Tangier and Lower Shore Fishing Reports

Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, May 15 Update: 

The shallow water striped bass bite has been very good on the lower Eastern Shore thanks to unusually clear water conditions, though windy weather has made some areas tougher to fish. Anglers around Tangier and Pocomoke sounds are also finding steady action from black drum, red drum, and the season’s first bluefish, with fish showing up in both open water and shallow flats. Croaker catches are also beginning to improve around oyster bottom and tidal river mouths, raising hopes for a better fishery this spring and summer.

The shallow water rockfish bite has been very good on the lower Eastern Shore. We are experiencing some of the cleanest water conditions for this time of year thanks to drought conditions that have persisted over the past few years. Any rain that has recently fallen has been short-lived, so there is not a lot of runoffs into the tributaries to muddy up the water. The wind, on the other hand, has been blowing on most days and will stir up the waters in areas that aren’t protected. Once the winds subside, water conditions have returned to almost gin clear conditions in most areas. Striped bass season is open in some Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay, but many of the tributaries in this region are still closed to targeting or are catch and release only for striped bass. Areas on the main stem of the Bay are open for harvest, but it will still be best to look at the striped bass regulation maps to see when and where you are allowed to fish for striped bass. The season in Virginia waters will open this Saturday, May 16th.

Captain C.L. Marshall of Tangier Sound Charters has been enjoying action from both rockfish and black drum in the waters of the Tangier and Pocomoke sounds. A trip earlier in the week produced three black drum within the first two hours of fishing. They then went on the hunt for other fish and found breaking bluefish in open water. Later in the day, they set up to soak baits in skinny water and found a few bull reds and several small black drum. Another reader, kayak fishing in an undisclosed location, sent in a picture of a 43-inch red drum they caught on a bucktail tipped with Gulp! As for the bluefish encountered by C.L., this is the first report of bluefish we have heard from this region this year, but it is about the time of year when they tend to show up. Anglers can expect blues to be found breaking in open water and hanging around the various wrecks in this region.

Sea Hawk Sports Center reports that, along with the drum, there have been a surprising number of hardheads, aka croaker, near the mouths of the tidal rivers and over areas with oyster bottom. The reports they are getting aren’t showing any jumbos, but some are big enough to be keepers. They have even had some folks catch them well up into some of the tidal rivers, so that is a welcome sign. The croaker fishery has been disappointing, to say the least, over the past decade or more, but recent years have shown hints that we may start to see more keeper-sized fish show up during the spring and summer. Let’s hope that trend continues.

Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, May 8 Update: 

Unseasonably cool, windy weather continued across the Chesapeake this week, but anglers taking advantage of short weather windows still found strong fishing opportunities in the Tangier region and along the Eastern Shore. Striped bass action remains productive with a mix of slot and over-slot fish still present, while black drum and the first bull red drum of the season are beginning to show around hard-bottom areas, reefs, and wrecks. Anglers are also closely watching the speckled trout fishery following another winter cold stun event, though early reports suggest some trout are being caught over shallow grass flats and marsh shorelines in clear water conditions.

It seems that the months of May and April have flipped as the recent weather has been more characteristic of early April than the second week of May. Despite the wind, rain, and cooler weather, there are still plenty of fish to catch during weather windows. Captain C.L. Marshall of Tangier Sound Charters has been enjoying some excellent striped bass fishing as of late. Most of the big post-spawn fish have left the Bay and are heading up the coast, but there are still plenty of over slot fish being caught. One trip this week produced a limit of four stripers plus some fun catch and release fishing on bigger fish too. C.L. has also been tempting black drum over the gunnels by soaking pieces of cut blue crab in various areas of the Tangier and Pocomoke sounds. The drum prefer areas of rocky bottom or hard structure, and there is no shortage of those areas in the Tangier region. There are plenty of wrecks and some reef sites both in Maryland and Virginia waters that are worth exploring. There have even been some bull red drum showing up, and that trend should continue through the month of May as more schools of bull reds push up the Bay from the south.

There have been a lot of questions surrounding speckled trout fishing this year after another cold stun event killed a lot of speckled trout in Virginia waters over the winter. Last year’s speckled trout fishing was below average likely due to a similar event that occurred last winter, so there is extra concern for what the fishing will look like this year. The lack of reports to start the year is concerning and may be a trend throughout the rest of spring and summer, but Sea Hawk Sports Center did report that they had a few anglers check in after catching specks on the Eastern Shore this week. The best bet will be to locate and fish the thicker grass beds along the Eastern Shore shallows and the marsh islands. These can be found anywhere from the Honga River down to Fisherman’s Island. Historically, there are expansive grass flats on the east side of Smith Island and around Tangier Island that can be productive for specks, rockfish, and reds. Water conditions are very clear, so casting and slowly retrieving paddletails over grass beds and along shoreline points or mouth creeks is a great strategy right now. Popping corks paired with paddletail, fluke style soft plastics, or even shrimp soft plastics also work very well for speckled trout when fishing over the grass beds. The hot zone in the spring seems to be two to six feet of water.

Tangier, Pocomoke, and Lower Shore Fishing Report, May 1 Update: 

Warming water temperatures are ushering in a classic spring transition across the Tangier region, with big black drum leading the charge as they push up the Bay and provide shots at true trophy fish, though the bite has been inconsistent day to day. Smaller, better-eating drum and increasing numbers of red drum are expected to follow soon, while striped bass action is also heating up as post-spawn fish move through the shallows and schoolies settle into summer patterns around structure. As the season opens across Maryland—and soon Virginia—anglers have a wide range of opportunities, but should stay mindful of area-specific regulations.

Water temperatures are warming, and we are seeing the arrival of several migratory species into the Tangier region of the Chesapeake Bay. Good numbers of black drum have moved into the Bay from Cape Charles up to Tangier Sound, and even into areas farther north (see Middle Bay report). These brutes are some of the biggest fish that can be caught in the Bay, with their upper range of sizes being anywhere from 50 to 80 pounds. These big fish are usually the first ones to push up the Bay in the spring, and we have had several reports of anglers encountering them for a few weeks now. The smaller drum often arrive a few weeks after these big ones, so we should start to see some better-eating fish shortly. Black drum over 20 or 25 pounds are often full of worms—as well as being full of eggs—and aren’t very good to eat, so they should be handled with care and released asap after a quick pic. Red drum will also be arriving to this region in greater numbers throughout the month of May, and a few bull reds have already been caught.

C.L. Marshall of Tangier Sound Charters is very tuned in with the spring black drum run in the Tangier area, but reports that the drum bite has been finnicky lately. A few trips have been very productive, while others have only produced a few bites. Most of these fish hang out around shoals and areas with rocky bottom. When the drum are playing hooky, C.L. has usually been able to find rockfish to catch. Right now, big post-spawn fish are moving through the shallows on their way out of the Bay, so his anglers caught some trophy fish this week. The shallows are also coming alive with schoolie fish returning to their usual summer hangout locations. This includes shallow cover such as stump fields, wrecks, marsh points, and creek mouths. Striped bass season in Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay opens on May 1st, but make sure to check the striped bass regulation maps, because some areas are still closed to targeting. Virginia’s striped bass season will not open until May 16th. In both jurisdictions, anglers will be able to keep one fish per person per day with a slot limit of 19 to 24 inches.