Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower ESVA Fishing Report, October 28 Update:
Colder fall weather has been dropping water temperatures steadily in all areas of the Bay. This is good news for those anglers who want to target rockfish because that bite has really turned on. The areas around tangier and the ESVA have seen the shallows holding great numbers of quality rockfish. Guide Pete Dahlberg of Four Seasons Guide Service has been enjoying excellent striper fishing this week in shallow water. He reported that the early morning bite in two to six feet of water has been superb while throwing chug bugs, spooks, and other topwater baits. Underwater rocks, stump fields, and creek mouths with moving water are where these fish will be hanging. Later in the morning, he recommends throwing paddletails, cranks, and jerkbaits with some rattle to them to get on these fish.
The rockfish bite seems to be the center of attention right now for many anglers but there are still spotted and speckled fish in the area willing to bite. Puppy drum can still be caught in some of the same areas that the rockfish are located in. Tangier Sound Charters reports a steady but slowing bite for the drum in the Tangier and Pocomoke sounds. Shallow water structure and deeper shoals in the sounds will be holding the drum and the best bite seems to be coming on peeler crabs right now, though the peelers won't be available for much longer. Speckled trout fishing in Maryland waters has been slow with the cooler water temperatures but down the Eastern Shore into Virginia waters, the speck bite has been much better the farther south you get. Grass beds, creek mouths with moving water, and rock jetties have been holding trout along the ESVA. There have been some real quality specks caught and we received reports of fish in the mid 20s up to 27 inches. Now that’s a gator trout!
Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower ESVA Fishing Report, October 20 Update:
The shallows of the Eastern Shore of Virginia and Chesapeake Bay sounds have had some great fishing for anglers able to find clean, protected water. Rockfish action has really picked up and those willing to get up before the sun comes up have been rewarded with exceptional topwater action. Guide Pete Dahlberg of Four Seasons Guide Service has been on the rockfish consistently with fish up to 30 inches becoming more common. The trout bite had been good along the ESVA but the recent sudden cold front has created a bit of a “lock jaw” scenario for the trout as water temperatures dropped drastically. Once milder weather returns, we can expect the speck bite to pick back up. Sea Hawk Sports Center reports that the areas of Occohannock Creek down to the pound nets below Kiptopeake have housed good numbers of specks. Throwing out MirrOLures and paddletails in bright color varieties has worked best for the specks and has produced some true trophy fish.
Bottom fishing in the sounds continues on the downward trend as most of the larger spot have headed south. Some weakfish and croaker are still around but they have been of the smaller variety as well. On the bright side, the redfish bite has remained consistent in the Pocomoke Sound. Tangier Sound Charters has been catching slot and over slot fish on fresh cut bait. They expect this bite to continue through the end of the month. Most of the fish are being caught along channel ledges and shoals. The areas around Watt’s Island have been a hotspot for the reds since the beginning of the fall.
We are in a transitional period for many of the fish species in this area of the Bay so don’t be afraid to cover some ground in search of your fish. Deeper water structure will start to hold more fish as water temperatures drop and open water light tackle jigging should produce more fish as we progress further into fall. Don’t let cooler temperatures keep you off the water, there are still fish to be caught!
Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower ESVA Fishing Report, October 14 Update:
The fall fishing in the Bay’s sounds and along the ESVA can be fantastic for a few different species. We are just starting to get into some of the best fishing of the year for these areas and there are some exciting bites going on that anglers should be eager to get on. The salt islands from Hoopers to Tangier have rockfish on the points and on structure in the 20- to 28-inch range. Captain Harry Neild of Kingfish II Charters reports that the rockfish bite has been excellent in the marshes and along banks with moving water. He reports that the open water fishing has not turned on yet and efforts should be focused on the shallows. On calm days, topwater baits like spooks and poppers are great for getting surface blow ups. Jerkbaits, paddletails, and other soft plastics rigged on jig heads work great for the rockfish. The grass flats have been good for speckled trout, puppy drum, and rocks alike. Peeler crab is still producing some quality red drum and they will be around until the baitfish leave the area. Popping corks paired with shrimp or shad baits work great for the speckled trout this time of year. Three to six feet of water where there is an abundance of grass should be holding specks right now.
Sea Hawk Sports Center Reports that since the storm at the beginning of the month, the bottom fishing in the sounds has been poor. There are still some sea trout and kingfish being caught along the shoals and lumps in the Bay but nothing to get excited about. The big spot that were in the area during the beginning of fall have vacated south and only the small spot are still around. Too small to eat and notorious bait pickers, they are. Captain Harry also noted that there are still plenty of bluefish around but that the mackerel have moved out of the area. Boats out on the open water should keep an eye out for birds feeding on bait being pushed up by blues or rockfish. Trollers should be able to find blues along major channel edges while pulling small spoons behind number one or two planers at four to six knots. Get out on the water while you can folks, the fishing is good right now and we are blessed to be able to fish where we do. Good luck and tight lines!
Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower ESVA Fishing Report, October 6 Update:
The remnants of Hurricane Ian made fishing nearly impossible last weekend and through the early part of this week leaving us with very few fishing reports for this region. Surf fishermen along the ESVA had been enjoying a great red drum bite in the surf prior to the storm. Fish ranged from slot sized to some bulls pushing the 50-inch mark. Assateague and south to the barrier islands have been the best areas for the drum. These fish are being caught on chunks of fresh cut spot and bunker. Bluefish and kingfish have also been in the mix for surf fisherman. Cooler temperatures will keep pushing the drum south through the end of the month, so this next week is a great time to get out after them.
Sea Hawk Sports Center let us know that the shallows of the Tangier and ESVA were picking up for speckled trout and rockfish but reports since the storm have yet to come in. Clear water is key for having success while targeting these fish and it will likely take a few more days for water to settle. Once it does, Sea Hawk recommends throwing “walk the dog” style baits like spooks over grass beds to entice surface explosions. Creek mouths, points, and rocky structure close to shore are all good places to target rockfish but specks will be hanging in these areas as well. Further south towards Kiptopeake, puppy drum have been coming over the gunwales in greater numbers with plenty of slot size fish reported. Paddletails on jigs casted along flats have been enticing the reds to bite. Virginia’s rockfish season opened on October 4 and will be open until December 31. The slot for rockfish is a minimum of 20 inches and a maximum of 36 inches and the possession limit is one per angler. The fish in Virginia waters will be in the shallows through the end of the month but look for them to move into deeper water and school up to feed on the baitfish coming out of the tidal rivers. The extended forecast looks promising so let’s hope for some good fishing in the coming days to report next week.