Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, November 24 Update:
One thing we can be thankful for is the number of great fishing opportunities we have so close to home, and while water temperatures are cooling off, there were still some hot fishing days this week. The black sea bass continue to chow down on the inshore wrecks and reefs, and Captain Monty on the Morning Star has continued to enjoy solid bites. Though the action can vary from one day to the next, boat limits continue to swing over the rail.
Flounder continue to bite here and there as well, and in the cool catch category, we note that John Russell’s 12-pound, six-ounce flounder caught last week out of Chincoteague turns out to be the biggest flattie caught this year in the state of Virginia. Along the coast, the back bays are still producing a decent flounder bite along the channels leading towards the inlets. There is a very high ratio of throwbacks to keepers, but there are some keepers being caught, so persistence is the name of the game right now. It’s almost time for the flounder to vacate the shallow waters, so take advantage of this bite now.
The coastal bays have also had no lack of rockfish this week. Fish In OC let us know that many anglers have been enjoying great catch and release fishing with the narrow slot, but a few falling between 28 and 31 inches are being caught. Casting jigs and other soft plastics close to jetty rocks and the Route 50 Bridge is providing the most consistent bite for anglers. One angler reported in after a great day at the 50 Bridge catching a bunch of under-slot rockfish and one keeper while using Roy rigs. A few other anglers fishing at the Route 90 Bridge also found some hungry rockfish as they caught a few rockfish between 18 and 22 inches. There have also been some more rockfish showing up along the beaches at Assateague. We heard a report of a 29-incher caught on the Maryland side close to the OSV entrance. There is still a fantastic bite taking place in New Jersey, so hopefully those fish will make their way to our waters soon.
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, November 17 Update:
The Ocean City Fishing Center let us know that a few boats are still heading out to the canyons to target swordfish and tilefish. Boats returning to dock have reported mixed success on that front. Offshore boats out of Virginia Beach are also still searching for swordfish out at the canyons, with mixed results. Deep droppers are still finding success with blueline and golden tilefish.
Captain Monty on the Morning Star continues to report excellent sea bass fishing at the inshore grounds, including some bonus species like porgy and flounder swinging over the rail. Though the action is faster on some days than others as of last weekend he had hit six boat limits in a row. Angler Deep Sea Fishing out of Ocean City reported good fishing to the offshore grounds as well this week. Their crew caught sea bass up to four and a half pounds along with bluefish, flounder, and triggerfish. And John Russell was fishing inshore off Chincoteague with Steve Schad when, after they caught a limit of sea bass, he tied into a true doormat flounder this week. It stretched the tape to 32.5 inches and tipped the scales at 12 pounds, six ounces. The mega-flattie hit a three-ounce ball jig baited with a fish strip.
Fishing in the coastal bays is still providing plenty of action. Anglers at the Route 50 bridge and nearby channels are catching rockfish, the occasional bluefish, and even some red drum. One angler fishing the back bay using Roy rigs caught a bunch of throwback rockfish, a red drum, and a nice slot rockfish. Another angler fishing at the inlet and near the 50 Bridge caught some rockfish in the mid 20s with their biggest fish coming in at 30 inches. Anglers fishing for flounder from Maryland down through Virginia are still catching them as they make their migration from the shallow bays out to the ocean. Channel edges leading to the inlets will be the places to target them right now. Reports have indicated a lot of small fish being caught but if you give it enough time, you should be able to find a few keepers.
Surf anglers are still catching some fish at the beaches, but the action is beginning to slow down. Kingfish, puffers, flounder, and a few bluefish have all been reeled in this week. There has also been a good spiny dogfish bite at times along the beaches. One angler fishing on Assateague reported catching 16 during a day trip. Clear nose skates have also been in the mix periodically. There is a large biomass of rockfish off the New Jersey coast right now which has been providing some seriously fun action for anglers up that way. Those fish will hopefully be making their way down to our waters soon, so keep an eye out for reports of these fish being caught near our beaches. We will make sure to let you know when and if they arrive.
