Aug 16 2020

Virginia Beach Fishing Rundown

  • August 16, 2020

Knot Wish’n Charters

Larger red drum and cobia are plentiful throughout the lower bay and along the coast. Anglers are catching them sight casting or by anchoring and chumming.

Sharks are plentiful throughout the area and there are some nice kings and false albacore out there.

Anglers are also finding plenty of bluefish, ribbonfish and large spanish mackerel. The spanish can be found along the oceanfront and in the Bay from the CBBT up to Mobjack Bay and the mouths of the Rappahannock and York Rivers. Both planers and in-line sinkers and Clark or Drone spoons are working.

Hooked on Hope Virginia Beach Spanish Mackerel tournament action!

The Hooked on Hope Virginia Beach Spanish Mackerel tournament was Saturday out of Long Bay Pointe Marina. https://hookedonhopevb.org/

Look for plenty of spadefish along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and at navigational buoys in the bay and along the coast. Look for sheapshead along the CBBT span.

Paige II Charters

Flounder catches are on the rise at the CBBT and around ocean structures. Some larger ones have been caught. August through September is peak season for the flat fish.

The speckled trout bite has been excellent. Lynnhaven Inlet and Little Creek as well as Mobjack Bay, the Piankatank and Rappahannock Rivers have been good locations. In Lynnhaven Inlet and Little Creek anglers are finding puppy drum as well. The creeks along the Eastern Shore are traditionally good for Specks.

Tarpon are in the backwater holes on the Eastern Shore barrier islands, especially around Oyster.

Spot and croaker are available along bay beaches and tidal rivers. They are getting larger by the day. There have been some pretty nice sized spot caught.

Beaches and piers are seeing puppy drum, specks, croaker, spot and sea mullet.

Sea bass are available on offshore wrecks.

High Hopes Charters

Bluewater trollers can expect white marlin, some blues, wahoo, dolphin and scattered tuna. The boat Rebel out of Rudee Inlet caught and released over two dozen white marlin and a blue one-day last week. Captain David Wright, High Hopes Charters has been mixing it up offshore. He’s been successfully trolling for marlin, sailfish and dolphin then changing up and deep dropping for tilefish.

Rudee Tours, our head boat sponsor has 17 hour offshore deep drop trips scheduled for Aug 20, 27, and Sep 3.

It’s tournament time along the mid-Atlantic. The Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament out of Manteo, NC, and the Alice Kelly Memorial Women’s Only Tournament is in the books. https://www.pcbgt.com/

The Virginia Beach Billfish Tournament follows next week. https://vbbt.com/

https://www.facebook.com/140819029276/videos/2693534820933862/

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2020/08/16/virginia-beach-fishing-rundown-16/

Aug 11 2020

Head Boat Report

  • August 11, 2020

Fishing on the Rudee Inlet head boat fleet has been excellent this week!

The offshore action has been hot with many citation bluelines along with some nice black sea bass and 15 golden tiles.

Inshore, we’ve seen some great croakers with a lot of spot mixed in.

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2020/08/11/head-boat-report/

Aug 10 2020

Virginia Beach Fishing Rundown

  • August 10, 2020

High Hopes Charters

This is prime billfish season along the mid-atlantic coast. White and blue marlin, sailfish, spearfish and swordfish are available now. Captain David Wright on the High Hopes says dolphin numbers are on the rise as well, with some nice gaffers available. Tuna fishing is fair, last year this is when some really big yellowfin tuna were landed to our south, in Carolina waters.

White Marlin Open Winners

The 2020 Ocean City MD White Marlin Open wrapped up Sunday night with a new tournament record fish. 433 registered boats caught fish that were collectively worth $6.7 million dollars during the weeklong event.

The top prize of over $1.6 million went to the “Canyon Blues” out of Ocean City, MD for the huge 97-pound white marlin caught by Brandon Golueke from Chester, MD on Saturday. That fish stands as the 3rd largest white marlin weighed in the 47-year White Marlin Open history.

Record setting dolphin!

Congratulations to Captain Steve Richardson and crew on the Backlash, for winning the dolphin category with a record 73.5-pounder caught by Matt Wagner. A complete list of all tournament winners can be found on the tournament website at www.whitemarlinopen.com

Inshore, spanish mackerel, blues and sharks are keeping charters busy. A gold Clark or Drone spoon seems to be working best for the mackerel. Mixed in with the spanish and blues are a large number of ribbonfish. And don’t be surprised to pick up a nice king. Several nice ones were landed close in this week. It’s always nice when the captain can get away from the helm and grab a rod, Dr Ken Neill did just that and checked in with his first ever spanish mackerel citation.

