Jayson Downs 57 pounds!

Virginia Beach’s inshore fishing action is starting to peak. Cobia, spanish mackerel, red and black drum, sheepshead and spadefish are all available now.

In the bay look for red drum near breakers along the northern portion of the CBBT and close to Fisherman’s Island. Black drum should be available around the islands of the CBBT.

Sheepshead are feeding on the CBBT pilings. Look for schools of spadefish around structure, buoys, towers and the CBBT.

Flounder are starting to bite along the CBBT and inside all three southside inlets.

Speckled trout action has slowed. The best locations to try are on the Poquoson Flats, in Eastern Shore bayside inlets, in all three southside inlets and along the beach.

Virginia Beach Pier anglers are catching spanish mackerel, bluefish, spot, roundhead, trout, skates and rays. The water temperature under the pier is 69°.

Offshore, Virginia bluewater trollers can expect increasing numbers of yellowfin tuna. Dolphin, wahoo and billfish will follow closely. Amberjack have started showing up around the offshore towers.

Deep-droppers can expect tilefish, grouper, red-bellied rosefish and other species. The headboats at Rudee Tours have been catching a variety of bottom dwellers on their deep drop trips.

Last week Captain Nolan at Aquaman Charters says his inshore crews caught spanish mackerel, a few cobia and spadefish. And his offshore deep drop trips produced nice catches of tilefish and sea bass.

Captain Todd and Jake Beck at Knot Wish’n Charters caught quality spanish mackerel and expect numbers to increase with rising water temperatures. They picked up bull red drum while trolling and by sight casting. They encountered cobia moving north along the oceanfront.

Captain David Wright on the High Hopes has been picking up nice spanish mackerel on his inshore charters. He will be running offshore charters very soon.

Dr Ken Neill has been targeting cobia mostly. On his last trip he caught six chumming.

OBX, NC

Offshore, tuna fishing has been red hot. This week a bunch of big eye tuna showed up. Dolphin numbers are good and billfish have been hooked and released. A lot of OBX boats are fishing in the Big Rock Marlin Tournament this coming week.

Closer to the beach, cobia, red drum, spanish mackerel and bluefish have been plentiful.

Speckled trout catches along the beach and in the sounds have been excellent. Puppy drum and striped bass have also been available.

Surfcasters are catching sea mullet, croaker, bluefish, blow toads, pompano and short flounder.

Send your reports and pictures to [email protected]

Aquaman Chartres

Oceanfront fishing is improving each day as the water continues to warm and weather patterns become more consistent. The water temperature along the Virginia Beach oceanfront has topped 70 degrees now, along with the warm water comes our spanish mackerel and spadefish seasons.

Knot Wish’n Charters

Captain Todd Beck, Knot Wisn’n Charters reported the first spanish mackerel of the year being caught and seeing several schools of large red drum and cobia along the oceanfront. Captain Nolan Agner from Aquaman Charters said his crew had a good week, they picked up spanish, bluefish, two cobia and two red drum on their inshore trips.

The first spadefish were caught last week. Look for them around buoys and at the Light Tower.

Top water action around the Islands of the Bay Bridge Tunnel is good for small bluefish and stripers.

Red and black drum are available on and around the shoals near fisherman’s island. They should be feeding there most of the summer.

Rudee Inlet is holding both speckled and gray trout, puppy drum, flounder and decent size bluefish, but catching has been inconsistent.

Connie at Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle said anglers are starting to see more flounder in Lynnhaven Inlet and that puppy drum are still biting inside the Inlet. He said crews departing from Long Creek have found spanish mackerel off Cape Henry.

Dr Ken Neill on the Healthy Grin has been enjoying some preseason catch and release cobia fishing. On one trip he caught and released six cobia, missed others, and pulled the hook on one. On another trip he caught two, missed two. Ken says the guys going today (opening day) should do very well. Don’t forget there is a required (free) cobia permit again this year along with mandatory reporting.

