Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Reports

Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, August 29 Update: 

The tides last week were thrown off from Hurricane Erin moving up the East Coast. This made for some tough fishing with stiff east winds forcing anglers to concentrate on wind protected shorelines. The big news from the Tangier region is the emerging bite for bull red drum in the sounds. The bronze bruisers are starting to move into their fall pattern where they can be caught near shoals using soft crab, spot, or croaker. Sea Hawk Sports Center reports that the hot zone has been from Pungoteague Creek down to Cap Charles in depths of 20’ to 30’. They mentioned that a fish finder rig sporting an 8/0 circle hook with a piece of spot seems to ring the dinner bell for the drum. Sunset into the night has been the best time to target them. When fishing with soft crab or cut bait, you can expect to get a lot of other bites from small sharks, rays, bluefish, puffers, kingfish, and other pickers.

The speckled trout bite in the shallows has not been great recently, but it is starting to improve as the temperatures have cooled off. The grass flats around Smith Island and Tangier Island have had some specks willing to hit popping corks and topwater lures in the mornings and evenings. A few anglers have even reported catching specks around the various wrecks in the Tangier region. These wrecks have also housed some convicts, also known as sheepshead. Bottom sweeper jigs baited with fiddler crabs or chunks of peeler crab are the most lethal for sheeps. Bluefish on the main stem of the Bay have been harder to come by recently as they have cut back on surface blitzes lately. Captain C.L. Marshall of Tangier Sound Charters has enjoyed some good rockfish and speckled trout action in the shallows from the Wicomico down to Onancock. The red drum bite had been improving, but last week's wonky tides and wind threw it off a bit. That bite should pick back up when a more stable pattern sets in. On his recent trips soaking baits, C.L. is often catching over a dozen different species, making for a lot of light tackle fun. The Angler in Chief says he had the pleasure of fishing with C.L. late this week and while the shallows were wind-churned and muddy, moving to deeper water produced lots of bites from various panfish and two big bull reds including one topping 46". Fresh cut spot was the ticket. On windy days, the protected waters in the Wicomico and the Manokin River are offering good numbers of white perch in the creeks. There are several bites to take advantage of as we close out summer.

Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, August 22 Update: 

It has been an unseasonably cool August so far, but we aren’t complaining, as the cooler weather has made for better fishing. Sea Hawk Sports Center reports that the bite on the Chesapeake is heating up. The Wicomico and Manokin Rivers have been the scene for good white perch and rockfish fishing. Anglers hitting the shallows are catching them on spinners and jigs. The shallow grass flats in the Tangier and Pocomoke have also been productive for speckled trout, rockfish, and even some red drum. Sea Hawk says topwater lures are working well in low light hours, especially on the incoming tide. Cobia are still cruising the main stem of the Bay. Over the past few weeks, their numbers have increased with a lot of small to medium sized fish pushing up the Bay. There have even been rumors of tarpon spotted in Maryland waters by boats searching for cobia and bluefish along ledges and humps.  

Captain C.L. Marshall of Tangier Sound Charters has had some excellent trips lately with several species coming over the gunwales. A trip this week was one of his best of the year with his anglers catching 16 different species. The highlights included big bull redfish, a big sheepshead, speckled trout up to 26 inches, rockfish on topwater, and a pile of bluefish. C.L. has been soaking soft crabs for the reds and the bite has turned on with the cooler weather. While the screaming drag from a red drum taking the bait is a lot of fun, you usually have to deal with several “pickers” and other fish taking your bait. These can include whiting, pinfish, lizardfish, flounder, pufferfish, and many more. Most anglers are familiar with the CBBT as having an excellent fishery for sheepshead, but you can also catch them as far north as Maryland waters in the Bay. Fiddler crabs are the best bait to use for sheepshead, and they can be found around beaches and marshy shorelines, especially areas with rocks. Some areas that sheepshead can be found around the Tangier region include the Target Ship, the wrecks around Tangier Island, and the Virginia Artificial Reefs.

Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, August 15 Update: 

The weather has cooled off, and the fishing has picked up as we approach the end of summer. The Tackle Box reports that a lot of undersize flounder have moved up the Bay and are now being caught on ledges and bars. Many anglers are starting to encounter them when fishing the shallows for perch. Lizardfish, pufferfish, and northern kingfish have also shown up in this region and are being caught by anglers bottom fishing and throwing small lures in the shallows. Sea Hawk Sports Center reports that the fishing has picked up since the cool off at the beginning of the month. Water temperatures have dipped into the upper 70s and low 80s, which has drastically improved the shallow water bite. Topwater action has been good in the mornings with striped bass and speckled trout smashing plugs and poppers. Grass flats and creek mouths are two areas to key in on right now.

On the main stem of the Bay, bluefish are still abundant, but they are feeding on the surface less and cruising around close to bottom more. There have still been some feeding frenzies this week, but not as widespread as a few weeks ago. The big change has been the arrival of cobia around the Maryland/Virginia line. Anglers are reporting a lot of undersize fish, but some keepers in the mix too. Trolling, chumming, live lining, and sight fishing have all been productive methods to catch these fish. From now through the first half of September, cobia numbers should be good in this region from Tangier Island up to the Target Ship. Bull reds are still out there as well, but the larger schools will begin to push south in the coming weeks. The ledges from Tangier Island down to Cape Charles have produced some very big fish for those chunking baits of cut spot or bunker. Croaker are abundant right now and make for excellent live bait for bull reds as well.

Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, August 8 Update: 

The cooler weather created better fishing conditions for Chesapeake Bay anglers, especially in the Tangier region. The expansive grass flats offer excellent habitat for several species including striped bass, speckled trout, and red drum, but when water temperatures surpass the mid-80s, fish often vacate the shallows to move into deeper water. Water temperatures spiked into the 90s in July, and fishing success dropped off significantly. We are seeing the shallows come back to life as water temperatures have receded back into the upper 70s and low 80s. Early morning topwater fishing has been good over the grass flats and near shoreline points. Speckled trout have been very eager to hit Lonely Angler topwater lures, and anglers fishing with Captain C.L. Marshall of Tangier Sound Charters are experiencing their affinity to hit those lures firsthand.

Bluefish have been the open water highlight as blitzes are popping up periodically each week. These fish have ranged from two pounds up to 10 pounds. The Tackle Box reports that trollers have been finding an excellent bluefish bite in the waters around the Target Ship. They have taken a liking for both metal spoons and rubber hoses. Blues are also hanging around the various wrecks around tangier Island. They have been willing to hit topwater plugs and rap-10’s. Cobia have been scarce in Maryland waters, but the fishing has been better farther south along the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Sight fishing boats have been able to spot fish cruising on the surface, but getting them to bite has been more challenging. Schools of bull red drum are also marauding around the Eastern Shore. Angler fishing with fresh cut or live croaker have been reeling some in around the Cape Charles area. The Kiptopeke concrete ships will also be a hotspot for bull reds in late summer and early fall.