Article by Julie Ball
The summertime fishing scene continues to pick up momentum, but the northeasterly blow last week could slow things up a little. Expect the trend to continue once things settle and anglers can get back out on the water.
Cobia is still the main event. Good numbers of early season fish, with many pushing to over 50 lbs., are contributing to a good start to the fishing season. Plenty of encounters are providing ample opportunity to score with some nice fish for sight casters. Chummers are also experiencing good results from Buckroe and Bluefish Rock, while even local pier anglers are getting in on the action, with some cobia weighing over 60 lbs. coming over the rails last week. Be sure to review the regulations before targeting these local favorites.
With the recent full moon, the red drum bite is still very good as big fish continue to hit along the surf of Eastern Shore barrier islands and near Buoys 8 and 10 near Nautilus Shoal and the Nine-Foot Shoal areas. According to Captain Steve Wray, skipper of the “Ocean Pearl” from Lynnhaven Inlet, some extra-large sharks have also been lurking in Chesapeake Bay waters lately, including bull sharks and hammerheads.
The flounder bite continues to evolve, with more anglers reporting limits of fish from various lower Bay locations. The 1st and 2nd Islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT) were productive spots before the coldfront and Lynnhaven and Rudee Inlets also provided some good flatfish action over the past week. The Cell, Willoughby, Buckroe and Buoy 36A areas are giving up some decent catches recently, while the bayside and seaside areas of Oyster are still producing good numbers of fish for drifters.
Good quantities of puppy drum continue to come mostly from within Lynnhaven Inlet while Rudee Inlet and Mobjack Bay are also reporting some catches of pups.
The croaker bite remains typical for this time of the year, with plenty of medium-sized fish keeping bottom bouncers and pier anglers content. The Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, Hampton Bar, the Monitor-Merrimac, the James River Bridge and Little Creek are providing good action on a range of sizes of hardheads. Some big sea mullet are also biting off the oceanfront and lower Bay piers.
The sheepshead bite is still heating up, with some big fish coming from the CBBT proper lately. Spadefish are circling the Chesapeake Light Tower, as well as responding over several inshore wrecks, with a nice class of fish available this year.
Although interest is low, some striped bass are still biting around the 3rd and 4th Islands of the CBBT on topwater lures in the evenings, but be sure to review the new regulations.
The Spanish mackerel action continues to heat up in local waters. These fish provide quick action, and are easy to catch. Boats are encountering good numbers of Spanish while trolling off Cape Henry and along the Virginia Beach oceanfront in about 25 to 30 feet of water. Tailor and snapper bluefish are also in these same vicinities.
When boats can get out, deep droppers are finding a good variety of blueline tilefish and nice golden tilefish along with a by catch of big sea bass near the Norfolk Canyon. A few boats are still targeting wrecks for sea bass, but that attraction is faltering as more species become available.
Offshore, very good catches of yellowfin tuna, along with some nice bigeye tuna and large and abundant dolphin are contributing to a great intro to Virginia’s early offshore season. Many boats are returning to the dock early with limits of fish, with most of the yellowfin tuna averaging to around 30 lbs..
Dr. Julie Ball is the I.G.F.A. Representative for Virginia Beach, VA. For more information, go to drjball.com.