For details:  https://mrc.virginia.gov/

Further offshore, last week VBSF sponsor the Rudee Angler enjoyed a good seabass trip. They offer inshore trips daily and their offshore trips are scheduled on Thursday’s and Saturday’s. Captain Nolan, Aquaman Charters ran an offshore deep drop trip last week, they caught sea bass and blueline tilefish and several golden tilefish up to 35 pounds.

OBX, NC

Trout fishing soundside has been excellent, with lots of large fish being caught.

Cobia are plentiful along the oceanfront and there are plenty of spanish around for inshore boats.

Sheepshead fishing around the Oregon Inlet bridge is good.

Surf fishing has been fair with sea mullet, blues, black drum, puppy drum on the northern beaches and some big drum and pompano in the Hatteras surf.

When weather permits tuna fishing is great, limits of yellowfin and scattered bigeyes, some topping 200 pounds.

The end of May …. Our spring saltwater fishery is slowly transitioning to the summer season. The fishing will continue to improve almost everywhere.

Red and black drum are plentiful on bay shoals near the eastern shore. The Nautilus shoal area is the hot spot right now.

Cobia have entered our waters and made their way up the Bay to the Poquoson flats. Our capture season is closed for a few more days, it opens June 1st. There are impressive numbers to our south off of Nags Head, headed our way!

Captain Todd Beck, Knot Wish’n charters enjoyed some outstanding puppy drum fishing in Rudee Inlet this weekend, he said it was as good as it gets. His charters also picked up a nice class of bluefish. With the large bluefish cruising inside the inlet, the speckled trout were shy. There has also been some nice size bluefish caught inside Lynnhaven inlet. Some puppy drum and flounder are showing inside Lynnhaven inlet as well. The flounder should be available around coastal wrecks and along the CBBT anytime.

This year the water temperature has been a little slow to rise compared to last year. While spanish mackerel have entered the bay already, when the water hits the magical number of 70 it will really pick up.

Striped bass and bluefish remain around the CBBT islands. Look for some small stripers to be caught inside local inlets.

Sheepshead should be hanging around the CBBT pilings and other structure in the lower bay.

Spadefish should be available at the Chesapeake Light Tower.

Sea bass season reopens June 22 and catches will be good on the ocean wrecks. VBSF sponsor the Rudee headboat fleet has a 17 hour trip scheduled for them May 29 and an all-day trip May 30.

Tuna fishing has been good to our south. A few Virginia boats have made the run down. Dolphin fishing has picked up off the OBX, NC. A little closer to home tilefish and grouper are being caught by deep-droppers.

OBX, NC

There is good inshore cobia fishing up and down the beach.

Sheepshead are being caught around bridge pylons.

Trout are plentiful soundside, actions is best early morning. Anglers fishing near the little bridge on the Nags Head – Manteo causeway have been doing well, catching fish up to 22 inches.

Ocean surf anglers are catching sea mullet, blues, puppy drum and some toadfish.

Anglers are still catching large red drum at the point in Buxton.

Offshore guys have had good catches of yellowfin tuna and dolphin. The dolphin fishing is set to really take off.

Corey Rudiger

Big red and black drum are available in their usual locations. For the next several weeks the lower Chesapeake Bay will be home to some of the best big drum fishing found anywhere in the world. Look for red drum to be on the shoals and breakwaters surrounding the southern tip of the Eastern Shore. Look for them near the islands of the CBBT. Night fishing has been excellent, but now anglers are starting to see reds on the surface and sight cast to them during daylight. The best black drum location is along the shallow channel ledge running from Fisherman’s Island to near Kiptopeake, the Cabbage Patch and the Concrete Ships.

Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle reported stripers and bluefish up in Long Creek. Connie Barbour says some of the bluefish caught near the Lesnrer bridge measured up to 30 inches. Stripers are now available in most Bay tributaries. The Bay’s spring striped bass season runs May 16 through June 15. The minimum size limit is 20 inches, maximum size limit is 28 inches. The possession limit is 1 per person.

