BY BILL HALL, Eastern Shore Post, Oct. 10, 2025
The highlight of local angling this week has been the run of large red drum in our barrier island surf.
Large red drum have been caught and released along the whole seaside, from the Maryland/Virginia state line all the way down to Smith Island.
Upper Shore
Fishing in the shallows continues to disappoint for most anglers. Small, undersized speckled trout provide the bulk of the action, but hope remains eternal for that one strike for a keeper-sized fish.
Puppy drum numbers continue to provide concern, as I only heard from one angler who was lucky enough to hook one in the shallows of Pocomoke Sound. Unfortunately, it broke off before he could get it in the net. On the plus side, the first small rockfish of the season are beginning to arrive.
Chincoteague
Anglers fishing in the surf on Assateague Island have had a good week catching and releasing big red drum. Several of the fish have been large enough to qualify for Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament citation awards. Some anglers have experienced multiple same day red drum catch and releases.
Small speckled trout have been hitting soft plastics suspended under popping corks along the marshes surrounding Chincoteague. Some autumn flounder catches have been occurring inside of Chincoteague Bay, Chincoteague Channel, and adjacent to the marina.
Offshore action has consisted primarily of black sea bass on the wrecks, with deep droppers boating blue-lined and golden tilefish in the deep. A crew of anglers fishing aboard the Hull Yeah boated golden tilefish up to 36 pounds on a trip earlier this week.
Wachapreague
Captain Lindsay Paul, aboard the Almost Persuaded, said the flounder fishing out of Wachapreague “continues to be pretty good.” He added that the tidal stage is not as important as just finding clean, clear water. The majority of the flatfish are being caught on Berkley Gulp combined with a live minnow or silverside. The recent most productive color combinations have been white/orange with fire tiger, as well as white/chartreuse. The majority of the fish continue to be on the small side, with a few keepers in the mix.
The ocean wrecks are still producing good numbers of black sea bass and some flounder. Captain Paul had not received any reports of offshore blue water action.
Lower Shore
Jeb Brady, at Bailey’s Bait & Tackle, told me that the autumn fishing season has been off to a slow start.
Lower shore anglers have been targeting shallow water species but have not encountered a whole lot of action.
A few speckled trout catches have been reported along the lower bayside creeks by anglers casting Mirrolures, though the bite has been anything but steady.
Some schoolie-sized striped bass have started to show up in the evenings under lights inside the bayside creeks. Anglers are still finding some sheepshead along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, but the bite seems to be slowing down as the waters clear.
On the bright side, black sea bass fishing has been very good on the ocean wrecks when the conditions are calm enough to allow anglers access.
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.
