Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, August 26 Update:
Offshore fishing has been very hit or miss lately for those venturing out into the great Atlantic in recent days. Lips have been tight with many tournaments being fished recently but we did get some reliable info this week. Sea Hawk Sports Center reports that farther offshore the saving grace of this week has been the number of big eye tuna that have been keeping rods and backs bent. There is some on again, off again chunking action for yellowfin tuna at some of the 30-fathom lumps and farther offshore, but the bite was not at all consistent this week. Trolling for a mix of offshore species the Washington Canyon being a standout this week for yellowfin tuna. A mix of bigeye tuna, blue marlin, and wahoo are also being caught at various offshore canyons.
From the wheelhouse of the Morning Star, Capt. Monty is reporting a slight uptick in the sea bass but an even better boost on the mahi action some days, plus some nice flounder in the reef and wreck mix. He notes that every day is different and a couple days the biggest mahi he found were fussy and absolutely refused to bite, but others almost everyone has gone home with enough mahi to have the neighbors over for dinner. We also had multiple reader reports of good inshore mahi action on bass pots out to a little over 20 miles from the OC inlet. Fishing in the back bay of OC has been slow lately as cloudy water has made it tough to find a consistent bite. There have been some flounder being caught for those anglers with the patience to find them. The last of the flood and first of the ebb have set the stage for the best chance at some summer floundering. Berkley Gulp! baits or double flounder rigs tipper with minnows is all that’s required to tempt these bottom dwelling bruisers to bite. Sea Hawk also let us know that the inshore wrecks have been sheltering good numbers of their resident flounder. Perhaps the most exciting news from the oceanfront comes from Virginia Beach Sportfishing, with reports of king mackerel showing up. Now is the start of what will hopefully be a great king mackerel run which usually peaks in September along Virginia’s coastline, and some smoker kings have already been landed.
Dave Moore of Shark Whisperers checked in to let us know that some sandbar sharks have been caught along Assateague on cut spot. However, he noted that spot and kings have become a bit tougher to catch in the surf in recent days. He also said spinner sharks are around, and although he didn’t hook into any, he saw them from the beach. Surf fishermen and those fishing off the coastal fishing piers along the Virginia shore are reporting catching spot, croaker, sea mullet, ribbonfish, and flounder. A cool northerly blow in September could trigger some awesome drum surf fishing action.
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, August 19 Update:
There were many boats offshore this past week as the White Marlin Open got underway. It was a successful tournament for many anglers, and you can view the results here. The big winner was angler Jeremy Duffie and crew of the boat Billfisher for their 77.5-pound tournament winning white marlin. They took home a world record payout of over $4.5 Million. Congratulations to the Billfisher! We checked in with Sea Hawks Sport Center to see where the best fishing has been. They confirmed the Washington has continued to house the most activity with good numbers of mahi and a decent yellowfin bite. They also had several good reports from anglers using the Tormentor side-winder planing spreader bars. These lures track out to the side into clean water and can be very effective on all targeted trophies of the troll.
From the wheelhouse of the Morning Star, Capt. Monty is reporting solid if not limit catches of sea bass with some here-and-there flounder and bonus mahi-mahi action on the inshore wrecks and reefs, plus some cutlassfish coming over the rails. The inshore wrecks continue to have a steady flounder bite for those targeting the flat fish. Gulp! grubs jigged directly over the structure will entice the fish to bite but be prepared for a fight as getting these door mats out of the wrecks can be a challenge. The seaside inlets are surprising anglers with some great summer flounder fishing, too. The recent flood tide has been cleaning and cooling these coastal estuaries which has helped the bite stay consistent late into the summer. Sea Hawk recommends minnows or silversides matched with Gulp! Swimming Mullets in the pink shine color for the best chance at catching these fish. In Virginia Beach, Spanish mackerel are still available along the oceanfront. Trolling with a Drone or Clark spoon behind an in-line sinker or diving planer works well. Using a surface bird in front of a spoon will also attract bites. Anglers trolling larger diving plugs are catching some monster size ribbon fish in the same areas, and we have confirmed reports of some king mackerel showing up. Their numbers should increase, and they will likely be feeding on the large number of ribbonfish in the area. Oceans East reports that the offshore fishing has been good. Anglers have been catching tuna, wahoo, dolphin, and blue and white marlin.
