Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, August 8 Update:
Coastal fishing has been good since the mid-summer heat waves backed off. A smattering of reader reports indicate good action for a variety of species along the inshore coastal waters and in the surf. A couple fishing Wachapreage reported putting flounder into the cooler with one hitting the 23” mark, we had another report of flounder action in the surf on Gulp! at Assateague (though the action was slower than it has been and the fish weren’t as large this week), and there was also word of slot redfish in Virginia’s surf hitting on cut croaker. On the Delaware coast, Captain Cook on First Light Charters says the flounder bite is still good at inshore wreck and reef sites and both cobia and ribbonfish showed up in the same areas over the last week. The rock jetties at the Ocean City inlet have been holding good sized sheepshead and some tautog. Fiddler crabs are the ideal bait for the striped bait stealers, but other varieties of crab or sand fleas will work.
FishTalk contributor Adam Greenberg made it out on the Atlantic last week fishing out of Ocean City. His crew did an overnight trip to the Washington Canyon and reported an excellent bite for several species. They released two white marlin, caught 27 mahi, 15 tilefish, two black sea bass, and a dusky shark. Adam says the ocean was full of life and the waters were flat calm. Mahi were biting very well around the lobster pots, but some schools had lockjaw while others were eager to bite. Interestingly enough, the majority of the mahi they caught were hanging around a dead sea turtle. Their tilefish were caught in 300’ to 400’. Ocean City has been very busy this week as anglers have traveled from all over to fish in the 52nd annual White Marlin Open. There have been some impressive fish brought to the dock, including white marlin, blue marlin, yellowfin tuna, and mahi. The stakes couldn’t be higher as we look to the scales this evening for the final weigh in of the tournament.