Nice Trout, More Drum and Cobia On The Way

Some nice speckled trout have been caught between Virginia Beach and Oregon Inlet NC this week. Scott Horton caught this nice one in Rudee inlet a couple of days ago.

The first red and black drum of the season arrived on the Virginia shoals a couple of weeks ago, and there’s more on the way. Massive schools of drum and cobia are migrating together along North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Most of these fish will enter the Chesapeake Bay… soon! If you would like a chance at encountering one of these schools and get in on some world-class fishing, now might be the time.  No boat? … You need to contact a charter captain ASAP and pick a date.

Bluefish are feeding up and down OBX beaches … and are now in Virginia Beach waters. Some really nice sized fish, to 35 inches were landed in the Carolina surf. Spanish mackerel can’t be far behind! The tidal rips east of the CBBT should soon be a great place to hook up with both.

Flounder catches continue improving as our water temps warm, especially around Wachapreague and Chincoteague on the Eastern Shore. Flounder are also showing up in our local inlets (Rudee, Lynnhaven, Little Creek) and along the CBBT.

Sheepshead to 10 pounds have already been caught in the bay.

Tautog action continues to be good, especially on ocean wrecks. Catches along the CBBT and on Bay structure are improving. There are only a few more days left in the Virginia season, it closes May 15th.

The Virginia Beach pier has been catching some spot, roundheads, gray trout and small blues.

The Rudee Angler is advertising 17-hour offshore deep dropping trips for May 11th, 18th, 23rd and 30th. These trips usually catch black sea bass, blueline tilefish, golden tilefish, snowy grouper, black belly rose fish and spiny dogfish. You need to call their booking desk to confirm these dates.

OBX, NC

Surf anglers are catching sea mullet near ramps 48 and 38. At the Point anglers are catching blues on metal spoons. South on the Point anglers have caught blues, spanish, citation drum, citation black drum and pompano.

Anglers on the northern beaches are finding croaker, spot, sea mullet and bluefish.

Those fishing from the Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway are doing very well with trout.

The OBX pier rundown sounds like this. Avalon pier, bluefish, sea mullet and skate. Nags Head pier, mullet, bluefish, and trout. Jennette’s pier, bluefish, croaker, sea mullet and spot. Outer Banks pier, bluefish and spot.

Inshore boats are catching loads of bluefish and May 1st they encountered large schools of black drum, red drum and cobia.

Offshore boats are catching dolphin, yellowfin tuna, big eye tuna, black fin tuna and wahoo.