by Capt. Billy Pipkin –
By mid-July, bay water temperatures had already surpassed 80 degrees, and set the stage for very warm water in August. Moderate rainfall, coupled with elevated water temperatures translates into a high salinity heat bath that invites a great variety of fish into our region—a finfish buffet if you will.
Diversity of species is the Northern Neck’s drawing card in August. Throughout the bay and rivers this month, you can expect to catch Spanish mackerel, bluefish, cobia, spadefish, flounder, whiting, speckled trout, grey trout, spot and coaker.
Trolling action will continue to land big numbers of bluefish this month. Spanish mackerel fishing will peak in numbers as they join the blues in mauling schools of shiners, bay anchovies and peanut bunker. These two species are often found schooling together both along channel edges and close to shore. This offers an opportunity for small boat anglers to get into the action.
Windmill Point, the Great Wicomico River mouth, Smith Point and Coles Point are all near shore areas that hold these fish.
For best trolling results, I recommend using a small #0 Drone or Clark spoon either in chrome, gold or a variety of colors including hot pink and chartreuse. Use a 15-foot long 20+ pound leader behind a #1 planer or light in-line sinkers to keep the baits down below the surface. You will want to have your lures in the top 15 feet foot water table to maximize your catches.
If larger bluefish are encountered, I suggest increasing the spoon size or going to the old standby surgical tube eel.
Bottom fishing will gather the greatest variety of fish with a simple bottom rig with two snelled hooks. Squid strips, shrimp and bloodworms are all good choices for bait. For anglers who prefer jigging and casting lures, the Berkley Gulp baits are producing results on a variety of species. The swimming mullets and the jerk baits are popular. Bloodworms are yielding good numbers of spot on near-shore oyster beds.
Grass beds in skinny water are the home for speckled trout, puppy drum and some large croakers. Locations holding the best populations of these fish are Mobjack Bay, the Piankatank River, the mouth of the Rappahannock River near Gwynn’s Island, Dividing Creek and the Great Wicomico River. Both the morning and evening hours are fish friendly when fishing in shallow water.
Flounder action remains slow, yet a few are being landed at the mouth of the Rappahannock and Potomac rivers near shore. Channel edges and drop-offs are yielding a few keepers this month.
Chumming is popular for gathering catches of bluefish, cobia and spadefish. For blues and cobia, the standard grind of menhaden chum will suffice, yet the spadefish prefer a clam chum. Blues can be found on any of the numerous artificial reefs including Windmill Point, Asphalt Pile and Northern Neck Reef. The S.W. Middle Grounds off of Smith Island holds good numbers as well.
Spadefish frequent structure such as lighthouses, wrecks and reefs. Cobia are more free swimming and can be drawn to the boat with chum and take live offerings such as spot and eels.
Go catch ‘em!
With a variety of options available this month, don’t be discouraged if your target species doesn’t show up to your party. Just dig into your box and pull out a different bait or lure and target another type of fish. Nobody should return to the dock empty-handed this month. If the problem persists, you can always book a fishing charter with me or one of my fellow captains. Life is good.
Until next time…fair winds. Capt. Billy Pipkin owns and operates Ingram Bay Marina and Capt. Billy’s Charter Service located in Wicomico Church. Visit his website at ingrambaymarina.com. His phone number is 580-7292.
