As ambush predators, summer flounder attack live and dead bait. Shiners, minnows, and squid strips are typical flounder fare. Artificial lures such as Gulp! swimming mullet (four-inch version in pink, white or chartreuse), Lil’ Jimy (I like the pure gold or killifish version with the molded eye) and soft plastics (Z-Mans, D.O.A.) all can bring strikes when presented properly. You want to use an appropriately weighted lure to hold in the current, so that might range from 1/2-ounce jigs to two ounces. I prefer a fluorocarbon leader to provide stealth from the fish’s good eyesight as well as some protection against its prominent and pointy teeth.
Even though flounder can sometimes bring surprisingly hard strikes, they do have tiny mouths relative to their body size. That often means letting the fish turn its head, swimming away basically, before you strike with the rod. Once the hook is set, have the patience to fight the flatfish properly. Avoid Saturday morning TV bass anglers’ style of “horsing” of the fish. Keep a good angle on the rod, your fishing line tight, and use a landing net to make sure dinner doesn’t swim away.
Other fish available this time of year include red drum, usually taken from the surf on a chuck of fresh bait, like bunker. Northern kingfish (aka whiting) can be caught near the inlet or in front of the hook of Assateague Island. Kingfish will take a small square of pink shrimp, clam or crab flavored Fishbites tipped on a #6 long-shank Pacific bass hook.
by Chris Dollar
Thursday, June 5, 2014 - 08:47
Here’s the thing about fishing Chincoteague, VA: Even if the bite is off, which is not that often, its location along the beautiful Atlantic seashore makes even a slow fishing day almost irrelevant. Add lots of fun stuff for the family to do, and you can’t go wrong visiting the island.
And while there may be no “bad” time to go, late spring is certainly one of the better times.
This is when the flounder return from their winter haunts and take up station in the numerous marsh guts and channels behind the barrier islands. Captain Charlie Koski of Island Queen Inland Charters puts it a little more succinctly, saying mid-May to early June is when “the flounder fishing should bust loose.”
Flatties were slower to make their way inshore this spring, but by the time you read this the bite should be in full gear with lots of hungry flatfish looking to recharge after a particularly long, harsh winter. Pay particular attention to the drop-offs where water temps warm more quickly because this is where the baitfish want to be. Four Mouths, the Fingers in Chincoteague Bay and Chincoteague Point are some of the more popular spots, but don’t be afraid to chart your own path. Go slow, and be mindful of shoals and flats, especially at low water.
As ambush predators, summer flounder attack live and dead bait. Shiners, minnows, and squid strips are typical flounder fare. Artificial lures such as Gulp! swimming mullet (four-inch version in pink, white or chartreuse), Lil’ Jimy (I like the pure gold or killifish version with the molded eye) and soft plastics (Z-Mans, D.O.A.) all can bring strikes when presented properly. You want to use an appropriately weighted lure to hold in the current, so that might range from 1/2-ounce jigs to two ounces. I prefer a fluorocarbon leader to provide stealth from the fish’s good eyesight as well as some protection against its prominent and pointy teeth.
Even though flounder can sometimes bring surprisingly hard strikes, they do have tiny mouths relative to their body size. That often means letting the fish turn its head, swimming away basically, before you strike with the rod. Once the hook is set, have the patience to fight the flatfish properly. Avoid Saturday morning TV bass anglers’ style of “horsing” of the fish. Keep a good angle on the rod, your fishing line tight, and use a landing net to make sure dinner doesn’t swim away.
Other fish available this time of year include red drum, usually taken from the surf on a chuck of fresh bait, like bunker. Northern kingfish (aka whiting) can be caught near the inlet or in front of the hook of Assateague Island. Kingfish will take a small square of pink shrimp, clam or crab flavored Fishbites tipped on a #6 long-shank Pacific bass hook.
by Chris Dollar
As ambush predators, summer flounder attack live and dead bait. Shiners, minnows, and squid strips are typical flounder fare. Artificial lures such as Gulp! swimming mullet (four-inch version in pink, white or chartreuse), Lil’ Jimy (I like the pure gold or killifish version with the molded eye) and soft plastics (Z-Mans, D.O.A.) all can bring strikes when presented properly. You want to use an appropriately weighted lure to hold in the current, so that might range from 1/2-ounce jigs to two ounces. I prefer a fluorocarbon leader to provide stealth from the fish’s good eyesight as well as some protection against its prominent and pointy teeth.
Even though flounder can sometimes bring surprisingly hard strikes, they do have tiny mouths relative to their body size. That often means letting the fish turn its head, swimming away basically, before you strike with the rod. Once the hook is set, have the patience to fight the flatfish properly. Avoid Saturday morning TV bass anglers’ style of “horsing” of the fish. Keep a good angle on the rod, your fishing line tight, and use a landing net to make sure dinner doesn’t swim away.
Other fish available this time of year include red drum, usually taken from the surf on a chuck of fresh bait, like bunker. Northern kingfish (aka whiting) can be caught near the inlet or in front of the hook of Assateague Island. Kingfish will take a small square of pink shrimp, clam or crab flavored Fishbites tipped on a #6 long-shank Pacific bass hook.
by Chris Dollar