In the days leading up to my cranking out this forecast for mid-June through mid-July, I received the first report of a speckled trout caught in Maryland waters on light tackle, watched a novice angler whip a 70-pound black drum, saw numerous photos depicting Virginia’s off-the-hook red drum fishing, and read encouraging emails that Delaware’s season is rounding into fine shape.
Here in Maryland, summer school is just getting started. Schoolie-sized striper, that is. Bay fishermen expect another good season as most the rockfish from the abundant 2011 year-class should be of legal size (18 inches). Many sport anglers and pros downsize their trolling gear, use jigs and topwater lures, and/or live line spot to catch their dinner. Summer visitors flounder, spot, croakers and red drum (AKA puppy drum) all take up station in their summer haunts. After such a harsh winter, it will be interesting to see if the reds and specks return in the numbers we’ve been used to in recent seasons. And don’t overlook the ubiquitous white perch, which are found in lots of places, including shell beds, docks and bridges, and hit everything from bait to jigs to spinners.
In Virginia, cobia, flounder, and spadefish are but a few of the sport species of interest. How about some black drum, triggerfish, or sheepshead? Offshore, tuna, billfish, and sea bass will draw a crowd. Up the coast, Delaware should offer some diversity of its own, both in Delaware Bay, from the surf or offshore.
VIRGINIA
Ric Burnley predicts fishermen in the lower Chesapeake will find spadefish, sheepshead, and triggerfish swarming around the pilings and rocks of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT). “A small piece of clam on a single-hook bottomrig with a No. 1 hook will score triggers and spades. Sheepshead will respond to a whole fiddler crab or mole crab on the same rig,” he recommends. “Anglers who keep an open eye might spot cobia or red drum swimming along the surface. Make a quick cast with a three-ounce bucktail or live eel to catch one of these fish.”
Ric thinks that the flounder fishing should be good for anglers bouncing a bucktail and squid strip around the CBBT or drifting a live bait along a channel edge.
Offshore, anglers will find spadefish and triggerfish on wrecks and reefs. “Big eye tuna hang out in Norfolk Canyon and along the edge of the Continental Shelf (this time of year),” he says. “Dolphin will hold under weed lines and floating sea junk while yellowfin tuna and bluefin can be caught on current edges and around hills and valleys.”
If it’s June, odds are Captain Walt of Light Tackle Charters and his clients will stalk speckled trout on the Chesapeake side of the Maryland/Virginia Eastern Shore Peninsula, and cobia on the seaside of Delmarva.
“I’ll target specks the entire month, but cobia in just the July time frame,” he says. “For the specks in the Chesapeake we’ll cast light gear (10-15 pound spinning and bait casting outfits) and flies (7-9 weight) into the shallows of Tangier and Pocomoke sounds.” Captain Walt likes to cast to sod banks, rocky structure, points, wrecks, and flats. On the seaside he will sight cast to Mr. Brown Suit that are hanging in the current around buoys and structure. His clients use lures and flies — 20-pound spinning and bait casting gear and 9-weight or heavier fly outfits.
In recent weeks, the flounder fishing around Chincoteague has been very good with limits caught by many anglers who spend the full day on the water, says Captain Charlie Koski of Island Queen Inland Charters in Chincoteague.
“Charter boats are also doing well with enough keepers for a few dinners per four-hour trip when the conditions are just right,” he says. “June and throughout September sea mullet (aka whiting/Kingfish) will make their showing, and these are very tasty little fish and fun to catch. The charter fleet will also target them if the flounder bite is off.”
Captain Charlie says most anglers are now using Fishbites and #6 Pacific Bass long shanked hooks to catch these hard-hitting slender looking fish.
MARYLAND
Captain Harry Nield of the charter boat
Kingfish II doesn’t plan to slow down after enjoying a spectacular trophy rockfish season. The Deal Island-based skipper plans to continue to fish for stripers, but will live line and use light tackle more appropriate for schoolie sized rock (18 inches to 28 inches).
He’ll also take clients bottom fishing for spot, croakers, black and red drum, and kingfish. He likes to fish bloodworms, peelers, and soft crabs over live bottom, such as oyster beds and rock piles.
Spot and kingfish will hit during the day, Captain Harry says, and as we get deeper into July, he’ll target croakers and red drum at night. Check out PropTalk’s charter fishing section for his contact information if you’d like to book a trip on the
Kingfish II.
