Coastal Fishing Reports

Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, March 15 Update:

The weather has final made the turn this week and we have been enjoying summerlike temperatures in the afternoons. Water temperatures have responded well and are steadily rising which can only mean one thing: Flounder are starting to return to the coastal bays, and we had the first successful reports roll in this week. Fish In OC reported that Captain Tim Walch out of Chincoteague caught the first flattie earlier in the week. We also heard of a few successful reports in Wachapreague. These fish might start showing up in the Ocean City bays this weekend, so break out that flounder gear and get ready for an action-packed spring.

tautog on the morning star
Now that spring is making itself known you won't have to suffer through winter togging conditions to target these fish. Photo courtesy of Capt. Monty Hawkins.

Action is also picking up around inlet rocks and the CBBT rockpiles, where anglers are catching a few tautog on sand fleas and green crab. Most of the fish have been undersize and this bite is just beginning to crank up, but they are still a blast to catch and the action should be steadily improving in the coming weeks. More schoolie striped bass are showing up around the OC Inlet and bridges for anglers to target. They will be hanging around hard structure like jetties, docks, and pilings waiting to ambush baitfish, so soft plastics on jigs are a good option to throw. The oceanic scene has been focused on tautog out at the wreck and reef sites. Captain Monty of the Morning Star was out this week and reported slow, but steady fishing on quality size tog.

The recent warming trend will help the return of black drum along the beaches. As forecasted by Punxsutawney Phil himself, spring seems to be kicking off early and it would be no surprise for the drum to follow that pattern. The end of March and beginning of April is a great time to target them, especially on both Virginia and Maryland portions of Assateague and beaches to the south. A simple fish finder rig with chunks of cut bait or sand fleas work well. Make sure you have some heavier gear to use because these fish can get well over 50 pounds.

Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, March 8 Update:

This time of year can be slow for anglers fishing along the coast, but big changes are on the way with the arrival of Spring in the near future. Most of the fishing activity out of Ocean City and Virginia Beach is revolving around tautog right now. The Ocean City Fishing Center told us that a few striped bass are being caught by anglers fishing around the Route 90 and Route 50 bridges. Soft plastics casted near the bridge structure are enticing the bites. That is about all the intel we have for the coast this week and we are looking forward to better reports showing up towards the end of the month. The arrival of black drum in the surf is only a few weeks away!

assateague island black drum
Coming soon, to a beach near you!

Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, March 1 Update:

The weather has been all over the place this week as we close out February. The start of March looks to bring us some rain this weekend with milder temperatures on the horizon. I know all of us are ready for warmer weather which will bring more fishing opportunities. The special February black sea bass season has ended in Virginia, but the fishing was fantastic throughout the month for those who went after them. Wreck Dawg Sport Fishing was still putting their anglers on limits of sea bass this week with fish up to six and a half pounds. The sea bass closure means that offshore wreck trips will be mainly focused on tautog. The tog reports have been slim this week, but the fish should still be out there biting.

flounder fishing regulations
Flounder fishing regulations have been set for MD for 2024.

The 2024 recreational summer flounder regulations for Maryland have been finalized by the DNR. The regulations allow anglers to keep four fish per day. The minimum size is 16 inches from January first to May 31st. The minimum size increases to 17.5 inches from June first through December 31st.

February 2, 2024
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, February 23 Update:  Fishing reports out of Ocean City and along the coast have been slim to none this past week. The weather has likely had a big part in that as windy conditions and cold temperatures returned… Read more...
January 5, 2024
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, January 26 Update: A big warm up came our way this week after old man winter came with two rounds of snow. While fishing has been limited we do have a few reports we’ll get to in a moment, but first, there has… Read more...
December 1, 2023
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, December 29 Update: We hope that everyone had a great Christmas and that you got some new fishing gear to try out in the new year. Winter fishing opportunities are limited along the coast, but there are always… Read more...