Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, April 3 Update:
As water temperatures are heating up, so is the flounder bite. Early in the season, the better action is usually south along the Eastern Shore of Virginia with hotspots including Oyster, Wachapreague, and Chincoteague. A boat fishing out of Chincoteague this week managed to box nine keepers during one of the warmer days. Ocean water temperatures are still cold, so you should try to plan your trips around the tide cycle to hit the outgoing tide. The incoming tide will bring in cold ocean water that usually shuts down or slows the flounder bite. That water then gets heated up on the shallow flats and water temperatures warm considerably on the outgoing tide. This triggers the flounder into a more active feeding patter and is the prime time for the early spring bite window. You can still catch fish throughout the tide cycle, but the outgoing is usually best in early spring.
The black drum have arrived right on schedule as we heard the first few reports of fish being caught in the surf this week. Surf fishing expert Dave Moore checked in with us after catching his first drum of the season on the Maryland side of Assateague Island on Wednesday. The 39-inch fish was caught using sand fleas. There were also black drum reports from Sea Hawk Sports Center and Captain Steve’s Bait and Tackle of fish being caught along the beaches in both Virginia and Maryland. Sand fleas are usually the most effective bait, but the other top performer is chunks of blue crab.
Big news came out of Virginia this week as the Virginia Marine Resources Commission closed down recreational speckled trout harvesting from April first through June 30th. This decision is in response to the cold stun event earlier this year that makes two consecutive years in a row with significant speckled trout die offs in Virginia. Catch and release fishing is still permitted, but if you want to take a fish home for dinner, you will have to target other species. Speckled trout harvest is still allowed in Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay, but we will have to wait and see how many fish push up the Bay.