Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, October 3 Update:
FishTalk’s Zach Ditmars and Eric Packard gave us the scoop after fishing the Tangier during last weekend’s Tangier Classic tournament, and said there was lots of searching, many areas with little action, and a few hot spots that provided better bites. They caught about 15 bluefish, 20 or so (smallish) speckled trout, a “slew” of lizardfish, and a few black sea bass and spot. Packard said that over the course of two days they hit a lot of spots, including Jane’s, Hazard, Clump, and Cider Islands, with little to show for it, and caught the bulk of the fish near Deal Island and at the reef outside of Crisfield. Ditmars also caught a new PB toadfish. New PB! New PB! Other reports from the tournament were scattered across the board, but the resounding theme was that there was a disappointing lack of striped bass in the shallows. In years past, the stripers have almost been a nuisance when trying to catch specks and reds, but not this year.
As the temperature has been cooling off, a few more puppy drum have been showing up on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The bite is best on the lower shore, but some fish have been caught near Saxis and the tributaries around the Maryland/Virginia line. Shrimp are also starting to show up in the tidal tributaries around the Tangier and Pocomoke region. They concentrate in areas with marsh shoreline and are a popular forage food for our inshore species. Try throwing a cast net on your next outing to see if any are in your area. If you stumble across some, they make for excellent bait, or you can keep them to eat for yourself. C.L. Marshall of Tangier Sound Charters has been enjoying an excellent bite for a variety of species on Virginia’s Eastern Shore over the past few weeks. One of his most recent trips produced bull red drum, sheepshead, speckled trout, tautog, black sea bass, black drum, and flounder. October is a great month to fish in the Chesapeake because when the weather cools off, the bite heats up.