Coastal Fishing Report, May 26 Update:
There are many great bites happening right now along the coast but weather has been keeping a lot of anglers off the water. Many boats fishing out Virginia Beach and Ocean City have found success for the start of black sea bass season. Unfortunately, northeast winds have made getting to the offshore wrecks and reefs nearly impossible. Before the winds started, Captain Monty Hawkins on the Morning Star got out for a successful trip. He reported that after some searching, he was able to find sea bass stacked up feeding on krill at a reef. The fish were taking both jigs and bait with some nice fish coming over the gunwales. All but two of his anglers caught double digit keepers but none of the anglers on board limited. The OC Fishing Center let us know that boats which can make it offshore to the canyons are finding bigeye tuna, yellowfin tuna, mahi-mahi and tilefish.
Fishing in the coastal bays of OC and around the Route 50 Bridge has seen a lot of action this week. There are plenty of schoolie rockfish being caught on jigs around the bridge. Some keeper sized and over slot fish have also been caught in that area. Remember that the new slot limit for striped bass in the coastal zones is 28 to 31 inches. One angler used a Roy Rig to catch a chunky 28.5-inch rockfish during a trip last weekend. Along with the rockfish, there have been an influx of nice chopper bluefish hanging around the inlet and bridge.
In the surf, there are still some nice fish being caught. Rockfish, black drum, red drum, and bluefish are all a possibility right now. Coastal Correspondent John Unkart took a trip to Assateague and found a bite develop during the hour before and the hour after the turn of high tide. He found kingfish past the outer bar and landed a keeper flounder and a weakfish that went into the cooler.
It has been a great start to spring flounder fishing for many anglers hitting the coastal bays in MD and VA but poor weather the past two weeks has slowed the bite down. I was able to get out over the weekend with the Frederick Saltwater Anglers for their annual Etzlers Flounder Frenzy Tournament in Chincoteague, Virginia. The weather was not on our side with stiff east winds and rainy conditions persisting for most of the weekend, but we were able to land eight keeper flounder over three days of fishing with just as many throwbacks. Keeper sized fish ranged between 16 and 20 inches. Other boats in the tournament also struggled to find a steady bite due to tough conditions but one angler had a lot of luck on his side and was able to land two three pounders, a five pounder, and a six pounder for his four fish bag. We focused our efforts in the Four Mouths area and caught most of our fish while drifting channel edges in five to 15 feet of water during the outgoing tide. Big minnows paired with white otter tails or strips of flounder belly were the most productive baits.
Coastal Fishing Report, May 19 Update:
Although wind was problematic for those who wanted to head offshore much of the past week, abundant opportunities are awaiting fishermen along our coastal areas. Fishing at the nearshore wrecks and reefs has been great this spring and we don’t expect that action to slow down anytime soon. Tautog season came to a close on Monday, but the good news is that black sea bass season has reopened. Boats fishing from Virginia Beach up to Delaware are finding success on most days. Reel Fish’n Va. Reported some epic tautog and sea bass trips early in the week out of Virginia Beach. Their boat caught tautog up to 14 pounds and plenty of sea bass in the five-to-six-pound range. Chasin’ Tides Charters had a crazy good day out of Ocean City this week for his crew. Captain Chase Eberle put his anglers on 23 tautog (six over 10 pounds), eight golden tilefish, 30 black sea bass, three dusky shark releases, and a mako shark release. Now that’s a great sample of the variety of species our coastal fishery can provide during a fishing trip.
The coastal bays have really come to life this month and there are plenty of fisheries that can be targeted right now. Captain Brian Esteppe of Y KNOT Fishing Adventures reports that flounder are eager to hit minnows and shiners. He says color doesn’t seem to matter and all the traditional ones are catching fish at about the same pace. If you can beat the crowds and find clean water, you may be rewarded with some great fishing for the flatties. The Angler in Chief confirms the flounder bite is still happening and says midweek he and the crew from Fish & Hunt Maryland and FishinOC drifted the OC Thorofare using Deadly Doubles, minnow, and Gulp! And despite horrible conditions—20 knot winds, churned water, and just a few hours to fish—managed to catch two keepers and two throwbacks. Slinging jigs at the Route 50 bridge for a few minutes also produced action, with rockfish between 20 and 24 inches biting. A few other anglers fishing the Thorofare caught seven keeper flounder during a trip this week. Deadly Tackle Deadly Doubles with strips of bait fished on the outgoing tide was the ticket. Captain Brian also let us know there are plenty of schoolie rockfish in the coastal bays near the bridges and jetties where soft plastic jigs are catching best.
