Tangier Sound and Lower Eastern Shore Fishing Report, May 31 Update:
Anglers fishing the Sounds' tidal marshes and marsh islands haven't been disappointed this week, as speckled trout have finally moved into the area in better numbers and a few red drum are popping up as well. Neither species is present in huge numbers, but they have become a regular catch for anglers reeling in mostly rockfish by casting topwater lures, bucktails, and soft plastics in the shallows. Most have been caught by anglers using four- to six-inch plastics and swimbaits cast to the drop-offs, stump-fields, and creek-mouths of the islands in both Maryland and Virginia waters. Sea Hawk Sports Center reported that the area around Hooper Island has also been a hotspot, and they had a few reports of red drum coming from the area, as well.
Croaker are beginning to show up in the Sound, but they're mostly small fish and aren't exactly present in overwhelming numbers. Fishing shell bottom with bloodworms is the best way to catch a few, and in the next few weeks the variety of fish available to bait anglers should expand.
Crabbing report: Crabbers are doing better in this neck of the woods than those farther north. Eight feet seems to be the best all-around depth.
Snakehead report: Recently we’re hearing erratic reports – hot one day, and not the next. Most reports range from one to eight fish in the Blackwater/Transquaking/Chick rivers, with topwater frogs proving effective in deep cover and Snakehead Destroyers (monster bull minnow), swimbaits, and chatterbaits working well in open water. Fry balls are now reportedly visible and present a bulls-eye for your casts.
Tangier Sound and Lower Eastern Shore Fishing Report, May 24 Update:
Speckled trout are being caught throughout the Lower Shore, and although they’re being caught in relatively low numbers there are enough around to hope for success. Most have been caught by anglers using four- to six-inch plastics and swimbaits cast to the drop-offs, stump-fields, and creek-mouths of the islands in both Maryland and Virginia waters. The bulk of the catch in these areas, however, remains small stripers. Most are in the early 20-inch range, with a few outliers. Light tackle has been the way to land the rockfish, and a few occasional drum are in the mix. Numbers have increased in the past week, however the drum still aren’t overwhelmingly common. A couple of croaker were reported taking bloodworms, however they are also still not around in large numbers.
The snakehead bite in the Blackwater/Transquaking/Chicamacomico seems to be picking back up from the recent slump, with topwater lures and frogs overtaking minnow as the most effective offering. Reader reports and FishTalk team member Zach Ditmars, who ran over there last weekend, noted that most anglers are getting into a fish or three here and there and while we still haven’t had reports of visible fry balls, we do expect to any day now. If you spot one, casting at it repeatedly until you aggravate the parental snakes into attacking is the way to go.
Farther south down the shore there are still some black drum being reported in the Cape Charles area, but not as many as in recent weeks.
Tangier Sound and Lower Eastern Shore Fishing Report, May 16 Update:
Redfish and speckled trout are now swimming in these waters, and have been caught by anglers slinging four- to six-inch plastics and swimbaits to the drop-offs, stump-fields, and creek-mouths of the islands in both Maryland and Virginia waters. The bulk of the catch, however, remains stripers in the 16 to 26 class with a few larger fish popping up here and there. As far as fishing for schoolies on light tackle goes, this should be an excellent option in the coming days plus the bonus perk of possibly getting into a speck or a red. We also had a reader report that topwater was productive early in the day.
A spike in action has tempted many area anglers to head for the sea-side instead of the bay-side in recent days. Virginia’s inlets and back-bays have been excellent for flounder, which are taking soft plastics and will hit a bucktail dressed with a GULP! lure in white, chartreuse, or copper-penny jigged just off bottom. As usual the bulk of the reports are coming from Wachapreague, though we honestly can't tell if this is because of the number of anglers fishing there as compared to elsewhere, or if the fishing's really that much better there.
Up the tribs and in Blackwater snakeheads remain an option, but the spectacular spring bite has dropped way off. Most anglers we heard from this week caught just a handful of them, and found it much more difficult to get bites.
Tangier Sound and Lower Eastern Shore Fishing Report, May 10 Update:
There's some exciting stuff going on in this neck of the woods, folks. This week Matt Baden (of Jigthebay.com) let us know that a trip to the Eastern Shore islands produced both specks and redfish. He reported catching them on weedless rigged paddle-tails, six-inch Zman Swimmerz, and Texas Eye Jigheads. Meanwhile, stripers in the 16- to 26-inch class continue to provide action in the shallows of the Tangier and Pocomoke on six-inch white and chartreuse plastics and various swimming plugs. Calling around, we also had an interesting report from Rich at Tochterman’s, who mentioned that a friend of his (and a reliable source) saw porpoises in the Sound during a recent trip.
The Blackwater, Transquaking, and Chicamacomico continue to be a haven for anglers looking to catch snakeheads, however, the snake bite has grown tougher recently. Local sources tell us that they believe the fish have spawned and the eggs have hatched but the fry is still too small to be spotted in fry balls. Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow reports that on a trip to the Transquaking last week they saw plenty of fish rolling but over and over again, the snakeheads grabbed his minnow and yanked the bobber under violently, only to immediately spit the bait. Fortunately, a steady channel catfish bite kept the rods bent all afternoon.
Tangier Sound and Lower Eastern Shore Fishing Report, May 2019:
Exciting news from this part of the Bay, people: the first speckled sea trout of the year have been caught in the Sound. They certainly don't seem to be around in real numbers yet, but Capt. Pete of Four Seasons Guide Service managed to catch a pair of nice ones. We also had reports from several readers who fished the shallows around the islands in the past week with good success on throwback stripers. Four- to six-inch plastics and small crankbaits have both been effective, with the early stages of a falling tide being the best time to fish.The Tackle Box confirmed these reports and mentioned that anglers traveling to the Tangier Sound islands have found plenty of throwback rockfish in the cuts, holes, and structures. These stripers have been in the 14 to 28-inch category, but provide a fun day out on the water.
Meanwhile, turning towards the tributaries, the Blackwater River and the Transquaking have been hotspots for anglers looking to land snakehead and catfish. Their waters have been full of ‘em, and neither species is too picky about what they’re taking. Despite this, most guys have been sticking to minnow, plastic frogs, and spinners for the snakes. Warming weather means topwater season is beginning and already many people are switching to frogs and getting in on this high-octane fishery. However, the fish have been running hot and cold with anglers reporting a dozen-plus snakes on one day, and just a couple-few in the very same spot the next day. The weather patterns and fronts moving through seem to have a noticeable impact, as do the tidal cycles. On a low work deeper areas, and when the tide is up expect the snakes to weave their way up into the weeds and grasses right up on the shoreline. The catfish, meanwhile, prefer cut bait sitting in deeper areas of water. Anglers using bloodworms have caught all of the above plus the occasional white perch.