Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, April 11 Update:
The springtime weather can be all over the place, and we experienced that pattern this week as cold and windy conditions returned to the region. The warm weather to start the month had kicked a lot of bites into gear. Captain Brian Esteppe from Y KNOT Fishing Adventures reports that the flounder fishing was getting good right before the colder weather moved in. The bite took a hit this week as persistent wind, cold weather, and some rain made for less than ideal conditions, but there were still some catches. Brian says that live minnows and shiners have been the ticket for getting these early season flatties to bite with the outgoing tide producing the bulk of the action. The minimum size for flounder is 16 inches until June 1st, when the minimum size will go up to 17.5 inches. The creel limit will remain the same at four fish per day. The surfside black drum bite has been excellent recently, with anglers in both Maryland and Virginia reporting success from the suds. Captain Steve’s Bait and Tackle has anglers check in daily with keeper black drum. Sand fleas and sand flea flavored Fishbites appear to be the top bait. Other reliable choices include clam and blue crab.
Captain C.L. Marshall of Tangier Sound Charters has been targeting black drum on the bayside recently and has pulled some brutes from the Tangier and Pocomoke sounds. Chunks of blue crab, both hardshell and peeler, on fish finder rigs are working well to tempt the big drum into biting. Anchoring near drop-offs, shoals, and grass flats seems to be the ticket as these are areas the drum frequently move through. He has also caught a few stripers while tossing out chunks of crab. The striped bass closure is still in effect in Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay, but Virginia waters are open for catch and release fishing. Water temperatures are approaching 60 degrees in this region of the Bay, and once they consistently hit that mark, the shallows should come to life with stripers, red drum, and speckled trout. The puppy drum bite has been excellent in the areas towards the mouth of the Bay and those fish should begin to push north soon. April is typically when we see speckled trout showing up on the shallow grass flats as well.
Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, April 4 Update:
The black drum run along the beaches cut loose this week and there were several successful reports along the coast. Most of the action seems to be in Virginia, but there are also drum being caught on the Maryland side of Assateague Island. Captain Steves Bait and Tackle in Chincoteague has been seeing keeper drum brought to their shop just about daily since last week. One angler that checked in had caught four drum between 28” and 34” with the biggest fish weighing 27 pounds. Another pair of anglers landed a 45” black drum which is one of the largest we have heard of this year. There was also a keeper flounder pulled from the surf this week that was just under 20”. Weekends are sure to be busy, so if you can get out during the week, you will likely have less anglers to compete with. Black drum should also be moving up the Bay to their traditional hangouts in the Pocomoke and Tangier Sound. Wrecks, shoals, and ledges are popular locations for these fish to cruise through and soft crab is an excellent bait to target them with.
The warmer weather has water temperatures on the rise and more flounder have been moving inshore. A few days this week provided great early season flounder action in the coastal back bays. Sea Hawk Sports Center had a few different anglers check in that caught their limit of flounder this week. The bite seems to be best from Chincoteague south and we have yet to hear of the first keeper being caught in Ocean City, but that should happen shortly. Striped bass have begun to move inshore to the coastal back bays and bridge structures from Ocean City down to Chincoteague have been holding fish. The coastal slot for stripers is 28” to 31” throughout the year. Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay are currently closed to target striped bass until May 16th. Virginia waters are open for catch and release fishing of striped bass. Water temperatures are in the 50’s and approaching the 60-degree mark in some places which means speckled trout and red drum will soon return to the shallows of the Eastern Shore. April will be when we see a lot of bites pick up in the Bay.