Ocean Pearl Charters

Captain Steve Wray and crew on the Ocean Pearl have been enjoying limits of blues and mackerel.

Our flounder season is officially on now. Limits of quality fish are being weighed. Jigging bucktails dressed with strip bait or a scented Gulp work well. But remember big fish like big bait. A live spot should do the trick.

VBSF sponsor Captain Craig Paige, Paige II Charters had a great catch of flatfish Aug 8th, the biggest weighed in at 7 lbs.

Cobia catches are being reported throughout the lower bay. Live eels, live spot or croaker are your best bait but they will hit artificial baits when spotted on the surface.

Red Drum are still available and should continue to be the rest of the summer.

Speckled Trout catches have been good recently.

There is good sized spot being caught in Chesapeake Bay tributaries now. Spot fishing peaks in August and September.

The Virginia Beach Pier reports nice roundheads and spots. Spanish, blues and small sharks are always a possibility.

Rudee Tours, nice tilefish

The sea bass bite remains good. Limit catches are not uncommon. Deep droppers are catching tilefish at the canyon. Rudee Tours, our head boat sponsor has 17 hour offshore trips scheduled for Aug 13, 20, 27, and Sep 3. They also run daily inshore ½ day, ¾ day, full day and night trips. Give them a call, 757-425-3400.

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2020/08/10/virginia-beach-fishing-rundown-15/

Aug 03 2020

Virginia Beach Fishing Rundown

  • August 3, 2020

World class Drum fishing on the HIGH HOPES!

Fishing has been good in front of tropical storm Isaias. It looks like the storm will pass by us Monday night and Tuesday, things should settle down again by Wednesday.

There’s been some world class red drum fishing taking place in our backyard! ….. Huge schools of red drum have been surfacing in the lower Bay. As long as no one spooks them angers can sight cast. Many days everyone on the boat has been able to land and release a citation fish.

Captain Brandon Cook, 12 pounder!

Paige II Charters, large spanish and flounder to boot!

The large, doormat flounder started showing on scales last week. Fish in the 4-6 pounds range have been caught near the CBBT, the Cell and around wrecks.

Cobia on the High Hopes!

Finicky cobia are throughout the bay. Sight casting is the most productive technic now.

Good times with captain Todd on the Knot Wish’n!

Spanish mackerel schools are still thick and the fish are larger now. Anglers are trolling Drone and Clark spoons behind line sinkers or planers. The fish are scattered from Sandbridge to Cape Henry and in the bay all the way up to Reedville. Ribbonfish are feeding in the same areas and anglers are catching them on diving plugs.

Nice King Mack, 23 lbs caught by Cashin Prutsman

While not thick, there are some impressive king mackerel available in near shore ocean waters.

Spadefish are hanging around the CBBT, many ocean buoys and the Light Tower. Anglers are floating fresh clam morsels to them on small hooks. If they are not aggressively feeding, try putting some chum in the water.

Ocean structures are holding flounder, spadefish, and seabass. The deeper wrecks hold seabass, tilefish and grouper. Amberjack are around the towers.

Backlash, deepwater success! Tiles and Swords.

The charter boats are bringing in a few yellowfin tuna, mahi, swordfish and tilefish. White and blue marlin releases are on the rise.

Long Bay Pointe Marina and the Virginia Beach Fishing Center hosted the 2020 Virginia Beach Tuna Tournament over the weekend. Congratulations to the crew onboard the High Tyde, winners . Here’s the way they finished.

1 High Tyde 148.1
2 Celerity 106.1
3 Ateuptoo 89.8
4 Lorie V 89.5
5 Reelin’ N’ Dealin’ 81.3
6 Chasin Tail 69.3
7 Toro 51.9
8 Reel Estate 51.1
9 Waverunner 50.9
10 LuLu 50.6
11 Knot N Line 46.5
12 Rambler 40.7

Largest Single Tuna / High Tyde 52.7
Largest Wahoo / Fly’N Fish 71.5
Largest Dolphin / LeGrande Slam II 16.1

Who wants to be the next millionaire?

