Coastal Fishing Report, July 28 Update:
Coastal fishing is offering plenty of great fishing right now. Tuna seem to be picking up the pace a bit, and a reader who hit the Washington this week said he went three for four. Another had six on the line, but sharks stole two before they could be brought to the gaff. Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow reports running to the Poor Mans mid-week and finding plenty of mahi (though all fairly small in the three to seven pound class) under flotsam, before encountering a brief frenzy of yellowfin busting the surface. The tunas ignored all trolled baits but didn’t hesitate to attack small (four- and five-inch) surface plugs, so if you’re headed out be sure to bring some tuna-capable plugs with you. He hadn’t, and was throwing standard-issue rockfish plugs, a couple of which were obliterated before a MirrOlure Top Dog managed to survive its encounter with a 50-pound-class yellowfin. Rudow notes that fighting the fish on a light drag was critical when using the little plugs with small hooks—cast on a Shimano Baitrunner rig intended for mahi—and said it took about an hour to land the fish. Fish In OC also reports better fishing on the tuna front along with mahi-mahi, billfish, and some nice wahoo. One boat checked in at Long Bay Point Marina with a swordfish weighing 111 pounds. If the tuna don’t cooperate, there are plenty of tilefish down deep that can be caught. A boat fishing last weekend couldn’t find the tuna but a limit of blueline tilefish and 10 goldens saved the day from a skunk.
Mackerel have been prowling the beaches from Fenwick down through Virginia, though the best locations seem to change day by day. The Virginia Beach charter boats are catching a lot of bluefish and Spanish mackerel trolling along the oceanfront. Spanish mackerel are also becoming a common catch on the Virginia Beach Fishing Pier. Anglers throwing Gotcha plugs or metal jigs are finding the most success. Small drone or clark spoons are the top lure to troll. Any variety of green, pink, gold, or silver works well for the mackerel. Some days they key in on a specific color, so it is good to have a few different options available to try. This week we heard from one angler fishing out of Ocean City that the Spanish bite was on fire, but another trolling near Cape Henry found “onsies twosies” but no thick schools of fish. On the bright side, they were of good size and while trolling the area they also spotted several cobia and put one keeper in the box. The nearshore wrecks and reefs are holding a good number of flounder and sea bass, but the bite isn’t always on. Captain Monty of the Morning Star has had to work hard recently to put his angler on fish, but his determination and expertise has paid off. On a trip this week, he found the sea bass feeding well off the bottom with some schools suspended over 40 feet up. Many anglers put keepers in the box with seven being the most by one angler. Some keeper flounder also came over the rails.
There has been a surprising run of bull reds along the beaches at Assateague over the past two weeks. The better bites have been at night, but a few are also being throughout the day. If you plan to target them, make sure to have some heavier gear because these fish are anywhere from 40 to 50 inches. Dave Moore with Shark Whisperers has been catching a few big drum per trip on most of his recent outings. Cut spot on fish finder rigs have produced big bites. The surf has also produced plenty of blacktip sharks and southern rays. Coastal correspondent John Unkart has also been hitting the surf and finding good fishing in the mornings. He noted that the bite has been limited to when daylight hits the horizon until sunrise then it almost shuts down completely. Recent trips have produced kingfish, bluefish, flounder, and even some weakfish caught using paddletails.
The flounder bite at the coastal bays and nearshore wrecks along the coast has been consistent this week. Sea Hawk Sports Center let us know that boats jigging the wrecks are catching a nice class of fish using bucktails dressed with Gulp! Baits, squid, or other strips of cut bait. The most productive colors have included chartreuse, pink, and white. Fishing in the bays has been best where clearwater conditions present themselves. The end of the incoming and beginning of the outgoing tide has seen the best bite. Any decent ledge should be holding fish right now.
Coastal Fishing Report, July 20 Update:
The coastal areas in our region offer lots of options this time of year. Unfortunately, the offshore scene has still been a little lackluster. Boats heading out to the deep are picking up some yellowfin and bigeyes in and around the Washington Canyon. The OC Fishing Center let us know that the mahi bite has improved as good numbers of small to medium sized fish have been chunked up from the canyons to the 20-fathom line. Tilefish are still abundant and offer a good option on days where the trolling bite is slow. Compared to offshore, the inshore scene has produced more consistent action.
The nearshore wrecks and reef are full of life this time of year. Captain Monty Hawkins of the Morning Star found some good fishing out deep on multiple trips this week. One trip produced steady pickings of flounder. None of his spots were on fire, but his anglers were able to catch a few mixed size flounder at each stop. Several anglers had a few keeper flounder along with sea bass, hake, and cutlassfish. Big flounder of the trip was just over 24 inches. Another day of fishing produced lots of small sea bass, but oddly enough not a single keeper was caught that trip. Just goes to show you never know what you might find in the deep blue. There have been big schools of Spanish mackerel and bluefish a few miles off the beaches. Boats trolling Drone and Clark spoons are doing well putting these toothy fish in the box. One angler fished about eight miles off the shore limited out during a trip this week.
