There are still a few big stripers hanging around the bay, but it’s all catch and release now. The capture season closed midnight Dec 31^st. Most of the big fish … a few over 50 pounds … are falling for live eels fished by those launching out of the Cape Charles, Kiptopeke VA area. The best action has been between buoys 38 and 42. That’s about a 25 mile run up the bay from Lynnhaven Inlet.

The IGFA has a “release world record category for stripers”. It will be interesting to see how many anglers get involved. This could be a boost for local sport fishing businesses. With striper numbers down and new regulations in place it might popularize catch and release fishing and keep anglers busy during the closed season. Qualifying for the release world record is labor-intensive. Along with an IGFA fee, anglers must fill out a two-page form; take pictures of the rod, reel and net; and supply a line sample, the hook used and information from witnesses. The fish’s length has to be photographed on an official IGFA measuring board and everything has to be notarized. For more information you can visit the IGFA website.

There have been some nice trout landed recently by those fishing their secret spots. But good luck getting them to tell you where that is!!

Tautog fishing has been good on the ocean wrecks. And there are plenty of seabass there also, but unfortunately the sea bass season is closed as well.

When fishing offshore be on the lookout for big bluefins. Watch for working birds and signs of bait fish.

If you are without a boat and interested in whale watching, several VBSF.net sponsor boats offer whale watching trips throughout the winter.

OBX, NC

Around OI there have been some puppy drum and black drum caught. Angers fishing around the bridges for stripers reported little action.

A few nice trout have been landed in Buxton at the jetty.

The big news is the arrival of big bluefins off Hatteras.

NEXT REPORT FEB 1st

Hope everyone is enjoying a great holiday season!

Local angling is officially entering the winter season. We still have a few days available in our sea bass and bay striper season. Both close midnight December 31st. After that it’s all catch and release.

This time of year hearty anglers turn their attention to wreck fishing. Tautogs will be the main focus, but look for some flounder and bluefish to be caught as well. Dr Ken Neill and crew fished the wrecks recently. Action was good. They caught limits of jumbo sea bass, bluefish, tautog, almaco jack, triggerfish and some red snapper. Snapper in Virginia at Christmas are unusual.

Depending on how harsh our winter gets speckled trout will continue being a possibly. On warmer sunny days I’ve seen them warming themselves over boat ramp concrete. While they are still hungry they move very slow in the cold water. So slow your retrieve to a crawl.

Offshore deep droppers will continue catching tilefish at the Norfolk Canyon. Swordfish are still available to those targeting them. Look for tuna in any warm eddies you run across. On the ride out and in watch for bird activity, this time of year giant bluefins can show up anywhere there’s schools of bait fish.

OBX, NC

Boats fishing out of Oregon Inlet are catching yellowfin. One boat limited recently.

Surf anglers on Hatteras Island are catching some trout, black drum and puppy.

Next Report January 15th

Large rockfish are moving out of bay tributaries and into the Bay. Look for them on the Eastern side of the Bay. Anglers are drifting or slow trolling eels near Plantation Light and along Cape Charles. Mann’s Stretch 25’s and tandem rigs are also effective. School-sized rockfish are available for anglers casting along the bridge pilings and the artificial islands of the CBBT.

Tautog are still available on structure, but the bay water temperature has dropped to 49 degrees. Ocean wrecks will probably produce best now. Fiddler crabs and quartered blue crabs are the preferred baits.

Speckled trout reports are still coming in from Long Creek. Mirr-O-Lures and swim baits are working well.

Jumbo sea bass are available on many ocean wrecks. Seabass become off limits at the end of the year, when the season closes. Some big bluefish could show near the same structures. Flounder can also be found around offshore structures. Fresh strip baits are best flounder. This is the time of year boats are on the lookout for bluefin tuna rolling. They have been off the Morehead City North Carolina coast for several weeks.

When boats can make it out to deep drop they are finding good numbers of tilefish and sea bass.

OBX, NC

Surf anglers are catching big red drum, black drum, puppy drum and sea mullet. School sized rockfish are being caught trolling soundside along the Manns Harbor Bridge.

Offshore, when weather permits the tuna and king mackerel fishing has been excellent. Look for giant bluefins to start showing up off Hatteras any time.

NEXT REPORT, CHRISTMAS.

