Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Reports
Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, August 14 Update:
The shallow-water bite around Tangier remains relatively slow, with speckled trout numbers well below what anglers typically expect during summer. Black drum and sheepshead are providing action around reef and wreck structure, while occasional bull reds are showing up and should become a much bigger opportunity when they return to the Eastern Shore shallows in September and October. The biggest bright spot is the strong arrival of Spanish mackerel alongside the region's abundant bluefish, creating excellent trolling and casting opportunities through the end of summer.
The shallows of the Tangier region are not offering many opportunities right now, with striped bass season closed in Maryland waters and Virginia waters only offering catch and release fishing. Despite our wishes, no numbers of speckled trout have arrived in the region either. There have been some caught here and there scattered around the shallows of the Eastern Shore, but nowhere near the numbers we are used to during a normal summer migration. There is still the chance for some specks and puppy drum to show up, but the chances grow smaller with each passing week as water temperatures will start to cool off in October and send our migratory fish back south.
We have reports that there are still some black drum hanging around reef and wreck structures in the Pocomoke Sound. Boats dropping chunks of peeler crab are enticing some eater-sized fish into the net. Bait fishing this time of year tends to lead to plenty of bycatch as well, with skates, rays, sharks, oyster toadfish, and many other bottom dwellers more than willing to hit a piece of crab or fresh cut bait. Some sheepshead are also around these structures, so bringing along fiddler crabs or chunks of hard crab to drop on bottom sweeper jigs is also a good idea. Bull reds have made an occasional appearance to anglers bait fishing, but in a few weeks, the bulls will return to the shallows of the Eastern Shore and offer great opportunities in September and October.
A highlight this month has been the arrival of good numbers of Spanish mackerel to accompany the bluefish. The blues have been around for most of the summer with anglers encountering them in the vicinity of the Target Ship, the lumps west of Smith and Tangier Island, and on wrecks scattered throughout the Tangier and Pocomoke sounds. Mackerel are following schools of bay anchovies on the main stem of the Bay at depths of 15 to 40 feet of water. Channel ledges with flats nearby tend to be good areas to search for both the blues and macks. On calm wind days, the blues and mackerel have been coming up and blitzing periodically, so keep an eye out for bird action or splashing water. A pair of binoculars come in handy this time of year. Light tackle anglers are casting bite-proof soft plastics for the bluefish and a mix of Gotcha plugs and metal jigs when mackerel are present with the bluefish. Trollers are finding success pulling Drone and Clark spoons behind number one and two planers at speeds of five to seven knots. The faster trolling speeds tend to lead to a better hookup ration on mackerel when they are mixed in with the blues. The bluefish and mackerel should stick around well into September as long as the weather stays warm.
Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, August 7 Update:
Bluefish remain one of the most reliable targets around Tangier, while increasing numbers of Spanish mackerel are adding to the trolling action around shoals, lumps, and channel ledges. Cobia fishing has been slow and many of the fish being caught are undersized, but red drum, black drum, perch, spot, and croaker are providing plenty of alternatives. Bottom fishing has been particularly productive around the mouths of the region's tidal rivers.
Cobia fishing has been on the slow side, but we should hopefully see a push of fish in the next few weeks. With a little over a month left in the season, anglers are hoping to box a few before the season closes. This week, most of the reports showed that most fish were just below the minimum size limit. Most fish are being caught around lumps and shoals from the Tangier Sound south along the Eastern Shore. Chummers and boats live lining eels are picking up some fish, but there are pesky rays and sharks around that you may have to weed through. Trollers are also starting to get in on the action as cobia have been willing to hit large surgical eel lures. This method of targeting them usually gets more productive the later in the season we get. Bluefish have been one of the more reliable fish to target as they are abundant around the wreck and reef sites in the sounds. Casting jerkbaits and paddletails in these areas is producing bluefish in the 18” to 25” range. Trollers are also doing very well along channel ledges near shoals and lumps. Increasing numbers of Spanish mackerel are also showing up, and there have been some reports of them being caught on the south side of the Target Ship.
Red drum and black drum are being caught around oyster bottom and some reef sites in the Tangier Sound and the Pocomoke Sound. Chunks of peeler crab hooked on fish finder rigs is doing the trick. The bulk of the bull red drum are schooled up, roaming around the open waters of the main stem of the Bay, but in September, some will start to move back into the shallows of the lower Eastern Shore. This will be a reliable late summer and early fall bite that usually lasts through October. Sea Hawk Sports Center reported that the perch fishing has been good in a few of the tidal creeks. Some of their crew recently took a trip and found plenty willing to bite. Slow trolling crappie jigs tipped with bits of peeler crab was all it took to put several of the Bays tastiest fish into the cooler. The mouths of the tidal rivers in this region have also offered up some excellent bottom fishing opportunities. The Nanticoke, Manokin, Wicomico, and Pocomoke are holding croaker, spot, white perch, and even some blue catfish. Anglers should remember that rockfish season is closed in all Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay. The no target closure will be in effect until the end of the month. In Virginia waters, the rockfish season is closed, but you can still target them for catch and release.
