Coastal Fishing Reports

Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, August 14 Update:

Offshore fishing continues to shine, with excellent flounder action on reefs and wrecks, increasing numbers of inshore mahi, and strong tilefish action in the canyons. The White Marlin Open capped off a strong billfish bite, with 334 boats competing for nearly $10 million and impressive winning fish across the white marlin, blue marlin, tuna, and wahoo divisions. Closer to shore, sharks remain the most consistent surf target around Assateague, while flounder, sea mullet, croaker, sheepshead, and a few rockfish and bluefish are filling out the coastal variety.

A subscriber drifting 5” Gulp! Swimming Mullet through the reef sites off Ocean City reported good flounder action this week and also picked up some bonus sea bass. Chartreuse and pink were the hot colors. More mahi-mahi are showing up on the inshore grounds and Captain Monty on the Morning Star ran a trip targeting them this week. He reported that the fish were “fussy” early on, but there were multiple schools around, the bite picked up nicely, and his anglers caught plenty of fish before the day was out. When the mahi arrive at inshore wreck and reef sites, they usually stick around (especially at areas with bass pots) until summer temperatures begin dropping, or a storm shakes things up, so for the next few weeks this should be a solid option for anglers who want to target this species but don’t want to run all the way out to the canyons. Later in the week, we had more anglers check in after successful flounder trips to the offshore grounds. One subscriber sent in a picture of a boat limit of flatties after fishing with captain Kane Bounds of the Fish Bound. Another pair of subscribers sent in a similar photo after spending a day fishing off Ocean City with Sick Day Sportfishing. The offshore flounder bite has been going strong for several weeks, so make sure to get out and take advantage of it.

Sea Hawk Sports Center reports that mahi stole the show this past week as many anglers took advantage of the weather windows to head east into the Atlantic. Mahi were not only caught at the canyons but were also encountered on floating cover such as buoys and other debris casting shadows. Most of the fish are caught with bits of squid, chunks of fish, and even silversides. The tilefish bite off the deep drops in the canyons has been good, with both bluelines and goldens more than willing to bite. Marlin and other billfish have also made a good showing as the 53rd annual White Marlin open wrapped up last weekend. 334 boats competed for nearly 10 million in prize money. Mister Pete took the white marlin title with Bill Sharpe’s 80-pound fish, earning a tournament-leading three and a half million. Reel Hunter finished second with a 71.5-pound white marlin worth about $361,000, while Bull Pen placed third with a 70-pound fish that paid an impressive $1.82 million through added-entry levels. In the other major divisions, MaxBet won blue marlin with a 607.5-pound fish worth about $1.27 million, while Gray Fox won both tuna and wahoo with a 179-pound tuna and 69.5-pound wahoo, earning more than a million in the tuna division alone.

Along the beaches, there are several bites to chase, but none of them are red hot. Anglers throwing Gulp! And other flounder rigs are pulling some undersized fish from the nearshore troughs. Surf anglers throwing out Fishbites and sandfleas are picking up some sea mullet, croaker, and a few other varieties of coastal bottom feeders. A subscriber surf fishing from Assateague had great action on flounder this week, catching seven in a morning. However, none were large enough for the cooler. A bucktail trimmed with white Gulp! Swimming Mullet drew all of the strikes, and he noted that the fish were all in close within 25' of the shore. The most consistent bite has been shark fishing along Assateague Island. There are sandbar sharks, sand tiger sharks, blacktip sharks, and a few other species that have been caught recently. To catch them, your best bet is to use a kayak or another method to get the baits out a few hundred yards off the beach. After soaking for a bit, there should be a shark or ray that comes along to start pulling drag. Over at the Ocean City inlet, there are some sheepsheads hanging around the rock jetties. Striped bass and some bluefish have been caught from around the Route 50 Bridge, but that bite has slowed some.

Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, August 7 Update:

Offshore action is heating up with strong numbers of white marlin and mahi around the canyons, highlighted by impressive catches during the White Marlin Open. Closer to shore, reefs are producing keeper flounder and triggerfish, while the back bays remain loaded with smaller flounder. Surf anglers are finding spot, kingfish, sharks, and rays, while Ocean City's bridges and inlet continue to offer a mixed bag of striped bass, bluefish, tautog, and flounder.

Offshore, anglers have plenty to go after right now, with reports of white marlin and mahi-mahi at the canyons in good numbers, plus a few tunas here and there. The winner of the Heels & Reels fishing out of OC had nine marlin releases and boats running out of the VA ports are also reporting excellent action at the southern canyons. One reader checked in after amassing a catch of dozens of peanut dolphins after tugging against billfish. There are some bigger fish around too (a 29-pounder was caught during the Big Fish Classic), but the bulk of the mahi hovering around the lobster pot balls at the canyon edges are in the three- to six-pound range. A smattering are showing up inshore at the bass pots as well, but small ones and not in the numbers one would hope for.

The 53rd annual White Marlin Open is going on now through the weekend. AS of Thursday morning, the biggest splash belongs to the Mister Pete, which brought in an impressive 80-pound white marlin. This jumped ahead of the 70-pound fish brought in by the Bull Pen. The MaxBet leads the blue marlin division with a 607-pound fish, while the Gray Fox sits atop the tuna leader board with a 179-pounder. Mahi have also been hitting the dock, and Today’s The Day is leading that category with a 45-pounder. Boats competing in the tournament are working the offshore canyons looking for productive current breaks, pulling spreads of ballyhoo, dredges, and teasers to catch the marlin. With plenty of fishing left in the tournament, the leaderboard along with some multi-million-dollar payouts could change quickly.

Dave Moore from Shark Whisperers says the redfish seem to have moved out from the Assateague surf and he hasn’t seen them in recent days (or nights). Sharks and rays have been providing plenty of action, though. Smaller fish remain plentiful, with spot and kingfish (roundhead) biting strong. He also noted that good numbers of flounder remain in the suds, though most are small. He also tried fishing the inlet rocks in OC this week but said sheepshead were elusive; he did pick up a few tautog in the 15” range. At the Ocean City Inlet and Route 50 Bridge, the fishing action has been slower, but anglers are still catching some striped bass, bluefish, tautog, and flounder. The best action around the bridges is at night when baitfish are attracted to the lights illuminating the water. In the back bays from Ocean City down the Virginia coast, there are plenty of flounder, but most of them are short of the 17.5” minimum size.

At the nearshore reef sites, keeper flounder are more abundant, with several reefs also holding big schools of triggerfish. The triggers have been tempted by small bits of squid or clam. The flounder fishing has been excellent at the windmills offshore of Virginia Beach. The run is about 25 nautical miles, but boats are catching some very nice keeper flounder. Some mahi and other species like spadefish and triggerfish have also been around at times. Closer to home Spanish mackerel are still being caught by trollers pulling spoons, along the beaches and channel edges running up towards the Bay. Most of the mackerel action has been in depths of 20 to 40 feet of water, but they have pushed in close to the beaches near the various public fishing piers at times. If you plan to visit any of the piers bring a rod with a Gotcha plug or metal jig to cast in case the mackerel come within striking distance.