Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Report, November 29, 2019 Update:
With the specks finally moved out of the Sounds, the waters are largely quiet. A few anglers this week found stripers in deep holes while they were hoping to land last-of-the-season trout, but many were undersized. With weather this weekend looking tough, anglers looking to stay protected from choppy waters should consider heading to protected areas of the Tangier and Pocomoke. Deeper waters have been holding fish, and it’s worth jigging the bottom on your long weekend if the chance arises. Another option: head up the tribs, where pickerel, perch, catfish, crappie, and bass will all still be willing to feed.
Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Report, November 22, 2019 Update:
The best of the fall seems past in the Sounds but despite the cold weather and dropping water temperatures, there are still a few speckled trout hanging around the Tangier and Pocomoke. They’ve been schooled up in deeper holes, taking swim shads and plastics in an assortment of green, chartreuse, and white soft. Adding a green glittery lure to your arrangement has been a great way to entice them. Anglers targeting them have often been finding that rockfish are in their midst, with keepers a possibility. As a rule of thumb, farther south is more better for the specks and we have to expect the bite in the Sounds to go quiet from here on out. Those focused on stripers have found better action in the lower tribs than in the open water, along the channel edges and deep structure.
Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Report, November 14, 2019 Update:
It's transition time, people. Speckled trout are still throughout the Tangier and Pocomoke Sounds, but the cold snaps have hit and we did receive a report from a reader who found the specks unwilling to play the day after a very cold night. When they do bite, it seems that plenty are available to anglers hitting creek mouths, points with rips, grassy shorelines, submerged grass beds, and stumps. The specks have been taking swim shads, topwater lures, and an assortment of green, chartreuse, and white soft plastics cast throughout these areas. A little flash has helped and green glitter has been a popular option lately. Although many of the specks have been undersized, when they’re on the feed the numbers are high enough that landing keepers at some point is the norm. Targeting them also has the added bonus of possibly landing keeper stripers, which have been hitting the same lures in the same areas. We note that the reader who reported speck lockjaw also said they caught plenty of stripers, where they figured the trout would be. Stripers have also been hitting up the Eastern Shore tribs, while farther south from Cherrystone down the trout bite’s been the more reliable option; see the Way South report for more.
Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Report, November 8, 2019 Update:
The Tangier and Pocomoke continue to provide excellent speckled trout fishing for anglers hitting its waters. Creek mouths, points with rips, grassy shorelines, submerged grass beds, and stumps are all still holding plenty of specks. Anglers casting these areas with swim shads, topwater lures, and an assortment of green, chartreuse, and white soft plastics are enjoying plenty of action. Specks seem especially prone to taking the sparkly and shiny lures recently, and using sparkly green curly tail grubs has been popular. With the recent temperature drop it's tough to say how long the fish will stick around in these areas, so it's probably smart to get in on this bite sooner rather than later.
These same lures cast to the same areas have also been enticing schoolie stripers, which can be found strewn throughout the Sounds. The occasional keeper is a nice surprise in the mix and The Tackle Box noted that a good number of keepers came from the Sounds this past week.
Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Report, November 1, 2019 Update:
Although specks have made their way across the Bay, anglers from the Eastern and Western shores are still flocking to the Tangier and Pocomoke Sounds to get in on the best bit of the bite. Grassy shorelines, creeks, shoals, and submerged shallow water grasses are currently home to a thriving population of specks in the Sounds, though some of the fish have shifted a bit deeper with the weather changes and as a result, areas with troughs and channels several feet deep have been good bets. Anglers casting these areas with swim shads, topwater lures, and an assortment of green, chartreuse, and white soft plastics are doing well. Specks seem especially prone to taking the sparkly and shiny lures recently, and using sparkly green curly tail grubs has been popular.
Stripers have been taking lures in the shallows as well. The bulk of the catch has been throwbacks but keepers pop up with some consistency and occasionally, a fish in the 26- to 28-inch range has been coming to the net.
Editor's Note: Many anglers have been cheering the news that Omega has been voted out of compliance by the ASMFC, after busting the cap on bunker. We’re glad the ASMFC did so, but caution that any “real” enforcement action has yet to take place. Can you anglers imagine what the fishing might be like, with tens of thousands of tons more menhaden allowed to remain in the Bay every year? Hmmmmm?