Great Fishing, Lots of Species Available

High Hopes Charters

The outstanding fishing continues along the Virginia coast … with a lot of species available.

Spanish mackerel continue providing great action. Fantastic numbers and some nice size fish. Bluefish and ribbonfish are mixed in with them.

After a slow start flounder fishing is picking up steam. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, bay and coastal wrecks, artificial reefs and inside Lynnhaven Inlet are good spots.

Anglers continue catching cobia throughout the bay and along the coast. Chumming and using live or cut bait is working well. When fish are spotted near the surface anglers are sight-casting to them.

Knot Wish’n Charters

Large red drum are around the CBBT and along the coast. Puppy drum are feeding inside local inlets, Little Creek, Rudee and Lynnhaven ….. Rudee Inlet is still full of small stripers.

There’s a few sheepshead to be had along the CBBT.

Look for spadefish around the CBBT islands and navigation buoys. Triggers and spades are hanging around coastal wrecks.

Speckled trout numbers are decent throughout the lower bay and inlets.

Tarpon have shown up on the Eastern Shore in the barrier islands backwaters.

The Virginia Beach Fishing Pier reported roundhead, blues at the end of the pier, and flounder in the surf zone.

Our local offshore marlin tournaments should be great! Virginia bluewater action is fantastic right now. White and blue marlin, sailfish, spearfish and swordfish are showing in good numbers. Dolphin fishing is fantastic. Maryland had a new state record dolphin caught last week.

The 46th annual White Marlin Open out of Ocean City MD is the first tournament up, August 5-9. Then comes the the 30th annual Alice Kelly Memorial Ladies-Only Billfish Tournament out of Manteo, NC on Aug. 10-11 and then the 36th annual Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament on Aug. 12-16. After that the tournament actions gets real local, at Rudee Inlet. The 17th annual Wine, Women and Fishing ladies-only event Aug. 17-18, followed by the 16th annual Virginia Beach Billfish Tournament on Aug. 21-24.

Offshore deep-droppers are catching limits of tilefish. Amberjacks (wreck donkeys) are at the towers.

OBX, NC

Spanish, pompano, sea mullet, flounder and bluefish are scattered along the OBX from Kitty Hawk to Hatteras Island.

The OBX pier report goes like this, Avalon: mullet, bluefish and triggers. Nags Head: flounder, mullet, bluefish, and blow toads. Jennette’s: pigfish, gray trout, sea mullet. Outer Banks: gray trout, sea mullet and pigfish. Anglers on the Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway are catching trout and bottom fish.

Inshore boats are catching trout, stripers, ribbonfish, spanish …. amberjack are on the near shore AR’s and around the Navy towers. Soundside fishermen are catching lots of trout.

The offshore fleet is catching limits of nice dolphin along with good numbers of yellowfin, black fin, a few wahoo. Daily a good number of blue marlin, white marlin and a few Sailfish are released.