Virginia Beach Saltwater Fishing Report

If you love fishing, Independence Day is a great opportunity to celebrate our great nation and enjoy some quality time on the water! Here’s some tips and updates on what’s biting and where to find them.

Paige II Charters

Flounder: The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel is a hotspot for flounder fishing. You can use bucktails with a Gulp, or fresh strip baits, or live bait to entice them.

Spadefish: If you want to catch some spadefish, head to the Chesapeake Light Tower and nearby buoys. You can also find some at the bridge tunnel now. Paige II Charters had a successful trip recently with some keeper flounder and spadefish. Congratulations to Dennis Martin from the South Boston, VA area, who caught a 9 lb 9 oz spadefish, his first citation!

Hight Hopes Charters

Knot Wish’n Charters

Spanish Mackerel: The oceanfront is the best place to find Spanish mackerel right now. But they are also in the Bay near York Spit, Windmill Bar, and Latimer Shoal. In the ocean you’ll catch ribbonfish along with them. High Hopes Charters and Knot Wish’n Guide Service have been having a lot of fun with Spanish Mackerel lately.

Cobia: Cobia are roaming along the oceanfront and up the Bay to the mouth of the Potomac. You can chum for them or sight cast to them with live eels or baitfish such as croaker or spot.

Sheepshead: Sheepshead are hanging around hard structures in the bay, like reefs, bridge pilings, and wrecks. Fiddler crabs and cut blue crabs are the best bait for them.

Tautog: Tautog season reopened July 1 and they are in the same area as the Sheepshead.

Red Drum: Red drum schools are being seen around the CBBT islands. You can cast to them with spoons or jigs.

Local rivers and inlets are holding a variety of fish, such as Flounder, Rockfish, Trout, Puppy Drum, Spot and Croaker.

Tarpon: Tarpon are arriving in their usual feeding holes. One is on the Eastern Shore behind Cobb Island. Look for them in some of the southside rivers as well.

Offshore: Anglers are catching some nice Tuna, Big Eye, Yellow Fin and Bluefin. Dolphin, Wahoo and Billfish are available. Deep droppers are catching nice Tilefish.

Amberjack: Look for AJ’s around all the offshore towers. Live Spot are the best bait, but they will hit jigs.

OBX, NC Report

The sound side anglers have been enjoying a great run of big Trout and Drum from Hatteras to Currituck. These fish have been biting on both artificial and natural/live bait, and have been caught by kayakers, boaters, and waders. Other species reported include Black Drum, Bluefish, Flounder, and Sheepshead.

The piers have been producing some decent catches of Spot, Sea Mullet, Croaker, Bluefish, and Ribbonfish.

Surf fishing on the northern beaches has been slow this week, with only a few reports of Spot, Sea Mullet, and Bluefish. On Hatteras Island surf anglers have been catching Pompano, Sea Mullet, Spanish Mackerel, Cobia, Sharks, and some nice Drum.

The offshore fishing has been inconsistent. Some days fantastic, and other not so much. Boats are looking for Billfish, Yellowfin Tuna, Big Eye Tuna, Dolphin, Wahoo, and Bluefin Tuna.

We hope you have a wonderful Independence Day and catch some fish!

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