This week the tournament stage moves to Ocean City MD, for the 47th Annual White Marlin Open. As of Sunday evening 433 boats had registered to fish for a world record fishing purse of 6.7 million dollars. Anglers will target white and blue marlin, tuna, wahoo, dolphin and shark. Due to the weather forecast the tournament dates were extended by two days. Tropical storm Isaias is expected to pass by Ocean City on Tuesday. Each boat is permitted to fish any 3 days from Monday August 3 through Sunday August 9.
https://whitemarlinopen.com/

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2020/08/03/virginia-beach-fishing-rundown-14/

Jul 27 2020

Virginia Beach Fishing Rundown

  • July 27, 2020

Looks like another great week of fishing coming! The water temps are in the low 80’s inshore and off. The weather forecast looks good this week, with winds around 10 mph out of the southwest through Saturday. There’s a slight chance of a thunderstorm each day.

Trolling close to the beach has been producing bluefish, nice size spanish mackerel and ribbonfish. Captain Todd Beck, Knot Wish’n charters says many citation size (4lb) spanish mackerel were caught this week.

King mackerel have been spotted skying and a few have been landed.

Ocean Pearl Charters, nice spanish mackerel catch!

Team East Coast Leisure

Flounder action is good throughout the bay. Good action is coming from along CBBT, inside inlets, around the Hampton Bar and Back Reef. Team East Coast Leisure won the 10th Annual Virginia Beach Flounder Tournament this past weekend.

Rick Zimmerman and Son. 48 inch red drum at the 4th island

Red drum and cobia can be found throughout the area and many anglers are sight-casting for them. Captain Beck said Schools of bull reds have made frequently appearances on the surface this week. He said many of the cobia on the buoys willing to take a bait are undersized.

Black drum can be found around the islands of the CBBT.

Spades and triggers are available on inshore structure especially along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and at The Cell off the Eastern Shore. Sheepshead action is also good in the same locations.

Speckled trout and puppy drum are in all southside inlets, the Elizabeth, Lafayette and Back rivers.

Small croaker and spot can be found throughout the lower bay. Anglers fishing at the Virginia Beach Piers and along the beach are catching spots, roundheads and blues.

OFFSHORE BLUEWATER

Tuna, dolphin, shark and billfish are available to offshore trollers. When offshore Captain David Wright on the High Hopes like others has been trolling early and then deep-dropping for swords, tilefish, grouper, rosefish, sea bass.

Offshore wrecks and navigation structures are holding wreck donkeys, amberjack.

The Virginia Beach Tuna tournament is scheduled for this week. Weigh stations will be set up at Long Bay Pointe Marina and the Virginia Beach Fishing Center.  The captains meeting will be live streamed on Wednesday and the weigh-ins Thursday – Saturday. http://vbtuna.com/

The Virginia Beach Invitational Marlin Tournament took place this past weekend out of Rudee Inlet. Fishing started off slow but picked up. Anglers ended the tournament with 105 total releases (98 whites, 4 blues, 3 sails). The total payout was $92,355.  https://vbbt.com/

RESULTS

1st Place- Cotton Picker 1000 points
2nd Place- Sea Trader 900 points
3rd Place- Victory Lap 800 points

Top Junior angler- Adam Kilby (age 14), 6 white marlin releases on Mama C
Top Lady angler- Wendy Brockenbrough, 8 white marlin releases on Sea Trader

Day 1 daily – Victory Lap (grand slam)
Day 2 daily- Reelin N Dealin (6 releases)
Day 3 daily- Cotton Picker (7 releases)
Top tuna- 50.6 pounds on Cotton Picker
Top dolphin- 34.0 pounds on Juggernaut

Gavin Cowan (age 13) with 4 releases, and R.B. Brown (age15) with 3 releases!

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2020/07/27/virginia-beach-fishing-rundown-13/

Jul 19 2020

Virginia Beach Fishing Rundown

  • July 19, 2020

Paige II Charters Killing The Flounder!

This week should provide more great fishing action! The weather looks good, air temps in the upper 80’s to low 90’s and the water temp along the oceanfront a warm 82°. There’s only a slight chance of a thunderstorm each day. Lite winds and slick conditions are predicted all week.

Flounder action has picked up. They’re being caught along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and on rough Bay bottom. Many of the larger fish are being taken around near-shore wrecks and artificial reefs. Drifting flounder rigs and jigging have both been effective. Remember large baits catch big flounder. Captain Craig Paige, Paige II Charters specializes in flounder fishing. If you want to go he has a few openings the middle to end of August. They won’t last long.

