Article by Capt. Matt Abell
After a stifling start to August, the Lord has turned the Eastern Shore into a tidal wonderland on the heels of a refreshing sea breeze that gives you a yearning for a little more salt spray off your bow.
The crispness of an easterly breeze not only awakens anglers out of their summertime stupor, but also stirred up some shallow water surprise rock and spec action in the Tangier and Pocomoke Sounds. Most fish took both paddle tail as well as topwater offerings like Heddon spooks and MirroLure top dogs. The best bites have been at first and last light.
A little farther south in the Chesapeake, anglers are enjoying the start of the late summer bull red drum run. The conniving channel bass earn their name with bull-ish fights that will make your drag scream and heart pound! The targeted area ranges from east of Watts Island down to the Cell reef site. Look for depths of 15-30 feet of water around natural structure like hills and sloughs. The tackle is very rudimentary with a fish finder or sinker slide positioned above a 8/0 octopus circle hook rigged on 80# leader tipped with a generous chunk of spot, hardhead or kingfish. While in search of your illusive spot tail you will have opportunities to wrestle sharks, rays, blues and even a few late season cobia. Keep on the lookout for incidental spanish mackerel giving up their hiding spots as they leap through the air like little spotted, toothy torpedos. A few of these trolled up on small Clarkspoons will put the icing on this Eastern Shore style cake.
The great Atlantic has provided some great memories as our very own “10-4 Joker” out of Chincoteague was lucky enough to take home the prize for the small boat mahi division of the WMO! Their respectable 29# mahi was the treasure that led these great guys to a wonderful prize and memories that will last a lifetime. My son Sammy was fortunate enough to mate on the award winning vessel, and let’s just say, it’ll be a long time before a dinner table conversation does not drift toward the memories of the time him and Captain Crazy Larry went to the scales! A bit deeper, the saving grace of this week’s pelagic pursuits have been the number of big eye tuna that have bent our rods and broke our backs. Along with these deep water drag eaters, some yellowfin have also come across the gunwales as we invite them to dinner.
The inshore wrecks have been sheltering their resident flounder from avid anglers looking for tasty fillets. Even though action has slowed on the inshore reefs, the inlets are still producing a decent flatfish bite. The last of the flood and first of the ebb have set the stage for pretty good late summer floundering. Double flounder rigs adorn with pink shine curl tail Gulp tipped with minnows or silversides are all that is required to tempt some of these bottom dwelling bruisers into the net.
As I sit here with my family in the lower Chesapeake waiting for a pole to bend and a red to run, I reflect on how lucky we really are. Whether you are watching the sun disappear into the depths of the Chesapeake, or watching your son on the bow of a sportfisher as it pulls into the scales, we are so blessed to have a place like this that we call home. §
