Fish Spot: Wachapreague, VA By Eric Burnley

Wachapreague

Virginia

By Eric Burnley

Ihave chosen Wachapreague, VA, because it is pretty much in the middle of the Eastern Shore, and fishing is pretty much the same from Chincoteague to Oyster. Everything from flounder and croaker to tuna and marlin are available from any of these ports. All have public launch ramps, and most have a charter fleet if you decide to leave your boat at home.

The town of Wachapreague has two boat ramps. One is operated by the town, and the other is alongside a marina. Both charge a small fee.

There are two large tackle shops on the way to Wachapreague. The one to the south is Chris’ Tackle and the one to the north is Sea Hawk Sports Center; both are on the southbound side of Route 13. Chris’ is near Cape Charles, and Sea Hawk is in Maryland just before you cross the Virginia state line. There is a tackle shop in Wachapreague and another on the way into town on Route 180.

The vast majority of anglers who launch from Wachapreague will be going after summer flounder. This season can begin as early as late March, but in 2018 it was mid-April before the first flatfish were caught. As we all know, 2018 has been the year of never-ending winter, and all fishing seasons got off to a late start.

It has been my experience that water temperatures between 50 and 68 degrees are best for flounder fishing. In the spring, this means fishing the flood to the ebb because the sun will warm the water on the flats during high tide. That warm water will flow into the channels during the ebb.

Come summer, just the opposite works. You want to fish during the incoming current when the cooler ocean water will move in behind the barrier islands. The summer sun can heat the water on the flats well above the 68-degree maximum for flounder, and the cooler water out of the ocean will move the temperature back down to a more comfortable level. We usually fish close to the inlets during the summer and somewhere up the channels during the spring.

Most anglers will stop fishing for flounder by October, but Bob Baker and I had an excellent trip during the first week of November. The only other boat we saw that day was a crabber picking up his pots for the winter.

In my opinion, Bob Baker is the best flounder fisherman to ever wet a line. When he had his commercial hook and line license, we would box well over 100 flounder a day, all over 15 inches. But

it’s not just luck. Baker has many years of experience behind the Barrier Islands and has studied the bottom structure and the habits of his target, all of which he uses to find and catch flounder.

Baker likes smelt, live minnows, shiners, and squid strips for bait. He has small coolers placed next to both anglers on his boat to keep the bait alive and fresh, and he makes his own rigs that really do the job. The only complaint I have is some of his rigs carry small treble hooks that can be swallowed by the flounder and always find a way to impale at least some part of my hand on every trip.

Baker never shuts off his outboard motor and keeps the boat drifting exactly where he wants it to go. He is never satisfied with the drift, the tide, the current, the water clarity, or the catch rate and is constantly complaining even when both of us are cranking in flounder as soon as our baits hit the bottom.

Choose a starting time at least an hour before the various conditions should be ideal for catching flounder. Have the boat in the water an hour before then in case you find things not exactly to your liking when you arrive at your chosen starting location. Be willing to move if one place proves unproductive. Don’t be afraid to go back there later in the day, as conditions will change. When you catch a fish, keep going back to that place until you have caught everything there.

I usually plan at least a two-day trip when fishing here. Several local motels cater to fishermen and charge reasonable rates. Numerous restaurants are out on Route 13, and the Island House right in town has as good food as you have ever eaten. ■

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