Coastal Fishing Reports

Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, February 20 Update:

After a brutally cold stretch of winter weather, it seems that we are finally breaking out of the arctic pattern. Boats departing from Virginia ports are doing well on sea bass as they enjoy the February season. One reader checked in after taking a trip on the Fish Bound, and around 50 miles from the inlet they had a solid bite on a wreck. What’s even better, however, is that they landed the first flounder we’ve heard of in 2026—and then landed a second one. Tandem rigs with diamond jigs on bottom, and Gulp! teasers up top did the trick. There has also been tautog of up to 13 pounds landed on a recent trip. Squid tipped onto teasers also works well for bottom dwellers. Playin Hookey Charters was also out on the ocean this week and their trip produced a limit of keeper sea bass out of Virginia Beach. There are less than two weeks left of the special February black sea bass season, so get out here soon to take advantage of this great bite. Fishing along the beaches is very slow this time of year, but we have a few reports of the occasional dogfish and skates willing to bite fresh-cut bait. If anything, it is a great time of year to visit the beaches if you don’t want to deal with the summer crowds. Fishing will likely remain slow until the end of March, when the spring drum run kicks off with black drum moving into the surf followed by red drum and striped bass.

Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, February 13 Update:

The ice is breaking up in the Delaware Bay and the coastal bays running down the Atlantic coastline. Water temperatures are still very cold, and opportunities for fishing are extremely limited, but that should change in a couple of weeks if we get some warmer weather. Things to look forward to in March are flounder fishing and the start of some of the spring runs. We usually hear of the first inshore flounder being caught in mid to late March depending on the year. Once those fish start moving inshore, it’s game on for spring fishing. The best offshore opportunity right now is to head down to Virginia waters and get out to the wrecks and reefs to bottom fish for black sea bass. The special February black sea bass season was approved for this year, and several boats have been taking advantage of this winter opportunity. The bite has been best out of Virginia Beach, but we have also heard reports of success as far north as Chincoteague. The larger sea bass seem to be further south and there have been some citation fish caught. Playin Hookey Charters has been out a few times and is finding a consistent bite for their anglers. The run out to 150 to 200 feet of water can be a long haul, but it is worth it for some jumbo sea bass. This bite should remain consistent throughout the end of the month. There is rain in the forecast for this weekend, but next week’s weather looks much warmer and should offer some good days to get offshore.

Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, February 6 Update:

Most of our region is locked up with ice, and the coast has not been spared from the freeze. Most of the back bays and creeks are frozen or have significant ice flows moving through them with the tide swings. Most boat ramps and marinas are also dealing with a lot of ice, which not only makes it difficult for boats to get out, but the conditions are just downright dangerous right now. Water access is better the further south you drive, and making the drive may be worth it now that the special February black sea bass season is open in Virginia. Scott Lenox from Fish In OC reports that he recently went out to target sea bass aboard the Ocean Princess out of Chincoteague. After a three-and-a-half-hour ride out, their crew dropped their jigs down in over 200 feet of water. Scott says he would have to call the fishing good. He personally caught 11 keeper-sized fish averaging 15″ with his biggest measuring at around 19″.  Almost everyone on board caught double-digit keepers and the largest fish of the day was a four and a half pound knothead. If you head offshore for sea bass, you can also expect to run into some dogfish, especially when fishing with bait. Using artificial jigs will likely lead to less harassment from these toothy critters. Sea bass fishing will be one of the top opportunities for offshore fishing this month. Tautog are another species that anglers can target at the offshore grounds, but we don’t have any recent information to report on. It seems like this intense cold and winter weather is keeping most of us bundled up inside.