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!
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