5/26/2017 Update:
Captain Brian Esteppe of Y Knot fishing adventures, let us know that despite poor conditions this week flounder fishing has been steady along the lower eastern shore barrier islands, and anglers are using large minnows and shiners to catch them. A few sharks have been caught in the inlets, and as the season changes we`re expecting to see more move in. Drum and rockfish are being caught on the beach and in the surf, primarily on cut bunker and peeler crabs. Bayside, most anglers have been using bloodworms and peeler crabs to catch white perch, catfish, and rockfish.
The first reports of spadefish are coming in from the Chesapeake Light Tower, and a few cobia are around now, too. You’ll be able to start keeping them as of June first, in Virginian waters. Offshore reports are thin thanks to the weather, and few boats ventured out into the deep this week.
FishTalk Magazine Coastal Correspondent John Unkart checked in to let us know that some large stripers (two over 40 inches) popped up early this week in the Assateague surf, so he was going fishing—weather be dammed. Even though eight ounces of weight wasn’t enough to hold in the blow mid-week he was rewarded for his patience with this just-under striper.
Bluefish in the surf, meanwhile, have dropped in numbers though some are still around from Assateague all the way up through Cape Henlopen. In the Delaware regions they seem slightly more plentiful, so the schools are likely on the road north. The guys at Hook ‘em and Cook ‘em reported that blues and stripers account for most of the action in the surf but most of the stripers are sub-legal, and that black drum are biting on clam in Delaware Bay off Fowler Beach and Slaughter Beach. If you want to try catching one of these monsters, be sure to read our How to Target Black Drum article online. Also check out the Plan of Attack department in the June edition of FishTalk, now on the streets, which is stuffed with black drum tips and tricks for Chesapeake Bay, Deleware Bay, and seaside anglers.
5/19/2017 Update:
High winds in the past week have continued to be problematic and made it difficult for anglers to get offshore, according to the Ocean City Fishing Center and Hook em and Cook em Outfitters. However, both shops reported that there's still great fishing for big blues off the beaches, and that most anglers are having success during the day using cut bunker. At night, most anglers have been catching the large bluefish on white and purple plugs. Bluefish are also still being caught in the inlet around the jetties.
Boats making the run to inshore wrecks have reported excellent catches of sea bass - sometimes limits - both from Ocean City and out of Indian River. Capt. Monty on the Morning Star, running out of Ocean City, reported catching a limit one day and coming close the next.
Flounder fishing has been slow, however on Wednesday two large keeper flounder were caught bayside on pearl white gulp. One boat was able to get offshore on Wednesday, and loaded up on sea bass around the wrecks. They were using peeler crab as bait, as well as cut sea clam.
Coastal Correspondent John Unkart reports the same for the surf, and adds that some small stripers with an occasional larger fish are also being taken from the suds. The blues are also being caught around the Rt 50 bridge but John says they aren't quite the same class of fish that were around a few weeks ago, with most being in the 20 to 28 inch range. He noted that Marli made it to Norfolk Canyon one day this week, and stuffed the box with seven yellowfin and eight mahi. To the south, meanwhile, the Oregon Inlet boats are hammering yellowfin, so as soon as the winds calm down the offshore bite should be red-hot.
5/12/2017 Update:
Hook 'Em and Cook 'Em reports that bluefish are still the big news, though they didn't attack quite as often or in numbers as great as last week at Indian River, in the surf, and inside the bay in places like Massey's Ditch. Flounder are around, but conditions have made fishing for them tough. A few stripers have also been pulled up onto the beach when conditions have allowed.
Coastal Correspondent John Unkart said that while weather made it tough to get out around here recently, he heard of some stellar catches just to our south. Capt. Josh Ruskey of Fin Planner Charters out of Oregon Inlet slammed the yellowfin late this week, catching 16 tuna plus five mahi in about 300 fathoms. Since we've already had solid reports of fish in the Washington, as weather allows the tuna fishing should be in full swing offshore of the DelMarVa coast.
Captain Brian Esteppe talked to us about the fishing in the coastal region this week, and unfortunately, due to cold temperatures and high winds fishing has been rough. However, flounder are moving onto the mud flats, residing in three to eight feet of water, and biting large bull minnow and shiners. Oceanside, rockfish have been biting primarily in the surf, on cut baits such as peeler crab. Bayside in Virginia's waters, red drum have been hitting #19 Tonies, and are being found from Harborton to Saxis, VA.
Bluefish are still chomping on cut baits and lures cast to the inlets and surf, and some are still marauding through the bays, up and down our coast. This is one of the best springs for bluefish anyone can remember, and the fish being caught are noticeably chunkier and fatter than usual for this time of year.
5/5/2017:
Bluefishing this season has been exciting, according to the guys at Hook ‘em & Cook ‘em in Delaware. Bluefish are being caught on both the ocean-side and the bay-side, and are hitting finger mullet, spoons, bunker, and minnow. Tautog are being caught offshore and in the inlet, with anglers finding the most success using crab as bait. Black drum have moved into Assateague and Delaware Bays and are biting on clam.
Coastal Correspondent John Unkart reports that there were lots of blues in the surf at Assateague this week, though wind made fishing difficult at times and kept the water fairly churned up. He spent the better part of the week fishing the surf with the best day producing six nice bluefish. He also sent us this picture of his new cooler, which he says was extremely expensive but works amazingly well.
In Ocean City there were good numbers of big blues (up to 16 pounds) in and around the inlet, surf, Rt. 50 bridge, and also caught from the Oceanic Pier. A few tog were caught in the inlet as well, and the flounder bite has remained good in the bay when the winds have calmed down a bit and allowed the water to clear. When the wind allowed the boats to get out through the inlet, tog were still biting on the wrecks. Unfortunately, the wind also pretty much put the kibosh on offshore action this week, right after the first tuna and mako of the season were caught. Captain Brian Esteppe of Y Knot Fishing adventures confirmed that the flounder bite continued to be good in the coastal bays of Virginia, but also added that recent winds had made it challenging to find clean water - which is quite important when flounder fishing, since this species is primarily a sight-feeder.
