Wachapreague Flounder Report May 7

 Determined to land keeper flounder, I met son Joe at the flounder capital of the world, Wachapreague VA at the peak of the incoming tide on a perfect spring Sunday.  Wachapreague is a true fisherman's village.  Almost like the set of a Popeye movie, shanties line the waterfront overlooking marsh and shallow bays protected by barrier islands.  There is an Inn across the street tailor made for anglers and the Island House restaurant features solid pub fare on the water.  But we were here to find the flatties.

Joe had fished the area a few times and we chose one of the more well-known spots a few miles from the ramp.  There were several boats following the same pattern of drifting with the tide and the wind while dragging flounder rigs tipped with a variety of gulp colors across the bottom.  With the wind pushing the tide, the water was a more turbid than we would have liked but we were optimistic as we drifted in 2' - 4' of water.

It wasn't long before Joe felt the first tug of the day.  A 14" gave us hope that more would be soon to follow.  The other fishing parties around us didn't seem to fare much better than we, however; another couple of drifts produced our first keeper that Joe promptly secured in the net.  A nice 17" flounder for the table.  

There was one party of locals that seemed to be far more consistent with lines going tight every 5 minutes or so.  They had managed to slow their drift with a sea anchor and when they came across a hole, the captain slowed their drift to a crawl.  Flounder are notoriously opportunistic and will chase a bait, but only so far.  The key is slow movement to entice a strike.  Mikey D Fishing also believes that color matters and the darker the water the brighter the gulp needed.  After all, why would the good Lord put two eyes on one side of a fish unless it was meant to pursue prey it can see.  

Joe and I slowed the drift by putting reverse turns on the motor.  Soon after I landed a nice flattie that measured 20".  With 2 in the cooler and a couple of throwbacks on the board, it was time to head back to the ramp, filet the fish, and head home.   A great day on the water together!  With air and water temps on the rise, the fishing promises to only get better in the days to come.

Tight Lines,

Mikey D Fishing