Michelle Cowling, Eastern Shore Specks

Rudee, Lynnhaven, Little Creek and Eastern Shore Inlets are holding some small flounder along with a few speckled trout and puppy drum. Fresh whole shrimp under a popping cork rig is your best bet for the pups and specks.

Ocean Pearl Charters Getting It Done!

Boats trolling Clark spoons behind an in-line weight or planer along the oceanfront or near tidal rips in the Bay are catching nice spanish mackerel. Anglers working coastal wrecks are catching triggerfish.

Cobia are being caught throughout the lower Bay. Both sight-casters and angler anchoring and chumming are catching. The 2020 Virginia recreational cobia regulation is 40-inch total length, minimum size limit; 1-fish daily possession limit or 3-fish-daily vessel limit, whichever is more restrictive; only one fish per vessel per day may be greater than 50 inches in total length; the season runs through September 30. All anglers, captains, and guides fishing for cobia must obtain a Recreational Cobia Permit from the Commission and report all harvest and cobia fishing activity. Permits can be obtained online.

https://mrc.virginia.gov/regulations/fr510.shtm

Red drum are cruising the lower Bay. Occasionally anglers encounter large schools on the surface. The trick is to ease up near them without spooking them.  These fish are usually large, and must be released as they are usually over the maximum 26-inch size limit.

Sheepshead are hanging around the pilling of the CBBT now. Small crabs are your best bait. Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle usually has them in the live tank.

Spadefish remain plentiful. Look for them around buoys, pilings and over wrecks. The Chesapeake Light tower is a favorite spot but some of the larger fish are being found in the Bay, at the Cell near Cape Charles.

Croaker are available throughout the lower bay now.

Nice Spanish Off The Virginia Beach Pier!

Virginia Beach Pier anglers are reporting spanish, blues, spots, roundhead, spadefish, small trout and small founder.

The Eastern Shore shallows are holding some tarpon. Catching a tarpon in Virginia waters is special.

BLUEWATER

High Hopes Charters Mixing It Up!

The offshore fleet has been finding a few tuna, some large wahoo, white marlin, a few blue marlin and sailfish. Dolphin catches should increase. There have been some really big ones laned to our south. I look for an outstanding mahi mahi season.

Deep-droppers are enjoying excellent catches of golden and blueline tilefish, along with sea bass.

Look for amberjack around the south tower.

Rudee Angler Headboat Catching Some Nice Tilefish!

NEWS FLASH

Effective August 17, 2020 private vessels fishing for tilefish in the Mid-Atlantic must get a permit and file a catch report.

NOAA Fisheries is requiring private recreational tilefish vessels in the Mid-Atlantic to get permits and file catch reports. These changes were approved in Amendment 6 to the Tilefish Fishery Management Plan, and will be effective August 17, 2020. This action is being taken to better characterize and monitor the recreational fisheries for both blueline tilefish and golden tilefish.

You can get your federal private recreational tilefish vessel permit through Fish Online. This new permit is required even if a vessel already holds a for-hire tilefish permit. Call the NOAA Permit Office at 978-282-8438 for questions about the permitting process.

Private recreational tilefish anglers must also fill out and submit an electronic vessel trip report within 24 hours of returning to port for trips where tilefish were targeted and/or retained. Reports can be submitted through any NOAA Fisheries approved electronic reporting system.

Read the final rule as filed in the Federal Register, and the permit holder bulletin on the NOAA website.

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2020/07/19/virginia-beach-fishing-rundown-12/

Jul 13 2020

Virginia Beach Fishing Rundown

  • July 13, 2020

July and August are peak fishing months in our area. If I had to pick a top species this week it would be cobia.

Some extremely large cobia are cursing our waters right now. To catch one, cast, drift or slow troll live baits around buoys or underwater obstructions. You can also anchor and chum, then put out live baits in the slick. You can try fresh dead baits and cut bait on bottom under the slick. Keep an eye out for schools swimming on the surface. If you see schools of large rays, cobia are usually swimming with them. Don’t forget you need a cobia permit from VMRC to target cobia. Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle can help or you can visit the VMRC website and get one online. Its free.

