Chincoteague Island Virginia Blue Marlin Fishing
Our day began before sunrise, loading drinks, snacks, ice and bait for our trip. The air was still and the harbor was quiet except for a few captains and crews that prepared to fish. Our goal was to fish the deep waters off Chincoteague Island Virginia for white and blue marlin. Chincoteague Island offers an excellent atmosphere for family fishing. The trip from the harbor to the open ocean is short and relaxing, with a wide variety of scenery and nature to see. While on the way to the ocean, you may see dolphins, porpoises, seals, pelicans, flocks of gulls working schools of fish and even sometimes a glimpse of the wild ponies on Assateague Island.
White marlin tend to weigh around 30-60 pounds and feed on a variety of smaller baits. Blue marlin are much larger, up to 1000 lbs and eat larger baits. Most local blue marlin are about 200-400 pounds, and eat skipjack tuna, small yellowfin tuna, false albacore, mahi mahi and other fish. Marlin migrate into Virginia waters in early summer and tend to peak around late August or early September. The fish may be widely scattered but when conditions are right, marlin congregate around sources of food. Ideal conditions occur when Gulf stream water moves into the area, bringing weedlines, temperature breaks and pods of small fish on which marlin feed. The trip to the fishing grounds covers about 30-60 nautical miles, depending on the season and where the fish are.
Marlin are often found in the deep water canyons off the coast of Virginia. Boats fishing from Chincoteague Island might fish as far as the Baltimore, Poor Man’s, Washington or Norfolk Canyons. These structures have amazing features which produce conditions that attract several types of fish and other ocean life. Inshore of the canyon walls are areas of sloping bottom that can be very productive. As the sea floor approaches the canyon walls, the bottom becomes steeper and rockier. Here ocean currents are very strong and fish congregate to catch food that is caught in the rushing water. Along this dropoff are lobster traps, marked with bright orange buoys. These offer an added fish attraction as the buoys are often visited by mahi-mahi, also known as dolphin fish. Not only are the mahi-mahi excellent fish to catch, but they also attract the larger marlin which feed on them heavily. A trip by a buoy can be uneventful, or one or more lines might be attacked by mahi mahi, tuna, marlin or other fish.
On our trip we fished the area from 30-50 fathoms which had been productive in the days prior to our trip. We had fair weather and were able to raise a few white marlin to the boat in the morning. Between marlin, we were assaulted by little skipjack tuna. These fish are excellent to stumble onto, especially on a family outing. Skipjack tuna are the smallest of the Virginia tuna, ranging from about 3 to 18 pounds. Their size is not an indicator of their strength, and they often fool anglers into thinking they have hooked a larger tuna. The fish fight amazingly hard and swim at speeds that few fish can achieve. Another reason the skipjack tuna were a welcome visitor in the area is because they are among the favorite prey of blue marlin.
By afternoon we were relaxing and just enjoying the day when all hell broke loose behind the boat. An enormous blue marlin attacked our longest line and took off in a series of jumps across the boat’s wake. Seeing a fish of this size is something that cannot be described. Blue marlin are brightly colored and their leaps are dramatic, shaking and showering water in a display of defiance. Our fish eventually shook free and made his escape, something that everyone on board could admire and respect. The brief encounter with this regal fish made the day unforgettable.
Shammy is a 32 foot Luhrs sportfisherman powered by diesel engines. Capt Glen has years of offshore fishing experience on Virginia waters and is well respected among the fishing community. The boat is comfortable, clean and the captain provides a safe and enjoyable trip. For corporate charters with large groups, Shammy can team up with other Chincoteague area charter boats to accommodate everyone. In addition to marlin fishing, Shammy Sportfishing fishes for tuna, mahi mahi, sharks, flounder, sea bass, tautog and other ocean fish. For more information, visit the Shammy Sportfishing website.