Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, September 29 Update:
Fall is producing some steady bites along the Atlantic, but the forecast doesn’t look great for this coming weekend. The remnants of Hurricane Ian is expected to make its way up the coast and dump rain with steady winds for the next few days. We will have to wait and see if the fishing holds up after the weather, but this past week treated anglers well. The surf is producing a mix of kingfish, spot, and croaker on pieces of bloodworms. Bluefish are being caught on pieces of cut spot or mullet. Surf anglers who happened to be in the right place at the right time enjoyed a rush of big bull reds on the beach this past week. Dave from Shark Whisperers reported hooking into a total of seven through three evenings of fishing on Assateague, ranging from 46” to 49”. Coastal correspondent John Unkart backed up the red report noting that cut spot produced six fish for angler Danny Foehrkolb last weekend. Tautog and a few sheepshead are being caught at the OC inlet and Route 50 Bridge on sand fleas, and stripers and bluefish are showing up in greater numbers. It’s important to note that there is a 28-inch striped bass minimum size limit along coastal waters.
Flounder are still biting in the back bays and channels, but water clarity will likely be poor after this weekend’s weather. The channels heading towards the inlet are reported to have some of the best action for the flatfish. Most anglers are drifting live mullet, menhaden, or silversides but Gulp! Baits work well too. The OC Fishing Center says that boats headed to the offshore wreck and reef sites are finding good fishing for black sea bass, flounder, and small mahi. The mahi will likely move south soon as water temperatures continue to drop. Out at the canyons, boats are reporting catching some bigeye tuna, albacore, white marlin, and some mahi. There has been an abundance of blueline tilefish and some swordfish for those deep dropping looking to fill coolers. Exciting news from this past week is that we have two new Maryland State fishing records that were certified. A 339-pound swordfish was caught by Jeff Jacobs and beat the previous record by more than 90 pounds. The fish took over five hours to reel in. The other record is a 77-pound albacore caught by Thomas Bodmer. The fish was caught while trolling a naked ballyhoo bait. Congrats to these two anglers!
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, September 22 Update:
In what we hope is an indication of a good fall run cranking up, a reader who tried deep dropping tied into not one but two swordfish this week in the Poor Mans. We also heard scuttlebutt of a multi-sword catch made in the Wilmington, and of a third boat with multiple swords. Woohoo! In all cases these were daytime catches, made on squid and strip baits. Other boats fishing the canyons have been coming up mostly shorthanded in their efforts to catch yellowfin but a few bigeye tuna are being caught along with wahoo and white marlin releases. Mahi are often saving the day for many anglers as they are still abundant and willing to bite. Deep dropping for blueline tilefish has also provided a steady bite for those in the deep blue waters of the Atlantic.
At the inshore grounds off OC, Capt. Monty reported that the mahi hadn’t left the area yet and sea bass were plenty willing to bite, too. A reader who drifted along one of the inshore shoals, meanwhile, tied into some flounder worthy of the doormat title. Captain Cook from First Light says the bass bite continues to be strong in Delaware’s inshore waters, too, along with flounder. He also noted that evening fly trips have produced a mix of stripers and blues.
Coastal correspondent John Unkart reports that even as the water cleared up through the week, surf fishing remained tough with the catch limited to just a few panfish on Assateague. In fact, it was so slow that he went to play “golf” one afternoon, whatever that is. Dave Moore of Shark Whisperers hit the OC inlet and reports there are still some sheepshead in town biting sand fleas along the rocks, and the same bait also produced several triggerfish. He also noted the undersized sea bass are so thick you can walk across ‘em. Captain Brian Esteppe of Y Knot Fishing Adventures reports that the light tackle bite in the back bays is getting better every day. He has had success catching legal seatrout, some slot reds, and a few flounder this past week. Cooling temps should only improve the bite over the next few weeks.
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, September 16 Update:
The offshore info has been scarce this week, but the inshore reports were plentiful. The OC Fishing Center reports that the deeper reefs and wrecks showed a steady sea bass bite with peanut mahi and flounder in the mix. Boats heading out to the canyons are filling their boxes with a better class of mahi while those deep dropping are catching some nice sized blueline tilefish. Trollers in the canyons have reported a fair amount of white marlin in the area for those looking to catch and release billfish.
At the Ocean City inlet, sheepshead and a few tog are being caught at the south jetty and the route 50 bridge. The preferred bait for these fish are sand fleas. Also at the route 50 bridge, rockfish and bluefish are being caught by those throwing soft plastics or drifting cut bait. The back bay waters are calming down after last week’s persistent wind. Clearer water will greatly improve the fishing and it appears we are already on that track. A reader reported that the speckled trout bite in the shallow bays behind Ocean City has been great. One trip produced three keepers and a trip the following day produced four. Most fish are in the 18- to 20-inch range and can be caught throwing jigs rigged with paddletails or rigging up a popping cork with your favorite soft plastic bait to work beneath.
