Paige II Charters

Some nice flounder limits were had this week. Jigged buck tails are producing … but drifting with live bait  entices the larger fish. The hot spots are along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and near the Cell. There are some keeper inside local inlets as well. Captain Craig Paige, Paige II Charters landed some nice ones on his last trip. (above)

Spanish mackerel catch numbers slowed a bit this week. But there’s still some nice ones around. It’s been a great season, with many fish in the four to five pound range.

King Mackerel are making a nice showing along the coast. Kings to fifty pounds have been weighed lately.

The cobia bite is still red hot and should remain so into September.  And large schools of red drum continue cruising in the lower bay.

Gray Trout are making a good showing, hopefully signaling a come back for the species. Look for larger fish in deep holes near the islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and along channel edges. Most grays are in the four to eight pound range. The state record is 19 pounds and was caught at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel in 1983 by Philip W. Halstead.

Spadefish catches are still good. Most catches are coming from around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Sheepshead are feeding on the pilings of the Bridge Tunnel.

We are getting closer to our yellow belly spot run. It usually occurs the end of August or during the first part of September. They love blood worms.

Speckled trout are in inlets and on grass flats. Topwater action will pick up in September. Eastern Shore actions has been good recently.

Offshore anglers are finding dolphin, wahoo, yellowfin tuna, blue marlin and white marlin and a few sailfish. The big news from Rudee Inlet this week was that a pending Virginia State record swordfish was caught. The charter boat Rebel weighted a 466 pounder at Rudee’s Inlet Marina. Congratulations!

Deep dropping for tilefish is productive, a fifty five pound blueline was caught earlier this week. The Rudee Angler headboat makes regular tips. Give them a call to get in on the action.

OBX, NC

Surf fishing overall is slow. A few sea mullet and croakers north of Avon and some spanish and pompano south of the point.

Anglers on the Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway are catching small puppy drum, flounder, trout and croakers.

The OBX pier report is: Avalon: spot, sea mullet, bluefish, flounder. Nags Head: spot, mullet, trout, false albacore. Jennette’s: black sea bass, croaker, sea mullet, triggers, spot, bluefish and false albacore. Outer Banks: spot.

Inshore boats are catching spanish and ribbonfish. Inshore sound side anglers are catching speckled trout.

The offshore fleet is catching plenty meat fish, dolphin, blackfin tuna, yellowfin tuna and wahoo. A few billfish are released daily.

188 lb yellowfin caught in Carolina this week!

This is prime billfish season along the mid-atlantic coast. White and blue marlin, sailfish, spearfish and swordfish are all available now. Dolphin and tuna fishing is excellent many days ….. It’s exciting to see a few BIG yellowfin tuna being caught this year. One recently topped the scales at 188 pounds. Most have been caught in Carolina waters. Generally yellowfin that size are caught on the west coast. Its nice to see some showing up here.

The Ocean City White Marlin Open Tournament was held last week and Virginia Beach was well represented. The VB boat Chasin’ Tail, skippered by Captain Butch Davis took second place with a 74 pound white marlin. His angler was Nate Walker also from Virginia Beach. Team Backlash and Captain Steve Richardson finished third with a 73.5-pound white marlin. The fish was caught by Michael Wagner and worth $1.5 million in prize money. Congratulations to all.

The 30th annual Alice Kelly Memorial Ladies-Only Billfish Tournament out of Manteo, NC is underway now. The 36th annual Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament begins Aug. 12 and runs thru the 16th. After that the tournament calendar points to Rudee Inlet. The 17th annual Wine, Women and Fishing ladies-only event is Aug. 17-18, followed by the 16th annual Virginia Beach Billfish Tournament on Aug. 21-24.

Knot Wish’n Charters

Inshore, spanish mackerel and blues are keeping charters busy. A gold Clark or Drone spoon seems to be working best. Mixed in with the spanish and blues are an unusually large number of ribbonfish. And don’t be surprised to pick up a nice king. Several nice one were landed close in this week.

Key Dreams Charters

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.

Cobia catches are being reported throughout the lower bay. Some really large ones have been landed recently, a few approaching 80 pounds. Live eels, live 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.

