Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Report, April 24 Update:
With travel restrictions still limiting fishing opportunities in many areas, we note that if you’re headed out to fish all the regular regs for the season are still in place and social distancing orders are a go, even if you’re on the water, whether you live in Delaware, Maryland, or Virginia. Don’t forget that our Social Distancing While Fishing page has links to all the different state authority webpages with the latest info and updates on when, where, and how fishing is allowed. With many businesses still closed, we’d also like to give a big thanks to all you readers who sent in reports and pictures. Please keep them coming to [email protected].
Crappie and white perch remain abundant in the Sound’s tributaries and have become a dinner-time favorite for many anglers fishing in the area. Sea Hawk Sports Center reported that white perch are also coming in, on bottom rigs and darts tipped with bloodworms and grass shrimp. Crappie are hanging around structure, taking neon shad darts tipped with grass shrimp. A report also came in from anglers catching flounder near the mouth of the Pocomoke River, although that make be a bit of an anomaly. Anglers interested in flatties are mostly heading east and fishing the VA coastal bays, where the bite has come on full swing (see the Coastal Report for more details).
Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Report, April 17 Update:
With travel restrictions still limiting fishing opportunities in many areas, we remind you that if you’re headed out to fish all the regular regs for the season are still in place and social distancing orders are a go, even if you’re on the water, whether you live in Delaware, Maryland, or Virginia. Don’t forget that our Social Distancing While Fishing page has links to all the different state authority webpages with the latest info and updates on when, where, and how fishing is allowed. With many businesses still closed, we’d also like to give a big thanks to all you readers who sent in reports and pictures. Please keep them coming to [email protected].
Snakeheads have naturally been getting plenty of attention in the area, however, snakehead anglers also saw a bit of a slow-down this week thanks to the weather. Still, we did hear from a few kayak anglers who hit the Eastern Shore tribs and came back with real dragons; two over 12-pounds were reported (with photo evidence) this week. The anglers said the topwater bite was off but swimbaits and chatterbaits did the trick.
Sea Hawk Sports Center (which says they’re open and stocked up on bloodworms) has had plenty of anglers report that crappie are also remaining heavy in the Eastern Shore rivers. They’ve been fishing from them in covers and around nearshore structure. Neon shad darts tipped with a minnow have been the ticket to getting ‘em in. Bloodworms on bottom rigs have been the ticket for white perch. Additionally, flounder action is taking off in the coastal bays so anglers who have the flexibility to head east are doing so. Check out the Coastal Report, for more details.
Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Report, April 10 Update:
Hey, anglers! With fishing in many parts of our turf limited to sustenance only, we remind you that if you’re headed out to fish all the regular regs for the season are still in place and social distancing orders are a go, even if you’re on the water, whether you live in Delaware, Maryland, or Virginia. Don’t forget that our Social Distancing While Fishing page has links to all the different state authority webpages with the latest info and updates on when, where, and how fishing is allowed. That said, in light of the current circumstances many of our local, well-loved tackle shops have closed their doors for the time being. Every week since FishTalk’s founding they’ve contributed much of the information for this report, which we’re immensely thankful for. As many of them are shuttered for now, we’d like to thank you readers for the reports you sent in via email this week. You’re all helping us keep the reports going during these unprecedented times, and we hope that they help everyone – especially those who have a real need for harvesting their own dinners – hone in on their fishing plans for the weekend. Again, a big thanks to everyone who’s chimed in, and please send future pictures, reports, and updates to [email protected].
Plenty of anglers hitting the tributaries of the Sounds this weekend were rewarded with hefty snakehead, crappie, perch, and catfish bites. All species have been fairly steady throughout the region. Crappie are taking bright shad darts tipped with small minnows and grass shrimp, while perch are preferring them on a bottom rig. Catfish haven’t been picky at all and will oftentimes show up on baits targeted for other species, but especially like chicken liver and fresh menhaden.
Farther up the tribs, snakehead anglers have had some very good days recently with one reader reporting over a dozen fish and several reporting four or more. Topwater, chatterbaits, and minnow were all reported “best” by different anglers at different times (and several off-days were also reported this week, possibly thanks to all the fronts that have been pushing through recently). However, crowds are forming in some of the better-known areas and social distancing may be difficult at times; when a large number of vehicles is parked alongside the road, your best move is to keep going and fish elsewhere. By all accounts the authorities in the area have remained reasonable, firmly requesting that people abide by social distancing rules and enforcing parking regulations (make sure your vehicle is 100-percent off the roadway) when encountering people who are sustenance fishing.
Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Report, April 3 Update:
Fellow FishTalkers: We know you’re all rearing to get out of the house and on the water like we are. We live and breathe fishing, and are quite bummed about the limits placed upon being on the water right now. While it’s tough to keep away from the docks and shorelines, we encourage you all to abide by the regulations put in place by Governors Hogan and Northam. If you’re a substance angler, remember to abide by social distancing requirements while keeping in mind that all the normal fishing and boating rules and regs are still in effect. With such stringent limits put in place regarding who can be on the water right now, as well as reduced hours and customer contact in most tackle shops, we’d like to forewarn you that the reports are going to be a bit thin this week and probably will remain so until this blows over. We also know there’s been a lot of confusion over exactly what the current regulations are regarding who can and cannot fish. We can’t tell you the regs in this report because they differ by the area and are changing by the day, but visit our Social Distancing While Fishing page, and in the fourth paragraph you’ll find links to the different state and federal agency websites and announcements regarding the legalities.
White perch reports are coming in from anglers fishing near shore and by boat up towards the spawning areas of the tributaries. Sea Hawk Sports Center reported that crappie are still running strong in the fresher areas of the tribs, as well, ready to take brightly colored shad darts tipped with minnows. They also said little spinners are working. Sea Hawk was still open for business as we gathered these reports and said they’re stocked up on bloodworms.
There are also lots of reader reports coming from the snakehead hunters up the tribs and around Blackwater. However, these same readers have said that on nice weekend days socially distancing is virtually impossible in some areas due to crowds along the shorelines at at the bridges. If you come to a spot and see too many people to safely socially distance, PLEASE LEAVE and try going somewhere else. It’s a sure bet that if crowds form these areas will be officially closed, no one will be able to fish them at all, and we risk even sustenance fishing being shut down.