Assateague Island back bay/flats 5/9

[TXfly16]

Evening fellow Snaggliners,

I will be headed to Assateague Island on a day trip with some family. I wanted to see if anyone has had any luck out there recently. I've only gone fishing out there once but it was late fall last year and came out skunked, anyone have any advice or suggestions? Fish, tackle launch? Greatly Appreciated!

[BimmerTech]

There hasn't been a ton of action down at the beach so far this year. There have been a couple reports of summer flounder being caught, but right now mainly targeting toug. I
had some luck last weekend at the wall on 2nd street, a few fish during slack tide, but no keepers. Green crab(if you can find any fresh), sand flees, shrimp should all get bit. Just be prepared to lose some tackle, Toug immediately run for the rocks. Good luck

[J. Rentch]

Have fun, maybe some flounder?

[TXfly16]

Thanks for the advice, I'll post a report once I'm back.

[imagine29028]

careful for Sharks...

http://mdcoastdispatch.com/2015/04/3...ateague-coast/

[RavensDfense]

If you are fishing the shallow flats, I would suggest first thing in the morning or late evening. A topwater lure such as a skitterwalk or Mirrolure TopDog should get you some topwater action from schoolie stripers if they are around. You may also hook into a larger bluefish. They have been caught on those flats in the past and are clearly in the area right now. The trick to fishing the flats is to cover a lot of ground, don't make a ton of noise, and fish fast. I prefer to start at one end and let the current take me down to the other. When I have finished my drift I'll make a big circle around the flat to avoid running over it and complete another drift. The midday bite on the flats has been far less productive for me.

In the mid day, I'll usually target flounder on the bank edges and in the channel. Grab yourself some minnows and a pack of white Gulp! (combine the two to make a minnow sandwich) and vertically fish the deeper guts that run along the west bank of the bay. I usually use a 1 oz. egg sinker above a standard size 3 or 4 J-hook. Nothing fancy, but it allows your bait to remain vertical which helps you feel subtle hits and avoid dragging your rig which picks up grass (especially this time of year). If you don't have any luck on the bank edges, try the channel itself. The area around the duck blinds to the North of the Verrazano bridge are a good place to try. There is a launch under the bridge ( I believe it is $10).

Good luck!

[TXfly16]

Thanks guys for the tips and tricks. Unfortunately it wasn't a very productive day. Arrived at Assateague Saturday morning around 0830 and launched from the old ferry landing. The fog was so thick in the morning that I could only see about 40 yrds around me. I paddled in the shallow flats around the islands with no luck. the water was very clear that you could see the bottom to about 10 feet of water. All I was pulling up was thick mats of algae even the people catching crabs were having a hard time. Eventually around 2pm the fog cleared up on the island and I paddled to the ship channel south where a few boats were anchored, no luck there either. Being only my second time out there I was only using soft plastics and 4" Xraps. Next time I'll bring live bait and hopefully the algae bloom has died down.

[lovett88]

Man that fog was really bad. I arrived in ocean city around 11am. Debated on taking the kayak and joining your in the morning but I had mother's day plans for the afternoon. We had a group that fished the Oceanic Fishing Pier from 730-10 alot of people were catching blues on minnows. But thats all I saw. Had a few bite the minnows in half (hooks were to small). But hey at least you got out on the water. Hopefully the flounder bite will pick up in the next few weeks!

[Yakinzak]

Im sorry for the conditions you had I wanna catch some drum!