Coastal Fishing Reports

Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, December 25 Update:

Most of the inshore coastal bites have wrapped up as the cold weather has really set in, so anglers are turning their attention to nearshore and offshore opportunities. There are migratory striped bass running along the coast from Delaware down to Virginia. Fish in OC reports that a recreational boat fishing outside the OC inlet had a nice day catching and releasing striped bass last weekend. They used umbrella rigs from midtown Ocean City to south of Bethany Beach and caught around a dozen fish between 32” and 46”. Another boat fishing a nearshore wreck caught a limit of keeper tautog. That crew also released another couple dozen fish in around three hours. Down in the waters off Virginia Beach, Playin Hookey Charters is making the most of the last few days of black sea bass season. They have been putting their anglers on a lot of trophy sea bass and plenty of keepers to fill coolers. Black sea bass season will close after December 31st.

The bluefin tuna regulations will change at the start of the new year, which will provide some great opportunities for offshore anglers. Recreational anglers that have an HMS permit and charter vessels fishing recreationally will be able to keep one bluefin tuna between 27” and 73” per vessel per day. You are also allowed one trophy bluefin 73” or larger per vessel per year as long as the regional subquota is available. For the most current updates on general category rules, recreational limits, permits, and everything else, head to the official NOAA Fisheries Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) website. Water temperatures offshore near the Chesapeake Light Tower are hovering around 50 degrees, which should be prime for bluefin fishing. Colder water will continue to push bait offshore, but temperature breaks are where the action is likely to kick off.

Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, December 19 Update:

There are about two weeks left for black sea bass season on the coast. The fishing bite has been inconsistent off the Maryland coastline, but more reliable down in the waters off Virginia Beach. This December has been much colder than average, so water temperatures are down, and sea bass are mostly being caught in depths of around 200 feet. The OC Angler was out earlier in the week, and while the sea bass fishing wasn’t great, they did have a nice mixed bag of some big sea bass, bluefish, and flounder up to 29.5”. Playin Hookey Charters has been enjoying a good sea bass bite out of Virginia Beach when the weather allows them to get offshore. This week, they had sea bass over five pounds. Worm Charters also reported good action from the sea bass grounds and even had some big triggerfish in the mix, and as many bluefish as they wanted. If you want to try your hand at filling a cooler with delicious sea bass, get out soon.

There are migratory striped bass off the coast but locating them is no easy task. Some boats out looking to do some catch and release bluefin tuna fishing have stumbled across the stripers, which are a great consolation prize if you don’t find any tuna. Tautog are at several nearshore locations from Delaware down to Virginia Beach. They are usually a reliable option this time of year as long as you have some type of crab bait to drop down near structure. You can also use clam if crabs are hard to find. When fishing for them along rocky structures, you want to use heavy tackle so that you can pull them away from anything that could potentially snag and break your line. The beaches are pretty quiet this time of year. If you want to enjoy the beach without the crowds and can brave the cold, now is the time to visit. There isn’t much to catch, but tossing out some cut bait could land you a dogfish or skate.

Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, December 11 Update:

As it’s grown cold the inshore wrecks and reefs off the coast have become hot, and a reader checked in last weekend after enjoying banner action off the ESVA on some very nice flounder, with jumbo sea bass also in the mix. Bluefin tuna—off-limits for the time being—were also spotted busting water in the vicinity. Several boats have run out to chase the tuna and are reporting some luck with catch and release fishing. Boats running out of Virginia Beach are reporting similar action with a wider mix of wreck fishing species. Most of the catch consists of (very nice) sea bass, but flounder, blues, and triggerfish have been going into the box as well. One of the more impressive reports we saw this week came courtesy of Captain Kane Bounds of the Fish Bound. Recently, he has been targeting tautog, and his crew has been catching a good class of fish. This week, they had an 18-pounder come over the rails. Anglers fishing aboard the Ocean Princess are reeling in sea bass, bluefish, and some flounder too.

If you are looking for nearshore and inshore opportunities along the coast during the winter, your options will be limited. There are some striped bass being caught in the coastal marshes of the back bays behind Ocean City and Assateague Island. Creek mouths, shoreline points, and areas with current have been the most productive spots. Stripers are also being caught around the Route 50 and Route 90 bridges. Most of the action has been at night. Tautog are hanging around the jetty at Cape Henlopen, at the Ocean City Inlet, and at the rocky islands of the CBBT. Most of the fish are undersized, but some keepers are in the mix. Crab baits are the best way to get them biting. On the beaches, fishing has been slow, but there have been occasional catches of skate, dogfish, and rockfish.

Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, December 5 Update:

The surf fishing is relatively quiet right now, but there are still a few bites to chase. Migratory striped bass are moving down the coast, so there is a chance to run into them within casting distance of the beaches. The bulk of the fish will likely be out of casting range, but we have a few reports of stripers being pulled from the suds of the Virginia beaches. Captain Steve’s Bait and Tackle reports that anglers are checking in some stripers, red drum, and plenty of dogfish. Anglers hitting the beaches of Assateague are also reeling in some dogfish while throwing cut bait. Despite the cold, now can be an enjoyable time to visit the beaches while they are less crowded.

Inside the Ocean City Inlet, striped bass are being caught near the Route 50 and Route 90 bridges. Anglers are also finding some along the marsh edges in the coastal bays. Tautog are hanging out at the rock jetties at the inlet. Cape Henlopen has also been a hotspot for nearshore tautog fishing at the large jetty bulkhead. Off the coast, the wreck and reef sites are holding plenty of sea bass. Some flounder and porgy have also been in the mix. The boats heading off the coast of Virginia Beach are still catching plenty of jumbo sea bass and even some late season trophy triggerfish. The Big Worm fishing out of Virginia Beach reported several boat limits on sea bass this week including some flounder, bluefish, and triggers. Don’t let the cold weather fool you; the bite can still be hot in our coastal zone.