Article Our fishing trip began at sunrise, loading ice, bait and snacks for our trip. Captains and crews prepared boats to fish the deep waters off Chincoteague Island Virginia for white and blue marlin. Chincoteague Island is the closest Virginia port to the offshore canyons where marlin are found. The channel from the harbor to the inlet is short and well marked.
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 over 100 pounds and feed on fish such as skipjacks small yellowfin tuna, false albacore, mahi mahi and others. Marlin migrate into Virginia waters in early summer and peak fishing usually occurs in late summer thru early fall. 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. Chincoteague Island charter boats typically travel about 40-60 nautical miles to reach marlin, depending on the season and where the fish are.
Local boats 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. West of the canyon walls are shallower but still productive areas. Near the canyon walls, the bottom becomes steeper and rockier. Fish congregate along the dropoffs to catch food that is caught in the hard running current. Along this edge are lobster traps, indicated by orange buoys. The traps 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 lumps from and rough bottom in 200-300 feet 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 caught skipjack tuna. Skipjack tuna, known locally as skippys are fun to catch, especially on a family trip. Skipjack tuna are the smallest of the Virginia tuna, ranging from about 3 to 18 pounds. The small fish fight hard, taking line at amazing speed. Skipjack tuna are sought after by marlin fishermen 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 such a massive billfish 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. 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.
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