Coastal Fishing Reports
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, June 26 Update:
Coastal anglers are enjoying excellent offshore opportunities for bluefin tuna, sea bass, flounder, tilefish, and the season's first white marlin, while back bays continue to produce keeper flounder, striped bass, bluefish, and sheepshead. Surf fishermen are finding action on sharks, kingfish, spot, and the occasional bull red drum during the evening bite. Water clarity remains the key to consistent flounder fishing throughout the coastal bays.
We had multiple reader reports of success on the bluefin tuna after visiting the “Oceanic Deli” (Ham Bone, Hot Dog, Sausages, etc) and Masseys. One angler noted that the fish weren’t biting for long stretches even though they were on the meter, but they stuck it out and caught fish in a brief spurt of action mid-day. Another said he saw them briefly breaking water. Most of the fish being caught are on the small side for bluefin, in the 20- to 30-pound range. The AIC says he had a rough and bumpy day offshore midweek, and reports lots of action from mostly small sea bass and flounder at the African Queen, Bass Grounds, and Great Eastern reef sites off OC. Squid worked well for the bass and pink/white 5" GULP! Swimming Mullet worked best for the flounder, but orange caught several fish as well. He also said there are some nice five-pound-plus bluefish at the Great Eastern, and they caught one, pulled up half a sea bass another time, and saw several others chasing as they reeled fish up to the boat. They also briefly looked for signs of bluefin at the Ham Bone but didn't see anything of interest.
A reader fishing a few miles south of the OC inlet reported some excellent sharking action last weekend, which included catching a hammerhead. That matches up with the reports we’re hearing from Assateague, where Dave Moore of Shark Whisperers says the sharks have dropped off a bit from previous weeks but are still around. He also mentioned at around sunset he’s been catching a bull redfish or two, but the bite is limited to a very short window as the sun hits the horizon. Kingfish and spot have been around as well but are “a little more picky” than they have been in recent weeks. In the back bays, there are plenty of flounder from the lower eastern shore of Virginia up to Delaware. The minimum size limit is 17.5”, so there are a lot of undersized fish being caught, but we are seeing reports of keeper fish in the mix as well. Double rigs tipped with minnows, silversides, and Gulp! twisty tails are tempting the flatties into the net. Water clarity is still the biggest factor for success, so anglers should try to find clean water when possible. A reader also checked in to report they are still getting flounder on bucktails with Gulp!, and this week there's been great action for kingfish on Fishbites bloodworm flavor. However, it's all or none and when the fish aren't hitting hard, there have been periods of no activity.
At the bridges behind Ocean City, the Route 50 Bridge has been producing striped bass and bluefish for anglers fishing from the bridge. The best bite has been at night when the bridge lights attract baitfish and predatory fish to the bridge pilings. Some bluefish up to 30” have been landed and most of the stripers are under the coastal slot of 28” to 31”, but a few slot fish are around, though you will have to work to find them. We also saw a report from Fish In OC that there was a doormat of a flounder caught at the Route 50 Bridge this week. An angler reeled up a seven-pound, six-ounce jumbo that is the largest they have seen caught from the back bay this year. Over at the rock jetties at the OC Inlet, these same species, plus some tautog and sheepshead are being caught.
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, June 18 Update:
Coastal fishing continues to improve as summer settles in, with strong offshore catches of tuna, tilefish, sea bass, and flounder being reported from the canyons, reefs, and wrecks. Inshore anglers are finding action on flounder, striped bass, and bluefish around bridges, inlets, and back bays, while surf fishermen are encountering everything from kingfish and spot to large blacktip sharks. The first white marlin of the season has also been reported, signaling that the offshore pelagic bite is beginning to heat up.
Dave Moore from Shark Whisperers Guided Trips checked in late last week and reports that the blacktip sharks have arrived in big numbers along the beach at Assateague Island. In three evening sessions, he managed to catch 13 blacktip sharks, two southern rays, a few sandbar sharks, and a lone red drum. Dave also mentioned that spot are pretty heavy in the surf with some kingfish mixed in as well. Anglers throwing out cut bait in hopes of red drum or bluefish will likely have to sort through a lot of bites from skates and sharks before finding the target species. Some flounder have also been around in the troughs close to the beaches. Teasers tipped with Gulp! curly tails work well. Inside the inlet at the bridges, striped bass and bluefish are providing some fun action for anglers fishing the bridge pilings. Most of the stripers are undersize the slot, but some hammer bluefish have been caught recently.
Captain Cook on First Light Charters says the flounder fishing at the wrecks and reefs out of Indian River is steadily improving. However, he also noted that there's dirty water out to about 12 miles, so it's best to plan on heading at least that far out. Areas like the Old Grounds and Site 11 should be a good bet. Sea Hawk Sports Center reports the offshore wrecks in around 100 feet of water have produced a good sea bass bite. Bottom rigs tipped with squid have been the go-to, but metal jigs have also tempted some big knot heads into the net. Flounder have also been around some of the wrecks, so it is a good idea to drop down a bucktail tipped with Gulp! to try and get a nice flattie in the cooler. The coastal bay flounder bite has been dependent on water conditions. They are often willing to bite double teaser rigs tipped with Gulp!, silversides, and bill minnows. Bright colors have been outperforming other options in areas with dirty water.
The offshore canyons have been very good to boats deep dropping for tilefish. Both bluelines and goldens have been coming over the rails. Bottom rigs tipped with squid are working well, but some giant golden tilefish have been landed on the jig too. Pulling up one of those giants from the deep is quite the workout, but the fillets are well worth it. Tuna are also being caught around the canyons and Chasin Tides Charters had a mixed bag of flounder, tuna, and golden tilefish over 40 pounds during a trip this week. Another recreational boat had a limit of bluefin tuna and a pile of blueline tilefish to top off the cooler. Fish In OC even reported that the first white marlin of the season was caught this week, so the pelagic bite is definitely heating up.
