BY BILL HALL, Eastern Shore Post —
Recent autumn-like temperatures have teased us with the prospect of an early fall, only to be brought back to reality this week with air temperatures in the 80s. Still, the change in temperatures has spurred a portion of the cobia and red drum population to begin schooling up in preparation for their annual southern migration. Not to worry though; we should see these species remain available to local anglers through the majority of September and possibly beyond. Look for lower bayside speckled trout numbers to increase as the air and water temperatures start to fall.
Upper Shore
Captain Matt Abell, at Sea Hawk Sports Center, reported that his recent sportfishing charters have been targeting large Chesapeake Bay red drum during the late afternoons along the channel edges from Watts Island down to the Cell.
Captain Abell’s preferred method for trophy-sized red drum has been fishing on the bottom using fishfinder rigs with chunks of baitfish (spot, croaker, or whiting) on 8/0 circle hooks. Abell also advised taking plenty of hooks and bait, as the population of aggressive bluefish and sharks often vastly outnumber the population of red drum in the area.
Smaller members of the red drum family, aka puppy drum, are prowling the shallow waters of the bay. Anglers are targeting the puppies with small jigs tipped with a Berkley Gulp paddletail or swimming mullet or just a chunk of peeler crab suspended under a popping cork.
Captain Abell has also enjoyed success with shallow water puppy drum, speckled trout, and rockfish while using topwater baits such as those produced by Spro and Heddon, especially the Heddon Chugg’b Spook. Once you have perfected the “walking the dog” retrieval technique, a surface strike on one of these lures will cause your heart to race.
Chincoteague
Jimmy Vasiliou, at Captain Steve’s Bait and Tackle, told me that a wide variety of fish species have been available during the late summer.
Flounder catches inside the inlet have consisted of a lot of undersized fish, with a decent amount of keepers being reported. The best action has been along the deeper channels and just inside the inlet on an incoming tide, when the water is generally clearer and cooler. Berkley Gulp tipped with a live minnow or silverside drifted on two-hook bottom rigs remains the most popular offering for the tasty flatfish.
Croaker are available in the same locations as the flounder. Black sea bass and triggerfish catches have been made inside Chincoteague Bay. The inshore ocean wrecks have produced some large cobia, tautog, spadefish, triggerfish, and a few flounder, according to Vasiliou.
Offshore action continues to be on the slow side. Catches of small dolphin (mahi mahi) have come from trolling and chunking around sea bass pot buoys and lobster trap balls, as well as along floating weedlines. Tilefish, both the blue-lined and golden varieties, have been available to anglers deep dropping over productive locations offshore. There has recently been a sizable population of Spanish mackerel closer to the beach.
Wachapreague
Captain Lindsay Paul, aboard the Almost Persuaded, told me that the flounder bite remains “excellent,” with good numbers of fish, including lots of keeper-sized fish, and some anglers catching their limits.
The best action has been occurring during the flood tide up to the first of the ebb. Most fish have been taken on Berkley Gulp with live minnows or silversides.
Croaker numbers are on the rise, with some larger fish mixed in with the little ones. A few puppy drum have also begun to show up.
The ocean wrecks are holding nice-sized sea bass and small dolphin. Deep dropping for tile fish remains good. Bluewater trolling is producing a few dolphin and an occasional billfish release.
Lower Shore
Jeb Brady, at Bailey’s Bait & Tackle, said that large schools of trophy-sized red drum have been found traveling on the surface in a southward migration, rewarding anglers with opportunities to sight cast into the schools. Anglers have also enjoyed success bottom fishing with cut bait for big reds in the evenings, with action occurring from Buoy #42 down to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
The local population of cobia also appears to be beginning the early stages of its southerly migration. Sight fishing for cobia traveling on the surface has become more productive than bottom fishing.
Puppy drum fishing on both sides of the lower Shore has shown signs of improvement, with several fish in the 22- to 25-inch slot having been reported.
Flounder fishing was described as still being good along the bridge-tunnel.
A larger class of croaker has shown up on the seaside out of Oyster, as well as along the concrete ships off Kiptopeke.
Speckled trout are beginning to bite along some of the lower bayside creeks. Look for that fishery to steadily improve as the water temperatures start to fall. The lower bayside piers are reporting catches of ribbonfish and croaker.
The writer was the first Eastern Shore resident to achieve Virginia Saltwater Master Angler status. He has been named Virginia Saltwater Angler of the Year and Virginia Saltwater Release Angler of the Year. He has won numerous Virginia Press Association awards for his columns.