Kevin Williams caught these on the Eastern Shore

Speckled Trout catches have been good recently.

There are good numbers of spot being caught in Chesapeake Bay tributaries. Spot fishing peaks in August and September.

The Virginia Beach Pier reports a nice variety of fish. Cobia, black drum, puppy drum, flounder and spanish.

OBX, NC

Surf anglers on the northern beaches are catching flounder, sea mullet and spot. On Hatteras Island the catch has consisted of pompano, bluefish, spanish, croakers and sea robin.

The OBX pier rundown goes like this.

Avalon: Tiggers and spanish.
 Nags Head: spanish, bluefish, croaker and flounder.
Jennette’s: spanish, bluefish, croaker and flounder. Outer Banks: flounder, spot and sea mullet. Soundside anglers on the Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway report trout and a variety of bottom fish.

Soundside boaters are catching trout, flounder, striped bass and sheepshead.

The near shore boats are picking up spanish, ribbonfish, bluefish and yes a few dolphin.

The offshore fleet is catching limits of dolphin. There are plenty of yellowfin around and a few wahoo.  Billfish are being caught and released daily. Amberjack are around towers and on structure.

High Hopes Charters

The outstanding fishing continues along the Virginia coast … with a lot of species available.

Spanish mackerel continue providing great action. Fantastic numbers and some nice size fish. Bluefish and ribbonfish are mixed in with them.

After a slow start flounder fishing is picking up steam. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, bay and coastal wrecks, artificial reefs and inside Lynnhaven Inlet are good spots.

Anglers continue catching cobia throughout the bay and along the coast. Chumming and using live or cut bait is working well. When fish are spotted near the surface anglers are sight-casting to them.

Knot Wish’n Charters

Large red drum are around the CBBT and along the coast. Puppy drum are feeding inside local inlets, Little Creek, Rudee and Lynnhaven ….. Rudee Inlet is still full of small stripers.

There’s a few sheepshead to be had along the CBBT.

Look for spadefish around the CBBT islands and navigation buoys. Triggers and spades are hanging around coastal wrecks.

Speckled trout numbers are decent throughout the lower bay and inlets.

Tarpon have shown up on the Eastern Shore in the barrier islands backwaters.

The Virginia Beach Fishing Pier reported roundhead, blues at the end of the pier, and flounder in the surf zone.

Our local offshore marlin tournaments should be great! Virginia bluewater action is fantastic right now. White and blue marlin, sailfish, spearfish and swordfish are showing in good numbers. Dolphin fishing is fantastic. Maryland had a new state record dolphin caught last week.

The 46th annual White Marlin Open out of Ocean City MD is the first tournament up, August 5-9. Then comes the the 30th annual Alice Kelly Memorial Ladies-Only Billfish Tournament out of Manteo, NC on Aug. 10-11 and then the 36th annual Pirate’s Cove Billfish Tournament on Aug. 12-16. After that the tournament actions gets real local, at Rudee Inlet. The 17th annual Wine, Women and Fishing ladies-only event Aug. 17-18, followed by the 16th annual Virginia Beach Billfish Tournament on Aug. 21-24.

Offshore deep-droppers are catching limits of tilefish. Amberjacks (wreck donkeys) are at the towers.

OBX, NC

Spanish, pompano, sea mullet, flounder and bluefish are scattered along the OBX from Kitty Hawk to Hatteras Island.

The OBX pier report goes like this, Avalon: mullet, bluefish and triggers. Nags Head: flounder, mullet, bluefish, and blow toads. Jennette’s: pigfish, gray trout, sea mullet. Outer Banks: gray trout, sea mullet and pigfish. Anglers on the Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway are catching trout and bottom fish.

Inshore boats are catching trout, stripers, ribbonfish, spanish …. amberjack are on the near shore AR’s and around the Navy towers. Soundside fishermen are catching lots of trout.

The offshore fleet is catching limits of nice dolphin along with good numbers of yellowfin, black fin, a few wahoo. Daily a good number of blue marlin, white marlin and a few Sailfish are released.

