Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Reports
Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, April 10 Update:
Black drum are beginning to arrive in the Chesapeake Bay as water temperatures approach the 60-degree mark. We have good reports of black drum being caught near Cape Charles and the mouth of the Bay, so the drum should be arriving in the Tangier and Pocomoke Sounds any day now. These fish tend to hangout near shoals and reef locations where they can be tempted with chunks of crab. If you can find peeler crab, that is often the best bait, but chunks of hard crab will also work well. Warming waters will also bring striped bass back into the shallows over the next few weeks. Schoolie sized fish will begin to return to their summering areas near grass beds, stump fields, creek mouths, and shoreline points. The large migratory fish have already been observed spawning and will start making their way south soon. There will be opportunities to catch these fish over the next several weeks in the shallows of the Eastern Shore on their way out of the Bay. Most anglers target them will peeler crab. This also gives you a chance to hook up with a black drum or red drum, especially as we get closer to May.
The white perch are still spawning in the lower Eastern Shore tidal rivers, including the Nanticoke, Wicomico, and Pocomoke. These fish are at various stages of their spawn with some fish already spawned out. They are most likely still in the upper reaches of the rivers, but they will start to spread out as they wrap up spawning activity later this month. Blue catfish can also be found in these tidal rivers right now. Any choice of fresh cut bait will work. Fishing near deep channels or holes close to shallow flats will put you in a good area to find catfish this time of year. On warm days, these fish will move into the shallows in search of an easy meal.
Last year’s flounder fishing was some of the best we have seen in many years, and this year is also off to a hot start. The bite is still best in and around the Virginia coastal inlets, but fish are also being caught well north of there. Both Sea Hawk Sports Center and Captain Steve’s Bait and Tackle have reported boats checking in with double-digit keepers. The colder weather starting this week did slow the bite down a bit, but it looks like air temperatures are going to jump right back up, so the bite should turn on again this weekend into next week. Anglers should still plan their trips around the tide cycles if possible. In the early spring, the outgoing tide is usually best for flounder fishing as the cold ocean water brought in by the incoming tide has been warmed up on the shallow flats. The warmer water temperatures trigger the flounder to bite.
Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, April 3 Update:
As water temperatures are heating up, so is the flounder bite. Early in the season, the better action is usually south along the Eastern Shore of Virginia with hotspots including Oyster, Wachapreague, and Chincoteague. A boat fishing out of Chincoteague this week managed to box nine keepers during one of the warmer days. Ocean water temperatures are still cold, so you should try to plan your trips around the tide cycle to hit the outgoing tide. The incoming tide will bring in cold ocean water that usually shuts down or slows the flounder bite. That water then gets heated up on the shallow flats and water temperatures warm considerably on the outgoing tide. This triggers the flounder into a more active feeding patter and is the prime time for the early spring bite window. You can still catch fish throughout the tide cycle, but the outgoing is usually best in early spring.
The black drum have arrived right on schedule as we heard the first few reports of fish being caught in the surf this week. Surf fishing expert Dave Moore checked in with us after catching his first drum of the season on the Maryland side of Assateague Island on Wednesday. The 39-inch fish was caught using sand fleas. There were also black drum reports from Sea Hawk Sports Center and Captain Steve’s Bait and Tackle of fish being caught along the beaches in both Virginia and Maryland. Sand fleas are usually the most effective bait, but the other top performer is chunks of blue crab.
Big news came out of Virginia this week as the Virginia Marine Resources Commission closed down recreational speckled trout harvesting from April first through June 30th. This decision is in response to the cold stun event earlier this year that makes two consecutive years in a row with significant speckled trout die offs in Virginia. Catch and release fishing is still permitted, but if you want to take a fish home for dinner, you will have to target other species. Speckled trout harvest is still allowed in Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay, but we will have to wait and see how many fish push up the Bay.
