Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Reports

Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, March 20 Update: 

The white perch run is heating up, and we have a few reports of fish pushing up the Pocomoke River. We don’t have any confirmed reports from the Wicomico or Nanticoke, but the perch should be starting to push into those rivers as well. Bottom rigs tipped with minnows, grass shrimp, or bloodworms is a great strategy for targeting white perch during the spring run. Smaller male white perch usually make up the bulk of the catch at the start of the run, but bigger females should soon follow them. The Pocomoke is always a hotspot for spring fishing, and it is highly regarded for its crappie fishing. The bite has been good lately and anglers are finding success by slow trolling minnows. Yellow perch, largemouth bass, and chain pickerel have also been in the mix, making for fun outings. The millponds around Salisbury are prime locations to fish for pickerel during the spring. These fish should be active now, and on warm days, largemouth bass and even some snakehead are a possibility. The best lures to throw are usually spinners, jerkbaits, chatterbaits, or anything with a little flash. Slow rolling these baits along fallen trees and other cover can work very well.  

Striped bass should start to push into the shallows as water temperatures warm up. Recent data shows that the water temperatures in the bays and rivers along the Eastern Shore are in the low 50s, which is plenty warm for these fish to go shallow. We should also begin to see the start of the spawning migration as fish funnel up the Chesapeake Bay heading towards their spawning grounds. Large schools of menhaden should be showing up any day in the main stem of the Bay, and the striped bass should be following them closely. Main channel ledges on the Bay and in the rivers will be notable areas to check for spring catch and release striped bass fishing over the next several weeks. At the seaside, the first few flounder of the season have been caught in the back bays of the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The weather has been up and down, but some very warm stretches of weather in recent weeks have warmed water temperatures enough for these fish to start pushing back inshore. Sea Hawk Sports Center had an angler check in after a successful trip this week. Captain Steve’s Bait and Tackle also had an angler check in with a keeper flattie from the back bays. It looks like it is time to break out the flounder gear and start drifting some squid and minnows as the action should continue to heat up over the next few weeks.

Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, March 12 Update: 

Spring fishing is kicking off even though this week brought us a taste of each of the four seasons. We went from temperatures in the 80s earlier in the week to temperatures back into the 30s with some snow to end the week. Anglers took advantage of the warmer weather, and we had good reports from the Pocomoke, where the crappie bite has been very good. Sea Hawk Sports Center reports that the crappie action has been superb and one of their recent trips produced five different species. Slow-trolling two-inch tandem-rigged jigs tipped with small minnows tempted plenty of eater crappie. Largemouth bass, pickerel, yellow perch, and blue catfish were also in the mix. We had one report of a handful of white perch caught on the Pocomoke this week, so it looks like their spawning run is about to get underway. The Pocomoke, Nanticoke, and Wicomico are great rivers on the lower Eastern Shore to fish during the spring perch run. Minnows and bloodworms tipped on bottom rigs are a tried and true method for filling a cooler with delicious perch. Some anglers have reported coming across schools of striped bass on the shallow flats of the Eastern Shore, so it seems these fish are moving in to take advantage of the warmer temperatures. These fish can be difficult to entice this time of year as they are focused on moving towards their spawning grounds, but shallow diving plugs and jerkbaits have been effective to entice some fish to bite. Fishing for striped bass is still strictly catch and release, and there are certain areas that are off limits. It would be best to review the striped bass regulation maps on the Maryland DNR website to see where fishing for them is allowed.

Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, March 6 Update: 

Spring peepers were singing their songs this week as the first signs of spring are starting to show themselves. FishTalk’s Zach Ditmars spent a couple of days at the Eastern Shore millponds in the Salisbury area last weekend, and said the fishing was surprisingly slow in multiple ponds. He had to work hard to catch a couple of bass and four pickerel up to 24” while fishing minnow on underspin jigs and Tin Man shad darts. X-raps, paddletails, and spinners garnered no bites. He spoke with several other anglers who had either skunked or caught just a fish or two. Water temps had actually dropped after a slight warmup last week, so a few warm days should hopefully turn that slow action around.

The Pocomoke River will be an excellent location to fish in the Tangier region this month. The yellow perch run has started slow, but the warm front forecasted to start this weekend should get them moving. The warmer weather should also get the white perch moving in the lower Eastern Shore tidal rivers such as the Pocomoke, Nanticoke, and Wicomico. Grass shrimp and minnows are key this year. You can fish them on bottom rigs, in deeper water, but when fishing shallow water, shad darts bounced on the bottom or suspended under a bobber is a sure-fire way to get the perch biting. Another popular fishery the Pocomoke provides is crappie fishing. As water temperatures warm up, the crappie will get more active. Water temperatures are in the low 40s, so fish are still schooled up, suspended near structures and in deeper holes in the river. When water temperatures approach 50 degrees, the crappie will move into slightly shallower water and stage in areas close to their spawning zones. Bass and pickerel will also be active in the river. Spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits, and jerkbaits are all excellent lures for these ambush predators. The bite will likely turn on during the warm front over the next few days.