (but are mostly small). Boats planning to hit them should head out early, though, because their locations are no secret and a spot can easily be fished out before noon. At the wrecks, Capt. Monty on the Morning Star has been reporting that the sea bass bite remains wildly unpredictable. At times dozens are on the meter and nothing bites, though sticking with it and trying multiple locations eventually fills up the coolers. Flounder have been few and far between, though. The offshore report for boats departing OC is no different than for those leaving Indian River, though Josh did check in from the deck of the Marli to let us know that there are lots of white marlin around and they’re seeing good numbers of blues, too, so if billfish are your pleasure this is a great time to head for the canyons. And back on the beach, Coastal Correspondent John Unkart has been feeding us a steady stream of pics of kingfish (bloodworms for bait) and bluefish (at times double-headers, on Doodlebugs baited with cut spot) from Assateague. In fact, early in the week he commented that it was one of the best kingfish bites he’s seen.
Moving south through the Eastern Shore of VA we had a couple reports from flounder anglers in Wachapreague and Chincoteague this week, and they were doing some good catching including some limits on fish up to 22-inches. Jigging white Gulp! and drifting minnow and squid on Fluke Killers were both effective tactics. Farther down the beach Oceans East mentioned that in Virginia Beach bluefish have been abundant for surf fishers, who can land them tossing small spoons. Those more eager to catch croaker, small flounder, or kingfish should consider tossing out bloodworm or squid on a bottom rig. They also mentioned that in Lynnhaven there have been more reports of speckled trout, however they’re scattered. More common have been flounder and tog, which are taking squid and clam chunks off the rip-rap.
Inshore anglers in this neck of the woods, meanwhile, continue to be entertained with a mix of fish so big it demanded starting a new paragraph: some king mackerel are still being caught on the shoals, Spanish mackerel are around in mass quantities, and there’s an utterly crazy ribbonfish invasion going on – some boats are returning to the dock with dozens of ‘em. In all of these cases trolling spoons is effective, often behind planers, but many anglers are finding that lipped diving plugs are crushing the ribbons.
As for offshore at the canyons, the report’s similar to those up the Shelf: marlin fishing is very good, a few tunas are around, and there are plenty of mahi. There are also more wahoo showing up in the southern canyons, and late last week a potential new record swordfish (466 pounds) was brought in.
Coastal Fishing Report, August 16, 2019 Update:
With the waters finally calming down a bit after White Marlin Open (big congratulations to Tommy Hinkle and crew of the Fish Whistle on their 79.5-pound tournament-winning white) this past week – but then cranking right back up for the Mid-Atlantic – there was more offshore fishing than ever happening out of OC and some good reports to go along with it. The marlin bite continues to be strong with many boats reporting multiple whites plus a few blues popping up here and there at the canyons. Tuna numbers weren’t huge this week, but the sizes are now and again, with a bigeye continuing to show up here and there. Wahoo numbers are on the increase, and there are still good numbers of mahi around. Anglers focusing on them around the floats lining the canyon edges have been finding mostly small ones, however. All of that said, the bigger news for the anglers not competing in those tournaments is happening closer to the beach – especially in Virginia waters.
Inshore fishing has been good and gotten better for a variety of species including cobia, blue fish, and king mackerel. At the inshore lumps off Cape Charles and down, however, anglers trolling spoons and kingfish rigs have run into some serious smokers this week. The common five- to 10-pound kings in this zone have been displaced by much bigger specimens, some up into the 50-pound range. Remember: kingfish love ribbonfish. You know how we’ve been hearing about all those ribbonfish inshore and at the mouth of the Bay this year? The big kings seem to have heard about it, too. From Maryland up we also heard about more kingfish this week including a handful of the bigger smoker kings, but the class remains mostly smaller fish as you head farther north. Numbers are still strong, though, and there’s every chance some larger kings will continue working their way up the shoals. Trolling gold and silver Clark or Drone spoon on the inshore lumps has been a good way to get ‘em, and there are also some bluefish in the mix. Ribbon fish have also appeared farther north recently, including up to OC. Bigger news in this area, however, continues to be the cobia bite just a couple miles off the coast in VA and MD waters, ranging from Blackfish Bank all the way up to Fenwick Shoals. It has been spectacular at times and may well for the time being out-rank the cobia bite at the mouth of the Bay. Most anglers are sight-fishing for them and pitching live eel or spot, or bucktails dressed with twister tails and other plastics.
Delaware inshore anglers have been more occupied by flounder fishing, now in full swing at the reef sites and significantly stronger than in waters to their south; remember that the big flounder like the big bait. Fluke Killers with a large strip bait or a five-inch or larger scented Gulp! (try pink, white, and chartreuse) works well. From Maryland down sea bass are a better bet at the reefs, and Capt. Monty on the Morning Star has seen his customers steadily filling their coolers.
Flounder fishing has also been decent inside Indian River and Ocean City, with Gulp! and a squid/minnow sandwich doing the trick. There has also been a mix of marauding snapper blues and an occasional keeper rockfish coming from the rocks of Indian River and Ocean City with some of the better action taking place at night.
