Well with temperatures like these, one could say fishing should get easier. The fish may want to leap from the hot waters of the ESVA to cool down in a frying pan of grease . Now that’s a bit of a fish tale exaggeration, but it is pretty dang hot! Lucky there’s some fish and fishermen alike that are tough enough or possibly crazy enough to brave to heat to keep things going.

Flounder, both inside the barrier islands as well as on near shore wrecks have been the the center of our inshore activity. The Flood tide still is producing the best conditions around the inlets with its cool clean water pouring in from the Atlantic. It’s truly amazing to feel Gods air conditioning kick in as you near the inlet. The thoughts of hot, stifling, temperatures that leave us in a glaze of salt from perspiration instead of sea spray are literally melted away and replaced with bent rods and smiles. The baits of choice are silversides or minnows coupled with gulp and teasers with color combinations including orange, chartreuse, pink and white. The flounder that have taken up residence on our near by reefs and wrecks have been taking jigs tipped with gulp twitched directly over the structure.

Elsewhere, in the clear blue waters adjacent to our Eastern Shore, trigger fish continue to stretch lines around shallow wrecks where anglers offer small pieces of clam floated back in chum slicks. The sighting of coastal cobia have also improved around some of these same structures that offer an oasis of sea life.

In deeper depths, tuna are smoking drags as the chunk bite continues to keep steaks on the grill and smiles on our faces. Anglers on the troll have also had the chance to tango with some tuna as well as a handful of billfish, big eyes , mahi, and even a reported king sized king mackerel to add to the pelagic prize list.

The middle Chesapeake has had a little bit of an increase of activity in regards to speckled trout. Early morning flood tide has allowed some cooler water during prime feeding time. These spotted trophies of the shallows have been tempted into the net by paddle tails, mirrodines, and topwater “walk the dog” lures fished through the thick grasses of the ESVA Chesapeake shores and islands. Anglers continue their quest for cobia from the Smith Island target ship all the way down to the CBBT. Sight casting has been the most productive technique as these brown suited brawlers have spread though out the area. Anglers targeting spanish mackerel have had increasingly good results trolling 0 size Clarkspoons trailing #1 and #2 planners. Silver, pink, green, and gold spoons have helped to lure these speedy spotted quarry into the cooler and on to the dinner table. The reefs of the lower Chesapeake as well as the CBBT have been the scene of some pretty good sheepshead fishing along with a bycatch of juvenile black drum.

Bottom fishing has been fairly steady with anglers boating a mix of kingfish, hardheads and spot on bloodworms and crab baits.

We are so lucky to have such opportunities to enjoy the waters around the Eastern Shore. This week in addition to world class fishing there will be the 97th pony swim at Chincoteague. This is a really neat spectacle to participate in that leaves a mark on all young and old alike. So rather you are wrangling a tuna , tempting a trout or watching the saltwater cowboys swim a herd of Easter Shore mustangs across Assateague channel , get out there, stay hydrated, and enjoy this awesome place we call home!

Hot, muggy, and sometimes buggy are ways to describe this past week on the ESVA. The summer doldrums are plaguing us with a slight slow down in regards to fishing action. However we are blessed with plenty of hot weather opportunities to trump any summertime saltwater qualms.

The seaside summer flounder bite has continued to be our saving grace. Fish have been snapping during the times just before and just after high water. We have done better on silversides coupled with gulp of the chartreuse and pink varieties. However a good friend of mine, Mr. Steve has been consistently putting fillets on the table at Chincoteague with pearl gulp shrimp that he has been jigging around oyster rocks. There have been a lot of shorts along with legal fish to help keep rods bent and smiles in plenty. When the tide and or water conditions don’t allow for fishing for these flavorful fillets of flounder croakers have been eager volunteers to keep folks concentrating on a hot bite rather than hot weather. Small top and bottom rigs tipped with squid, shrimp, or Fishbites are all that is needed to fill any lull during a family fishing outing.

The near shore wrecks and reefs have also been the scene of some pretty good flat fish fishing. When the current allows, jigging lures like spro bucktails from 1-4 oz. accompanied by 5-6 inch gulp grubs have done the trick. However when conditions mandate more weight, a bottom rig with long strips of squid, minnows silversides, smelt, and strips of cut fish are your best bets. Along with the target species you can expect some wild looking ribbonfish to give you a tussle. Also keep your eyes out for opportunities to pursue some coastal cobia and spanish macs. These sightings are sporadic but will add a sense of triumph to any trip. Spades and triggers continue to take small pieces of clam floated back over shallower structure.

The depths of the Atlantic received a tremendous amount of pressure with nice weather and slightly improved fuel prices being the catalyst. After a more productive previous week we experienced a little slow down. The Washington still produced a respectable mahi bite with a few yellowfin, and bigeye mixed in. The fishing was best on the chunk around the many pods of whales that have taken up residence in our canyons.

The Chesapeake is been the victim of a slowing cobia bite. However, there some spainish and blues from Tangier all the way down to Cape Charles to fill in the gaps.These precarious predators tend to hang around structure like the cell, target ships and steep edges. Clarkspoons trolled behind planers seem to be the ticket for these tasty toothy trophies. Specs are still in their shallow haunts but warming water temperatures are making them hard to coerce into the cooler.

So as you sit in the hot summer sun and a bead of sweat rolls down your brow remember that your body is loosing valuable salt and the best best way to replenish this necessary mineral to make sure you are immersed in an activity that keeps you in a saltwater environment. So for your sanity, and especially your health get out there and go fishing in this wonderful place we call home!