Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Reports
Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, July 2 Update:
Encouraging reports of speckled trout and puppy drum are beginning to surface around the Eastern Shore, while cobia and bull red drum continue to provide exciting action around shoals, lumps, and shallow flats. Bluefish, sheepshead, spot, and croaker are adding to the variety available throughout the region as summer fishing reaches full swing. Early mornings, evenings, and moving tides remain the best times to beat the heat and find active fish.
The good news this week is that a few more speckled trout are starting to show up along the Eastern Shore. The reports still aren’t great, but the shallow grass flats and shoreline points are producing some more trout. We heard reports from the Honga River, Manokin River, and Pocomoke Sound. Rockfish still greatly outnumber the specks, but it is good to see a few show up. Some small puppy drum between 12” and 16” have also been caught by anglers throwing out bait from shore. The pups aren’t keepers, but they are also a welcome sight after a brutal winter that has left questions about whether these migratory fish were going to show up this year. Water temperatures are warming quickly as summer heat waves move in. The shallows have reached the low to mid 80s, so shallow water fishing will be best during early morning hours. Creek mouths can still produce some fish during moving tides throughout the day, but fish will often move to secondary ledges and deeper structure when the sun is high in the sky.
Bull red drum are still being found in the shallows of the lower Eastern Shore. The bite has been a little slower than early in the summer, but the evening and night bite is still producing some fish that are willing to hit fresh peeler crab. Out at the shoals and lumps in 15’ to 30’ in the Tangier Sound, Pocomoke Sound, and on the main stem of the Bay, cobia catches are increasing. A subscriber checked in after an eventful overnight angling adventure at the Target Ship. They fished fresh cut alewife and caught a pile of bluefish ranging from snappers to choppers, plus a cobia (first-timer Ian from LA says “Yes—I love that!”). Spot and croaker were also around and willing to bite baits dropped to bottom. Another angler who visited the Target Ship during daylight reported that trolling hoses and spoonbrellas produced a half-dozen bluefish in the three- to five-pound range. Bluefish have also been caught at several reef and wreck sites. These pieces of structure also hold some sheepshead and occasionally rockfish. Bottom fishing at the mouths of the tidal rivers and over oyster bottom has led to steady catches of spot and croaker. The croaker are a mix of undersize fish and keepers up to 12”. Bloodworms, Fishbites, and shrimp are working well for bottom action.
Premium Access Bonus Video for Subscribers Only
Want more intel on summer dock fishing for species like striped bass, red drum, and white perch? See the first in our new series of in-depth how-to videos for FishTalk subscribers only: How to Fish Docks for Striped Bass, Slot Reds, and White Perch.