Jimmy Robinson 6lb 5oz

Our fall speckled trout action continues to be outstanding. Trout are being caught throughout the lower Bay, in all three inlets and in the surf along the oceanfront. Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle said there has been good action inside Long Creek the past two weeks ….. Franklin Driggs, David Cockerill, Casey Copeland, Cashin Prutsman, James Robinson, Matt Masciangelo, Bill Knapp, David Cohen, Doug Garnett and James Robertson all registered citations in the shop recently.

Frank Marble, Sandbridge

Anglers working similar locations are finding decent numbers of puppy drum. The large red drum have moved south to OBX waters. Frank Marble managed to snag a nice drum in the surf at Sandbridge as they departed.

Striped bass are being caught throughout the lower bay around bridges and piers with lights.

Sea bass, tautogs and flounder are available around all of the ocean wrecks. The sea bass season closes January 1st. Togs should be available inside the bay, on the Cape Henry wreck and at the CBBT islands.

Offshore trollers have enjoyed some nice, late, bluewater action. Excellent numbers of tuna and wahoo.

Tilefish are available at the Norfolk Canyon.

OBX, NC

There has been a nice speckled trout run along the beach. Anglers are using artificials and the best action comes at dawn and dusk. Sea mullet and puppy drum are also being landed using bottom-rigs.

Sound-side anglers are catching limits of speckled trout along grass banks and in the deeper channels near the inlet. Bluefish are being caught near the inlet.

Striped bass are showing up in better numbers around areas with structure, such as bridge pilings and docks.

Sheepshead are being landed by anglers fishing baits along the Oregon Inlet Bridge pilings.

Offshore anglers are catching yellowfin tuna, blackfin tuna, dolphin and large wahoo. Both blue and white marlin are still hanging around.

To our south, off Atlantic Beach NC giant bluefins are feeding just off the beach. Below is a Facebook video  Sarah Gardner posted of a bluefin feeding behind a commercial boat .

https://www.facebook.com/sarah.gardner.313/videos/1445522948888612/

NEXT FISHING REPORT DEC 7

Speckled trout fishing has been super. Anglers are having success inside all the local inlets and on tidal rivers near the bay. Fishing on the Eastern Shore bay-side has been especially good. The trout season should be peeking.

There are plenty of school-sized striped bass available especially around bridges and docks with lights. Anglers are casting light tackle such as swim baits and bucktails.

Tautog catches at the CBBT should be on the rise. The bay water temperature is now in the low 60’s. Tautog action should continue as water temps drop into the upper 50’s. Ocean wrecks often hold larger fish. Crabs are always your best bait.

Thanks to a couple of warm water eddies that spun off the gulfstream Virginia has enjoyed some outstanding late season bluewater action. Lots yellowfin tuna, some albacore tuna, dolphin and a few billfish. But the headliner has to be the large number of wahoo. Very large wahoo, with several fish topping the 100 pound mark. The State Record sets at 122 lbs 1 oz, caught in 2012 by Susan Nelson.

According to Dr Ken Neill the bite was around the 850 line. He said there was some 73 degree water in 40 fathoms holding wahoo and tuna. And some 76 degree water in 100 fathoms holding more tuna and wahoo. There was a finger of 67 degree water between the warm water areas.

Some have successfully targeted swordfish in the same areas.  Deep droppers are catching golden tile, rosefish and sea bass. The blueline tilefish season is closed right now.

Inshore wrecks are holding plenty of sea bass and some tautog and flounder.

OBX, NC

Surf and pier anglers are catching a few large red drum, but mostly roundheads, croaker, spots, specks and pups.

Stripers are inside the inlet around bridges. There has been some good action near the bridges on the west side of Manteo.

Speckled trout catches in the sound near marshy grass shorelines and near oyster beds has been very good.

The offshore fleet has been targeting the same warm eddies as the Virginia boats. Boats are returning with tuna, dolphin, wahoo and with a few marlin release flags flying.

NEXT REPORT NOVEMBER 23

Big ECU Pirate fan Michelle Cowling with a nice speck caught on the Eastern Shore

With cooler weather settling in anglers are targeting speckled trout and they haven’t been disappointed. Look for specks inside Lynnhaven, Little Creek and Rudee inlets. In creeks on the Eastern Shore. Around the Poquoson Flats. In the York, Nansemond and Elizabeth Rivers. Many fish are ranging 18 to 22-inches, with a few exceeding 24-inches. The Virginia state record is a sixteen pounder.

