Today a bunch of kids along with a bunch of kid like adults participated in the “Fishing with Harbor Master Vern “ kids day atChincoteague’s Curtis Merritt Harbor. The only thing that was more prevalent than the flounder were the smiling faces! This is why we are so lucky to call this wounderful place home!!
Now that the wind has finally subsided and the temperature has dropped like the tide…..it’s time for some autumn angling. We’ve had nothing to report this past 10 days as the nor’easters have kept the seas rough and our boats tied to the dock, but thankfully the weather is always certain to change and the fish are certain to bite ( we hope)!
Before the storm we had some fairly good ( but inconsistent )shallow water casting for rock and specs. But, the perch fishing in the creeks near the mouths of the lower rivers stole the bayside show. On seaside, flounder had been jigged up under docks and other structures using gulp on jig heads around Chincoteague . While, to the north, some rock and blues have come to vacation in Ocean City. Offshore we left some flounder, seabass and a few togs on the wrecks before the tremendous seas chased us back into the inlet.
Who knows what we will find as the conditions allow us to continue our search for eastern shore excellence. However, now that the weather is improving, we can hope that it’ll just get better!
Here’s some pictures of what was biting before the blow. All I know is I can’t wait to get back doing the things we love in this wounderful place that we call home!
Before the storm we had some fairly good ( but inconsistent )shallow water casting for rock and specs. But, the perch fishing in the creeks near the mouths of the lower rivers stole the bayside show. On seaside, flounder had been jigged up under docks and other structures using gulp on jig heads around Chincoteague . While, to the north, some rock and blues have come to vacation in Ocean City. Offshore we left some flounder, seabass and a few togs on the wrecks before the tremendous seas chased us back into the inlet.
Who knows what we will find as the conditions allow us to continue our search for eastern shore excellence. However, now that the weather is improving, we can hope that it’ll just get better!
Here’s some pictures of what was biting before the blow. All I know is I can’t wait to get back doing the things we love in this wounderful place that we call home!
The anticipation of autumn angling is upon us as we impatiently wait for fishing to “fall” into place. Whether you are chasing blues in the bay or are chasing mahi in the deep blue, the lower Eastern Shore has got something for everyone!
The Chesapeake has been the scene of some big blue blitzes located out in the main stem of the bay. Trolling plugs and spoons have provided bent rods and aerial explosions from these toothy trophies. A great deal of the blue bite has accrued around structure like wrecks and reefs. In these same havens some red and black drum have also taken up residence in anticipation of cooler water temperatures. Chunks of peeler crab have been the most enticing offering to bring the big bellowing brawlers to the back of the landing net.
The shallows have been slow with the spot-tails being sparse and the specs being small. Peeler and soft crab baits have produced most of the quality fish that have been boated lately. Popping corks and paddletails have accounted for good numbers of juvenile specs that will hopefully grow into future trophies. A few rock are starting to show up in the shallows of the sound. However, most of the striped scrappers are still cruising the creeks that feed into the mouths of the tributary rivers. Casting topwater spook style lures along with subsurface baits like paddletails have been pretty productive . All though, bottom fishing with peeler has been the most consistent method. Perching has also been good up these same tidal creeks. Bottom fishing with bloodworm and crab has added fillets to the fryer, but I enjoy casting 1/8 curltail jigs tipped with a little bit of bait to target these tasty to be tacos. White,chartreuse and pink have been productive when fishing around high water in less than 10’ depths.
The Atlantic side has had some excitement in the surf with a few fall reds showing up in the suds. While the fish have not been super plentiful, there have been enough singing drags to get folks talking. Modified fishfinder rigs tipped with cut spot, mullet, or crab have brought the battle to the beach.
Elsewhere on the seaside, floundering has been fair when the turbidity allows. Sea Hawk Flounder rigs tipped with big bull minnows and silversides have fooled some nice flatties into a trip over the gunwale. Still, with the 17-1/2 inch size limit, most get returned to fight another day. Along with the flounder, using a popping cork for specs has been fairly productive, but again the majority of the fish fall short of the legal limit.
The offshore action has been mainly comprised of a few mahi on the troll or bailing around floating structure. A few marlin have been encountered, but the tuna have seemed to have hightailed it for the time being. Seabass and tile fishing have helped add a tasty topping on an already delicious day at sea.
While fishing has been a little slower than we would like, it’s still pretty awesome we can always find something to get into to scratch that angling itch. So get out there, consider your options, try something new, and most of all….enjoy this wonderful place that we call home!
The Chesapeake has been the scene of some big blue blitzes located out in the main stem of the bay. Trolling plugs and spoons have provided bent rods and aerial explosions from these toothy trophies. A great deal of the blue bite has accrued around structure like wrecks and reefs. In these same havens some red and black drum have also taken up residence in anticipation of cooler water temperatures. Chunks of peeler crab have been the most enticing offering to bring the big bellowing brawlers to the back of the landing net.
The shallows have been slow with the spot-tails being sparse and the specs being small. Peeler and soft crab baits have produced most of the quality fish that have been boated lately. Popping corks and paddletails have accounted for good numbers of juvenile specs that will hopefully grow into future trophies. A few rock are starting to show up in the shallows of the sound. However, most of the striped scrappers are still cruising the creeks that feed into the mouths of the tributary rivers. Casting topwater spook style lures along with subsurface baits like paddletails have been pretty productive . All though, bottom fishing with peeler has been the most consistent method. Perching has also been good up these same tidal creeks. Bottom fishing with bloodworm and crab has added fillets to the fryer, but I enjoy casting 1/8 curltail jigs tipped with a little bit of bait to target these tasty to be tacos. White,chartreuse and pink have been productive when fishing around high water in less than 10’ depths.
The Atlantic side has had some excitement in the surf with a few fall reds showing up in the suds. While the fish have not been super plentiful, there have been enough singing drags to get folks talking. Modified fishfinder rigs tipped with cut spot, mullet, or crab have brought the battle to the beach.
Elsewhere on the seaside, floundering has been fair when the turbidity allows. Sea Hawk Flounder rigs tipped with big bull minnows and silversides have fooled some nice flatties into a trip over the gunwale. Still, with the 17-1/2 inch size limit, most get returned to fight another day. Along with the flounder, using a popping cork for specs has been fairly productive, but again the majority of the fish fall short of the legal limit.
The offshore action has been mainly comprised of a few mahi on the troll or bailing around floating structure. A few marlin have been encountered, but the tuna have seemed to have hightailed it for the time being. Seabass and tile fishing have helped add a tasty topping on an already delicious day at sea.
While fishing has been a little slower than we would like, it’s still pretty awesome we can always find something to get into to scratch that angling itch. So get out there, consider your options, try something new, and most of all….enjoy this wonderful place that we call home!