There’s world class fishing taking place in our backyard! ….. Huge schools of red drum have been surfacing daily in the lower Bay. As long as no one spooks them angers can sight cast them  ….. for an hour at a time some days.

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

Spanish mackerel schools are still thick and the fish are large. Anglers are trolling Drone and Clark spoons behind line sinkers or planers. The fish are scattered along the oceanfront from Sandbridge to Cape Henry, and in the bay all the way up to Reedville.

Ribbonfish are feeding near Cape Henry. Anglers are catching them on diving plugs. So you’ve never caught a ribbonfish? They have a striking appearance. Their tiny scales are bright silver, almost reflective. They have yellow eyes and a long mouth filled with sharp teeth. They are often caught by recreational anglers on piers and in the surf of the Southeast. Ribbonfish are a prized food fish in Japan, but have yet to be widely embraced by American eaters. The flesh is between flounder and sea trout – mild with a hint of briny, ocean flavor. The texture is delicate, with white, flaky meat. Cooking methods listed online include poaching, baking, steaming, sautéeing or deep-frying.

Paige II Charters

Flounder fishing is good. Fish in the 4-6 pounds range have been caught near the CBBT, the Cell and around wrecks.

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.

The charter boats are bringing in yellowfin tuna, blackfin tuna, big eye tuna, and mahi. White marlin releases are on the rise.

The Virginia Beach Invitational Marlin Tournament is being held this week. Six boats fish day one and nine marlin were released. Short Rigger released a blue and 4 whites, Anticipation released a white, Sea Trader released a white, Bill Collector released a white, and Desperado released a white. All 22 boats are planning to fish day two.

Ocean Pearl Charters

Just when you thought spanish mackerel fishing couldn’t get any better, along come reports of 30 to 35 inch whoppers! There has to be a new state record swimming around out there! Drone or Clark spoons pulled behind a planer or an in-line sinker will do the trick. Watch for breaking fish under birds ,work tidelines and shoal edges.

Cobia action is still very good and should continue through the summer. Live eels and live croaker are the best baits now. Try chumming in areas where fish are know to hang out. Look for them near ocean and bay buoys and along the CBBT.

Knot Wish’n Charters

Big schools of red drum are still popping up. If you can’t find fish to sight cast try anchoring and chumming near shoals.

Spadefish are around structure and fall for pieces of clam. Once they are spotted chumming can draw them off the structure and keep them near the boat.

Ocean Pearl Charters

Good reports of flounder are coming from the CBBT area, the Cell and all the artificial reefs.

The Virginia Beach Fishing Pier is reporting spanish, blues, flounders and small roundheads.

Boats deep dropping on shallow ocean wreck are catching flounder and Sea bass. Deeper wrecks are holding sea bass and tilefish.

Offshore bluewater anglers are catching yellowfin tuna, big eye tuna, dolphin, wahoo and swordfish.

OBX, NC

112 pound wahoo caught on the Point Runner!

Surf fishing is a little slow, a few croaker, spanish and bluefish were reported on Hatteras Island and pompano, croaker and spanish and a few trout on the northern beaches.

The pier reports are, Avalon, slow. Nags Head, mullet, bluefish and spot. Jennette’s, black sea bass, pinfish and spot. Outer Banks, spot, croaker, sea mullet and gray trout. Sound side on the the Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway, trout and spot.

Inshore Boats reported spanish, bluefish and ribbonfish. Inlet boats caught ribbonfish, spanish, trout and bluefish.

Offshore boats are catching yellowfin, blackfin, dolphin, wahoo and a few billfish.

Ocean Pearl Charters!

A nice class of spanish mackerel continues to be available along the ocean front, near the CBBT and as far north as the York Spit area. Taylor blues are mixed in with them. Charter boats are trolling small Drone or Clark spoons behind small planers. With so many large mackerel around the Virginia State record of 9 pounds, 13 ounces could be in jeopardy!

Key Dreams Charters!