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, August 12 Update:
As the White Marlin Open gets underway, lips are tight and the offshore intel from OC is difficult to come by (though we note that some nice bigeye have hit the scales!!). We did hear from one reader who caught a pair of yellowfins at the Hot Dog in the 30- to 40-pound class while chunking. Luckily, we also had a few other tournaments wrap up over the weekend which gave us some insight on how the bite has been. Boats fishing the 15th Annual Ocean Pines Chamber of Commerce Flounder Tournament caught many nice flounder in the three-to-four-pound range. Derek Yobst brought in the winning fish at 23 7/8” and four pounds 11 ounces. The 14th annual Ocean City Marlin Club “Heels and Reels” concluded with many yellowfins in the 50- to 70- pound range checked in. The “Just One More” crew hit the jackpot with a 230- pound Big Eye tuna to win the tuna division of the tournament. “Following Seas” won the dolphin division with a stud 31.2-pound mahi, and “Buckshot” won the billfish division with their successful catch and release of a Blue Marlin. Congrats to all the winning crews!
Dave Moore from Shark Whisperers checked in to let us know that short tog, triggerfish, sea bass, and a few keeper flounder were all biting in the OC inlet recently. Blues in the 15- to 20- inch range have been around in good numbers, too. In the surf he’s picking up a few Spanish mackerel casting Stingsilvers. The biggest news from the surf this week, however, was Chris Whiteman’s catch of a 10-foot, four-inch tiger shark — holy cow that’s a big one to bring up in the breakers. He got the hook out quickly, snapped this pic, then pushed the shark right back into deep water and watched it swim off into the ocean. Congrats Chris!
On the inshore grounds off OC, Capt. Monty reports a decent sea bass bite, and an improved flounder bite this week, with one of the crew limiting out on the flatfish. He’s also seeing decent numbers of peanut dolphin on some trips and put around two dozen in the boat one day this week. Captain Cook also reported an uptick in the flounder action at the reef sites on the Delaware coast and sent in a pic with a couple of true doormats this week.
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, August 5 Update:
We have a new Fishing Reports editor, folks! FishTalk welcomes Dillon Waters to the team, an angler who has sent in reader photos in the past that have made us thoroughly jealous — stripers, specks, and reds that any of us would be thrilled to catch. Dillon says:
“I’m a lifelong resident of Maryland. What an awesome state for fishing, right? I’m an avid outdoorsman and my main hobbies include fishing, hunting, and photography. If I have any free time, you will either find me on the water or in the woods! I graduated from St. Mary's College of Maryland in 2021 with a B.S. in Biology and Environmental Studies and currently have a full-time position with the Department of Natural Resources Wildlife and Heritage Service working as a wildlife response technician. My favorite freshwater fish to catch is crappie (St. Mary's Lake has been very reliable) and my favorite saltwater fish to catch are speckled trout (the Tangier Sound is a beautiful place to target them). One of my other big interests is baseball — go O's! I look forward to being able to provide detailed and accurate reports to FishTalk’s readers moving forward.”
Welcome aboard, Dillon!
The offshore bite has been hit or miss recently for many boats. Tough weather last week kept many boats from the fleet at the docks some days, but reader reports of yellowfin chunking success at the inshore lumps off Ocean City and Indian River came back on this week. One boat we heard from came in with three fish in the 30- to 40-pound range and two had a pair of tunas in the box. The OC Fishing Center reports that a few bigeyes and marlin have been coming into the docks as well. Out of Virginia Beach, tuna bites are slow, but blueline tilefish and mahi-mahi continue to provide steady fishing for those offshore.
Those focusing their efforts inshore have found a steady bite for a variety of fish. Inshore sharking has been decent with a mix of sandbars, duskys, and spinners willing to bite. Captain Cook checked in from the Delaware shore and said the fish are still biting strong; he noted that some nice tog came up among the sea bass last weekend. Captain Monty on the Morning Star continues reporting solid sea bass action with a portion of the boat’s anglers limiting out most days. He also mentioned that a “handful” of mahi were coming over the rails as well, making for some fun fishing. Farther South, high numbers Spanish mackerel have been keeping trollers busy, along with bluefish and ribbonfish jumping into the mix.
Brian Esteppe from Y Knot fishing charters checked in to let us know the surf has been holding steady in its summertime pattern with croaker, kingfish, and spot being the most abundant. Bloodworm/sandflea flavored fishbites on bottom rigs have been working well. He also reports that in addition to flounder, there have been a fair number of spades and triggerfish hanging around the inshore wrecks. Anglers targeting flounder in the back bays have found the best bites during incoming high tides as clean water pours into the bays from the Atlantic. The baits of choice are silversides or minnows coupled with Gulp and teasers with color combinations including orange, chartreuse, pink and white. The sea trout bite in the back bays seems to be on the upswing as we have some reports of keeper fish being caught. As it is in most cases, finding clean water has been key!