BY BILL HALL, Eastern Shore Post —
A mixed bag of fishing reports is coming over the gunnels this week. The autumn Chesapeake Bay striped bass run has, so far, been slow to materialize, with warm water temperatures probably being the culprit. Positive reports are starting to trickle down from the Maryland portion of the bay, so numbers of fish should, hopefully, begin to show up soon.
Although the warm water temperatures can be blamed for the delay in the rockfish arrivals, they should receive credit for keeping a substantial population of puppy drum and speckled trout around, resulting in good fall action with those species. The ocean wrecks are holding good numbers of medium-sized bluefish, black sea bass, and a nicely sized class of flounder.
Upper Shore
Captain CL Marshall, with Tangier Sound Charters, told me that the traditional upper Chesapeake Bay autumnal rockfish pattern has finally started to develop. He has found most of the stripers way up inside the tidal creeks, with the fish concentrated along steep marsh banks with dropoffs from the marsh edges down to 15 feet in depth.
Feeding rockfish have also been found in the small feeder creeks, with the fish holding tight to the banks along areas of flowing water. Slot-sized rockfish have also started showing up over some of the deeper water submerged structures. A little farther north, schools of feeding rockfish have been found under schools of diving birds, just north of Bloodsworth Island.
Red drum are still being encountered in areas of shallow water, where they have been caught by anglers sight casting, according to Captain Marshall.
Chincoteague
Jimmy Vasiliou, at Captain Steve’s Bait and Tackle, reported that fishing in the back bays has produced flounder, small speckled trout, and upper slot-sized puppy drum.
Surf fishermen on Assateague Island have been landing kingfish (whiting) and puppy drum.
Bountiful catches of bluefish, sea bass, and flounder are occurring on the inshore ocean wrecks.
Farther offshore, large black sea bass have taken residence over the deep-water wrecks. The blue water trolling fishery was described as “pretty good.”
Wachapreague
Captain Lindsay Paul, aboard the Almost Persuaded, commented that there has not been “a lot” of angling activity going on out of Wachapreague this week.
He said that there were a “few flounder still around,” but most of the remaining flounder have been undersized.
He had heard of some recent slot-sized puppy drum catches.
Black sea bass remain available on the offshore wrecks. Captain Paul had received reports of tuna, dolphin (mahi mahi), and a few billfish catches in the offshore waters.
Lower Shore
Jeb Brady, at Bailey’s Bait & Tackle, said that the recent puppy drum action has been “on fire” along the lower Chesapeake Bay creeks, as well as on the seaside out of Oyster. He said that anglers have been finding large schools of puppies feeding heavily as they begin their southerly seasonal migration. A large percentage of the drum have fallen within the slot-size, so anglers have been able to claim their three-fish possession limit. A majority of the successful drum anglers have been casting Berkley Gulps or Down South soft plastics with success.
Jeb said that there are a few quality-sized speckled trout being caught on the lower bayside on Mirrolures.
The recent flounder action remains good along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel for anglers dragging strips of cut bait and Gulp along the bottom. The tautog bite along the bridge-tunnel continues to improve with the falling water temperatures, with chunks of blue crab being the most productive tog bait.
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.
