Coastal Fishing Report, August 30 Update:
Offshore action has been great this week at both the inshore and offshore grounds. Mahi are still inshore in numbers, though it can take some looking to find them. Capt. Monty on the Morning Star said it took until 11:30 to catch the first one day last weekend, and then they enjoyed steady action capped off by a frenzy. Other days have been a nice mix of mahi and sea bass action. He also mentioned there were whales well inshore, and they spotted fin backs and a humpback just a few miles off the beach. Offshore boats targeting other pelagic species had good luck this week too. The crew of the Spring Mix II caught some false albacore and filled their box with mahi this week. Many boats also had billfish releases this week. Fish In OC let us know that deep droppers had quite the mixed bag this week and we heard of rosefish, tilefish, and even a big lingcod being caught. One of the more impressive catches of the week came courtesy of Chasin’ Tides Charters who landed a 38 pound yellowedge grouper. The fish was 10 pounds shy of the all-tackle world record, but the rumor is that Maryland DNR might create a state record category for yellowedge grouper thanks to the impressive size of this fish.
In the surf Dave from Shark Whisperers says the spot are coming out strong after dark, and along with them, spinner, blacktip, and sandbar sharks. Another angler fishing at Assateague this week reported catching six keeper flounder with the biggest being 23 inches. Gulp! twisty tails were the hot bait. They also spent some time fishing at the OC Inlet and had good luck with nice sized blues. We also had reports that live lining spot at the inlet produced keeper flounder up to 19 inches and two sea trout up to 25 inches for another crew. Striped bass have also been a common catch around the bridges and inlet with metal lures and soft plastics getting them to bite. Other structure-oriented fish have also been hanging close to bring pilings and rock jetties including sheepshead, tautog, and triggerfish. An angler fishing the Route 50 Bridge this week had an on and off bite while dropping down sand fleas next to the bridge pilings. Fish would bite for a half hour then shut off, then it would pick back up a half hour later, but they ended with a five-pound sheepshead, a triggerfish, and half a dozen tautog. At Indian River we had a report of midsize bluefish moving through in waves and a few under-slot striped bass Theres a wide variety of fish you can catch right now, so make sure to take advantage of it.
Coastal Fishing Report, August 21 Update:
The surf saw some very cool action recently and Dave Moore of Shark Whisperers reports that things had settled down from the never-ending south winds before Ernesto ran up the coast (though this storm shook up the beach yet again). When the waters were calmer panfish action had heated back up on Assateague with good sized kingfish, spot, some weakfish, and flounder all in the mix. He also had a very interesting catch last week in the form of a four-foot scalloped hammerhead shark. The craziest catch from the surf this week, however, came from northern Ocean City, MD, where Skip Cerf caught a cobia around 36” fishing with sand fleas. That may not be a keeper, but a cobia in the OC surf?! We’d sure be excited about that!!
The Poor Girls Open wrapped up earlier this week and there were a few boats that had excellent billfish action at the offshore grounds. The first-place boat had eight white marline releases, second place had six releases, and third place had five releases. Good numbers of mahi are being found at the pots both inshore and offshore, and we had some reader reports including fish of better size than usual for the inshore grounds. Capt. Monty on the Morning Star confirmed the dolphin action and reports the same.
There are still plenty of flounder in the back bay and a reader checked in to let us know his grandkids (Noah and Daniel) caught eight fishing from shore. All were throwbacks, but the action was great. Another mentioned catching a very big flounder, however, just outside the inlet at the AT&T Barge. Saltwater Adventures had a crew out on the bay that used a live spot to catch a 23.5-inch flounder that weighed over four pounds. As the summer vacation season comes to an end, boat traffic will continue to die down which will make for much more pleasant fishing behind OC. Action at the OC inlet and around bridges continues to produce schoolie striped bass and bluefish around the pilings, docks, and rock structures.
Coastal Fishing Report, August 15 Update:
The seas were rough last weekend as the remnants of Hurricane Debbie blew through the region, but have since calmed and there have been some good days reported from out in the deep blue. Fish In OC reported that the charter fleet had a good week and some of the reports we saw included the crew of the Boss Hogg with two white marlin releases, three yellowfin tuna, and a pile of mahi. A private boat out of OC had a great day fishing the Wilmington Canyon catching three giant bigeye tuna and some mahi. Captain Monty Hawkins of the Morning Star got out this week and found rougher than expected conditions on a midweek trip. His initial plan was to head out to deep drop for tilefish but found that strong winds and current working together required over two pounds to hold bottom. Instead of making his anglers go through an arm-bending workout, he headed inshore a bit and found peanut mahi around the lobster buoys. His crew also boxed a bunch of nice sea bass while reef fishing. We also had a reader report from the Baltimore, where tuna were very sparse but mahi were thick on the pots and numerous whales provided a visual treat.
