Coastal Fishing Reports

Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, April 25 Update:

The coastal zone is drawing anglers in as there are multiple bites happening in the area. Tautog have arrived in numbers at the OC inlet and back bays. Scott Lenox of Fish In OC was out with Captain Jason Mumford of Lucky Break Charters and fished the OC Inlet for tautog. They caught and released over 30 short fish, released three keeper-sized females, and put one keeper in the cooler to take home. Green crab and sand fleas have been working well for the tog. There was also a report from an angler targeting tog at the south jetty who had an unexpected catch of a 42” striped bass that hit a piece of green crab. Stripers have also been hanging around Route 90, Route 50, and the coastal marshes in the back bays. Captain Jason has also been flounder fishing in the south bay and has had some success this month. On a recent trip, his crew caught a couple keeper flounder and released some throwbacks during an incoming tide. Better flounder action is still happening around Chincoteague and areas to the south. The outgoing tide is still best as warmer water temperatures usually trigger the flatties to bite. Gulp! baits and minnows on flounder rigs have been the ticket.

A few reports of spring surf fishing action cranking back up on Assateague came in early this week, with both black drum and some striped bass showing up in the suds. Sand fleas were the preferred bait for the drum and the rockfish found them to their liking, too. More striped bass will continue to run through the surf in the coming weeks as these post-spawn fish are making their way back north for the summer months.  The AIC made the trip down to Assateague again this week with Zach Ditmars and Eric Packard for a chance at redemption with the black drum. The trip was a success, and the group landed two black drum, along with several pesky clearnose skate. We had multiple reader reports of bull red drum up to 44” on the lower Eastern Shore of VA in the coastal bays, in the Nassawaddox area and south. The fish are moving shallow when it’s sunny out (the 44” came from just 18” of water) and are hitting paddletails and suspending jerkbaits. One angler noted that stealth was key, and the fish were easily spooked by boats running nearby, but after 15 or 20 minutes of silence the fish started hitting again. Spring is the best time of year to target the bulls in the shallows before they move to deeper waters during the summer months.

Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, April 17 Update:

The Angler in Chief reports that a run to Assateague for black drum proved fruitless early in the week, unless you call clearnose skates fruit. Fishing with sand fleas and clam Fishbites produced dozens of them, but nothing else, in a slightly muddied-up surf. This run always comes in waves, and they shouldn’t be past already, so considering the fish’s strong showing early last week, this bite still holds plenty of promise (see Spring Surf Fishing for Black Drum if you hope to take a shot at them before the run is over). The colder weather and stiff wind this week dropped water temperatures and made the surf very turbid, which is not ideal for surf fishing. The better reports this week came from Virginia beaches, though that action slowed as well. A steady warming trend should pick up the action again in the surf.

Always Bent Fishing reports that they had their best back bay striper bite of the spring last weekend. Their first stop yielded a 28” slot fish and a few other mid 20’s. Their second stop of the day was where the real action happened. They had fish about every cast that were in the 18” to 22” range. They had beached the boat along the marsh and were fishing from shore where they were catching fish consistently in the 18” to 22” range with a few others up to 26”. A high tide and an overcast sky made for ideal conditions. Other anglers are reporting stripers being caught around Route 90, Route 50, and other bridges along the coastal back bays.

Despite the colder weather this week, there were some good flounder reports out of Chincoteague, with several boats catching keeper fish and even a few limits. We also had a reader send in a report after catching some keeper flatties in Gargatha using Gulp! baits tipped with minnows and silversides. Some flounder are also being caught behind Ocean City, but the best action is still down to the south with hotspots around Chincoteague, Wachapreague, and Gargatha. Increasing numbers of tautog have moved into the back bays with plenty of keepers in the mix. The rock jetties at the OC inlet have been a good location for tog this spring and anglers are catching them on sand fleas and crab baits. On The Run Charters had two productive bay trips for tog this week, boxing 8 keepers on one trip and six on another. There have also been some big tog offshore and Chasin’ Tides Charters had an excellent day fishing offshore, with fish up to 15 pounds this week. There is a lot to be excited about right now, we just need the weather to cooperate a bit more.

Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, April 11 Update:

Just when we were getting used to the warmer weather, we were brought back to the realities of spring this week as rain, wind, and chilly temps tried to put a damper on the bites that were heating up. Fish In OC has been getting a steady dose of flounder reports rolling in, and it looks like the action has been best in Virginia waters. Before the colder weather moved in this week, there were a few great reports, including a boat that boxed four keepers one day and eight keepers the next, and another boat that was fishing out of Chincoteague who boxed five flounder up to 26”. Fish In OC also had Lucky Break Charters check in after fishing during the mid-week cold and wind. Despite poor conditions, their clients still caught six flounder with two keepers hitting the ice.

Also, in the back bays, striped bass seem to be hanging around the coastal bridges with fish being caught at Route 90, Route 50, Verrazano Bridge behind Assateague Island, and the bridge leading into Chincoteague. Most of these fish are schoolie-sized, but there have been a few slot fish caught. Anglers should remember that the coastal slot for striped bass is 28 to 31 inches. In Maryland, the coastal season is open year-round, but in Virginia, the season does not open until May 16th. Catch and release fishing is currently allowed in Virginia. Tautog are moving inshore and are being caught from Delaware down to Virginia Beach. There have been good reports from anglers fishing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, with some catching their limit. There have also been reports of some tautog being caught at the Ocean City Inlet and from areas within the back bay.

That is some seriously good surf fishing. The surfside black drum bite has been excellent recently, with anglers in both Maryland and Virginia reporting success from the suds. Surf fishing is really starting to heat up as black drum continue to run north along the beaches. Surf fishing expert Dave Moore from Shark Whisperers wrote in to report that the black drum bite was great on Monday this week despite the wind and rain. Dave says it seems that the frontal system and cooler weather has slowed down the bite since then, but when he was out at the beginning of the week, he and three other anglers landed a combined 28 black drum. We also had a report from an angler who caught her first black drum from the surf last weekend. The fish was caught on the Maryland side of Assateague and was 35 inches long. Captain Steve’s Bait and Tackle has anglers checking in daily with keeper black drum. Sand fleas and sand flea flavored Fishbites appear to be the top bait. Other reliable choices include clam and blue crab.

Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, April 4 Update:

The spring bites are ramping up, and there are now several fisheries to target along the coast. Dave Moore from Shark Whisperers checked in and let us know that tautog have started biting again in OC in the inlet and bay. He noted that the numbers weren’t big (five one day and four another) but they were all decent fish and about half were keeper sized. He said the switching tide was best. At the offshore grounds, Chasin’ Tides Charters was out this week and was able to box a boat limit of tog up to eight pounds for their anglers. Tog have also moved inshore in the Virginia Beach area and there were a few reports of keeper fish being caught at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Scott Lenox from Fish In OC says that the striper bite at the bridges in OC is picking up and he had an excellent night trip recently. He and another angler fished the Route 90 Bridge and had steady catch and release action with a total of 42 striped bass up to 27.5” landed in around three hours. Striper action along the back bay marshes is also improving with creek mouths and other areas with warmer, clean, moving water holding pockets of fish.  

The black drum run along the beaches cut loose this week and there were several successful reports along the coast. Most of the action seems to be in Virginia, but there are also drum being caught on the Maryland side of Assateague Island. Captain Steves Bait and Tackle in Chincoteague has been seeing keeper drum brought to their shop just about daily since last week. One angler that checked in had caught four drum between 28” and 34” with the biggest fish weighing 27 pounds. Another pair of anglers landed a 45” black drum which is one of the largest we have heard of this year. There was also a keeper flounder pulled from the surf this week that was just under 20”. Weekends are sure to be busy, so if you can get out during the week, you will likely have less anglers to compete with. The warmer weather has water temperatures on the rise and more flounder have been moving inshore. A few days this week provided great early season flounder action in the coastal back bays. Sea Hawk Sports Center had a few different anglers check in that caught their limit of flounder. The bite seems to be best from Chincoteague south and we have yet to hear of the first keeper being caught in Ocean City, but that should happen shortly.