In the surf, big rockfish, a few black drum, and even some bull reds have been pulled in this week. Assateague has been a hotspot and you don’t usually have to worry about finding a spot to fish. One angler fishing on the Virginia side spent six hours soaking baits without a bite but was rewarded with two quality fish within 20 minutes of each other. He landed a 38- and 40-inch rockfish using clams and sand fleas. Remember that the new slot for rockfish along the coastal zone is now 28 to 31 inches.
Coastal Fishing Report, May 12 Update:
The OC Fishing Center let us know that fishing at the offshore canyons is really picking up this week. Tilefish have been the big news for boats who are deep dropping squid and cut bait. We heard of one boat who took advantage of the nice weather to target these fish and ended up scratching out a limit of bluelines and then went to find some goldens with the largest weighing in at 36 pounds. Boats trolling the edge of the canyons are picking up some tuna and mahi as well. The fishing center had a boat check in with a 113.2-pound bigeye tuna and a nice yellowfin. Both fish were caught on Sterling Tackle side trackers in the Poormans Canyon. Another boat brought in two yellowfins caught between the Baltimore and Poormans. Look for this action to pick up as water temperatures rise.
Big rockfish have been attracting surf anglers to the beaches from Assateague up through Delaware. Dave Moore from Shark Whisperers guided trips checked in to let us know he has been crushing the rockfish at Assateague Island. On a midweek trip, he managed to land a 43-, 44-, and 46-inch rock. Another angler fishing with him was able to land a 35- and 41-inch fish. Sand fleas, cut bait, and blood worms have all been working. Another angler reported catching 10 rockfish of “trophy” status and 8 rays during a morning trip to the surf. We also heard from three anglers hitting the surf that they skunked, and Moore noted that finding good surf structure such as a rip was critical. The drum run has slowed down quite a bit but there are still some being caught along the beaches. Most fish are 20- to 30- inches but bigger drum aren’t out of the question. Get out there while the fishing is good because the big stripers are migrating north and won’t be around for much longer.
Captain Cook checked in from Delaware to let us know the tautog were still biting inshore, and one day this week his party had 17 including two citations. He also noted there were a lot of sea bass to weed through, a great sign for the upcoming season which will open on May 15th. The sea bass will be found at the ocean wrecks and can be caught on squid, clam, or jigs. There was a new state record tautog caught in Delaware last weekend courtesy of angler James Milano. The fish weighed a whopping 22.9 pounds and was caught aboard the charter boat No Limit. Congrats on an amazing fish!
The coastal bays have been productive for flounder, bluefish, rockfish, and even speckled trout. Keeper flounder are being caught in the South Bay and along the Thorofare in Ocean City. Fish In OC reported the biggest inshore flounder they have seen this season when an angler checked in with a 25-inch, five-pound 12-ounce flattie. The fish was caught on white curlytail grub.
Coastal Fishing Report, May 5 Update:
The wind and rain and wind gave us less than ideal fishing conditions for the better part of this week, but that didn’t stop some of the more dedicated anglers from hitting the water. Some of the Fish In OC crew hit the back bays during the weather windows to target flounder. They were able to boat a few and caught one of the bigger inshore fish we have seen this spring in the form of a 22-inch, four-pound 11-ounce flattie that hit an orange deadly double tig baited with five-inch Gulp! Swimming mullets in salmon red. At the Route 50 and 90 Bridges, there are plenty of rockfish being caught on soft plastics and jigs. A few anglers night fishing the Route 50 Bridge reported catching several rockfish between 28 to 35 inches and mentioned that they stopped counting at over 20 released fish.
The coastal beaches are still providing action if you are willing to soak bait for a few hours. The spring surf fishing black drum bite seems to have slowed down but more striped bass are being caught in the surf. Coastal contributor John Unkart had a spectacular morning on Assateague Thursday, catching a 48- and 44-incher and losing a third monster rock in the wash. Sand fleas with a strip of Fishbites crab or Sand Flea flavor did the trick. Dave Moore from Shark Whisperers guided trips and another angler spent a day fishing Assateague together earlier in the week and between the scattered thunderstorms, they were able to land a 41- and 33-inch striper. Many other anglers reported that clearnose skate and dogfish sharks have been a common bycatch this week.
Tautog fishing is still good at the nearshore wrecks and reefs out of both Ocean City and Virginia Beach. Boats heading to these areas are still reporting plenty of keepers and some double-digit fish as well. Keeper tautog are also being caught in the back bay and along the jetties at the OC inlet. Tautog season will close on May 16, but black sea bass will reopen on May 15. Sea bass fishing was great before the season went out, and we fully expect things to pick up right where they left off.
A major update to the coastal striped bass fishery was announced by The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Atlantic States Striped Bass Management Board who voted to take emergency action to reduce coastwide harvest of striped bass. This action requires states to lower the top end of the slot limit to 31 inches. Learn more about the measures in Striped Bass Maximum Size Capped.