Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report 2/23/2018 Update:
Lackluster fishing off the coast ended this week as we welcomed some much-needed good weather, which gave fishing a shot in the arm. Anglers headed into the open Atlantic to the inshore wrecks and reefs, where sea bass and tautog proved to be abundant. Clam and peeler crab have been the baits of choice, with clam proving best on the bass and crab bait tempting the tautog. Those who made it out to the Delaware wrecks and reefs didn't seem to have quite as good action as anglers to their south - in Virginia fish to 12 pounds were weighed in - but catches were made all up and down the coast. Capt. Monty on the Morning Star rolled the dice and tried a "exploration trip" last week, but only found one flounder mixed in with the sea bass and dogfish. There were no other reports of flatfish last week, so the interesting winter bite from offshore flounder may have petered out - of course, in just a couple months those fish should be getting caught much closer to home.
Fishermen willing to make the drive south (or itching to fight some tuna) should consider heading down to Hatteras. Oceans East reports that many boats traveling out of Hatteras are bringing in bluefin tuna (check out North Carolina Road Trip for Winter Bluefin to see how they're targeted), and also a surprising number of yellowfin tuna, caught mostly while trolling ballyhoo. Another interesting report from down south: drum in the surf at The Point, hitting cut mullet. Many of the fish have been in the slot, too. Hmmm, a short road trip might be in order…
Meanwhile, stripers have been spotted consistently churning the water off the MD/VA coast but well outside the three-mile limit (by 20-plus miles!) Unfortunately, the past few week's reports of blues mixed in have thinned out more recently so attempting to pursue them in specific may be risky.
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report 2/15/2018 Update:
Fishing has been slow on the coastal front, with back bays and salty tidal creeks near barren Hook 'em and Cook 'em has had a few reports of catfish being caught on bayside, however they have been few and far between. Heading up to the Power Plant at Calvert Cliffs has been the best bet for anglers willing to make the trip.
There was also some chatter of bluefin now showing up off the Carolina coast, and evidently several boats returned to the docks with big bluefin in the past week. Interestingly, they're also getting some yellowfin and blackfin, out of Oregon Inlet and Hatteras. Be sure to read North Carolina Road Trip for Winter Bluefin, for a refresher on this world-class opportunity!
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report 2/8/2018 Update:
With cold and windy weather, there hasn't been a lot of fishing going on off the coast. However, Hook 'em and Cook 'em has gotten in reports of sea bass (closed at the moment in DE waters) and tautog on the inshore wrecks, when boats could get out. Peeler crab, green crab, and clam have been the best baits. No reports this week of the flounder we’ve been hearing about, but that’s just as likely due to the lack of ability to try for them as it is to a lack of fish. Dittos for the reports out of Ocean City, while noting that Capt. Monty on the Morning Star did report a couple horse-sized tog last week including one over 28-inches. Thanks to cold water, it was necessary to travel a bit farther and a bit deeper than usual to find active fish.
Farther south in Virginian waters, a couple boats made it out this week and found solid tog and bass bites on the wrecks and reefs out beyond 100 feet deep. Green crab and clam were the baits. However, anglers also encountered a large number of dogfish that made life a chore. Bishops also reported that some yellowfin have been caught out of Oregon Inlet trolling ballyhoo. There are a few reports of big winter blackfin coming from the same waters, but no solid/verified reports of a bluefin bite just yet. Closer to home at least one boat made it out to the deep, and caught blue and golden tilefish plus some sea bass.
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report 2/1/2018 Update:
Fair weather fishers beware: the past week has brought some tough waves off the coast, making venturing out on the open water dangerous and reversing the final January 2018 Coastal Report which featured fish-able weather and a good bite. Thanks to the poor weather, Oceans East and Hook 'em and Cook 'em haven't received any stellar reports this week that would warrant a trip offshore in rough conditions. Unfortunately, the NOAA report for our coast doesn't look to improve for a few days yet, with wind speeds bouncing between 15 and 30 knots in the immediate future. Ouch. However...
If the winds do drop out and a weather window presents itself soon, prior to the blow there was some very interesting action on the ocean. Tog have been available and biting up and down the coast, mostly on green crab, on the wreck and reef sites. (Read Tautog Fishing: These Fish Like it Cold to get the scoop on how and where to target them). A few flounder remain mixed in the catch, and anglers pushing to some of the deeper sites 20-plus miles out have encountered good numbers of flatfish including some doormats. Coastal Correspondent John Unkart mentioned that although he hasn't been able to partake in this action, he's also heard of an unusual flounder bite still going on. Remember that wherever there are flounder there are dogfish. You will need to fight through the dogfish to hook your big doormat. That far out you may also encounter the stripers that moved east when the cold hit (which are of course off-limits) mixed with some bluefish (which are fair game). Both species have been hitting just about anything when up top and busting on hapless schools of bunker. When they aren't up top, trolling Drone or Tony Acetta spoons is the way to get the blues biting. Either way just don't forget to add a bit of wire in front of your lure, to prevent bite-offs.