Captain Todd Beck from Knot Wish’n Charters says the trout bite in local inlets has slowed in both consistency and size. The water temp along the oceanfront was 65 degrees on Saturday and once it hits 70 the bluefish and spanish bite will really turn on.  Captain Nolan Agner, Aquaman Charters said his crew caught some big red drum along the oceanfront and their first few blues and spanish of the season. Last summers spanish mackerel fishing was outstanding. The fish were large, hopefully we’ll see another great season like last.

The Rudee Head Boats caught croaker, speckled sea trout, spotted hake, roundhead and bluefish this past weekend.

A couple of Rudee boats made the very long run down to the Point off Oregon Inlet NC and were rewarded with some nice yellowfin tuna.

Cobia season in Virginia opens June 1 and a few fish have already been caught and released in Virginia waters. This past weekend large schools were just outside Oregon Inlet, NC. Anglers were finding them from the inlet to Jennette’s pier. Most of these schools will enter the Bay in the coming days.

Bill Knapp

Some quality sized Tautogs to 10 to 12 pounds were caught before the season closed.

Anglers on the Virginia Beach Pier are catching blues, trout, spot, roundheads and skates.

Inshore on the Peninsula side anglers have been finding specks and pups in the flats. Anglers reported some decent spot. Some black drum have been landed on the James River fishing pier.

OBX NC

Some great cobia fishing took place over the weekend near Oregon inlet. Anglers were finding schools of two dozen or more swimming together. A few cobia were landed in the surf as well.

Surf anglers are finding blues, sea mullet, toads, trout and few pompano. Several big drum were caught at the point in Buxton.

Sea Breeze Charters

The offshore tuna bite had been on fire but slowed a little over the weekend. There are scattered dolphin and wahoos in the mix. Some nice gaffer mahi were caught off Ocracoke and Atlantic Beach NC. Those fish are moving north, the best is yet to come.

Send us your fishing reports and pictures!

First VBSF Black Drum Report!

Just as our spring species are arriving in coastal waters the Virginia charter boat closure has been lifted!! Captains are booking trips again, check with your favorite captain for the latest COVID19 chartering regulations.

We received our first black drum report and picture from Craig Irwin this week. Black drum love fresh clam. Craig said they should be available until mid-June. The black drum minimum size limit is 16 inches and you are allowed one fish per person. Virginia Citations are awarded for fish 80 pounds and over and release citations for fish 46 inches and greater. The state record is 111 pounds caught in 1973 by Betty D. Hall.

Captain Todd Beck (Knot Wish’n Charters) says trout fishing in Rudee is good, but crowded. Weekends are especially crowed with the popularity of kayak fishing. He reports the ocean temperature along the beach at 60 degrees now, just right for additional large schools of reds to make their way up from Carolina, its time. Last week he did some scouting south of the inlet looking for them, but didn’t run across any. Some are already on the shoals near Fisherman’s Island, fishing for them should continue to improve over the next few weeks. Dr Ken Neill is off to a good start; he’s already caught reds on the shoals on multiple trips. Fishing fresh crabs or live bait produces the best action. Remember, all red drum over 26 inches must be released. The slot limit for keepers is 18 inches to a max of 26 inches. The limit is 3 per person. Virginia Citations are awarded for released fish 46 inches and greater.

Tautog action is still good and should remain so until the close of the season. The tog season closes from May 16 thru June 30. Minimum size limit is 16 inches and the possession limits are 4 per person. A Virginia Citation is awarded for fish over 9 Lbs. The state record is 24 lbs 3 oz and was caught in 2012 by Dr Ken Neill.

Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle has beautiful fiddler crabs, peeler crabs, and female hard shell sponge crabs in stock

This time of year Eastern Shore inlets near Assateague, Chincoteague, Oyster and Wachapreague are the hot spot for flounder fishing. There should be a few flounder available inside Rudee and Lynnhaven inlets and near the CBBT, but we haven’t received many reports yet. Drifting flounder rigs with a minnow tipped with a strip of squid works well. The minimum size limit is 16 1/2 inches. The possession limit is 4 per person. Virginia Citations are awarded for fish 6 pounds or greater. The state record stands at 17 lbs. 8 oz., caught in 1971 by Charles E. Cross.

Striped bass and bluefish are hanging around the bridge tunnel islands and inside local inlets. The Bay’s spring striped bass season runs May 16 through June 15. The minimum size limit is 20 inches, maximum size limit is 28 inches. The possession limit is 1 per person.

Sheepshead and spadefish should be arriving. Look for the sheepshead on structure and around the bridge tunnel piles, and the spades around bay buoys and the light tower.

Croaker should be available under piers on the lower bay and in the York River.

Anglers have started seeing and now catching cobia off Hatteras. They should start arriving in Virginia waters within 2 weeks. Remember the Virginia capture season does not open until June 1. Captains of vessels fishing for cobia must obtain a Recreational Cobia Permit from VMRC and report all cobia fishing activity (trips with harvest, trips without harvest, and no activity if permit is not used) for all individuals on board. Individual anglers that target cobia from a pier or a shore must obtain a Recreational Cobia Permit from the VMRC and report all of their cobia fishing activity (trips with harvest, trips without harvest, and no activity if permit is not used). Permits can be obtained online here or at an MRC Licensing Agent. Reporting can be done online through the Saltwater Journal or using forms provided by the VMRC.

Offshore yellowfin tuna are available for anglers making the long run to the southeast. Fishing should pick up closer to home in the coming weeks. Deep-dropping is producing blueline tilefish and some big golden tiles. A few snowy grouper and bluefish are also available.

The Rudee headboats are booking 17 hour offshore trips for May 16, 21, 28th. Daily, half day trips start on the 16^th May. Give them a call and book’em up.

OBX, NC

Photo from Sea Breeze Charters

On North Carolina’s Outer Banks the red drum fishing continues to be good around Hatteras Island. Surfcasters are catching bluefish, speckled trout, puppy drum, blow toads, a few striped bass and lots of skates.

In the sound, speckled trout and small striped bass have been caught.

Boaters are finding a few cobia off Hatteras Inlet. That action is only going to get better in the coming weeks. Spanish mackerel fishing is excellent.  Coastal wrecks should be holding amberjack, spadefish, triggerfish and sea bass.

Yellowfin tuna are providing outstanding action for boats sailing from both Oregon and Hatteras inlets. Many boats have caught their limit by 10 am. The tunas are averaging 40 to 50 pounds. Dolphin numbers are on the rise. The season’s first billfish has been boated.

While waiting for the Virginia charter season to reopen, Captain Charlie has put together another great how-to video. This time the crew covers tautog fishing and cleaning.

Rudee Inlet Headboats sponsor our VBSF website. They run trips offshore, nearshore and inshore virtually year around. With proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay, the bite out of Rudee Inlet is always promising and action packed!

For an experience you and your family will never forget, book’em up guys!

https://www.facebook.com/rudeetours/videos/505070556840302/

Tautog fishing remains good to excellent. Look for them around underwater obstructions like wrecks, reefs, rocks and the pylons of the CBBT. The Virginia season closes May 15th, so you need to go ASAP! The taugtog state record was set in 2012, a 24 lbs 3 oz fish caught by Ken Neill.

Red drum are on the shoals at the mouth of the bay, Latimer Shoal and the shallow bar near the north end of the CBBT. Next month as the water warms and the number of fish increases, anglers will begin having success sight casting near the islands of the CBBT.

I’ve heard very few black drum reports. But they should be along the shallow channel ledge running from Fisherman’s Island to north of Cape Charles. Look for boats anchored close together near Kiptopeake, the Cabbage Patch and the Concrete Ships.

