Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Report, May 29 Update:
Specks are in throughout the Tangier, Pocomoke, and lower shore waters, and are biting hard! Sea Hawk Sports Center let us know that boats fishing the shoals and grassy areas have been slamming them. Dillon Waters let us know that on a trip to the Tangier this week, Team Waters got into them by locating fish under diving pelicans and hitting the grass beds, typically catching in three to six feet of water. The trout they caught ranged from 15 to 23 inches, with the average fish coming in at 18. Waters reported that they caught using ZMan five-inch paddle tails in pearl and white on G-eye jigs, five-inch white Gulp!s, peeler crab, and popping corks with bullhead minnows underneath. Sea Hawk also mentioned that those using the plastcis have been doing well with the specks. We had multiple other reader reports of the excellent speck fishing plus a report of a red here and there, however, we’ve also heard from several people now that the influx of rays has made bait fishing very, very difficult.
The flounder bite in the Sounds is fair right now, as well. Anglers fishing the channel edges with pink, chartreuse, and white soft plastics and drifted squid have been picking up saucer, dinner plate, and even some doormat flounder — a big mix of sizes. The bite has dramatically improved from last week, when water conditions were poor due to heavy rain and resulting runoff. It’s worth noting that if you’re considering fishing for flounder with squid, the rays are proving problematic for bait-fishers. (I will add though, as a former fishing child, that if you’ve got kids aboard they probably will love fighting a ray and seeing it come up to the boat. They’re fascinating, super-exciting fish for children and might be worth the hassle if you aren’t on a die-hard mission to catch eaters).
Stripers are finding themselves at home in the Sounds, too, although most are on the small side. Guys fishing for them have been tossing pink or white four to six-inch soft plastics and using popping cork rig with a 2.5-inch leader and pink or pearl plastics around the islands in the same areas specks are being found. Those who sent in reports let us know that there are keepers, although most were hovering around the 21 to the 23 inch mark.
Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Report, May 22 Update:
Full Disclosure Warning! High winds and poor conditions forced anglers to stay land-locked for most of the week, through much of our area. Due to these circumstances, most of the info in this week’s report comes from over the past weekend and early in the week. If you get the chance to head out, shoot us an email at [email protected] and let us know how you did!
Though they are rising slowly, warming water temps are bringing a variety of species up into the Sounds. Sea Hawk let us know that more flounder were caught this week, and we also received multiple reader reports of keeper flounder in both the Pocomoke and the Tangier. The shallows are also holding plenty of rockfish and speckled trout. Both species are taking of peeler crabs and have been hitting Bass Assassins as well. While stripers are showing up off the shorelines as well, speckled trout have mostly been hanging around tight to shore.
Red drum are in the area too, and anglers soaking peeler crabs near creek mouths on an outgoing tide have caught both monsters and some slot fish. This bait fishery is usually made very difficult with the arrival of rays but they aren’t here in big numbers yet so get while the getting’s good. A few of the smaller redfish have also showed up in the mix for shallow-water casters.
Up the tributaries, it’s snakes and cats, snakes and cats. You know the drill: topwater, swimbaits, and minnow for the snakeheads, and cut bait on bottom for the catfish. More on the up-river action in the Freshwater report.
Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Report, May 15 Update:
Sea Hawk reported that the Sounds are producing a variety of species, on the uptick as water temperatures warm. Most notably, flounder are moving about in larger numbers. Most anglers are fishing for them with drifted squid chunks, and pink, white, and chartreuse soft plastics bounced on the bottom. While most of the flounder are undersized, a few dinner plates are showing up. Meanwhile, reports of speckled trout are still rolling in from the points and edges of the shallows and in coves up and down the Sounds and Lower Shore, taking soft plastics and MirrOlures. Stripers are coming in with even more consistency in the shallows in the Tangier, primarily taking small soft plastics. While they haven’t been up to trophy size plenty of these fish are well over the 19-inch mark and many range up into the mid-20s.
Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Report, May 8 Update:
The past week has brought more changes for recreational fishermen across Maryland, giving them more options on how and where to fish – woohoo! As of Thursday, May 7th at 7:00 a.m., recreational fishing activities including catch-and-release fishing opened up again. While this is great, there are still a few restrictions still in place. Anglers are expected to abide by social distancing guidelines, and maintain family groups with fewer than 10 individuals while on boats. Fishing tournaments remain prohibited, but the Department of Natural Resources has reopened fishing piers that had been closed and social distancing must also be practiced while fishing from piers or shore. All normal rules and regulations regarding fishing must be followed, including creel limits, gear restrictions, and seasons.
The Sounds are seeing some interesting action right now, with healthy shallow-water striped bass bites and multiple speckled trout reports (photo-confirmed by three different readers!) coming in this week. Readers report catching up to 20 or 30 stripers in a day in the shallows around the islands, in the Honga, and in the Annemessex (most between 16 and 25 inches), with one to three specks mixed in. The vast majority of the fish have been hitting four- to seven-inch soft plastics in chartreuse, white, and pink color combinations, on half-ounce jigheads.
Reports of flounder are also coming in as well, slow but steady. Southern areas of this zone (from the Pocomoke down) are seeing most of the flatfish and Sea Hawk Sports Center reported that they’re primarily taking chartreuse, pink, and white soft plastics jigged off the bottom or drifted squid chunks.
Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Report, May 1 Update:
Standard COVID-fishing disclosure, folks: wherever you live, there are probably some restrictions in place and some waterways made inaccessible. Our Social Distancing While Fishing page has links to the different state authority webpages with the latest info and updates on when, where, and how fishing can be done. With many businesses still closed, again we say thanks to all you readers who sent in reports and pictures. Please keep them coming to [email protected].
The most exciting news coming from Sea Hawk this week was confirmation that the flounder bite has begun to creep into the Tangier. Anglers fishing in the Sound had their first flounder of the season on the Bay side, caught on soft plastics bounced off bottom. Still no reports of speckled trout in these waters, but looking at the calendar and the water temps it should happen any day now. The Sounds are also holding a fair amount of white perch. The white perch can be caught on bloodworms or grass shrimp on bottom rigs. In the tributary rivers catfish are popping up everywhere. Anglers this week reported catching cats large enough to feed a family of five, caught on bottom with clam snouts. Cut menhaden and chicken liver have been working as well.