Many are returning with both spanish and spadefish limits. Look for spades around structures … like the Chesapeake Light Tower, ocean and bay buoys and the pilings of the CBBT. Spades fall to fresh clam. Float a small piece on a small hook in front of them. Once sighted many anglers like chumming the fish up behind the boat.

The Cobia bite in the bay remains strong. Most are being caught in chum slicks on live eels. Sighted on the surface cobia will hit just about anything you put in front of them. Live eels, spot, menhaden, mullet, large spoons, white buck tails, plastic eels, swimming plugs or cut bait. Keep a lookout for them around buoys and other structure, like the islands and pylons of the CBBT.

Luke Mooney … Nice Red!

A number of anglers found large schools of red drum this week. Anglers are having success sight casting and bottom fishing.

Paige II Charters

Flounder catches are on the increase. Some of the larger fish are being caught jigging bucktails tagged with strip baits or Gulps near the CBBT.

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

Look for seabass on offshore ocean wrecks and reefs. Tilefish are also available in the same areas.  There should be plenty of amberjacks around the towers and on offshore structure. The Rudee Angler head boat has a number of 12 and 17 hour trips planned for July and August.

Nice Mahi on the Healthy Grin!

Offshore bluewater anglers are catching plenty of dolphin and tuna. Add to that a few big eye tuna, wahoo and swordfish. Our marlin bite is increasing. Offshore fishing is really good right now!

OBX, NC

Surf anglers on Hatteras Island are catching a few spanish, sea mullet and pompano. Those fishing the northern beaches in Kitty Hawk and Nags Head are catching spanish, bluefish and sea mullet.

The pier rundown;  Avalon: spanish and blues, Nags Head: spanish, blues and trout, Jennette’s: bluefish, pompano, triggers and spades. Outer Banks: bluefish and spanish. Anglers fishing the Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway are catching small trout,  black drum and spot.

Inshore boats are catching lots of spanish and bluefish along with a few kings. On the soundside they are finding trout, sheepshead and red drum.

Offshore in the bluewater anglers are finding lots of yellowfin tuna, blackfin tuna, wahoo and dolphin. Each day there are a number of blue and white marlin releases.

Virginia Beach’s offshore bluewater action is getting better by the day, it should peak in July and August. Boats are catching white marlin; yellowfin tuna, wahoo and gaffer dolphin. Blue marlin encounters will increase this month and peak … just in time for the Virginia Beach Billfish Tournament August 21st-24th. White marlin action usually continues into September. Deep droppers are still catching plenty of tilefish and sea bass.

The best spanish mackerel fishing in years continues along the oceanfront and in the lower bay.

Cobia action remains excellent. Most are falling to live bait fished in chum slicks.

Spadefish are around buoys, pylons of the CBBT and the Chesapeake Light Tower.

Sheepsheads are hanging around structure.

Big red drum are still plentiful throughout the lower Bay.

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.

Coastal wrecks are holding bluefish, amberjacks and triggerfish.

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

OBX, NC

Surf anglers in Hatteras are catching pompano, sea mullet and spanish. Those fishing the Kitty Hawk, Nags Head area are catching a few croaker, spot and sea mullet.

The pier rundown is, Avalon: bluefish, small flounder, sea mullet, pompano and trout. Nags Head: mullet, spot, flounder, trout and blues. Jennette’s: sea mullet, spot, trigger fish, sheepshead, blues and pompano. Outer Banks: spot, sea mullet and blues. The Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway trout, spot and black drum.

Boats fishing near shore are picking up sea bass, triggers, kings, spanish and bluefish. Those fishing the sound are catching sea mullet, croaker, flounder, sheepshead and trout.

Offshore in the bluewater they’re finding yellowfin tuna, wahoo and dolphin. There are some bigeye tuna and blue and white marlin available.

There’s little change from last weeks fishing report. There’s a good variety of fishing to choose from this time of year. The newest target should be AJ’s! ….. Big amberjacks are at the south tower and should be at the Chesapeake light tower.

Good Spanish mackerel fishing continues 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.

Cobia action is excellent. Most anglers are fishing live bait in chum slicks. But always have a rod ready to sight cast.

Spadefish are around buoys, pylons of the CBBT and the Chesapeake Light Tower.