Coastal Correspondent John Unkart reports that the surf at Assateague was essentially unfishable last weekend, and while it had calmed by early in the week, was still very turbid. Surf fishing produced just one kingfish, one spot, and one small juvenile black drum. Prior to the blow, Dave Moore of Shark Whisperers had reported an “endless supply” of spot and kingfish, so hopefully as the water settles out the bite will pick right back up. Rigging up with sand fleas, bloodworms, or their Fishbite counterparts will be your best bet. At the end of this month be ready for the run of large red drum as they migrate south before colder weather moves in — Assateague is a premier spot to target these beasts come late September.
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, September 9 Update:
Although tuna remain a bit difficult to find at the moment, we heard from two readers that the white marlin bite at the canyons is on the upswing. One reported four raised and one released, and the other reported seeing several boats hooked up but only getting a single take, which came unbuttoned. (Neither specified a canyon). The inshore scene along the coast continues to be dominated by a great mahi bite. Any type of floating structure has held schools of small to medium sized mahi that are a blast to catch on light tackle. Just prior to the storms moving through this week, Capt. Monty on the Morning Star was hitting boat-limit numbers. He also noted that he’s seeing some larger fish in the mix recently. Drops to bottom are still producing sea bass and flounder in solid numbers, too. Boats in search of the mahi-laden reefs in the Atlantic have been trolling skirted ballyhoo, wahoo walkers, and diving plugs resulting in a fair number of bites. False albacore, wahoo, king mackerel, and a stray tuna here and there have all been in the mix.
Dave Moore of Shark Whisperers reports an active bite on the beaches of Assateague, with a “nonstop barrage” from southern stingrays, spot, kingfish, short weakfish, and some large sharks including a pair of 80-inch spinner sharks. He also noted that at the OC inlet rocks there are some triggerfish and sheepshead biting plus some slightly larger (though still sub-legal) tog have moved in, but tiny sea bass pecking at the baits are often cleaning your hooks before the larger fish can find them. Coastal correspondent John Unkart hit the beach mid-week and reported very difficult conditions due to high wind, waves, and abnormally high tides, but said he still managed to catch a small black drum while casting (literally) from the dunes.
Sea Hawk Sports Center reports that the seaside continues to support a good flounder bite, but a few specs have also shown up in the shallows. Confirmed catches of these spotted beauties while throwing paddle tails came in from Chincoteague Bay. As we approach fall and water temps cool, expect the bite in the shallows to really pick up for a plethora of species.
Coastal Mid-Atlantic Fishing Report, September 2 Update:
There’s an abundance of fish to be caught all along the coast right now and lots of action was reported throughout this past week. At the inshore grounds off OC, Capt. Monty reported some excellent fishing in the past week along with a tough day here and there. Some days a few of the anglers on the Morning Star limited on flounder, most days they’re catching plenty of sea bass, and mahi-mahi are also in the mix. As in recent weeks he notes he’s seeing more mahi than he’s catching, and many of them remain “fussy” about biting. We also had several reader reports come in this week from mahi-hunters who found success among the bass pots 15 to 30 miles out. Trolling small, skirted lures as well as feeding back chunks of squid will usually get the mahi biting. Nearshore wrecks are giving anglers the best shot at some doormat sized flounder while the inlets have been reliant on clean water for willing bites, and we heard from one angler who caught his limit of flounder then collided with a school of cobia holding beneath a ray. Dropping down double flounder rigs tipped with minnows is still a top choice for the flounder.
Farther south, Sea Hawk Sports Center let us know boats targeting inshore mahi have also stumbled across false albacore, wahoo, and even some nice sized king mackerel. September is Virginia’s peak king mackerel season, and the fish are moving into the area to feed on the abundance of ribbonfish. A reader hitting the Chesapeake light Tower reported a sweet spadefish bite, noting that they caught their limit of the hard-fighting fish in an hour and a half.
A few tuna are hanging around the offshore canyons and boats trolling for them have been getting a mix of yellowfin and bigeyes along with some wahoo. A reader checked in from the Washington with one very nice yellowfin and a load of mahi-mahi. Oceans East reports that offshore anglers are having success targeting sailfish, white marlin, and blue marlin. The Virginia Beach Billfish Tournament wrapped up over the weekend with some great catches. The crew of Cuttin’ Up, a 64 Viking owned by Steve Jones, struck early and held onto win the tournament with a 612.5-pound blue marlin. Results can be found here. Oceans East also says the abundance of ribbonfish has sparked the beginning of some great king mackerel fishing in the Virginia Beach area. Ribbonfish are a favorite bait of the kings and a common tactic for targeting them is slow trolling ribbonfish, ballyhoo, or pogies. The Mid Atlantic Tournament also wrapped up last week. Local boat RoShamBo placed with a 65-pound white marlin earning them a $276,000 payout. Way to represent the Ocean City Fishing Center fleet! The results of that tournament can be found here.
Anglers looking to surf fish will be rewarded with mainly spot, croaker, and kingfish. Bloodworms and sandfleas along with their Fishbite counterparts have been the best baits as of late.