Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, November 29 Update:
Bluefin tuna continue to be a big attraction for anglers heading out on the ocean from New Jersey down to Virginia Beach. There were several fish caught throughout that zone this week with a few even landed on spinning gear. Trollers are having more consistent luck, but those looking to achieve a tuna on “light tackle” have the best chance to do so right now as the fish are inshore. Covering water in the zone of three to 10 miles off the beach has occasionally yielded birds and fish feeding on top. It is a mad dash to get a lure into the frenzy before they move on, and even if you hook up, you are in for a long battle that may result in a pulled hook. Nevertheless, it is an exhillerating way to fish. Virginia Beach anglers are starting to find more opportunities for tuna as the fish move south. Ocean City is still a hotspot with a lot of boats heading out during weather windows. Scott Lenox from Fish In OC was out with Wrecker Sport Fishing this week and landed a 191 pound bluefin. The crew of the Foolish Pleasures had an epic day out in the ocean going seven for seven on bluefins. Now is the time to get out there. If you have an opportunity, take it.
The ocean has also been very productive at the various wreck and reef sites. Sea bass, bluefish, flounder, and porgy have all made regular appearances. Captain Chris Mizurak of the Angler had several good trips this week with lots of keeper sea bass making their way into coolers. We heard from another reader that a few of the wrecks were full of bluefish and they caught as many as they wanted to on jigs during an early week trip. Captain Monty of the Morning Star reports that he had several anglers catch limits of sea bass during his trip earlier in the week. The fishing is good now folks, we just need the weather to cooperate for getting offshore.
Inshore around the Ocean City Inlet, tautog are being caught at the rock jetties on sand fleas and green crab. Striped bass, some bluefish, and a few lingering red drum are being found around the jetties, Route 50 Bridge, and in the back bay. Fish In OC had a report from an angler fishing with Roy Rigs who caught keeper stripers and a keeper red. Tautog are a hot topic this week in the Virginia Beach area as a lot seem to have moved to inshore structures as water temperatures have dropped. They are being caught at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel around the Islands and at several other wreck, reef, and rocky structures. A boat fishing the second island of the CBBT reported catching several keeper tog while dropping down green crab along the rocks. As the cold weather keeps moving in, the bite should remain good as we head into December.
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, November 22 Update:
We are in the middle of some serious winds which will keep most boats off the ocean until they subside, but fishing was good before the gales of November moved in and things should pick back up where they left off once boats can get out again. Earlier in the week, there were good reports from the back bays. Scott Lenox from Fish In OC got out and caught a mix of striped bass, red drum, and bluefish. The stripers were caught in both the shallows and deeper depths of the Route 50 Bridge with fish up to 33.5 inches. There has also been good action at the OC inlet jetties and Lucky Break Charters has been steadily catching keeper tautog. Dave Moore of Shark Whisperers also reported some keeper tog at the inlet mixed in with smaller fish and small sea bass. There's a mix of tog and bass willing to bite at the CBBT as well (along with some red and black drum still showing up), all along the island rocks. The colder water temperatures are bringing the tog close to shore, and they are also being caught at Cape Henlopen. Anglers are reporting success catching them using sand fleas and green crab.
Before the blow bluefin were around very close to shore, and we heard reports of several fish caught from 50 up to 200 pounds this week. These opportunities are rare, so if you have a chance to get out for them, don’t miss it. Midweek Captain Monty Hawkins of the Morning Star reported spotting a few south-east of OC and hooking one on the way to the bottom fishing grounds. The bluefin tuna running close to the beaches are being found off Virginia Beach as well now with trollers finding success along with those casting lures. Tuna have been found anywhere from five to 20 miles offshore but there have been hearsay reports of them even closer than that.
The sea bass grounds have been productive this month and we have heard of some excellent trips, though sometimes boats have had to work harder at times. Captain Monty turned a tough day of fishing into decent results for his clients. Winds were blowing much more than forecasted Tuesday morning and when they reached the fishing grounds, only skates, dogfish, and eels were biting. By early afternoon the winds subsided, and the tide started running which turned the sea bass bite on and just about everyone on board started catching. Monty reported that it wasn’t the best bite, but steady action. In Virginia Beach, Wreck Dawg Sport Fishing had an excellent day at the offshore grounds boating a boat limit of sea bass up to five pounds in under an hour. Bluefish have also been cruising around various wrecks with the Triangles being mentioned by several boats.
Crazy Catch Alert: On Wednesday while Dave Moore was tog fishing in the Ocean City inlet he hooked and landed an octopus – yes, an octopus – that couldn’t resist a chunk of shrimp. He reports that the octopus was safely released.
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, November 15 Update:
Between windblasts some very nice reports have come in from the coast, including increasing numbers of bluefin tuna. They aren't yet around in mass numbers but one reader reported catching a 40-pounder inside of 10 miles from shore off the Delaware coast, and another tied into a pair of much bigger fish in the 180-pound class farther south. Shoals and wrecks from 10 to 30 miles offshore are getting the nod with the farthest south we’ve had confirmed thus far being the Jack Spot, while a reader (who we know to be an excellent angler) fishing out of Chincoteague reported looking for them to no avail. However, he then shifted gears and tried flounder fishing with incredible action on flatfish to seven pounds and a three-man limit hit in just two hours. Sea Hawk Sports Center confirms that the big news along the coastal beaches has been the return of bluefin tuna at times within 10 miles of the sand. There has been steady action out of Ocean City and the bite should be happening with improving action as the weather cools between there and down to Virginia Beach.
