Thanksgiving Fishing Rundown

Bob Caudle with a nice 6 lb 1 oz. speck!

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Fishing for speckled trout and puppy drum has been excellent, hopefully many of you can take advantage of the long weekend and get in on the action.

The trout are being caught in a number of locations. Inside Lynnhaven Inlet, Rudee Inlet, Little Creek Inlet, on the Poquoson Flats, in most creeks along the bay side of the Eastern Shore and in the York and Elizabeth rivers. Live shrimp is the best bait if you can find them but a 4-inch sea shad, various Mirr-o-lures or suspending jerk baits will work.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel pilings are holding striped bass. School-sized rock are being found in good numbers throughout the lower bay, especially at night around any bridges and piers with lights.

Dr Ken Neill, puppy drum in the Bay

Some sizable puppy drum are being caught in the inlets and rivers as well as in the ocean surf.

The tautog bite is good right now. Fresh cut crab or fiddler crabs will be your best bait. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel islands are an excellent place to target the taugs.

There’s an excellent black seabass bite on offshore structures now. The same structures are holding some quality flounder, black drum and triggerfish.

The offshore OBX charters are doing well with the yellowfin and blackfin tuna right now. Catches of wahoo are in the mix as well. There’s some red hot live bait king mackerel fishing out of Hatteras Inlet.

Eric Stevens, swordfish, congratulations!

Virginia Deep-droppers can expect good catches of sea bass, tilefish and some snowy grouper. And there are good numbers of swordfish available.