Drifting Easy by Sue Foster

            “I’m vacationing in August. What can I expect to catch?”

            August is the month when the water is the warmest. In fact, 
sometimes the water in the bay gets so hot that some fishing can slow down. 
Every year is different and the wind can make a big difference in water 
temperatures as well. If we have a lot of breezes from the west the water 
temperatures stay cooler. If we have easterly breezes, the Gulf Stream comes 
in closer and the water becomes warmer.

            Water temperatures are also warmer on an outgoing tide than on 
an incoming tide, so in August, it is important to try to catch the incoming 
water. It is also generally cleaner. This is VERY important if you want to 
fish the Inlet or just outside the inlet which can be a good place to fish 
this time of year.

            Anglers in boats targeting flounder find that areas that were 
good in the spring such as Route 90 Bridge and the “flats” north of the 
Thorofare slow down in the heat of August. Boat anglers do better finding 
the deepest water where the water temperatures are cooler. The main east 
channel running from 28th Street to the concrete wall offshore of 1st Street 
always produces flounder catches in August. The drift in the main east 
channel from the draw of the Rt. 50 Bridge to the Inlet, and drifting the 
inlet itself is also good. (Slacking tides are easiest to fish as the 
current rushes hard close to the Bridge and Inlet.)  If you have a larger 
boat, anglers do well drifting south of the South Jetty on nice days. (This 
is a good place to try when the tide is low and nothing is happening in the 
bay.)

            If you have a larger boat and can go to any of the offshore 
Artificial Reef sites you will also find flounder in August. If the bay 
waters get too warm, flounder will move out into the ocean to find cooler 
water. The same baits work offshore as they do in the bay. Shiner and squid 
combinations or live minnow and squid combinations are the old tried and 
true baits for flounder. BUT, you will also find that bigger baits in deeper 
water will also catch some BIG ones. Smelts look like a huge shiner and are 
great flounder baits to try in deep water. Live alewives (peanut bunker) are 
readily available for anyone that can toss a cast net into a canal or marina 
basin first thing in the morning.  Live spot are easily caught with little 
hooks and pieces of bloodworm or Fish Bite Bloodworm Alternative.  Small 
live spot can be fished live and larger spot can be filleted and cut into 
strips. I find that out in the ocean, any kind of fresh fish scaled and cut 
into nice long strips catch flounder. Bunker, spot, mullet, bluefish, 
lizardfish, flounder belly, trout belly, etc…. all work well. Just remember 
that if you use a legal fish that has a size and creel limit, you are 
supposed to keep the carcass.

            “What about striper fishing?”

            Stripers are a cooler water fish and can slow down in the month 
of August. They ARE there, but you are more likely to catch them at 
daybreak, dusk, or after dark. Middle of the day fishing can be slow on 
stripers. Boat traffic is also a big issue with Inlet fishing in the heat of 
the day. Stripers will “sound” and not feed when too much is going on. 
Casting live sand fleas towards the rocks at the South Jetty or casting the 
same from the North Jetty can catch other types of fish in August.  Warm 
water fish such as triggerfish and sheepshead can be a pleasant surprise. 
Tautog fishing is usually slower in August as the larger ones seem to head 
out to wreck areas. If you are entertaining the kids (or yourself) and don’t 
care about “keepers” small ones are usually hanging around the rocks all 
summer along with lots of throwback sea bass.

On some days, one can take the boat to the South side of the south jetty and 
fish for kingfish (whiting), spot, croaker, spike trout and blowfish using a 
combination bait of bloodworm or Fishbites Bag O’ Worms Bloodworm 
Alternative on top and bottom rigs with size #6 or #4 hooks. A light 
easterly breeze usually gives you clean water in this area. If the water is 
all brown and ugly looking, don’t bother to fish it!  You can also do this 
at the Artificial Reef just offshore of 28th Street.

Croaker!  In August croaker fishing can be unpredictable. Usually in the 
beginning of the month they are still in the bay. The Thorofare, the main 
East Channel, Buoy #5, just around the corner of the bay going back towards 
Assateague, and the Inlet area can see schools of croaker. Then poof!  One 
day they are gone and you can only find them in the ocean! The Reef offshore 
of 28th Street, Little Gull Shoal, Big Gull Shoal, and areas just offshore 
of Assateague can see croaker catches into November sometimes. They love 
squid or a combination bait of squid and bloodworm or Fishbites artificial 
bloodworms on a top and bottom rig with size #4 hooks. When they are they 
just offshore, the half-day party boats will target them. It’s quite active 
and croakers really pull hard on the end of the line, making them a fun fish 
for the kids!

Surf fishing!  The biggest mistake people make when surf fishing in August 
is to surf fish like they did in May or October. The heat of August gives us 
mostly pan fish (unless you are targeting sharks and big rays.)  Kingfish 
(whiting), Norfolk spot, small snapper blues, spike sea trout, short 
stripers, croakers, blowfish, sand perch and an occasional pompano are the 
fare. Most of these fish are in close at high tide and bite small hooks 
baited with little strips of squid, spot, bunker, or mullet tipped with a 
short strip of Fishbites Bloodworm or a piece of real bloodworm.

A pre-made kingfish rig works best. Cast out, and then reel in slow along 
the bottom. The earlier in the morning you can get out there the better. 
Dusk and after dark will also give you some fish. Fishing in the middle of a 
hot sunny day is sometimes unproductive. You will also find that a light 
east wind is great for surf fishing but that a west wind makes it slower and 
brings out the biting flies.

Pier and Jetty fishing?  Go at night and fish with lures for trout, blues, 
and stripers. Swimming shad lures, Zoom soft bodies on lead heads, spec 
rigs, and Gotcha Plugs all work at night on an incoming tide. Sometimes the 
croaker bite at night as well. They will hit lures but also strips of squid. 
You can also toss out live eels or live spot at night for the stripers when 
the tide is slacking.

Taking the kids fishing and crabbing?

August is the month to take the kids fishing because almost anywhere you go 
you can catch some small fish like spot, little sea bass, sand perch, or 
snapper bluefish. The pier behind the Recreational Center at 127th Street, 
the park off Route 90 at the Isle of Wight, the pier behind the Convention 
Hall at 41st Street, 9th Street Pier, the bulkhead along 2nd through 4th 
Streets, and the Oceanic Pier all have these little fish around. Bloodworms 
or little strips of Fishbites Bloodworm will catch spot anywhere in the 
upper reaches of the bay or in the lagoons and canals around Ocean City. If 
in doubt, use size no. 6 or no. 8 hooks tipped with worm and it will make a 
little rod tip shake!

Good fishing….

 




 
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