In the surf, kingfish of the “sea mullet” variety have continued hitting bloodworms, Fishbites bloodworm flavor, and squid bits all up and down the coast. Some spot and croaker are also in the mix and this week on Assateague, Coastal Correspondent John Unkart also scored a very nice pompano. Try putting a sand flea or two on your hooks, if you want to try to target these tasty fish while they’re in town.
Coastal Fishing Report, August 9, 2019 Update:
Geez Louise, where to start? Captain Chuck from First Light Charters reported that the inshore wrecks and old grounds have been producing flounder for anglers running out of Indian River. Not as many as in past years, but still a solid showing. There’s also been a night-bite for stripers. And more flounder are popping up in Masseys, too.
In Maryland, of course, fishing off the coast has been hectic this week with the White Marlin Open leaving little room at the docks or in the inlet for talk of much else going on. There’s been a steady flow of billfish and some very surprising tuna coming in to the scales – including one over 200 pounds – but we won’t dive too deep into the current standings since this report will be published before the tournament comes to a close.
Setting the tournament aside, the FishTalk Angler in Chief says that the mahi have moved off the inshore spots they inhabited last week, and a morning spent in dirty green 78-degree water produced a mere two fish as compared to dozens the week before in the exact same spot when it was 82 degrees and much clearer. Check your temp charts, if you want to give ‘em a shot. He also mentioned that while they didn’t troll for them, he did see a picture of another nice king mackerel this week trolled up on a spoon. The Ocean Fishing City Center let us know that the sea bass bite also remains spotty, never predictable, which jibes with Captain Monty’s reports from the Morning Star. There are still cobia on the inshore shoals, however, attracting the attention of sight-casters when they can get a sunny afternoon without any thunderstorms threatening.
Inshore anglers in Virginia are still being treated to hordes of Spanish mackerel, though most of the serious offshore aficionados in this part of the region we spoke with are just as WMO-obsessed as the rest of the world. Also, Ocean’s East let us know that the VA surf is full of small croaker and the occasional spot. They’re willing to take bloodworms on a bottom rig. A few small flounder are being caught as well, and will hit squid strips. The Assateague surf has been on fire on some days, meanwhile, with Coastal Correspondent John Unkart reporting kingfish double-headers, bluefish, and some small weakfish. He also noted, however, that getting your bait out past the bar was imperative and short-distance casters weren’t doing much catching. Reports from the DE beaches are also of some kingfish on bloodworms, plus snapper blues on cut bait on doodlebug rigs.
Coastal Fishing Report, August 2, 2019 Update:
With the White Marlin Open this weekend, participants should be glad to hear that the marlin bite has been HOT. The Ocean City Fishing Center reported multiple boats coming in with more than one flag flying. Numerous boats have returned after catching upwards of four whites, many with one or two blues, and some with more of each. The tuna bite remains slow, however, with most yellowfin tuna coming from the northern canyons while the better marlin reports are coming in from southern canyons. That said, with the tournament this weekend most people running offshore have remained extremely tight-lipped about exact locations. Mahi remain active, and solid numbers can be found around floats or offshore flotsam. Speaking of mahi – a new state record was set for Maryland last Sunday, when a 72.8-pounder was caught by Jeff Wright while pre-fishing for the WMO in Poor Man’s. Congrats, Jeff!
The diverse inshore bite has been good news, as well. King mackerel in the five- to 15-pound range have been hitting on the shoals off Delaware and Maryland, and this report writer caught her first at the Jack Spot last weekend on a four-inch Drone spoon pulled behind a planer. Small mahi and false albacore were also in the mix. The cobia bite has been big news as well, with fish showing up on the inshore shoals mostly off the Virginia coast but also up into Maryland waters, for those tossing live eels and/or trolling hoses. Meanwhile, the sea bass bite remains sketchy, but they can be caught with time. Capt. Monty on the Morning Star out of OC has been finding the bite varies from day to day, but his clients are usually going home with plenty of meat in in the cooler. Flounder, however have been tougher to come by. They do seem to improve as you make your way north, with the better wreck and reef reports consistently coming out of Delaware waters recently.
The surf, meanwhile, is packed with a plethora of species and surf fishing has been better than usual for mid-summer. Kingfish, small blues, and croaker are common, with a few trout popping up as well. Kingfish and croaker can be caught on bottom rigs with bloodworm, while small blues will take spoons or cut bait. Coastal Correspondent John Unkart checked in after an awesome morning on Assateague, with a half-dozen beautiful kingfish, a couple blues, and a (undersized, released) sea trout.
Fishing in all the inlets and back-bays, from Indian River clear down to Rudee, has been a game of chasing flounder with moderate success (most fish are throw-backs but coolers with two to four keeper fish are not uncommon) and snapper blues. We did hear that the action in Massey’s has picked up for Delaware anglers, and that off the airport was best in OC.