Article by Capt. Matt Abell
We have definitely had some pretty awesome conditions to enjoy the ESVA! The water is warming up along with the weather. Fairly calm winds and inviting seas have provided a terrific setting for fun in the summer sun with family and friends.
The inshore flounder bite continues with most success coming from the top of the tide. The time frame on both sides of high water are providing the clear conditions that are needed for fantastic floundering on the flats. Hot baits have been silversides or big bull minnows coupled with squid strips, Gulp Grubs or Swimming Mullets. Productive colors include white, pink, chartreuse, salmon red (bright orange) and purple. Along with the flounder, hard heads have appeared around the inlets of the VA barrier islands. These fish are small, but will brighten any young anglers day with aggressive excitement that helps reinforce a foundation for the sport we love! At the same time that anglers are targeting flounder in the seaside shallows, others have shifted sea bass efforts over to the flounder who call deeper inshore reefs and wrecks their home. These compressed bottom predators are found tight to structure and have been taking jigs and bottom rigs tipped with Gulp Grubs or strip baits. They definitely add a tasty addition to a already delicious sea bass trip!
The beach is getting a little more crowded as folks come from near and far to enjoy our awesome Atlantic. There’s been some pretty decent bottom fishing for kingfish and a few spot. These palatable pan fish can be lured into the cooler with small float rigs placed just outside the break. Inshore sharking has been good from the suds as well as inside the inlets. Cut baits on wire rigs adorned with circle hooks have been doing the trick. Remember, while plentiful here, shark populations worldwide are in bad shape and this fishery is catch and release. Just because we don’t take these cartilaginous critters home for dinner doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy their scrappy fights while respecting the strength and design that only God could take credit for.
The Chesapeake is still producing some drum action of both black and red varieties. The black bite has been centered around the channel edges of the Pocomoke sound while the reds have been hidden in the masses of bull fish inhabiting the shallow grass beds of both Pocomoke and Tangier sounds. The shallow casting bite has been fair as rock have made up most of the action with specs coming over the gunwales sporadically during the trip. The specs that we have boated are certainly quality fish and worth the work. The most anticipated topic of the week is the impending cobia season which starts on the June 15. We have been getting fresh baits like live eels, bunker chum and all kinds of olfactory offerings for anglers to prefish these brown brutes. Don’t forget your VA cobia permit so you can get in on the fun!
Last Thursday I was surprised with my oldest son returning home for the weekend from his duty station that he serves at with the U. S. Coast Guard. I asked him what he would like to do during his time off and he replied “ Go casting… Duh”. So we snuck out Friday evening and he enjoyed top water action on rock, specs and blues while I enjoyed having my boy home. I watched a young man revel in how we are blessed, and thought to myself how lucky we are to have all this fun and family right here in the place we call home! §