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.

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.

Coastal wrecks are holding bluefish, amberjacks and triggerfish.

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

Offshore boats are catching gaffer dolphin, blackfin, yellowfin tuna and an occasional big eye tuna. They’ve  also released a few blue marlin.

The Virginia Beach Tuna Tournament was held last week. 87 boats competed for $190,900 in prize money. Sea Wolf took first with a 212-pound big eye, winning over $88,000.

Deep droppers are catching plenty of tilefish and sea bass. The crew on High Hopes loaded up with bottom critter this week.

OBX, NC

Surf anglers fishing Duck and Kitty Hawk caught sea mullet, bluefish, triggerfish and pompano this week. Hatteras surf anglers caught sea mullet, pompano and spanish mackerel.

OBX pier action goes like this, Avalon: spanish early mornings. Nags Head: red drum, plenty spanish, triggers and trout. Jennette’s: spanish, sea mullet, sheepshead, triggers, flounder, spot and blues. Outer Banks: spanish, nice spot, flounder and a few red drum. Anglers on the Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway caught some keeper flounder this week.

Inshore boats are catching bluefish, spanish, albacore and soundside trout, and sheepshaed.

Offshore boats are catching blackfin, yellowfin, bigeye tuna, dolphin, marlin and a few wahoo and kings.

Not sure where to start! Just about everything’s biting now! Inshore …. red drum, cobia, spadefish, sheepshead, flounder, bluefish and spanish mackerel. Offshore … tuna, dolphin, marlin, tilefish and seabass. It’s time to go! Book your charter ASAP!

Some of the best spanish mackerel action in years continues along the beach. Many fish are topping 3 pounds and some 4. Bluefish are mixed in with the spanish.

Spadefish are around buoys, the pylons of the CBBT and the Chesapeake Light Tower. Also hanging around the pylons are hungry sheepshead.

Big red drum are plentiful throughout the lower Bay. Anglers are having success sight casting and bottom fishing. Most catches are coming from the shoals on the north side of the bay and around the islands of the CBBT.

Cobia action remains red hot. Most anglers are fishing live bait in chum slicks. But you never know when they’ll pop up on the surface, so always have a rod ready to sight cast.

Flounder catches are picking up. Captain Craig Paige, Paige II Charters had six keeprs up to 23 inches on his last trip . Look for them along the CBBT, around inshore wrecks and artificial reefs throughout the lower bay and along the coast.

Pier and surf anglers are finding bluefish, flounder, croaker and sea mullet … small spot are starting to show up in better numbers.

Coastal wrecks are holding bluefish and triggerfish. Big AJ’s (amberjacks) should be arriving as well.

The Virginia Beach Tuna Tourny ends Saturday

Offshore, the yellowfin tuna action is excellent … which is great news for the Virginia Beach Tuna Tournament.  This week a couple of boats caught tuna limits. Dolphin fishing is also excellent, lots of large gaffers! Mixed in are some blue and white marlin, bigeye tuna and a few wahoo.

Anglers bottom bouncing the edge of the canyon continue catching blueline tilefish, golden tilefish and sea bass. Our sea bass season reopens the 22nd. The Rudee Angler will be running 17-hour deep dropping trips on June 27th, July 11th, 18th, and 25th.

OBX, NC

The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament based in Morehead City NC was held last week. Boats fishing the tournament fished between loran coordinates, North 40275 and South 39200. The northern boundary is a little southeast of Hatteras Inlet. Fourteen blues were weighed in; they ranged from 429 to 914 pounds. The winning boat was Top Dog, owned by the Dickerson family from Olney, MD. They took home $793,187.00.

Bluewater anglers fishing from OBX inlets are finding good numbers of yellowfin tuna and dolphin. Wahoo and marlin are also showing.

Inshore boats are finding hungry cobia, red drum, spanish mackerel and bluefish. Coastal wrecks are producing triggerfish, snapper and grouper.

Surf anglers are catching croaker, sea mullet, puppy drum and small flounder.

