Coastal Fishing Reports

Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, July 31 Update:

The tuna bite has fallen off a bit from the hot bite during the mid-summer heat. There are still some yellowfins being caught, and we had a few reports from the Norfolk Canyon of tuna and mahi hitting trolled sidewidners and skirted ballyhoo. Spreader bars have also increased the number of bites as baits are trolled in clean water. Classic colors such as blue, pink, chartreuse, purple, and black are all great options to put in the spread. The tuna bite may not be what it was a few weeks ago, but in one of the odder reports of the summer, the Heat Wave was trolling for yellowfin well off the coast of Wachapreague, when a cobia attacked a spreader bar – now that doesn’t happen every day! The pelagic billfish bite is picking up, and we had a reader report of a good bite at the Baltimore Canyon. The crew reeled in a nice white marlin and went three for four on marlin bites during their trip. Tilefish have also been biting at the canyons with both bluelines and goldens willing to hit pieces of squid fished on the bottom.

Sea Hawk Sports Center also reports that there have been some cobia caught at the nearshore reef sites with fish hitting brightly colored jigs and live eels. They also mentioned that bluefish and Spanish mackerel have been in that zone too, so if bottom fishing is slow, there are other fish to chase. The toothy critters have been hitting clark spoons trolled behind number one or two planers. Another exciting bite has increasing numbers of sheepshead and triggerfish at the wreck and reef sites off the beaches. On The Run charters had some very good trips recently, putting their anglers on triggerfish, flounder up to five pounds, and sheepshead up to eight pounds. Another boat fishing the ocean structure had a great day boxing several triggerfish using clams and squid. Anglers fishing inside the Ocean City inlet are catching striped bass and bluefish around the bridges. The night bite is still best as fish are feeding on bait attracted to the bridge lights.

Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, July 25 Update:

The summer coastal bite is firing off on all cylinders. Dave Moore of Shark Whisperers says the weather has been making it tough to surf fish recently, but when he can get out, the bite offers a great mix of species these days. On a recent night fishing trip, he reeled up three reds from 35” to 45”, a half-dozen kingfish, a pompano, and a spotted Atlantic eagle ray. We also have reader reports of steady flounder action in the Assateague surf, with most mornings producing two or three fish up to 20” on bucktails trimmed with Gulp! Swimming Mullet. Inshore at wrecks and reefs, flounder continue to provide some solid summer action up and down the coast. Readers reported good catches at the Old Grounds off Delaware and down off Chincoteague as well, and Capt. Monty on the Morning Star out of Ocean City has been picking up flounder along with sea bass. He says the water down deep has warmed up and the fish he’d been seeing on the meter which wouldn’t bite are now active again. He also noted that the inshore ocean had greened up and inshore mahi fishing isn’t what he’d been hoping for by now.

The hot tuna bite out of Ocean City has slowed down a bit, but there is still some great action at the canyons. Several anglers from the FishTalk crew headed offshore this week out of Ocean City. The Angler in Chief, Zach Ditmars, Eric Packard, and Dillon Waters had the pleasure of fishing on the Schedule Sea for an action-packed day of fishing. They took a long ride out to the Wilmington Canyon in search of billfish, mahi, and tilefish. Within five minutes of setting the spread, they had a white marlin chasing baits behind the boat. The fish chased a teaser and then ate a ballyhoo that was pitched back but pulled the hook after a short time. A little while later, they found a few mahi schools at the lobster buoys that were eager to bite. The schools weren’t thick, but they ended up boxing 14 mahi from a few pots. A little while later, a stop at the tilefish grounds in 350’ of water produced an action-packed bite for bluelines and the crew had over two dozen in the box in no time. Both squid and metal jigs were working, and they even had a few doubles at times. A report also came in from the Baltimore Canyon of three yellowfin tuna, and another angler reported catching a 75-pound wahoo, though the location wasn’t disclosed.

Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, July 18 Update:

Fishing along the coast is in prime summer form with plenty of opportunities from the backwater bays to the deep offshore zones. Dave Moore from Shark Whisperers Guided Trips checked in after hitting the beaches at Assateague where several species were biting. Dave reports that the surf is very active right now with spot, croaker, kingfish, red drum up to 40”, and even a surprise pompano. Other anglers hitting the surf are catching some bluefish, some flounder, and plenty of skate. Anglers fishing the Ocean City inlet are catching striped bass and bluefish at the jetties, Route 50 Bridge, and Route 90 Bridge. Sheepshead and tautog are around the inlet rock jetties and other rocky areas in the back bay. It has been a great flounder year in our area, and the fish are still biting at all the popular coastal areas from Delaware down to Virginia Beach. As always, clean water is key in inshore waters. The nearshore reefs off the Virginia beaches have been a great spot to jig up some doormats as well.

