Nice Drum On Key Dreams Charter!
By TH Spangler | Connie Barbour
The hot weather is here and the summer fishing pattern is setting up in Virginia waters.
The cobia season is open and anglers are catching. Both chumming and sight casting are working! Anglers sight-fishing for cobia are also seeing large schools of red drum. Even prior to the season opening numerous trophy cobia release citations were registered. Remember all anglers, captains and guides fishing for cobia must obtain a Recreational Cobia Permit from VMRC and report all harvest and cobia fishing activity.
Spanish mackerel and taylor blues have arrived along the oceanfront. Anglers trolling for bluefish and spanish are also encountering the large red drum and cobia.
Eastern Shore flounder catches remain strong inside the seaside inlets.
The coastal wrecks are holding good numbers of sea bass and there should be some triggerfish. Spadefish can be found over the wrecks and flounder can be found around them. Spadefish are being caught at the Chesapeake Light Tower. A nice class of sheepshead have shown up in their usual holding spots. Small bluefish and striped bass are still holding around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel islands.
Offshore anglers making a long run south out of Virginia or fishing from Oregon Inlet have been experiencing one of the best tuna seasons in years. The big eye tuna numbers have been off the charts and so have the size of the yellowfins. Many, many of the hooked tuna have been lost to the sharks. A couple of boats fished their way back to Rudee Inlet this week and reported good tuna fishing all the way. The good tuna conditions are moving closer to the Virginia charter fleet. Offshore bottom fishing remains strong for tilefish and sea bass.
Water Temps
Ches Bay Bridge: 77.0 F
Cape Henry: 76.0 F
Kiptopeke: 78.6 F
Duck NC Pier: 77.9 F
Oregon Inlet Sound side: 79.1 F
OI offshore Buoy @ 60 feet: 76.7 F
Hatteras Surf: 79.7 F
Diamond Shoals Tower: 80.3 F
Views Last 7 days : 1512
Views Last 30 days : 5139