Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Reports

Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, July 4 Update: 

It is that time of year when cobia and bull reds have become a popular target for anglers in this region of the Bay. The bulls are beginning to school in deeper water and cobia are migrating up the Bay for the summer. FishTalk contributor Adam Greenberg went searching the lower Eastern Shore shallows for bull reds last weekend but came up short. He soaked peeler crab for around five hours without any bites in an area that had been productive earlier this year. He mentioned that there was no moon and a very strong incoming tide, which is not ideal conditions for that area. As water temperatures rise into the mid to upper 80’s in the shallows, the bull reds usually school up and head for deeper water. Cobia anglers have found fish on the surface from the Eastern Shore of Virginia shoals up to the Target Ship. Chunking cut bait or live lining eels near lumps and shoals has been effective, though there have been a lot of rays and the occasional shark to deal with. Calm, sunny days offer good opportunities for boats with towers to sight fish cobia cruising just under the surface, so keep an eye out for the man in the big brown suit.

A reader hitting the shallows of the Pocomoke reported that the water temperature had hit 93 degrees and the fish had abandoned ship in those areas. Farther down the shore at Kiptopeke, however, he found a good flounder bite and caught fish up to 21.5”. Captain C.L. Marshall of Tangier Sound Charters has been enjoying a good early morning topwater bite for rockfish in the shallows of the Tangier and Pocomoke. The first two hours of light were most productive, with the bite slowing down once the sun gets up. C.L. says a lot of the rockfish are slot size with some unders and overs in the mix. His anglers have also caught some good-sized speckled trout on topwater lures and wakebaits. Water temperatures in the mid to upper 80s will often push fish into deeper waters once the sun gets up, so don’t be afraid to fish grassy areas in five to 10 feet and deeper wrecks or reefs in 10 to 20 feet of water.