Virginia Beach Saltwater Fishing Report

Nice Spadefish caught onboard Aquaman Charters

By Dr. Ken Neill, III | Peninsula Salt Water Sport Fisherman’s Association Member

Cobia have arrived in the bay in force. Fishing has been good for both chummers and sight fishermen. While cobia are getting most of the inshore buzz, red drum fishing remains excellent on the shoals at the mouth of the bay. Schools of big red drum are also being encountered by angler sight-fishing for cobia and by anglers trolling the oceanfront for Spanish mackerel.

Spanish mackerel are being caught along the oceanfront and have begun to move on into the bay. Some nice catches of spadefish have been made at the Chesapeake Light Tower and over some of the coastal wrecks. More are showing on structures inside the bay. “Nice” means by today’s standards, not the 9 and 10 pound spadefish we used to catch.

Some really nice sheepshead (by any standard) are being caught at the CBBT. Flounder are showing some promise this year. Fishing for them has not been great the past few years other than around the ocean wrecks. Catches were good on the seaside this spring and more are being caught in the bay so hopefully we will have a better summer.

Medium and small croaker seem to be plentiful in the rivers where some nice early spot are being caught. Speckled trout seem to have survived the winter freeze and decent numbers of puppy drum have been around.

Offshore action has gotten off to a late start. Tuna fishing has been good out of Oregon Inlet all spring but it took until June for the yellowfin to move closer to us. They are here now in range of Virginia Boats. Nice  bigeye tuna are mixed with the yellofins. Offshore action should swiftly heat up now.

Spencer Elford has won pretty much every youth angling award that Peninsula Salt Water Sport Fisherman’s Association offers. Now as a teenager, his winning ways continue. He and two of his friends: Joel White and Dylan Copeland fished the first annual Cobia East Coast Championship. With no adults to get in their way, the three boys landed a 79.7 pound cobia which easily won first place in the tournament. They walked away with $5,000 and they also won the youth angler award.

Another popular tournament for PSWSFA members is the Gloucester Boys and Girls Flounder Tournament. The tournament will be on July 14 with a captains meeting on July 13. New for this year will be a special PSWSFA Member Division. The largest flounder caught by a club member will earn you $300 in addition to any other prizes you may win.

Soon after that is the Monarch Cobia Classic, July 19-21. For more information about the Monarch Cobia Classic and to learn about sponsorship opportunities, visit www.odualumni.org/cobiaclassic