Fish In OC reports that over the past few weeks there has been an improving bite for flounder and sea bass as well, bottom fishing at the wrecks. The OC fleet has seen limits of both flounder and sea bass with some true doormats up to seven pounds being caught. Big sea bass are also making a showing and there have been fish over five pounds on recent trips. Water temperatures are expected to move into the sweet spot over the next few weeks which should make for an even better bite. Captain Monty Hawkins of the Morning Star was out this week and reported some nice flounder and an even better class of sea bass. His anglers filled their coolers and even had some triggerfish in the mix. Monty also noted that there were a lot of boats out chasing the nearshore bluefins and at one point he counted over 80 boats within eyesight on the hunt for them.
A lot more tautog have moved inshore in Virginia waters with the cooling water temperatures and they can be found at various wrecks, rock piles, the CBBT, and other hard bottom structure at the mouth of the Bay. Sand fleas and crab baits are their preferred diet. The OC inlet has also been holding more tautog this week and more keepers seem to be showing up. Captain Jason Mumford of Lucky Break Charters hit the south jetty and caught a bunch of tog and took home a few that were over the 16-inch minimum. There have also been some stripers and a few flounder hanging out between the inlet and the route 50 Bridge. A few anglers fishing from the bridge at night have caught stripers below, inside, and above the 28-to-31-inch slot. Flounder that are still inshore will soon head out into the ocean as more cold fronts drop water temperatures. The flounder bite at the wrecks has really picked up so it seems many fish are already moving out to the deep.
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, November 8 Update:
It has been unseasonably warm and dry this fall which has made fishing patterns difficult to figure out at times. The good news is that fish along the coast seem to be offering consistent opportunities. There is a ton of great rockfish action just north of our beaches along the New Jersey coast. Blitzes and bird shows have been common for the fleet of boats chasing after the big fish. We need some colder weather to push them south to us, and it is only a matter of time before they begin to head our way. The bluefin tuna bite has also been good off the Jersey coast, but anglers out of Ocean City are already finding them with some regularity. We had a reader report of success on bluefin this week running out of Ocean City and getting two hook-ups with one fish in the boat. The crew aboard the boat Foolish Pleasures had an excellent day fishing just outside the African Queen wreck this week where they caught a boat limit of bluefin up to 152 pounds. Reports from New Jersey continue to be of more and bigger fish, often in the same areas as large rockfish, so hopefully we’re seeing a repeat of last season setting up.
The offshore wrecks and reefs have been the scene of a good sea bass bite along with increasing numbers of tautog and flounder. The Angler reported a steady sea bass bite this week with anglers catching them on both bait and jigs. There are plenty of keepers around, but not a ton of “jumbos” yet. There was a report from a boat that had an excellent day using Deadly Tackle tog jigs. Their crew boxed a pile of tautog and caught a red drum and a surprise black drum estimated at over 50 pounds. The big fish was caught on a three-ounce jig. Inshore at the OC inlet and back bays, anglers are finding striped bass, tautog, and flounder. Togs have moved into the jetty along the inlet and anglers are catching them on sand fleas and chunks of crab on bottom sweeper jigs. Striped bass can be found at the jetty, the Route 50 Bridge, and along docks. The night bite at the bridge has been productive as the fish chase bait attracted to the illuminated water. Soft plastics paired with lead jigheads are doing most of the catching.
From Delaware down through Virginia the flounder are continuing their exit from the coastal bays towards the inlets and the Chesapeake into the ocean, where they will push offshore as water temperatures continue to drop. They can still be caught along the main channels leading out to the inlets, but they won’t be around much longer. The flounder bite at the offshore wrecks is improving which indicates that many fish have already pushed out to deeper water.
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, November 1 Update:
Last year we experienced an excellent bluefin tuna bite just off the coast with fish pushing within a mile of the beaches. Reports from up north indicate a strong run of bluefin tuna continues along the Jersey coast, so cross your fingers that these fish continue heading south—and decide to park themselves off the DelMarVa coast in big numbers again as the waters continue to cool. There have been a few reports of bluefin in our home waters and one was caught just six miles out of the OC inlet earlier in the week. Another boat reported going two for three on bluefin bites as well. Captain Chase Eberle of Chasin’ Tides Charters ran his boat to the north and it paid off with a bigeye tuna, and two yellowfin tuna.
The boats heading to the sea bass grounds are finding excellent fishing this week. Captain Chris Mizurak of the Angler had plenty of keeper sea bass this week and several nice flounder that ended up in coolers as well. The Fish Bound joined in on the action this week with great success that included keeper sea bass, flounder, triggerfish, and bluefish. Captain Monty Hawkins of the Morning Star reported great action on sea bass with plenty of fish, but a lot of moves were required to put fish in the box. When they pulled up to a wreck, they would quickly catch a few then the bite would fizzle out, prompting a move. This pattern held true for the extent of their day, but they returned to dock with plenty of fish to fillet. The most impressive catch from Monty’s boat this week was from an angler who caught a sea bass using a wrench. Not the most conventional lure, but it worked!
At the OC Inlet, anglers are catching plenty of striped bass, a few red drum, and a handful of weakfish. The hotspots have been around the south jetty and Route 50 Bridge. And, though it’s an out-of-area event, congrats go out to one of our regular reporters from the surf, Dave Moore of Shark Whisperers, who traveled down to the Outer Banks last week for the NCBBA Red Drum Tournament. Competing against 550 surf anglers he managed to place in the top five with a 47” bull red.
OC Angler Alert: The OC Reef Foundation is cranking up its annual Reef Raffle, which includes some exceptionally cool prizes (like a Benelli Montefeltro, a full day charter on the Morning Star, and a diamond necklace), and benefits reef building efforts along the coast. Visit the Reef Raffle page to get your tickets, today!