Sea Hawk Sports Center checked in and said that the deep blue waters off the coast of the Eastern Shore are still offering great pelagic pullage. The best action has been at the canyons where yellowfin tuna are the main target for trollers. Hotspots have included the Poormans Canyon and the Washington Canyon. There are some mahi around as well, but their numbers have been better the farther south along the coast you go. Captain Monty Hawkins of the Morning Star set sail on Wednesday in search of Mahi and started out the morning with slick calm conditions. After deploying some reef structure, he made a quick stop to scout for sea bass and found a few shorts, one keeper, and a few ling, though he marked a lot more on his electronics. Monty pushed on and found three mahi for his anglers before the winds ramped up, and he had to head back to dock. Fish In OC is reporting that there has been some good flounder fishing in the nearshore waters. They had On The Run charters check in, and their clients have been enjoying some great fishing in both the ocean and the bay.  Recent trips have produced flounder, trout, bluefish, ribbonfish and more after fun days on the water.

Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, July 11 Update:

Anglers have been flocking to the beaches to enjoy all that summer offshore fishing has to offer. Sea Hawk Sports Center reports that the Atlantic has stolen the spotlight as boats heading to the deep water are looking to cash in on the great opportunities for tuna, mahi, and other pelagic species. The Washington Canyon to the Norfolk Canyon has been the most productive area for trollers pulling sidewinders and daisy chains. The tuna action should remain good, and the mahi action will hopefully continue to get better. Fish In OC had a few good reports from boats returning to dock, including the Wound Tight that had an awesome day with the yellowfin. Their crew had seven nice yellowfin by mid-morning. The Fish Bound with Captain Kane Bounds put on a clinic as their crew reeled up a limit of flounder with some very nice fish in the mix.

The offshore waters closer to shore are offering up some excellent flounder opportunities, along with plenty of sea bass. The flounder have taken up residence at wrecks and reefs in the 50’ to 100’ depth range and are targeting two-to-four-ounce jigs tipped with Gulp! baits, such as the swimming mullet and grub style baits. Spades and triggers are also abundant and will take suspended small chunks of clam when in a feeding mood. Captain Monty Hawkins of the Morning Star had two polar opposite trips this week out to the sea bass grounds. One trip nearly resulted in a skunk on keeper sea bass with only a few fish caught, although he marked plenty at the reef sites. The next day was a different story and Monty’s crew enjoyed plenty of keeper sea bass and even a few keeper flounder too. A few anglers working artificial jigs enjoyed steady action for most of the day. Captain Cook reports good flounder fishing to the north this week, too, hitting the wreck and reef sites out of Indian River.

Anglers fishing at the Route 50 bridge in OC are still catching rockfish and bluefish from the pilings. Anglers fishing from the bridge at night have been enjoying steady action while casting lures into the water illuminated by the bridge lights.

Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, July 4 Update:

It is certain to be a busy weekend along the coast as boats flock to the ocean for one of the most popular boating weekends of the year. There will likely be a lot of boats on the water celebrating the fourth, so make sure you are safe while there are more vessels on the water. Anglers looking to inshore fish should seek out areas with less boat traffic, if possible, but if you are heading offshore, there is plenty of water to fish without being crowded. The fishing at the Route 50 Bridge in Ocean City consisted of mostly bluefish and striped bass. The south jetty at the inlet has also been holding those fish along with some sheepshead and some other species too. Scott Lenox from Fish In OC made it out into the bay this week and reported catching a limit of bluefish, one trout, some rockfish, and a small flounder. Lucky Break Charters put together a good trip for some of their clients this week with some very nice sheepshead and a black drum during an evening trip.

There is some very good offshore fishing right now and a lot of the fleet from Delaware down to Virginia Beach has been getting in on some great tuna action, plus a lot more. The Boss Hog had an impressive haul from the offshore grounds that included around a dozen tuna and one big mahi. Another boat checked in at the Ocean City Marina with a marlin release and some yellowfin tuna. Flounder fishing over ocean structure is still going strong, and we had a report of a boat that boxed a three-man limit in just a few hours work. The flounder have also been in the surf at Assateague, and a reader checked in to let us know he picked up five up to 20” one morning on a double bucktail rig trimmed with white Gulp! mullet. All the coastal bays are offering flounder fishing opportunities right now, and anglers should have the chance to catch them through the rest of summer. Hotspots will include Chincoteague, Wachapreague, Folly Creek, and areas around Fisherman’s Island at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.