Sea Hawk Sports Center let us know that there has been some fantastic flounder fishing around the barrier islands of the eastern shore. The inshore bite has been steady in many of the Virginia inlets. Sea Hawk’s crew did best this week on a chartreuse and pink or chartreuse and orange color combo tipped with minnows. The cleanest, clearest, and coolest waters have been towards the end of the incoming tide and that seems when the bite is best. The back bay behind Ocean City has been another good place to pick up some flat fish. Finger mullet or live spot are catching the bigger fish. Inside the Ocean City inlet, sheepshead are being caught on sand fleas near the south jetty. Anglers are still enjoying a nice class of rockfish and bluefish near the route 50 bridge. Gotcha plugs and soft plastics casted towards bridge structure have enticed these fish to bite. An angler fishing on the bridge hooked up with some nice rockfish this week including a 28-inch fish, multiple 27’s, and a few bigger fish that broke him off on the pilings.
Coastal Fishing Report, July 14 Update:
Fishing this week provided good fishing up and down our region’s coastal areas. FishTalk’s Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow says he spent a day deepwater flounder fishing out of OC last weekend and they caught a few nice flatfish but had a better bite from sea bass, including some fat humpbacks. A four-ounce chartreuse/white bucktail dressed with a GULP! and jigged on bottom was the hot bait but live spot produced the biggest flounder. He said they saw a pair of (small) mahi at one of the bass pots (26 or 27 miles out) but they disappeared quickly and checking a number of additional pots, no more were spotted. He also noted that the tuna bite in that zone must be tough, because for the first time in a long time he didn’t see any tuna flags flying in the Fishing Center on a Saturday. We did get a reader report of success on tuna this week came from up north at Masseys where a chunker tied into one nice yellowfin. Fish In OC let us know that the fleet found some slightly better than sucky tuna fishing later in the week with the crew of the Boss Hog boxing five nice yellowfin. Another boat returned to dock with six yellowfins caught on the troll out in the canyons. And we heard from one boat that found five yellowfin in the Norfolk. However, success is spotty and we’re hearing of plenty of boats that didn’t find the fish.
Captain Cook says the inshore fishing off Delaware has been great, with flounds at the Old Grounds, plus ribbon fish and trigger fish now showing up. Captain Brian Esteppe of Y Knot Fishing Adventures checked in to report that the flounder bite has been very steady around the Ocean City inlet and out towards the box cars off Chincoteague. The inlet is also offering sheepshead at the jetty rocks and quality sized blues and rocks towards the Route 50 bridge. Brian also let us know that summer surf fishing is in full swing with croaker, spot, and kingfish providing steady action. The shark bite has also been very consistent lately and there are even some big red drum showing up in the surfside suds. An angler fishing Assateague at night found some reds during a trip this week. And Dave Moore of Shark Whisperers said it’s “like Christmastime in summer” after enjoying a night at the Assateague surf which included four big bull rays, blacktip sharks, and butterfly rays. Rays and sharks are still making up most of the larger catches in the surf but the chance at a bull red is worth the time spent soaking baits.
Coastal Fishing Report, July 7 Update:
Boaters and anglers flocked to the beaches this week to celebrate the fourth of July. Boat traffic was a constant battle in many areas but those who were determined to catch fish found success. Fishing was good at the Ocean City inlet and Route 50 bridge for nice bluefish are quality rockfish. One angler hit the bridge and landed a few bluefish into the low 30s and even pulled up a 39.5-inch rockfish. Boats fishing near the bridge and rock jetties have been getting plenty of chopper sized blues with some big ones mixed in. A slot sized rockfish has been difficult to come by with many fish falling short of the slot but there are a few slot and over-slot fish out there. Paddletails, jigs, and gotcha plus have been the hot baits lately.
The offshore waters of the Atlantic have seen on and off action as anglers have found mixed success trolling for tuna and marlin. Most of the successful reports are coming from the canyons. Yellowfin have been the main tuna catch but some bigeye tuna have also been mixed in. Fish In OC gave us some reports from the offshore fleet. Captain Chris Watkowski of the Spring Mix II brought an impressive 197-pound bigeye tuna back to the dock after a late week trip. The big fish was accompanied by four yellowfin tuna as well. The crew of the Boss Hog returned to dock after a trip this week with a white marlin release and eight yellowfin tuna. Charter boat Reel Fish’n Va. had a great trip out at sea this week. Their crew ran nearly 80 miles offshore but the trip was well worth it. They boxed many nice mahi-mahi and found a white marlin that wanted to tango. After a solid fight they brought the fish alongside the boat and gave it a safe release. On the way in, they decided to stop at the inshore grounds for flounder. They got to pick way at some nice flounder up to 21 inches and returned to dock with a box full of delicious fish. However, we also heard from several boats fishing out of Indian River, Ocean City, and Virginia Beach who came home after trips offshore with empty fishboxes. Luck of the draw seems to be playing a big roll in where and when people get into the tunas.
Flounder fishing from Ocean City down to Virginia Beach and everywhere in between has been good this week. The winds have laid down a bit and clean water conditions have been easier to find. The only caveat was the increased boat traffic from the fourth of July holiday which made fishing difficult at times. Moving water is best for the flatfish so make sure to plan your trips around the tide swings. Mud minnows and silversides paired with flounder rigs have been catching founder. The big flounder tend to go for baits like live mullet and spot so it’s a good idea to have them handy.
At the inshore grounds, boats trolling inside the 30-fathom line are finding good success with Spanish mackerel and bluefish off OC, and boats out of Virginia Beach are also getting plenty of cutlassfish in the mix. The wrecks and reefs have been providing a steady dose of sea bass, triggerfish, and flounder. There are also spadefish (but plenty of competition) at the light Tower.