The pier rundown goes like this. Avalon, sea mullet Nags Head: sea mullet Jennette’s: sea mullet. Outer Banks: sea mullet and spot. Anglers on the Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway reported nice spot and short trout.

Lots of spanish mackerel along the ocean front!

Spanish mackerel action is the best in memory! …. A large class of fish has shown up along the oceanfront and in tidal rips inside the bay. Captains are trolling small spoons like the 00 Drone or a 00 or 01 Clark behind a small plainer. Taylor blues are swimming with the mackerel and together are keeping anglers busy. Spanish mackerel average between 1 and 3 pounds but the Virginia state record is 9 pounds, 13 ounces. If you can find some live menhaden try trolling one on a carolina king mackerel rig, near schools of spanish and you might break a record.

Cobia are still entering the bay and  some have made there way up as far as Bluefish Rock. They should stay for the rest of the summer. Always watch for fish on the surface …. but chumming has becoming more effective recently. Create a chum slick and use live eels, live spot or croaker for bait.

There are plenty of spadefish around buoys, the pylons of the CBBT and at the Chesapeake Light tower. The bait of choice is clam, though squid will work when the fish are aggressive.

There are plenty of red drum available in the lower bay. Look for them on eastern shore shoals and around the islands on the CBBT.

Sheepshead are around the pilings of the CBBT.

Speckled trout are being caught in Lynnhaven, Little Creek, Rudee Inlets, Eastern Shore Inlets, in the Elizabeth River and the Poquoson Flats.

The Virginia Beach Pier is catching a nice class of spanish mackerel ….. and some average sized croaker, spot and sea mullet.

Flounder fishing is slow. June is typically a great month for large flounder at the CBBT and The Cell ….. but catches have been on the decline for several years. Last week North Carolina’s Marine Fisheries Commission announced it would most likely completely shut down recreational and commercial flounder fishing in August, to end over fishing and rebuild the over fished southern flounder stock. The commission voted to accept recommendations from the Division of Marine Fisheries in its entirety. The division proposes a 62% reduction in southern flounder harvest compared to 2017 and a 72% reduction in harvest beginning in 2020, to be achieved through commercial and recreational season closures. The division also proposed yardage and time restrictions for gill nets and prohibiting the use of puncturing devices, such as gaffs, in the pound net fishery.

VBSF sponsor Coastal Fiberglass’s Craig Bosman and family. Nice deep dropping trip!!

Offshore the Mahi bite has been outstanding. Big eye and yellow fin tuna have also made a good showing off Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. A few blue and white marlin have been caught. Deep droppers are finding good numbers of blueline and golden tilefish.

OBX, NC

Hatteras Island surf anglers are enjoying an excellent pompano season. Pompano feed on sand fleas that get washed out of the sand in a waves backwash. Fish sand fleas on light tackle a foot or two beyond the first drop off. Anglers are also catching sea mullet and spot.

The OBX pier report sounds like this. Avalon: bluefish, pompano and spanish. Nags Head: mullet, trout, flounder and bluefish. Jennette’s: pompano. Outer Banks: bluefish, sea mullet, ribbonfish and black drum. The Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway reported some trout.

Recent weather has kept small boats on trailers, but before the blow there were plenty of bluefish and spanish around.

Offshore captains are finding hungry yellowfin, blackfin tuna, lots of mahi, a few wahoo, sailfish and white and blue marlin. The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament is going on this week. So far the leading marlin weighted in at 914.0 lbs (Updated 6/16/19).

Nice Drum on Aquaman Charters

Cobia action remains strong along the oceanfront and inside the bay. Spanish mackerel are available to trollers from Sandbridge to Cape Henry and red drum are still feeding on the shoals at the mouth of the bay.  Sheepshead are around the pilings of the CBBT.

The spadefish bite turned on this week. Look for spades around buoys, the pylons of the CBBT and at the Chesapeake Light tower. They tend to draw a crowd; divers, snorkelers and anglers, so pack some patience.

Anglers are picking up a few flounder and speckled trout inside Lynnhaven, Little Creek and Rudee Inlets. Specks are also being caught in the Elizabeth River. Anglers have been catch and releasing small stripers inside Rudee Inlet.

