Coastal Fishing Report, October 27 Update:
Summer temperatures are making a return to end this week and I don’t think any of us are complaining about it. The forecast looks very favorable for anglers this weekend with near record high temperatures. Make sure to take advantage of the heat before it’s gone as it is likely to get some fish active. The offshore wreck and reef sites have been producing excellent sea bass fishing along with some flounder and triggerfish coming over the gunwales. Captain Monty reports more boat limits of sea bass have been swinging over the rails of the Morning Star. Both jigging with spoons and standard-issue bait rigs are working, and there was a number of very hefty fish among the photos he sent in this week. Plus some bluefish and flounder have been in the mix. The offshore grounds have also been productive with yellowfin tuna, wahoo, and mahi. Boats taking the time to look for swordfish are still catching a few. The Reel Current out of Ocean City went out this week and their crew bailed over 20 mahi up to 10 pounds. They also went two for three on swordfish bites with a 42-incher released and a 120-pound fish in the box. Deep droppers are still catching a mix of blueline and golden tilefish.
Fall is the time of year where we can see some big flounder caught in the coastal back bays and we are right on track with that pattern. Fish In OC let us know that they have had several anglers check in with nice fish from the East Channel near the Coast Guard station. Two anglers fishing that area caught six keeper flounder with the biggest fish measuring 24 inches and weighing well over five pounds. Another angler at the Oceanic Pier caught a 23-inch, nearly five-pound flounder as well. The channels leading toward the inlet are the place to fish, especially now with reduced boat traffic. Large Gulp! baits and fishing with live finger mullet, spot, or peanut bunker are catching the bigger fish. At the Ocean City inlet and Route 50 Bridge, there are some nice sized striped bass being caught. Casting out soft plastics on jigheads or drifting cut bait is working best. We even saw reports from an angler who caught an over-slot red drum from the bridge along with several over-slot striped bass. At the jetty rocks, sheepshead re still being caught an some tautog are starting to show up too. One angler caught seven sheepshead and a small black drum during a mid-week trip.
The Virginia inlets and coast are holding plenty of fish, too, and there also seems to be some keeper weakfish hanging around; an angler fishing Rudee Inlet caught an 18-, 19-, and 20-incher during a trip this week. One of the more interesting reports with some major diversity we got this week came from an angler who was fishing a rock pile in 30 feet of water. They caught tautog, sea bass, flounder, weakfish, and speckled trout all in under an hour and a half using crabs, clams, and shrimp on bottom rigs. A variety of crab baits are working for both fish. Enjoy the warm weather this weekend and make sure to get some lines wet.
Coastal Fishing Report, October 20 Update:
Fishing along the Atlantic has been good throughout the first half of October and the second half is off to a strong start. Fish In OC says that the offshore bite has been really good this week with mahi, tuna, and a bunch of wahoo being caught by the fleet. They also mentioned that the boats who are putting in the time and effort have been rewarded with some nice swordfish. The crew of the Boss Hog landed two big wahoo and a mess of mahi during a trip last weekend. Another boat fishing at the Hot Dog had a solid day of fishing this week catching 27 mahi between eight and 14 pounds. The nearshore grounds have also seen good action this week. Captain Monty Hawkins from the Morning Star checked in after some good trips to the wrecks and reefs. He said that there has been a sudden peak in sea bass fishing after the early October closure. After not having a complete boat limit all season, his recent trips have seen boat limits three out of four times. The colder months are a great time to fish for sea bass and tautog will soon be moving into these same areas.
The back bays have also been productive for a multitude of species. Anglers fishing along the south jetty at the OC inlet are still catching a decent amount of sheepshead. Crab baits and sand fleas have been the preferred baits on sweeper jigs or bottom jigs. The flounder fishing will begin to wind down soon but as the fish make their mass exodus from the back bays, fishing along the channels should be productive. The Route 50 Bridge is still holding a good amount of rockfish and some bluefish. Casting jigs from the bridge or rock jetties into the current is getting them to bite. There have been some over-slot fish around along with plenty of schoolies. Surf anglers on the beaches are still catching kingfish, bluefish, puffers, and some reds. The bigger reds are being caught more consistently at night, but others are being caught sporadically. Back bay and surf fishing should remain good well into November, so don’t put away the fishing gear just because it is starting to cool off. There is good fishing to be found at all times of year!
