Coastal Fishing Reports
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, May 8 Update:
Ocean anglers found solid action this week as Maryland’s sea bass season kicked off with productive trips out of Ocean City, while offshore tautog fishing produced several trophy-class fish. Large migratory striped bass continued moving through Delaware Bay, drawing heavy fishing pressure as post-spawn fish push north along the coast. Surf anglers on Assateague saw a mixed bag of black drum, striped bass, flounder, and rays despite rough conditions, with reports of a few stripers over 40 inches still coming in. As the spring drum and rockfish runs begin to taper off, big bluefish are starting to arrive along the coast, signaling the beginning of what could be an exciting nearshore bite over the next few weeks.
Sea bass season is open in Maryland, and many anglers hopped aboard charters to head out on the ocean. Fish In OC had several reports this week from the Ocean City Fleet. A few boats had limits of sea bass and others put plenty for dinner in the box. The class of fish outside of Ocean City is big enough to box keepers, but there aren’t a ton of jumbos around. The biggest fish we saw this week was a 19-inch, three-pounder. Down in Virginia, the sea bass season opens on May 11th. The class of fish down there is usually bigger, but we will have to wait and see what gets brought back to dock once their season opens next week. There were also some jumbo tautog caught offshore this week. Chasin’ Tides Charters and their crew caught six tautog in the double digits, including a fish that weighed 18.5 pounds, and another topping the scale at 20.5 pounds.
Captain Cook from First Light Charters checked in from the Delaware Bay and reports that there have been some huge stripers over the past week. He also mentioned that the word is out, because the bay was been crowded with boats. It is right on time for the big stripers to be moving through Delaware Bay as most of the migratory stock has finished spawning in the Chesapeake Bay, and are now heading up the coast to their summering grounds. Anglers along the coastal beaches and Delaware Bay likely have a few more weeks at most to catch these big fish before they move to the north of our region.
FishTalk contributor Adam Greenberg checked in after surf fishing the beaches of Assateague this week. He and a friend fished with live sand fleas and clam-flavored Fishbites. They caught three black drum ranging from 26 to 30 inches (the perfect eating size!), and rockfish around 30 inches, and two under-sized flounder. It took eight to 10 ounces of lead to hold bottom as the surf was nasty and stirred up due to winds gusting over 30 knots. They also caught one clearnose skate and another unidentified ray. While soaking baits, Adam also tried casting four-inch Gulps! Around the nearshore troughs, chicken-rig style, using a one-and-a-half-ounce bank sinker. He was able to catch a couple more flounder that were all right around 15.5 inches. There were several other reports from the beaches of Assateague this week from anglers who caught black drum and striped bass. These runs are beginning to wind down, but we did see a report from an angler who caught two stripers over 40 inches. One measured 44 and the other measured 47. These big fish are becoming fewer and far between, but more fish closer to the 28 to 31-inch slot are being caught. The black drum are also getting smaller, compared to a few weeks ago. These smaller drum are the perfect table fare, as the big ones are usually full of worms. As the rockfish and black drum start to move out, the bluefish are starting to move in. Anglers fishing at the mouth of the Bay near Virginia Beach enjoyed a great class of blues this week with many fish over 30 inches. A few bluefish reports are starting to show up near Chincoteague and Assateague, so the next few weeks should be prime time for the big ocean blues that will make your drag scream.
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, May 1 Update:
Spring surf fishing is firing on all cylinders along Assateague and Ocean City, with anglers scoring on multiple fronts as black drum, striped bass, and even bluefish keep rods bent in the suds. Drum are still around but tapering off, while larger stripers are stealing the spotlight, and flounder action in the bays remains hit-or-miss due to wind and dirty water despite some standout catches. Inside the inlet and along the coast, tautog are providing steady action both inshore and offshore, with jumbos showing on the reefs. Meanwhile, anglers should take note of updated sea bass regulations across the region as the season kicks off, rounding out a diverse and shifting late-spring fishery.
The surf fishing continues to be on fire for spring, with several anglers checking in from the suds of Assateague with stories of success this week. Throwing tandem bucktail rigs trimmed with white Gulp! Swimming Mullet produced a pair of flounder for one surf caster. A group of others fishing sand fleas stacked on the hook with clam FishBites caught multiple black drum, with most in the 20- to 30-pound range. FishTalk team member Zach Ditmars tried soaking sand fleas on the beach but instead of catching drum, hooked into a slot-sized striper. He then switched it up and went prowling for flounder in the bay behind OC, but to no avail. Dave Moore from Shark Whisperers Guided Trips checked in with a report after hitting the surf two mornings in a row this week. He, along with other anglers, caught a mix of striped bass and black drum totaling 18 fish. Dave says that from what he is seeing, the black drum run is almost over as the majority have been on the smaller side between 20” and 28”. They did catch one black drum that was 38”. However, the stripers have been on the bigger side, averaging in the upper 30s. Their two biggest measured 41” and 42”. Dave has also seen some big bluefish caught along the beach as well, mostly by anglers throwing sand fleas or peeler crab.
FishTalk contributor Adam Greenberg checked in after taking a trip down to Ocean City this week. His plan was to fish for flounder around the Ocean City Inlet, but the water was very dirty, so they switched gears to target tautog. It was the right move as they caught around 30 tog. Only two were keepers, but the fish that are just a little too small to keep are a lot of fun to catch too. Adam said shrimp and pieces of blue crabs outperformed green crab by a mile. Jig sizes ranged from half ounce to two ounces, depending on how much current they were fishing in. Flounder fishing was good in April, but the weather has cooled off, and the winds have picked up, so flounder fishing conditions have not been the best. Despite this, there are still some good catches being reported from all the seaside locations. The Frederick Saltwater Anglers hosted their annual Etzler Flounder Fishing Frenzy Tournament last weekend. Despite foul weather, many fish were caught. One of the more impressive hauls from the weekend came courtesy of the Rippeon family, who ended up boxing 36 keepers during the tournament. The biggest fish weighed in on the weekend was just over five and a half pounds.
There are some changes to the sea bass season in Maryland and Delaware for this year. The season will now open on May 1st, and anglers will be allowed to keep 15 fish per person per day with a minimum size of 12.5 inches. There will also be no fall closure, so the season will be open until December 31st. In Virginia, sea bass season opens on May 11th. Anglers will also be allowed to keep 15 fish per person per day, but the minimum size is 13 inches. There are also plenty of tautog at offshore locations, but that season will come to a close on May 16th. Ocean’s East Bait and Tackle reported that there are some jumbo tautog at offshore reef sites. A few of their anglers checked in after catching six fish over 10 pounds, with the largest fish weighing over 18 pounds.