Aquaman Charters enjoyed an excellent week of fishing. Capt Dave and mate Luke caught red drum, cobia and lots a spadefish.

Anglers fishing off the Virginia Beach Pier have caught some nice spanish mackerel, small croaker, spot and sea mullet.

Virginia’s offshore, summer-time, bluewater action is kicking in. Over the past two weeks a few big eye and yellow fin tuna along with gaffer-sized dolphin have been caught. Deep dropping action remains good. Captain David Wright on the High Hopes had a couple of good offshore trips last week. They mixed it up; caught some nice gaffer dolphin trolling and then a limit of nice blueline tilefish bottom bouncing.

Nice dolphin catch on the Healthy Grin

Ken Neill fished the Norfolk Canyon this week and action was continuous, they boated 30 gaffer-sized dolphin. They also released a mako shark. They had a white marlin come up behind the boat, but they had just gotten covered up by dolphin and were unable to get bait to him. They filled the fish box and returned home early.

The Rudee Angler will be running 17 hour deep dropping trips on June 13th, 20th & 27th targeting blueline tilefish, golden tilefish, snowy grouper, black belly rose fish.

OBX. NC

Surf anglers report pompano and sea mullet in Avon and some bluefish near ramp 55. Surf fishing north of Oregon inlet has been slow, mostly small sea mullet, and croakers.

The OBX pier report sounds like this, Avalon: mullet, spot and bluefish. Nags Head: spot, sea mullet, spanish, croaker and flounder. Jennette’s: sea mullet, croaker and bluefish. Outer Banks: spot and sea mullet. The Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway reported trout, some keepers, flounder and black drum.

Inshore trollers are catching limits of spanish, plenty bluefish and some kings. Inshore bottom bouncers are catching sea mullet, flounder, bluefish and trout.

Offshore the fleet is catching lots of gaffer dolphin. There are also some yellowfin tuna, wahoo, marlin and citation bigeye tuna around.

Spanish along the oceanfront! Knot Wish’n Charters

Angling along the mid-Atlantic coast is peaking! ….  Lots of cobias are being sighted along the oceanfront and in the lower bay. It looks like regulations put in place a couple of years ago are paying off for recreational anglers. Our cobia capture season opens June 1st with a minimum size limit of 40 inches, a 1 fish per person limit with a 3 fish per vessel maximum. Of the 3 fish only 1 can be over 50 inches. Each captain or vessel operator must have a Recreational Cobia Permit  from the Marine Resources Commission. You can visit an  Authorized Agent to obtain a permit …. Cobia will hit just about anything you throw in front of them, live eels, spot, menhaden, mullet, large spoons, white buck tails, plastic eels, swimming plugs or cut bait. They love hanging around buoys and other structure, such as the islands and pylons of the CBBT.

Nice Red Drum On The Flatline, Aquaman Charters

Our red drum bite continues along the oceanfront and in the lower bay. This time of year a hot spot for 25 to 50 pound feeding red drum is Latimer Shoal, at the mouth of the bay . Trolling spoons or bucktails over and around the shallows or by anchoring nearby and fishing fresh cut spot, menhaden or blue crabs are the best methods.

We have enjoyed an outstanding black drum seasons. Continue looking for them along the shallow channel ledge running from Fisherman’s Island to Cape Charles. Good spots are Kiptopeake, the Cabbage Patch and the Concrete Ships.

Spanish mackerel and taylor bluefish are feeding along the Virginia Beach oceanfront from Capy Henry to Sandbridge. Try trolling small spoons like the 0S Drone or Clark behind a small plainer.

Sheepshead numbers are increasing and fish will be available through September. The best baits are fiddler crabs, sand fleas or clams. The average size sheepshead is 3 to 8 pounds.  Some larger ones were caught this week.  Spadefish are here as well …. and hungry.

The flounder and croaker bite is slow, hopefully it will pick up soon. In the case of flounder It may be time to revisit the commercial regulations? They seem to be over fished?

This week Virginia Beach Pier anglers were catching a few citation sized spanish … some bluefish and roundhead.

