10/27/2017 Coastal Mid Atlantic Fishing Report:
With cold weather, the Ocean City Fishing Center reported that not much has been going on, on the offshore front. The marlin and tuna bites have all but ceased to exist, and the dolphin that kept offshore fishing on life-support have finally departed. Dropping for tilefish and sea bass is the final remaining reliable option. Reports from Virginia are more of the same but one boat did get a bigeye along with some yellowfin this week, so maybe there's still some hope in the southern reaches of our territory.
Most anglers fishing coastal waters have stuck to wreck fishing this week, heading out to catch sea bass and tautog. Most sea bass are being caught on clam, however the Fishing Center has heard report of anglers jigging for them, too. Reach for the green crab, to target the tog. Sea bass fishing has good since the season came back in up and down the coast, and there are also good numbers of flounder being taken on the wrecks and reefs, so inshore fishing is one of the better bets right about now. Hook 'em and Cook 'em suggested using white tails to tempt the flounder. Reports from Delaware also indicate that fishing the ice breakers and Brandywine for tog and sheepshead is still a good move, with sand fleas being the bait of choice since both species will take them without hesitation. The same two species can be found in both Indian River and Ocean City inlets, and again, sand fleas are the top choice for bait. Anglers on boats are doing best in OC along the outside of the south jetty, while land-locked anglers targeting tog are better off trying the bulkhead at eighth street. The tog in the inlets and at the bulkhead are, however, mostly undersized. Some keepers are certainly being caught but one reader reported catching over two dozen throw-backs without any for the fishbox, one day this week.
In the surf, Coastal Correspondent John Unkart has been working the suds of Assateague regularly in-between hosting hunting parties at Unkartlanding, and reports that there's been a lot of action but few fish large enough to make it to the frying pan. Kingfish, small black drum, and flounder have been in the mix. Reports from all along the coast, Delaware to Virginia, indicate that snapper blues are also hitting the beach at times. Cut fish on doodlebug rigs is best for the blues, while bloodworms and squid are top picks for the other species currently in the surf.
10/20/2017 Coastal Mid Atlantic Fishing Report:
Most anglers going through the inlets from Indian River clear down to Rudee have been heading straight to the wrecks recently. Although sea bass season is out for a few more days in some parts of our region - check your local regs before dropping any in the box - there have been a nice variety of species mixed around the wrecks. Tautaug have been more and more common in the past few weeks, and although many have been undersized, keepers are mixed in with the bunch. Hook ‘em and Cook ‘em Outfitters reports some ling have been part of the catch off the Delaware coast, and many anglers are also encountering small dolphin holding around the flotsam they encounter. Large flounder are also becoming a staple of the season, as many anglers are finding them inshore as well as on wrecks. Some triggerfish are on the wrecks and reefs, too, but to get them you need to down-size both hooks and baits. A #6 with a squid bit is a good bet.
This week we had no reports of large fish offshore, and the Ocean City Fishing Center said they haven't had any significant catches come in this week. We did hear of small dolphin on the pots from the folks in Virginia. Yippie. So goes the offshore season of 2017. With the prerequisite disgust over this year's offshore bite noted, we did get reports of anglers deep dropping for blueline tilefish in 280' to 320' over hard bottom catching them in good numbers. Those who pushed farther out to 600-plus feet of water caught goldens on bottom, on squid and clam baits. Tilefish have saved many a offshore trip, this year.
In the Delaware surf there's a mix of spot, blues, and kingfish. Farther south we had an interesting report from Coastal Correspondent John Unkart, who caught a handful of baby black drum on bloodworm and Fishbites while fishing off Assateague this week. Kingfish, spot, and snapper blues were also in the mix.
Sheepshead are still being caught in strong numbers at the Ice Breakers, Indian River Inlet, and Ocean City Inlet, and tog are mixed in the catch. While most are still on the small side, a few reports of keeper tog did pop up this week. Sand fleas seem to be the best all-around bait, but green crab has also been mentioned. Fish close to the rocks for both species and bring plenty of extra tackle because snags in the rocks areas are a guarantee.
If you're interested in targeting the tog either from a boat or from shore, keep your eyes peeled for the November edition of FishTalk, which will be hitting the streets some time next week. We have a feature in it, by Unkart, on how to target this species.
10/12/2017 Coastal Mid Atlantic Fishing Report:
Hook 'em and Cook 'em reported that although wind conditions have kept many anglers inshore, there has proven to be a pretty nice flounder bite the past week off the Delaware coastline. Many angers fishing inshore wrecks have had large flounder mixed in with their catch, as the flounder begin to migrate offshore. Flounder are hitting baits on bottom, as well as jigs bounced along bottom. Anglers targeting big flounder often do best by using live spot or mullet for bait. The inability to run to the canyons hasn't exactly been tragic as the tuna bite has remained poor, anyway.
The Ocean City Fishing Center reports that although wind did create tough fishing conditions this week, a few guys were able to get offshore and catch marlin. Tuna are still more or less MIA. There are some small dolphin for anglers bailing the pots and flotsam.
In the surf there are still some kingfish being caught by anglers casting bloodworms, and snapper blues for those tossing Doodlebug rigs baited with cut mullet or spot. The inlet rocks, particularly around the south jetty of Ocean City, are still holding sheepshead for anglers casting sand fleas and has also started producing some tog. Same goes for the Ice Breakers off Lewes and Indian River inlet, and although most of the tog are on the small side, some keepers are being brought in by both boat and (at the inlets) shoreline anglers.
10/6/2017 Coastal Mid Atlantic Fishing Report:
Windy conditions this week have seriously hurt offshore fishing, and the few anglers who made it offshore didn’t have much to report, but the Ocean City Fishing Center had a few reports of swordfish caught over the weekend, on top of the far more plentiful dolphin. Boats that made it out didn't seem able to capitalize on the tuna that showed up last week between the Baltimore and Poor Mans canyons and more recently, this area mostly gave up dolphin. A few wahoo also showed up, as well.
Coastal Correspondent John Unkart checked in to let us know he heard that mahi action was also strong in the Washington, for anglers willing to bail the lobster balls. Back inshore the sheepshead bite was still going strong at the Ocean City inlet, on sand fleas at the south jetty. A few keeper-sized tog were captured here through the weekend, too. Flounder fishing also picked up a bit both on the wrecks and also inside the bay in the East channel. Top baits for the flounder remain minnow/squid on Fluke Killer rigs, and jigging with GULP tipping your jig heads and bucktails. Trolling just off the beach with spoons has produced bluefish, for anglers ranging from Fenwick Shoals off Delaware clear down to Virginia Beach.
In the surf it's been mostly spot and a few kings (on bloodworms) and snapper blues (on cut spot and mullet). Blues have also popped up in both Indian River and Ocean City inlets.
In Virginia a few pods of cobia have remained off the coast, however, these fish are now out of season. Still, catching and releasing them can make for a fun day. Trollers are catching mostly blues now, as the Spanish mackerel seem to be thinning out. Offshore reports from Virginia, along the barrier islands and from Virginia Beach, mirror those from farther north with lots of mahi-mahi in the catch and a wahoo here and there, but tuna few and far between. The past week there also weren't the same number of billfish that anglers had been encountering recently.