Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Reports

Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, July 25 Update:

Striped bass season is still closed in Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay. The closure is designed to give the stripers some reprieve during the hottest time of the year. The fishery will reopen on August 1st, but anglers can still catch and release in Virginia waters until then. Sea Hawk Sports Center reports that the speckled trout bite is alive and well but contained to the hours of dawn and dusk. Popping corks trailed with paddletails have been the ticket to enticing the bite. Shoreline points, stump fields, grass beds, and any water with structure that fish can use as cover should be holding them right now. There have also been a few houndfish showing up in the sounds. If you have never seen a houndfish, imagine a needlefish on steroids. They have a long skinny mouth with sharp teeth and can grow up to four feet long. If they hit your line, they will surely take you for a drag screaming fight.

We heard from a reader who was fishing the various wrecks near Tangier Island last weekend that the bluefish are thick around them. They caught a lot of two-to-four-pound fish up to 24 inches on soft plastics. They briefly tried jigging for cobia but said that there were over 30 boats in the area either trolling, chumming, or jigging for cobia, so boat pressure was high. While moving spots, they spotted one cruising on the surface and pitched a large soft plastic swimbait to it which enticed the fish to bite. After a brief battle, it broke the leader right next the boat - now that’s a heartbreak. The cobia bite has been hot and cold overall, so the name of the game is to just put in the time and effort which may be a lot. Spanish mackerel have started to show up on the bayside of Tangier and Smith Island, as well, but the schools are still scattered and hit-and-miss.

Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, July 19 Update:

Rain and wind made it tough at times to get out on the water to fish this week. Though the rain may have put a damper on some fishing plans, it was welcomed by many since we have been in a pretty serious drought this summer. When the rain subsided fishing in the sounds of the lower Eastern Shore provided good action for multiple species. The pattern of fishing early and fishing late remained as the scorching heat has been shutting down the mid-day bite in shallow water. Speckled trout and a surprising number of spot tails are being caught in grass beds and along shoreline points. C.L. Marshall of Tangier Sound Charters has found good luck throwing paddletails and other soft plastics under popping corks

Chopper bluefish have been one of the best surprises of the year in the Bay. These fish are some of the biggest bluefish we have seen in the area since the 1980s and many anglers have been taking advantage of this spectacular run up the Bay. The biggest bluefish have been found holding tight to deeper structure in the 10’ to-30’ range. There are many wrecks around the islands of the Tangier and Pocomoke Sound holding bluefish up to 10 pounds. Paddletails and popping corks are enticing the choppers into the net. These deeper structures have also been holding big sheepshead. Blue crabs, fiddler crabs, and sand fleas cast up to structure on fish finder rigs or bottom sweeper jigs are working well. Make sure to bring plenty of bait, because these fish are well known bait stealers. Make sure to rig up with heavy leader so that you don’t lose a ton of tackle battling the brutes.

Cobia have been another main attraction to this region and chummers are doing well in the zones surrounding the Target Ship, Tangier Island, and Silver Beach. Live lining live eels or spot in chum slicks has drawn cobia and a few bull reds to the boat.

The striped bass summer closure in Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay is now in effect until August 1. Striped bass season in Virginia will reopen on October 4th and remain open until December 31st.

Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, July 12 Update:

Wind, wind, and blazing heat has been the theme this summer. It was another gusty week with predominantly south winds that made for tough conditions. The good thing about this region is that there are a ton of islands and marshes that allow anglers to find protected shorelines and calmer waters regardless of the wind. The shallows are full of life and Captain C.L. Marshall of Tangier Sound Charters has been staying on the fish steady this week. A more notable trip produced a quick limit of upper slot rockfish followed by a few hours of brawling with bluefish in the four-to-six-pound range. Later in the day he found a few puppy drum to round out a great day on the Bay. There have been scattered reports of flounder being caught in the Tangier and Pocomoke and we have already seen confirmed reports of keeper flounder on the west side as far north as Point Lookout. These fish will be holding along channel edges and lumpy or rocky bottom. It is also not uncommon to find them at wreck or reef sites. Standard flounder rigs baited with live minnows, squid strips, or Gulp! baits have enticed the flatties over the gunnels. Jigging soft plastic jerk shads along the bottom also works well and will catch a variety of other species too.

Sheepshead have moved into the wrecks in the lower Chesapeake and are being caught as far north as the Target Ship. The various wrecks near Tangier Island will also hold these convicts. Peeler crab on fish finder rigs is a popular set up when anchoring up close to structure. Sand fleas, green crabs, and fiddler crabs are also very popular baits and many anglers choose to fish these on sweeper style jigs. The trick is to fish them vertically, which requires you to get very close to structure, which is not always easy to do safely in a boat. The cobia action has been going strong from the Target Ship down to Cape Charles and everywhere in between. Most boats are anchoring up and throwing out a chum bag while chunking bait to attract fish to their slick. Big pieces of bunker chunks, live spot, and live eels drifting in the direction of the chum slick has enticed many cobia and a lot of rays into the net. Sea Hawk Sports Center says that areas near Tangier Sound Light and Silver Beach have been productive zones for the man in the big brown suit. They are one of the most thrilling fish to catch in the Bay, and once you hook into one they will leave you wanting more.

Reminder: The striped bass summer closure for the Maryland portion of Chesapeake Bay will begin on July 16th and go until July 31st. Targeting striped bass during this time will be prohibited.

Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, July 5 Update:

The fishing in this region of the Bay has been good this summer and if the wind would lay down so we could take advantage of it, that would be great with mid-summer species like speckled trout, red drum, striped bass, cobia, and bluefish all making strong showings this week. The cobia are being caught best by boats anchoring up and chumming. Tossing out live spot or eels in addition to rods with cut bunker has led to screaming drags. Unfortunately, a lot of rays have common, so be ready to weed through those to get to the man in the big brown suit.

Captain C.L. Marshall of Tangier Sound Charters had an excellent trip this week and reported a hot speck bite to start the morning. Fishing near current rips in the shallows led to some very quality size fish including their boat limit of slot striped bass. Later in the morning they found chopper blues on isolated structures in 15 to 20 feet of water. Sea Hawk Sports Center reports that the good speck fishing lasted for most of the week and quite a few red drum were in the mix too. Popping corks fished in two to four feet of water over grass beds was the ticket for getting slot fish.

Bluefish schools in open water have been scattered from day to day chasing bait. Any major channel edge from 15 to 40 feet of water is a good zone to search for bluefish and Spanish mackerel should begin to show up this month. Bigger bluefish in the four-to-eight-pound range have been more concentrated on isolated structure, usually in the form of the various wrecks in this zone of the Bay. A good chart will show a majority of these wrecks which are scattered from the Target Ship down past Tangier Island. A little research online will help you develop a good game plan for fishing structure which can lead to a productive day. Sheepshead are also starting to move into these areas. They can be enticed by chunks of crab fished on bottom sweeper jigs or circle hooks. The key is to fish the bait very close to the structure as the sheepshead are used to eating critters off the hard surfaces.

Important Reminder: Anglers should remember that in Maryland waters the striped bass summer closure is quickly approaching and will last from July 16th through July 31st. The season will then reopen on August 1st and remain open until December 10th. Closure is already in effect in Virginia waters. Striped bass don’t handle warm water and low oxygen conditions very well and the summertime catch and release mortality can be very high if we don’t use proper handling techniques. If you catch a striper, it is best to release it without taking them out of the water. If you want to take them out for a quick picture, minimize their time out of water, handle them with wet hands, and don’t let them flop around on the ground or deck of the boat. We owe it to the fish to handle them with care and ensure they swim off strong.