Nice Offshore Catch On the High Hopes!

To our south offshore anglers are enjoying one of the best big eye tuna bites in recent memory. This could be a great year for the Virginia Beach Tuna Tournament. It’s just around the corner, June 19th – 22nd.  Along with big tuna, boats running south have been finding large gaffer dolphin, and billfish numbers are on the rise.

Sea Bass fisherman are reporting limits of Jumbo’s in short order! Another regulatory success story. Further offshore at the canyons deep-droppers are finding plenty of tilefish and a few snowy grouper along with other bottom dwellers. The Rudee Angler is advertising 17-hour offshore deep dropping trips on Thursdays, June 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th.

OBX, NC

Surf anglers in Hatteras are catching large citation pompano and sea mullet. There has been a good spanish bite near ramps 44 and 45. North of Oregon inlet anglers are catching small trout, spot, sea mullet and bluefish.

The OBX pier report goes like this; Avalon: spanish, bluefish, trout, flounder and mullet. Nags Head: bluefish, mullet, trout, flounder, spanish and red drum. Jennette’s: blues, spanish, puffers, flounder and sea mullet. Outer Banks: sea mullet, spot, trout and bluefish. The Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway reported spot, black drum and trout.

Inshore boats are catching lots of spanish and bluefish with some king mackerel, false albacore and cobia available.

Offshore Boats are catching a lot of larger gaffer dolphin, some yellow fin tuna and lots of citation big eye tuna that are hitting the scales between 100 and 200 pounds.

If you plan to get in on the action … you need to book a VBSF.net sponsor ASAP! The good dates go fast!  

Luke Mooney and a nice Red Drum!

Red and black drum numbers are very good, look for them throughout the lower bay. Anglers have had a lot of success with reds on the shoals near Smith Island. Black drum are also feeding near the eastern shore … both sea-side and bay-side. Another good location to look for them is near the islands of the CBBT.

Large schools of cobia have been cruising the surface along the oceanfront and in the lower bay. Anglers have been sight casting to them. Don’t forget our cobia season dosn’t open until June 1st. It’s a catch and release fishery until then, you can’t harvest them before June 1st. Also, each captain or vessel operator must have a Recreational Cobia Permit from the Marine Resources Commission. You can visit an Authorized Agent to obtain a permit. If you plan to charter a boat for a cobia trip … you better book ASAP!

The spanish mackerel season is off to a great start. Look for them along the Virginia Beach oceanfront from Capy Henry to Sandbridge.  Some nice fish have been caught off the Virginia Beach Fishing Pier. Croaker and sea mullet are also being caught by pier anglers.

Sheepsheads and spadefish have arrived. Their numbers will increase in the coming weeks. Sheepshead are feeding along the CBBT and spadefish are showing up at the Chesapeake Light Tower, on buoys and at the CBBT. They will become more aggressive feeders as water continues warming.

Trout, flounder and puppy drum are scattered in our local inlets and tidal rivers.

Outta Line, nice Dolphin, plus a White Marlin and Mako release!

Boats running to the canyon for deep dropping are finding plenty of bluefish, tilefish and grouper. Closer to shore, sea bass fishing has also been very good. Some tuna and dolphin are showing up southeast of Rudee Inlet.

OBX, NC

Surf fishing on the northern beaches has been good for sea mullet, trout and bluefish. Anglers fishing Hatteras Island are catching some nice pompano, bluefish, sea mullet and scattered trout.

Soundside anglers are catching trout on the Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway. A few have been keepers.

The OBX pier fishing rundown goes like this, Avalon: bluefish, spanish, puffers and trout. Nags Head: sea mullet, bluefish, spanish and trout. Jennette’s: blues, a few spanish. Outer Banks: blues and sea mullet.

Boats fishing inshore are finding lots of spanish, bluefish cobia and red drum. Those fishing inside the inlet are finding trout … and sheepshead under bridges.

The offshore fleet has been catching limits of large gaffer dolphin. Yellow fin tuna, big-eye tuna, blue marlin, white marlin and sailfish are in the mix. Sharks are making it difficult to land the tuna.