Nice Spanish Fishing on the Ocean Pearl

All the VBSF charter boat sponsors are reporting nice catches of spanish mackerel. Look for them along the oceanfront and near tide rips in the bay. Ribbonfish are in the same areas. Captain Todd Beck, Knot Wish’n Charters has been catching spanish and ribbonfish and said the Marcia B caught a nice king mackerel last week.

If you want to get in on the action you need to call one of our sponsors ASAP. Word is you guys have them nearly booked solid.

Marcia B and Captain Kurt, pretty work!

Big bull red drum numbers are good this time of year. In July it’s not uncommon to find large schools feeding on the surface. Try casting bucktails to them, but just about any lure will work when they’re feeding on top. Hang on, bull drum to over 50 inches are not uncommon.

Captain Nolan Agner from Aquaman Charters says spadefish catches have slowed a bit. Most likely this is due to so many boats targeting them. If you can find an area that hasn’t been fish hard try some fresh clam, clam chum will keep them interested and up behind the boat.

Some nice flounder are being caught near the CBBT area. Any artificial reef is a good location to fish. Sheepshead are hanging around bridge pilings.

Spot and Croaker catches inside rivers are steady. Speckled Trout and puppy drum are inside Lynnhaven Inlet, more pups than trout.

Virginia Beach Fishing Pier anglers are catching spanish, sea mullet, bluefish and puppy drum.

BLUEWATER

Excellent catches of yellowfin tuna are still occurring offshore. Boats are also returning with mahi, wahoo, and bigeye tuna. Catches of blue marlin, white marlin are increasing. There’s excellent numbers of white marlin and tuna to our north, off Maryland. As these fish spread out they will start showing up on our docks. It only gets better!

Deep drop action on the Rudee Angler has been great for tilefish and seabass. Captain Nolan, Aquaman Charters reports lots of tilefish.

https://www.facebook.com/140819029276/videos/231094054514244/

 

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2020/07/13/virginia-beach-fishing-rundown-11/

Jul 06 2020

Virginia Beach Fishing Rundown

  • July 6, 2020

Rebel

It’s time to roll, everything’s biting off Virginia Beach right now.

The offshore bluewater action is red hot! The yellowfin tuna, big eye tuna and marlin are hungry. Some really large bigeye tuna are in the mix. Cecil Hatfield fishing onboard the Showtime landed a 242 pounder. On Sunday the boat Rebel caught one blue marlin and eleven white marlin. It’s time to go guys!

Cecil Hatfield

Rudee Angler

The Rudee Angler headboat departing from the Virginia Beach Fishing Center says their deep water bottom dropping trips have been outstanding. Anglers are catching lots of tilefish, rosefish and a few snowy grouper. The VB Fishing Center Head boats also run daily inshore trips.

Spanish Action on the Ocean Pearl

Captain David Wright on the High Hopes says spanish mackerel fishing is peaking and should be very good for a few weeks. There are bluefish mixed in with the Spanish and Dr Ken Neill reports loads of ribbonfish in the same areas. Captain Steve Wray on the Ocean Pearl out of Long Bay Pointe Marina has been loading up with spanish mackerel on his morning and evening trips.

Captain Todd Beck from Knot Wish’n Guide Service out of Rudee Inlet says king mackerel have been seen jumping near the spanish schools. Shouldn’t be long before someone lays a 40 plus pound king on the deck.

Coastal wrecks, the Chesapeake Light Tower and coastal buoys are holding some really nice spadefish and triggerfish. Look for spadefish, triggerfish and sheepshead along the CBBT as well.

Big red drum and cobia also are available along the coast. Reds also are being taken around the mouth of the bay and along the shoals. A number of puppy drum have been landed near the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel.

The black drum are in Eastern Shore inlets and around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel islands.

Nice Flounder

Flounder numbers are on the upswing, look for them inside our inlets, around inshore wrecks, along the CBBT, near the Concrete Ships, around the Back River, the Hampton Bar and Eastern Shore flats.

Cobia are being taken throughout the lower bay, most anglers are chumming and using bait, others sight-casting.

Speckled trout and puppy drum are in all three inlets and in the Elizabeth and York rivers.

Carter Baum and Henry Baum, Nice Sea Bass

David Hayden and Crew on the tiles!

On July 3rd David Hayden, Nick Skamagos, John Fantasia, Gabriel Lopez fished the Canyon and found plenty of small mahi on the surface and blueline tilefish in 325-370 ft of water.