Captain Sonney Forrest is looking forward to the warmer weather which should have the rockfish feeding early and late evening. “They’ll (rockfish) be chasing bait and breaking on the surface at Cove Point, Power Plant, and Cedar Point regularly,” says the veteran skipper who runs out of Solomons. “These rockfish are 18 to 24 inches, and we’ll catch them by casting Lil’ Jimmies, surface plugs, and jigging Lil’ Bunker in 2 oz. size.”
But that’s far from the only game in town. Captain Sonney suggests you head to the Eastern Shore where you get good shots at stripers, redfish, and some speckled trout. “You need to know where to look. Using a guide will save (potential) damage to your engine and/or vessel. Plus you can learn a lot from them,” he says.
Captain Sonney anticipates the croaker being here in force, and evenings spent bottom bouncing will fill a cooler in the Patuxent River.
“By the end of June and into July the bluefish will only be stronger and bigger, spoons and red eels work best trolled about five knots,” he predicts. “In June some black drum might be found on the Gooses using crab; look for those big humps on the bottom, then drop them for some heavy action. Call me at (443) 532-0836 or see my ad in PropTalk’s Charter Boat section.”
The sea bass season opened May 19, and Captain Monty Hawkins on Morning Star, based out of Ocean City (MD) Fishing Center, has been going after them every chance he gets. While the flounder season is off to a slow start, he anticipates these tasty flatfish will be a regular part of his crew’s daily bag. The occasional bluefish, kingfish, and croaker round out their creel. To book a trip, check out his advertisement in PropTalk’s charter boat section.
Captain Randy Dean on the charter boat Bay Hunter says that he and the rest of the Rod’n’Reel fleet will live line spot for schoolie stripers this month. They anticipate another great season, fishing anywhere from above Poplar Island and The Bomber (buoy 80A) on the Eastern Shore to Radar Towers and Flag Harbor on the western shore. Even though the spot are slow to show up this year, most everyone expects them to be back in plenty of time to make it another memorable striper summer. Breaking fish are always a possibility, and when they crash forage, Captain Dean and Rod’n’Reel skippers will toss small metal spoons on light tackle into the fray.
By late June or early July, the fleet will keep an eye peeled for the season’s first true wave of bluefish, to which they’ll troll red hoses and spoons or wait for these marauders to bust bait. Night fishing for hardheads (croakers) and bottom fishing for spot and white perch are also on the agenda.
Captain Kevin Josenhans of Josenhans Fly Fishing has returned from Cape Charles/Fisherman’s Island area, where he was chasing bull red drum and rockfish. “I’m finally back fishing Tangier. We had some good action with big red drum and stripers while fishing around Fisherman’s Island during the past two weeks,” he says, adding he hopes June and July will bring a mixed bag of rockfish, speckled trout, bluefish, and flounder for his clients fishing Tangier Sound and the Bay’s barrier islands.
“There’s an outside chance we will see a return of slot-sized redfish, but I’m not holding my breath,” Captain Kevin says. “Either way, there is always something to catch in the shallows of Tangier Sound.”
Captain Jeff Popp on the charter boat Vista Lady will spend the next four weeks live lining spot for keeper rockfish. Captain Jeff moves his boat where the fish are feeding, so that may be above the Bay Bridges at Podicory Point or Love Point, or further south at The Hill. He’s also keeping his fingers crossed for a return of bigger croakers. Of course, he’ll troll and jig for bluefish when they return in more reliable numbers.
DELAWARE
Eric Burnley, who has his finger on the fishing pulse in Delaware for PropTalk, forecasts that this is the time of year when all sorts of wonderful things happen in Delaware Bay and in the ocean along the Delaware coast.
“Flounder will lead the parade with the best action on the various reef sites in the bay and ocean. The fish will be tight to structure, and a white bucktail with a strip of squid, fish or Gulp! jigged vertically over the rubble is the best way to attract a flatfish,” he suggests. “Farther out in the ocean, tuna will begin to appear on the sea mounts from 20 to 30 fathoms. Trolling will be the best technique to locate the fish during late June and the early part of July with chunking coming on strong once the main body of fish arrives. Expect a few big dolphin and wahoo to be in the same area.”