Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, February 21 Update:
Coastal anglers are patiently waiting for the weather to turn as spring is (slowly) on the way. It has been cold, wet, and windy for much of the week and a few inches of snow has us dreaming of warmer weather. Fishing opportunities are limited right now, but the special February black sea bass season in Virginia is still going strong and there were some very nice fish caught this week. Playin Hookey Charters had a few great trips including one that filled a six-man boat limit and another that had jumbo sea bass coming over the rails. While there have been some big sea bass caught this month, there was a JUMBO caught aboard the Rudee Mariner with Captain Charlie Laurens. The fish weighed in at a whopping nine pounds six ounces. The special season will close at the end of the month and anglers will not be allowed to keep sea bass again until May 15th. There have also been some bluefish hanging out at the wrecks as a bonus bycatch. Tautog action has slowed down with the cold weather and we didn’t hear any reports this week. Several bites will pick up in the coming months, so get your gear ready for what’s to come.
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, February 14 Update:
The weather has been downright cruddy lately as old man winter is still holding on strong. Between the wind, rain, and snow there haven’t been very many fishable weather windows this week. A reader checked in to let us know that there are some striped bass in the coastal back bays, but you have to do some searching to find them. They recommend using three-to-five-inch paddletails in and around marsh edges. There may also be some stripers hanging around the Route 50 and Rote 90 bridges, but we have not received any reports from anglers fishing the bridges recently.
Tautog fishing has been on the slow side out of Ocean City recently with the cold temperatures seriously hindering the bite. Fish In OC reports that Captain Kane Bounds of the Fish Bound has been running far and wide over the past weeks to find good tautog fishing for his crews. The long runs have paid off as he has found several good bites with fish reaching double digits. Unfortunately, the bites have waned recently, and he is putting a pause on the trips. Captain Monty Hawkins of the Morning Star is in the same boat as he did not head out to the offshore grounds this week. When the weather allows, you can bet Monty will be out there doing his best to put clients on fish. The special February black sea bass season is still going strong for anglers in Virginia. The wrecks and reefs off Virginia Beach have been holding plenty of sea bass, and many boats have been out catching quality fish and even filling some limits. It has been tough to get offshore recently, but when the weather allows, there are plenty of fish to target.
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, February 6 Update:
Sea bass and tautog have been the main targets now that bluefin tuna have mostly made their way south of our region. The offshore grounds have been holding fish for those willing to brave the cold. Captain Monty Hawkins of the Morning Star was back out on the ocean this week deploying reef structure and putting his anglers on fish. Monty has been finding tautog, though some days have been harder than others. A few recent trips have seen the occasional skunk for an angler or two abord the boat, but other days everyone has been getting in on the keepers. This week’s trips took a few stops at different reef sites to find ones willing to bite. There have been keepers in the mix on most trips, and a lot of throwbacks that are quite good at picking the bait off the hook. Monty and his anglers have also been pulling in some sea bass.
The fishing for sea bass has been red hot out of Virginia Beach and the special February black sea bass season has allowed anglers to box a lot of nice fish. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission has allowed the special season to resume this year which allows harvest until the end of the month. The season will then be closed until May 15th. Anglers looking to participate can find more information about reporting and permitting requirements on the Recreational Reporting Fact Sheet. Playin Hookey Charters had the best sea bass trip we saw this week with a boat limit of 90 fish. Five pounders have been caught since the season opened and there seems to be plenty of keepers to go around.