Coastal Fishing Report, October 13 Update:
Fishing conditions were favorable much of this week which was nice to see after the roller coaster of weather we have seen to start the fall. Out at the canyons, boats have been catching a mix of yellowfin and blackfin tuna. Captain Mike Burt of the Pumpin’ Hard put his crew on nine yellowfins and one blackfin during a midweek trip. Boats finding the warmer waters are still finding good action on the mahi, but that bite will slow down as water temperatures drop this month.Black sea bass season is now open again and the party boat fleet made sure to take full advantage of the fishing opportunities. Fishing was good for the most part this week at the nearshore wrecks and reefs. Captain Monty of the Morning Star provided his crew with a solid day during trips this week catching a nice class of sea bass and good mix of triggerfish like he hasn’t seen all year. Monty said most of his anglers have had coolers of sea bass in the double digits by the end of the day.
Dave Moore of Shark Whisperers checked in after a tough week of surf fishing and let us know that it was “a grind” on the beaches of Assateague. That said, he did land a couple of beautiful fish including a 49- and a 51-inch redfish. Other anglers reported catching kingfish, flounder, bluefish, rays, and sharks from the surf. Fishbites works great when targeting the smaller class of fish, but chunks of fresh cut bait are usually required to get the larger fish biting. At the Ocean City Inlet, a good class of rockfish and bluefish have been keeping anglers busy near the Route 50 Bridge and other areas with structure. Flounder fishing has been very good lately as the fish are starting to make their exit from the shallow back bays to the ocean for the colder winter months. Anglers fishing for the flatties anywhere from Virginia Beach up through Ocean City and everywhere in between have found steady action when conditions are favorable. Scott Lenox from Fish In OC got out for a trip this week and caught tautog at the OC jetty rocks, a bunch of throwback flounder in the east channel, and two keeper flounder in the west channel. The fish were biting live bunker on a Deadly Tackle Live Bait Rig. Other reports of boats having success rolled in this week with Gulp! baits and live bunker being the top producers for getting fish in the net.
Coastal Fishing Report, October 5 Update:
Unseasonably warm weather made for some great fishing days this week along our coastal areas. Black sea bass season is closed until October 10th, but luckily there are plenty of flounder hanging around the nearshore wrecks and reefs to keep anglers busy during the hiatus. The OC Fishing Center let us know that boats heading out to those grounds this week were catching a mix of flounder, mahi, bluefish, and triggerfish. Fish In OC reported that there was a pretty good yellowfin tuna bite at the offshore grounds a few days this week and that a few boats reported double digit catches. Captain Nick Sampson of MobSquad Fishing had a good day this week putting his crew on a bunch of mahi and a pile of blueline tilefish. There are also a few reports of white marlin releases still rolling in, but with most of these bites, fish can be there one day and gone the next.
Waters are finally starting to clear up in the coastal bays from last week’s wind and rain. Fishing on most fronts was good this week and many anglers around the Ocean City inlet have been keeping their lines tight. There was a report of two anglers fishing near the Route 50 Bridge using Roy Rigs who caught plenty of rockfish. Most of them were under slot but they did manage to put a 28-and-31-inch fish in the box along with a nice bluefish. Fishing along the rocks and other deeper channels in the back bays is also producing a good number of rockfish and bluefish for anglers throwing paddletails and jigs. Fish into the mid 30s are becoming more common and should stick around as the weather continues to cool off. Sheepshead are also still being caught along the rocks. Sweeper jigs or octopus hooks paired with sand fleas has been working well to get these fish in the net. Surf anglers are enjoying calmer seas with spot, kingfish, flounder, and bluefish being the common catches this week. It is shaping up to be a great fall of fishing, so let’s make the most of it.