Flounder, speckled trout and bluefish are starting to bite inside local inlets. There have been keeper size specks caught in Rudee Inlet this week. The best flounder catches will come from Wachapreague, Oyster and Chincoteague on the Eastern Shore. Flounder should be showing along the CBBT. Numbers will continue to improve as the water warms.

It’s time for sheepshead to arrive in the bay. Their numbers will increase in May and peak in early June. The best baits are fiddler crabs or mole crabs, fished very close to structure.

Anglers fishing off the Virginia Beach Fishing Pier are catching skates, sand perch, spots, pufferfish, roundheads, trout and bluefish. The water temp is 56°. Anglers are using bloodworms, clam bites and gulps.

Sea bass, blueline tilefish, golden tilefish, snowy grouper, black belly rose fish and dogfish are available this time of year to Virginia offshore deep droppers. Make sure to keep up with seasonal regulations for each. In June the Rudee headboats start offering 17-hour deep drop trips on Thursdays and daily half day inshore trips. There will be pent-up demand, so book early.

OBX, NC

Trout fishing is good in the sound and along the beach as far north as Kitty Hawk. A few puppy drum are being caught with the trout in the sound.

Surf fishing on the northern beaches is good with blues, sea mullet, toads and trout available.

Down south on Hatteras Island anglers are catching plenty of sea mullet, blues and toads. Some nice big reds are being caught at the point in Buxton.

Offshore slowed a little this week, a few yellowfin and few blackfin tuna were caught. It’s time for dolphin to start to showing up.

Kyle and Ethan have put together another great how-to video. This time they show you a good flounder setup.

Rudee Inlet Headboats sponsor our VBSF website. They run trips offshore, nearshore and inshore virtually year around. With proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay, the bite out of Rudee Inlet is always promising and action packed!

For an experience you and your family will never forget, book’em up guys!

https://www.facebook.com/rudeetours/videos/3350206668323399/

Hatteras, NC Red Drum

Large schools of drum were encountered off Cape Point near Buxton NC this week. Captain Rom Whitaker says the town of Buxton itself is a ghost town these days. Dare County is only allowing residents in right now. He hasn’t run a charter since March 8th, needless to say that’s financially devastating for these guys.

Captain Jeff Ross on Obsession ran a private trip and got in on the Cape Point action, catching 30 citation reds. These fish are headed for their summer home in the Chesapeake Bay …… A few have already arrived, Dr Ken Neill has been catching them on the shoals near Fishermans Island for two weeks.

Oddly I haven’t seen many black drum reports, surly they are in their usual spots by now. If you’ve caught them send us a picture and report.

Photo from Lauren Harper

Tautog catches at the CBBT, on near-shore wrecks and artificial reefs has been outstanding. These tasty fish can’t resist a hook baited with fresh crab.

The Virginia Beach Pier reports catches of skates, sand perch, spot and croakers. Most are using bloodworms for bait. Best time to fish is: 8am to 11 am – 2 PM to 8:00 PM.

Speckled trout reports continue to come in and puppy drum are available in their usual locations. Stan and Johnny via the PSWSFA Facebook page reported good speck action recently. Fishing both the outgoing and incoming tide they landed 18 fish between 15 and 20 1/2″. They also had probably another 20 bumps and lost several fish at the boat before they could net them. Most were released for another day.

Flounder are showing up in many of the barrier island backwaters along the sea side of the Virginia eastern shore.

Outer Banks, NC locals say surf fishing is good for blues, trout, blow toads on the north beaches and sea mullet, toads, blues, and drum on the south beaches.

NC sound fisherman have been catching plenty of trout and puppy drum and a few stripers.

Offshore Tuna action to our south has been fantastic all winter. A few Rudee Inlet captains have made the long run to get in on it. Lately boats departing Oregon Inlet have been picking up quick limits of yellowfin tuna. One boat reported 40 in just a few hours of fishing.

Be sure and send us your pictures and reports. Send them to [email protected]