Carter Baum and his cousin Henry Baum got in on some sea bass action last week.

Thanks for the report guys! Send those reports and pictures to [email protected]

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2020/07/06/virginia-beach-fishing-rundown-10/

Jun 29 2020

Virginia Beach Fishing Rundown

  • June 29, 2020

Cobia are plentiful throughout the bay. Hot spots include Latimer Shoals, Bluefish Rock and Windmill Bar. Be sure and check around each buoys you pass. Most fisherman are chumming but many fish are caught by sight casting. Remember captains or operators of vessels fishing for cobia must obtain a Recreational Cobia Permit from VMRC and report all cobia fishing activity. Permits can be obtained online here or at an MRC Licensing Agent.

Anglers are having good success with spanish mackerel throughout the bay and along the oceanfront. The water temp along the oceanfront is 76.5 degrees now. Clark spoons and Drone spoons are what most anglers troll behind an in-line weight or planer board. Surface birds are another good method of presenting baits for the mackerel and bluefish.

Ribbonfish are back. Last year those targeting spanish mackerel loaded up with them. At first, they were considered a throwback fish until some good recipes were posted online. Now they go in the cooler!     http://localsseafood.com/nc-seafood-guide/ribbonfish/

Big red drum are still available throughout the lower Bay. Latimer Shoal and the shallow water near the northern section of the CBBT are where most of the fish are caught, but schools can pop up anywhere around the the CBBT area. A popular angling technique for drum fishing is anchoring and chumming over the shoals.  Make sure you anchor on top of the shoal and position yourself so your baits drift back to the deeper waters.  Once in position try chumming crushed clams and fresh menhaden.  Use fish-finder rigs with a pyramid sinker, 6-8 oz on the slide.  Pyramids will help keep your baits in place through the moving current. You want to have moving water when fishing for drum.

Catches of spadefish continue to occur at the Chesapeake Light Tower and have increased at the CBBT. The easiest times to catch spadefish are during slack tide or in calm seas when the fish can often be seen fining on the surface. The bait of choice is clam though squid will work when the fish are real aggressive. Cut the clam into long strips with a piece of the foot in each strip. Hook the bait through the tough foot area and let the rest hang free.

Flounder catches have increased around structure in the lower bay and there’s been reports of hit and miss croaker catches in the rivers.

The Virginia Beach Fishing Pier reports the water temp at 75 degrees and anglers catching spanish, blues, spot, roundhead, skates and trout.

Virginia Beach’s offshore bluewater action is getting better by the day, it should peak in July and August. The Yellowfin Tuna bite has been great lately and some wahoo and dolphin are in the mix. A nice blue marlin was caught over the weekend. Blue marlin encounters will increase in July and peak, just in time for the Virginia Beach Billfish Tournament August 19-22. White marlin action usually continues into September.

Deep droppers are still catching plenty of golden tilefish and seabass.

Charter Boat Reports

Captain Jake Beck, Knot Wish’n guide service says the spanish mackerel and bluefish bite was a little inconsistent last week. Reports are, its picking up today. Captain Todd just sent us a text message and said he had 4 on right then. Red Drum and cobia are around. The cobia have been reluctant to eat lately. A few king mackerel were spotted breaching the surface.

Captain Nolan Agner, Aquaman Charters reports good spadefish numbers. Spanish fishing is fair. The cobia  are here and there. The drum popped up the last couple days. Offshore he said tuna fishing was fair to good.

Captain David Wright, High Hopes Charters is reporting a nice mix of blueline tilefish and yellowfin tuna on his offshore trips. He’s been doing some drops for swordfish. He had a broadbill swordfish attack one of his baits last trip, but it slipped the hook. Inshore his family fishing trips are in full swing. They are catching mostly spanish and ribbonfish.

Captain Steve Wray, Ocean Pearl Charters is running from Long Bay Pointe Marina. He’s been running mostly Bay trips. They are catching lots of spanish mackerel and some bluefish. Cobia are always a possibility.

Give a VBSF charter boat sponsor a call and get in on the action! Tell them we sent you!

Tight-lines!

