Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Report, September 27, 2019 Update:
There's good news in the Tangier and Pokomoke sounds this week, including an uptick in the amount of flounder caught recently – although most of them aren’t dinner plate size, their return is welcome and it bodes well for future seasons to see them throughout the area. Some keepers are being caught too, primarily by anglers fishing live minnow on Fluke Killers or bouncing soft plastics along the bottom. Smaller pink, white, and chartreuse plastics lures are enticing the flounder, as well as the occasional striper. Most anglers have been locating the flounder along the channel edges.
In both Sounds, speckled trout fishing has also picked up and they’ve become easier to locate in stump fields and grassy areas, as well as along the shore in creeks. They’re eager to take white or pink soft plastics casted and retrieved or bounced off the bottom. Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow reports fishing with FishTalk contributor Captain Walleye Pete in the islands of the Sound this week, and said they had a decent speck bite with lots of stripers mixed in, including a keeper-sized rock or two. The trick to success was an erratic retrieve, a white paddle-tail, a half-ounce jig head, and finding spots with good current. He said that only one in 10 of the spots they tried held specks, but once the “right” spot was located there were good numbers of trout.
Crabbing report: Crabbing is still stellar in this zone, and trotliners have been doing incredibly well using razor clams and chicken necks.
Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Report, September 19, 2019 Update:
Speckled trout fishing in the Sounds remains good and on the bounce, getting better week by week especially in the shallows near marsh edges and in creeks. Casting pink or white soft plastics of four to six inches, or hitting the creeks with a drifted piece of soft or peeler crab, remains a great way to go after them. There are lots of stripers mixed in – outnumbering the specks significantly in most areas, actually – however, while previously these had been almost entirely small fish, this week we also heard about a few keeper-sized rock in the shallows along with the throwbacks. We also had one report of a puppy drum in the shallows this week. While they certainly don’t seem to be around in numbers large enough to target, if you hit the shallows in the near future there’s certainly a chance of getting lucky!
In addition to improving specks and stripers, the flounder bite has persisted in deeper water along edges and drop-offs between 10 and 25 feet. Most anglers have been drifting squid chunks or bouncing white soft plastics along bottom to target them. The numbers aren’t huge, but it’s possible to put multiple flatfish in the box and release two or three undersized fish for each keeper you can find.
Many area anglers are choosing to cruise out to the main-stem Bay to get in on the mackerel action. Some are in the Sound along with smallish rock and blues breaking water, but the better bite for this species is a bit farther out.
Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Report, September 13, 2019 Update:
Fishing in the Sounds and along the lower Shore has continued to pick up with an ever-increasing speckled trout bite. Sea Hawk reported that the marsh edges are home to a good number of them, and anglers fishing the edges are seeing great results. They suggested casting pink or white soft plastics or hitting the creeks with a drifted piece of soft or peeler crab. The Tangier and Pocomoke have also continued to see an uptick in the number of flounder caught - drifting squid chunks or casting and retrieving white soft plastics along bottom has been landing the majority of them. As the speckled trout and flounder populations have increased, however, the number of stripers in the Sounds has diminished slightly. They’re still being caught but in fewer numbers, and primarily as bycatch on lures intended for trout.
Crabbing report: crabs are abundant, and crabbing here might be the best you'll find in the Bay right about now. A trotline with fresh chicken necks or razor clams has been the ticket to avoiding the seafood store prior to your crab feast. They haven’t been concentrated in a specific area, but are heavy in about eight feet of water.
Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Report, September 6, 2019 Update:
The Pocomoke and Tangier Sounds have continued to provide improving speckled trout fishing. Although many of the fish have been on the smaller side, heading to grassy edges, stumps, and creek mouths has been a solid way to find some action. Most anglers are throwing spinners and soft plastics. Sea Hawk Sports Center reported that white and pink soft plastics including BKD lures remain the most productive options. Anglers have also been landing the occasional flounder on the soft plastics, mainly as a surprise while casting for the specks. The majority of flounder are undersized, but still relentlessly fun to fight and a welcome sight. If you’re looking to target them in specific, the chances of encountering keeper-sized fish grows when drifting squid chunks along slightly deeper drop-offs in the eight- to 20-foot range.
Small stripers remain throughout the Sound’s waters, as well. Tossing or jigging white and chartreuse Gulp! lures or BKDs has been a great way to entice them. Despite most of the rockfish being undersized, a few keeper-sized fish are popping up here and there in the Tangier. Landing them has been largely a matter of luck and persistence.