Recent winds make fishing ‘challenging’

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PHOTO COURTESY DANNY WALLACE // Dylan Padgett landed this 29-inch speckled trout while fishing in the shallows of Pocomoke Sound with Danny Wallace.

BY BILL HALL, Eastern Shore Post —

Recent winds have impacted the amount of angler participation, but when conditions have allowed, nice catches inside the seaside inlets and throughout the Chesapeake Bay have been reported. Offshore action, though, has pretty much been nonexistent due to the rough conditions.

Upper Shore

Captain Matt Abell, at the Sea Hawk Sports Center, described the week of fishing as “challenging” due to the string of wind and waves. Captain Abell did say that a population of bluefish has taken up temporary residence around some of the wrecks and rock piles inside of Tangier and Pocomoke sounds. Rapala Skitterwalks surface baits and Rap-10 swimming lures were high on his list of recommendations for bluefish hookups.

Speckled trout, striped bass, and red drum catches have been made in the shallow Chesapeake Bay grass beds on peeler and soft crab baits. He expects artificial lures to replace some of the natural baits as the water temperatures rise. Speckled trout and rockfish have started hitting artificials, such as paddletails, Mirrolures, surface plugs, and popping corks.

Captain Abell said that he expects some slot-sized puppy drum to show up in the mix any day.

Despite the recent wind activity, water conditions on the seaside have been surprisingly good, with clearer-than-expected water producing a decent flounder bite. Captain Abell reported that customers have enjoyed success using pink teasers tipped with Gulp Swimming Mullets and silversides.

The winds of last week have curtailed most offshore trips, but beach-bound anglers fishing the surf of Assateague Island have reported catches of red drum, rockfish, and a few remaining black drum. Anglers targeting the larger fish have been casting modified fish finder rigs with heavy sinkers and baited with cut peeler crab.

Wachapreague

Captain Lindsay Paul, aboard the Almost Persuaded, told me that the flounder fishing out of Wachapreague continues to be good, with limits of fish still being acquired. The falling tide has been the most productive period to target the flatties due to the warmer water temperatures. Most of the fish have been taken on Berkley Gulp with live minnows or silversides. Red, green, and white teasers have proven to be the best colors over the week.

Captain Paul was hearing reports of black drum still being caught in the surf around the inlet, but he didn’t think the drum bite would last much longer.  He had not heard of anything happening recently in the offshore fishery.

Lower Shore

Jeb Brady, at Bailey’s Bait & Tackle, said that the black drum fishing has slowed over the last week, with weather keeping a good number of anglers in port.

A smaller class of black drum has taken up residence around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. The drum have been taken on crab and clam baits.  Crab baits have also been responsible for catches of sheepshead around the bridge-tunnel pilings. 

A late afternoon/early evening red drum bite has been occurring in the breakers behind Fisherman Island for anglers soaking baits of cut crab. Lower bay flounder fishing was described as “really good” in the Ditch and around the Fisherman Inlet Bridge, with anglers drifting or slow trolling Gulp with strips of cut bait.

Anglers fishing around the concrete ships off Kiptopeke have been landing sand mullet (whiting) and small croakers using baits of shrimp and squid strips. The lower bay piers were reporting catches of spot and small croakers.

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.

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