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2020/06/29/virginia-beach-fishing-rundown-9/

Jun 28 2020

Paige II Charters Update

  • June 28, 2020

https://h1q.f32.myftpupload.com/virginia-beach-charters/lynnhaven-inlet/paige-ii-charters/

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2020/06/28/paige-ii-charters-update/

Jun 28 2020

Ocean Pearl Charters Update

  • June 28, 2020

https://h1q.f32.myftpupload.com/virginia-beach-charters/lynnhaven-inlet/ocean-pearl-sport-fishing/

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2020/06/28/ocean-pearl-charters-update/

Jun 28 2020

Aquaman Charters Update

  • June 28, 2020

https://h1q.f32.myftpupload.com/virginia-beach-charters/rudee-inlet-fishing-charter-boats/aquaman-sport-fishing/

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2020/06/28/aquaman-charters-update/

Jun 28 2020

Knot Wish’n Charters Update

  • June 28, 2020

https://h1q.f32.myftpupload.com/virginia-beach-charters/guides/knot-wishn-guide-services/

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2020/06/28/knot-wishn-charters-update/

Jun 28 2020

High Hopes Charters Update

  • June 28, 2020

Family fishing trips are in full swing! High Hopes can take up to 15.  Highlight of your summer!

https://h1q.f32.myftpupload.com/virginia-beach-charters/rudee-inlet-fishing-charter-boats/high-hopes-charters/

 

 

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2020/06/28/high-hopes-charters-update/

Jun 22 2020

Virginia Beach Fishing Rundown

  • June 22, 2020

High Hopes Charters

Last week started off with everyone stuck at the dock. But after the wind died down the good fishing continued. There’s a good variety of fishing to choose from this time of year.

Offshore, the tuna action is red hot! And the fish are close to home, near the 900 line. Most boats have their limit before 11 am. VBSF sponsor Captain David Wright on the High Hopes filled his box by 9:15 am. Most captains completed their day deep dropping for golden tilefish or swordfish. Hope the tuna bite stays good into August. The Virginia Beach Tuna Tournament runs July 29th – August 1st, 2020. Weigh stations for the VBTT are at the Virginia Beach Fishing Center and Long Bay Pointe Marina.

Rudee Angler Tilefish Action!

The Rudee Angler Headboat, sailing from the Virginia Beach Fishing Center had an outstanding week catching golden tilefish. They also run shorter nearshore and inshore trips.

Ocean Pearl Charters

Good Spanish mackerel fishing continued along the oceanfront and in the lower bay. Most fish are being caught using Clark or Drone spoons tie directly to a 20-30 foot mono leader run behind a planer or in-line trolling sinker. Captain Beck from Knot Wish’n Charters said once the weather cleared the water was a little cooler and churned up, but they found some quality spanish mackerel. Captain Steve Wray, Ocean Pearl Charters out of Long Bay Pointe Marina put his crew on the spanish as well. Mackerel numbers should continue to increase in the coming days.

Healthy Grin Action

Cobia action is excellent. Most anglers are fishing live bait in chum slicks. But always have a rod ready to sight cast. Last Friday Dr. Ken Neill and co-worker Meghan Wells tagged and released 3 cobia before the sharks moved in.

Sheepsheads are hanging around structure. Look for them around the Cell, CBBT, Plantation Light, York Spit Light, the buoys at the mouth of the bay, the Chesapeake Light Tower, Tower Reef, and any wreck you can find.

Paige II Charters

Spadefish are around buoys, pylons of the CBBT and the Chesapeake Light Tower. Anglers fishing with Aquaman Charters did well last week and Captain Craig Paige, Paige II Charters got in on the action.

Big red drum are still plentiful throughout the lower Bay. Latimer Shoal and the shallow water near the northern section of the CBBT are where most of the fish are caught.

Flounder catches are on the rise. Look for them along the CBBT, around inshore wrecks and artificial reefs throughout the lower bay and along the coast. Connie Barbour at Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle says some flounder have been landed inside local inlets.

Pier and surf anglers are finding bluefish, spanish, flounder, croaker, sea mullet and small spot.

The newest species to target are big amberjacks, they are at the towers. Coastal wrecks are holding bluefish, amberjacks and triggerfish.

VBSF would like to send prayers to the family of Captain Bill Jenkins who lost his life during a charter this week while trying to save an entangled sea turtle. Bill was running a charter fishing trip Thursday when he noticed a sea turtle tangled in some sort of rope a couple of miles off Virginia Beach. He decided to jump in to free the creature. He began to struggle, members of his charter jumped in to help, as another called 911 for help. God bless he and his family.

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