Excellent Virginia Tautog Fishing

By VBSF Staff | TH Spangler | Connie Barbour

Despite three nor’easters in a row, anglers have found small windows of fishable weather.

Tautogs are available on the ocean wrecks and at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Last week Jamal Esfahani and crew had an incredible day. They weighed their largest fish (9 lb 13 oz) at Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle. They tagged and released 27 citation size taugs.

Our local head boats are catching codfish, red hake and pollock.

The speckled trout and puppy drum should start arriving on the shallow flats inside Lynnhaven and Rudee Inlets, on the James River and in the Eastern Shore creeks as waters warm.

Down in Hatteras NC puppy drum are being caught on the south side of Cape Point and around Ramp 48. There was a big Red Drum run at the point February 29th and 30th.

Bluefin tuna are still around. Last week the boat Seawolf caught a 116-inch, 835 lb, new NC State Record monster bluefin tuna while fishing off the Outer Banks NC.

Water Temps

Cape Charles: 43.3 F
Cape Henry: 43.0 F
Kiptopeke: 43.7 F
Duck NC Pier: 43.3 F
Oregon Inlet Surf: 47.1 F
OI offshore Buoy @ 60 feet: 55.8 F
Hatteras Surf: 51.1 F
Diamond Shoals Tower: 73.6 F

Be cautious while running offshore. The endangered right whales are active off the Virginia North Carolina coast from November to April.

Also be on the lookout for floating objects. The Coast Guard has received reports from cargo ships about lost shipping containers in recent rough seas.