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, June 11 Update:
Coastal anglers are enjoying a wide range of opportunities from the back bays to the offshore canyons, with tuna, mahi, sea bass, flounder, tautog, and tilefish all providing strong action. Inside the bays and around the bridges, striped bass, bluefish, flounder, and some drum are keeping anglers busy. Surf fishermen are finding plenty of sharks along the beaches, along with spot, kingfish, and the occasional red drum as summer fishing continues to build momentum.
A reader deep-dropping offshore out of Chincoteague reported excellent action recently on both blueline and golden tilefish, after striking out on swordfish deep drops. Using knife jigs tipped with squid chunks did the trick for tiles of both species. Another angler also found success deep dropping out of Virginia Beach on a recent trip. They were searching for golden tilefish in around 800 feet of water, but instead found a lot of blueline tilefish and some blackbelly rosefish. The offshore action has also been picking up for tuna since the beginning of the month. Fish In OC had reports that a boat returned to the dock with a limit of three bluefin tuna and a nice mahi from the Poorman’s Canyon. The offshore bottom fishing at the reefs has been very good lately as well, with sea bass, flounder, and tautog keeping rods bent. Monty Hawkins of the Morning Star ran a few trips this week and on one of the trips, his crew boxed several nice keeper sea bass, a few keeper flounder, and enjoyed a steady catch and release bite for tautog since that season is closed. No matter what style of fishing you enjoy, there are plenty of opportunities at the offshore grounds right now.
In the back bays, bluefish and rockfish have been hanging out around the bridges inside the inlets. Anglers fishing at the Route 50 bridge have landed some slot stripers, but most of them fall below the 28-to-31-inch slot. There have also been some chopper blues caught, and an angler checked in with a 30-incher caught near the bridge at night this week. The night bite has been best as there is less angling pressure and the bridge lights attract baitfish and gamefish to the bridge. In Chincoteague Bay, there have been plenty of flounder caught, but also some black drum that were tempted by anglers soaking fresh peeler crab. The summer flounder regulations now require fish to be a minimum of 17.5 inches to keep, so anglers are having to work a little harder to get their keepers.
Surf fishing expert Dave Moore from Shark Whisperers Guided Trips checked in with another report. He said that the surf has been producing sharks, sharks, and more sharks. Most of the action has been sandbar sharks up to seven feet that are tearing through drum rigs and bait rods. Despite the toothy critters, he did manage to find a red drum one evening last week, but from that point it didn’t matter if he was fishing the Virginia or Maryland side of the beach, the sharks were thick. He also mentioned that kingfish and spot have been plentiful just before sunset. The summer crowds are now returning to the beaches, so if you plan to drive onto the beach to fish, make sure to go during the week or get there very early on weekends because the crowds are growing and the line to get onto the OSV has been long at times.
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, June 4 Update:
Coastal fishing is offering a wide variety of opportunities, with anglers catching flounder, striped bass, bluefish, sheepshead, and tautog from the surf, inlets, and back bays. Striped bass and bluefish are providing consistent action around Ocean City's bridges, jetties, and beaches, while sheepshead and tautog are becoming more common around inlet structure. Offshore, improving water temperatures are fueling better catches of tuna, mahi, sea bass, and tilefish, with the pelagic bite expected to strengthen throughout June.
Flounder regulations changed on June 1st, and fish now have to be 17.5” to keep in Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware. There were plenty of fish meeting the 16” minimum in April and May, but the keepers will be harder to find in the coastal bays with the change. A subscriber casting four-inch white Gulp! Mullet teasers in the surf for flounder produced a few fish up to 18" for a subscriber fishing Assateague this week, but he said overall the action was slower than hoped for. However, he did also hook up with a nice bonus-fish, a 25" striper. More reports of stripers in the surf came in this week from up and down the coast, including Fenwick in DE, Assateague in MD, and First Landing in VA. Most were above or below the slot, which is to be expected with such a tight range (28” to 31” in coastal waters). A reader also checked in after casting a bucktail dressed with a four-inch Gulp! Mullet in the surf at Assateague, catching three flounder with two over 16” and one a bit smaller. He noted that the fish were hanging around very close to the beach. A reader also reported catching keeper flounder in Wachapreague this week.
The fishing inside the Ocean City Inlet has been good for striped bass at the rock jetties, near the Route 50 Bridge, and at the Route 90 Bridge. There are not many slot fish meeting the 28 to 31-inch size limit, but some keeper fish have been pulled up at the Route 50 bridge. The best action has been at night when stripers are feeding on baitfish that are attracted to the bridge lights. Snapper bluefish and some bigger blues are also showing up near the inlet and in the surf. There were a few reports from surf anglers at Assateague this week who caught bluefish in the mid 20” range. Sheepshead have also arrived to the Ocean City Inlet, and a few big ones were landed this week. On The Run Charters had an angler catch a 24”, 10-pound sheepshead on a sand flea. Scott Lenox from Fish In OC reports that he and a buddy fished the jetties and caught a bunch of tautog up to 17”. He also caught a striper on a sand flea and his friend caught a nice sheepshead on a live sand flea.
At the offshore grounds, there are plenty of sea bass to be caught at the reefs and wrecks when the wind allows boats to get offshore. A reader wrote in to let us know that he was catching two at a time sea bass plus flounder aboard the Morning Star this week. The offshore fleet making the run to fish warmer waters at the canyons are finding some yellowfin and bluefin tuna along with mahi. The deep droppers are finding a good class of golden tilefish and blueline tilefish as well. The pelagic bite should continue to heat up throughout this month as warmer waters continue to push into the region.