Fishing in the back bays has also been good when anglers have been able to find clean water. The summer boat traffic is starting to slow down as families get ready to send their kids back to school. The bite is still best in the mornings and evenings, but fishing near structure throughout the day can lead to steady bites. In OC, the Route 50 Bridge continues to produce striped bass and bluefish for anglers throwing soft plastics or drifting cut bait. Flounder are being caught in the channels and are always moving through the inlet. Chasin Tides Charters put a crew of anglers on a pile of nice bluefish and one keeper flounder while fishing the East Channel and 50 bridge. Sheepshead are also being caught at the south jetty of the OC inlet. Pieces of crab or sand flea on bottom sweeper jigs have enticed them to bite.
To the south Virginia Beach Sport Fishing let us know that the king mackerel bite is picking up along the oceanfront with several nice ones landed this week. They recommend using live menhaden fished on a king rig. Cutlassfish are another excellent bait for king mackerel and there is an abundance of them around the inshore waters of the Lower Bay. Number four Drone spoons fished deep along with swimming lures can also be effective. VBSF also mentioned that Spanish mackerel fishing has been great at times for anglers trolling Clark or Drone spoons along the beaches. It’s good to troll lures at different depths, so using planers, inline sinkers, and bird teasers will make sure to cover the entire water column.
Coastal Fishing Report, August 9 Update:
The big news at the coast this week is the White Marlin Open which will conclude this weekend. There have been some impressive catches brought to the dock, but the remnants of Hurricane Debbie have made offshore conditions very rough at the end of this week. The current first place fish as of yesterday include a 77.5-pound white marlin, 897.5-pound blue marlin, 220.5-pound tuna, and 32.5-pound mahi-mahi. The best fishing of the week was day three of the tournament with 272 of 318 boats fishing. Only 10 made it to the scales, with nearly all bringing in bigeye tuna. The rough weather will make for an interesting finale as boats return to dock on the final day with a lot on the line.
Away from the tournament, the inshore waters of the bays have been much more fishable. Captain Cook reports a surprisingly good bite for weakfish at Indian River inlet, catching more and more on every trip, and says he hopes it’s a sign of things to come. Flounder, striped bass, and bluefish made up most of the action to the south in OC. A boat fishing the East Channel caught three keeper flounder up to 21 inches this week. Anglers at the Route 50 Bridge are still pulling their fair share of stripers and blues from the pilings. Most of the stripers fall outside the slot of 28-31 inches, but a few slot fish have been caught just about every week this summer.
Captain Monty Hawkins of the Morning Star showed his anglers good fishing during the early part of the week, but was kept off the water late this week by rough seas thanks to what’s left of hurricane Debbie moving up our coast. Before the weather moved in, Monty got out and found choppy seas and swift current. 16 ounces was required for his anglers to get to bottom. Luckily, the sea bass were chewing and everyone on board was able to box some keeper fish. Monty also mentioned that the great mahi bite from a couple weeks ago has shut off thanks to colder water temperatures. On his way in he found a small school of micro-sized mahi which is hopefully a sign of that bite picking back up.
Sea Hawk Sports Center gave us a report from Virginia waters where they say that the mahi bite has been decent near the bass pots and other floating structure. Most boats are trolling to catch their fish with some chunking baits to lure them in. Tilefish have offered good action farther out offshore in the deep waters of the canyons. Dropping cut bait and squid on deep drop rigs is catching both bluelines and goldens.
Coastal Fishing Report, August 2 Update:
It’s hard to believe August has already arrived. We are moving into late summer, but the good news is that some of the best fishing of the year is happening now. Off Delaware Captain Cook of First Light Charters reports good flounder action on the inshore wrecks and at the Old Grounds. He’s also been catching mahi on the pots near DelJerseyLand. FishTalk Intern Adam Grenberg spent a day bailing the balls offshore for mahi-mahi and said it was a good bite, but the fish were more interested in chasing diving plugs than eating chunks. He mentioned they also tried for sea bass for a bit on the way back in and caught some but mostly smaller fish. Captain Monty on the Morning Star also reported larger numbers of undersized fish this week, though he had plenty of keepers in the mix as well and at times found schools of jumbos. Boats searching for larger pelagic fish have been returning to the dock with good results. The OC Fishing Center let us know that anglers venturing out to the deep have enjoyed a great billfish bite at the canyons. The Boss Hogg had an excellent mid-week trip catching a pile of yellowfin tuna with three white marlin releases. Another boat fishing the Big Fish Classic last weekend had four white marlin releases and boxed some nice yellowfin.
There are hordes of spot along the beaches of Assateague, and this seems to have drawn in some very hefty predators. Dave Moore of Shark Whisperers reports an awesome midsummer bull red drum surf fishing bite, and one evening last week scored eight fish from 34” to 45”. He said the action began while using fishfinder-style rigs as the sun went down. The Ocean City Inlet has had a good bite for bluefish and striped bass near jetty structure and bridges. Lucky Break Charters had good success this week catching two-to-five-pound bluefish and a handful of under slot striped bass. Anglers fishing from the Route 50 Bridge have scored some slot fish inside the 28-to-31-inch slot limit. An angler fishing the bay behind OC caught six keeper flounder between 17.5 and 20 inches. The seaside inlets to the south have continued to produce steady flounder action. The 17.5 inch minimum has made keepers a little harder to find, but there are plenty of shorts to keep rods bent.