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, November 10 Update:
The fall weather can’t seem to make up its mind as we went through another week of up and down temperatures. Despite this, fishing has remained consistent along the coast. Captain Monty on the Morning Star reports that solid sea bass fishing continues at the inshore grounds, with some clients limiting out. Decent numbers of flounder have also been in the mix some days as well, and there have also been bluefish in some areas. Capt. Cook confirmed the presence of blues on the inshore grounds and noted that at times it’s been tough getting hooked sea bass into the boat before they’re cut in half. There was a report from another crew who had an awesome day in the ocean using Deadly Tackle Tog jigs with crab baits. They had a limit of tautog along with an over-slot red drum and a big black drum. From the offshore grounds we had two reports of success while sword fishing, one boat with a 60-inch keeper and the other with a keeper and a pup released. Skirted strip baits were noted as an effective offering.
The flounder fishing in the back bays remained productive this week. Fishing along the main channels leading to the inlets have produced the best results as these fish begin to migrate to their wintering grounds. Captain Jason Mumford of Lucky Break Charters had to weed through about 30 throwback flounder before putting three keepers in the boat. Scott Lenox from Fish In OC got out this week and found similar results while fishing the East Channel. Scott caught about 15 undersize flounder and then caught a couple sheepshead while fishing along the south jetty at the OC Inlet. Inside the inlet and near the Route 50 Bridge, there are still quality sized striped bass and a few bluefish around. Bridge anglers have been taking advantage of these fish which can be tricky to land once you hook them. A few anglers who were Roy Rigging near the bridge pilings by boat caught and released a bunch of rockfish and one 25-inch bluefish during an afternoon trip. From the north Ocean City Surf we had a report of smooth dogfish biting on cut mullet and squid. Plenty of skate have been in the mix too along with whiting, red drum, bluefish, and puffers. Tossing out sand fleas or Fishbites on bottom rigs has been working well for most. If you want to target bigger fish, you can’t go wrong with fresh cut bunker or squid chunks.
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, November 3 Update:
This week started off warm but got cold quick once the cold front moved through. It is feeling much more like fall across the region, and fishing remained productive. The Ocean City Fishing Center let us know that boats heading to the offshore grounds for swordfish are finding decent success. Several have had success deep dropping for swordfish in recent weeks, catching up to three or four fish while dropping strip baits or skirted eels in 1200-plus feet of water. Most have been legal sized though some undersized pups are being reported, too. The wahoo bite has also been solid and Talkin Trash Sportfishing put five in the box on back to back trips. Ocean’s East Bait and Tackle let us know that the wahoo fishing off Virginia Beach is also starting to get just right and that multiple boats returned to dock this week with a few keepers in the box. Deep droppers are also catching a mix of blueline and golden tilefish. At the inshore wrecks and reefs, fishing is great right now. Captain Monty on the Morning Star reports that solid sea bass fishing continues on the inshore grounds, with some clients limiting out. Decent numbers of flounder are in the mix as well.
Flounder fishing in the coastal bays is good right now as these fish move from their summer grounds to deeper water out in the ocean. Channels leading to inlets are a good place to catch these migrating fish and there have been some big ones reeled in this week. Scott Lenox from Fish In OC got out this week and fished the East Channel for flounder, catching 13 throwbacks and one keeper at 17 ½ inches while using a Deadly Tackle Deadly Double in chartreuse. Fishing near the Ocean City Inlet jetties remained productive this week for not just flounder, but also keeper tautog and even some sheepshead. Both species are biting sand fleas and other crab baits. Anglers fishing from the Route 50 Bridge are still catching quality sized rockfish (and even a few slot-sized fish) while throwing jigs and other artificial lures in the current near the bridge structure. November is a great month to fish, so don’t call it quite just because the weather is cooling off.