Virginia Saltwater Fishing Report

Knot Wish’n Custom Charters

This week, red drum have been sighted and landed by boats fishing along the ocean front, and some of them have been caught by anglers fishing off the Virginia Beach Fishing Pier. These fish are heading to the Bay, where they will look for shallow waters near Latimer Shoal. In May, you will have more opportunities to spot and sight cast to schools of these huge fish.

Tautog are also biting well right now. You can catch them around any structure that offers shelter, such as wrecks, reefs, rocks and the CBBT pylons. The current state record for tautog is 24 lbs 3 oz, set by Ken Neill in 2012. Don’t miss your chance to catch them before the season ends on May 15th.

Bluefish

Flounder, speckled trout. puppy drum and bluefish are beginning to appear in the inlets. Some nice specks have been caught this week in Rudee and Lynnhaven Inlets. Connie at Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle reports that the puppy drum bite is hot inside Lynnhaven Inlet.  The best spot to catch flounder is still Wachapreague on the Eastern Shore, but you can also find some along the CBBT. As the water warms up, you will see more flounder in the Bay.

Chris and crew had a great day of flounder fishing near Wachapreague. They caught them in 25 feet of water on pink Gulp grubs, during the outgoing tide.

Sheepshead are also in the Bay now, and they will be more plentiful in May and June. They like to stay near structure, so use fiddler crabs or mole crabs as bait and fish close to the bottom or next to bridge pylons.

Black drum are still along the channel edge from Fisherman’s Island to Cape Charles. You can find them by looking for boats anchored near Kiptopeake, the Cabbage Patch and the Concrete Ships.

If you go offshore you can catch sea bass, but the season is closed until  May 15. Tilefish and tuna are  available. Captains have been marking a lot of black fin tuna in 895 to 010 area. One crew recently brought home five.

Outer Banks of North Carolina Report

Zach Small with Capt. Spencer Gaskins of South Wind Charters. Beautiful 42” citation red.

There’s plenty of options to choose from on the OBX now. Whether you prefer the surf, the sound, or the offshore waters, you can find a variety of fish to catch and enjoy.

In the surf zone, red and black drum are abundant from Duck to Hatteras. You can catch them in different sizes, from small to large. Some nice trout are also biting in the mornings on the northern beaches. And if you are after sea mullet, you can find a few decent ones starting to show up. At the Point, you can try your luck with some big sharks and a few big drum.

In the inshore waters near Hatteras, you can find some large sheepshead that will put up a fight. You can also encounter some schools of big red and black drum just off the beach. And if you are lucky, you might see and catch a nice cobia, they have been spotted recently.

On the sound side, the schools of drum are still roaming around the flats near the inlet. You can catch some puppy drum as well as some bigger ones. The trout bite has also been good lately, with some bigger fish being caught. In addition, you can find some nice bluefish and black drum in the sound.

The offshore bite has been a bit slow, but not too bad. You can still catch some yellowfin, blackfin, wahoo, and king mackerel. These fish are always fun to catch and delicious to eat.

So what are you waiting for? Book your charter today!

RUDEE INLET CHARTER BOATS