Large red drum are still available in the Bay. Surf casters at Sandbridge have had success as well. Anglers fishing the James River, Little Creek and Lynnhaven inlets are catching puppy drum.

Croaker, spot and taylor blues are biting in the inlets and around jetties.

Flounder and sheepshead are still hanging around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

School-sized striped bass can be found around any pier or bridge with lights. Small stripers are inside Lynnhaven and Rudee inlets. Remember we have new regulations this season, one slot fish measuring between 20 and 36 inches per person per day in the bay and one between 28 and 26 inches in coastal waters.

Anglers taking advantage of the last few days of fishing on the Virginia Beach Fishing Pier before it closes for the season are catching spot, croaker and speckled trout.

Those fishing coastal wrecks are loading up with sea bass. Triggerfish some of the largest flounder of the season are being caught in the same area.

Nice Big Eye, 286 pounds for Zack Hoffman and crew

Further offshore bluewater trolling has been outstanding. Good numbers of yellowfin tuna, a few big eye tuna, dolphin, large wahoo and nice swordfish.

Deep-dropping continues to produce good numbers of blueline tilefish and a few golden tiles.

OBX, NC

The annual fall trout run is underway. Look for them in holes just outside the breakers at dawn. Puppy drum are in the same area.

Bottom fishing the surf is producing sea mullet and spot.

Fishing soundside has been excellent with speckled trout being the top target. Anglers are catching limits of good-sized fish to 22 inches. Look for them along grass banks and near oyster beds. The bridges on the west side of Manteo are holding trout and stripers.

In the ocean spanish mackerel are still hanging around and catches have improved with the return of cleaner water. King mackerel are scattered out to 20 miles.

Offshore anglers have been reporting scattered mahi around weed lines, large wahoo, blackfin and yellowfin tuna.

NEXT REPORT NOVEMBER 9th

8 lb 8 oz Flounder caught by Mike Davis

With strong northerly winds it looks like a small craft advisory will be in effect for several days. Hopefully early next week anglers will be able to return to their favorite fishing spots.

The family favorite, large yellowbelly spot have been plentiful lately. Pier anglers fishing Ocean View and Virginia Beach have loaded up. Along with the spot are some trout, puppy drum, croaker, bluefish and flounder. Good numbers of spot are also inside Lynnhaven Inlet. Croaker are available near Ocean View and the Little Creek jetties.

Speckled trout catches along the lower bay shoreline and in creeks have been good. Anglers are using numerous lures as well as live shrimp under popping corks. Puppy drum are biting in many of the same areas.

Sandbridge Action

Nicholas Lutz, peir #3, Cherrystone family resort campground. Nice!

Large red drum are schooling near the mouth of the bay and along the oceanfront as they get ready to leave the area. Surfcasters and pier anglers in Sandbridge are waiting on the migration to occur. Red drum love to feed in the surf zone when water conditions are rough.

Flounder catches have been steady. They are being caught inside all three southside inlets and around coastal wrecks.

There are still a few spanish mackerel and bluefish around, but their numbers are dwelling. King mackerel should be available for a few more weeks.

Nice 91 lb 8 oz Wahoo William James Drummond Jr.

High Hopes nice swordfish

Bluewater action was good before the weather kicked up. When boats return, they should find yellowfin tuna, dolphin, billfish, swordfish and large wahoo. Deep-droppers should continue to catching golden tilefish, blueline tilefish and sea bass.

OBX, North Carolina 

Nags Head area beaches are producing good-sized bluefish, puppy drum and black drum.

Hatteras surf anglers are catching large pompano, bluefish and good-sized spanish mackerel.

Speckled trout are starting to work their way out of the sound and into the surf.

Anglers fishing the sound from Wanchese to Oregon Inlet are catching limits of speckled trout. Bluefish are holding in deeper channels around the inlet. Puppy drum are in groups on the flats.

Sheepshead are along the Oregon Inlet Bridge pilings.

Nearshore fishing has been solid for anglers casting jigs to spanish mackerel, bluefish, and false albacore just off the beach.

Nearshore bottom structure has been holding keeper black sea bass and triggerfish.

52 pounder!! On the Sea Breeze

King mackerel are scattered inshore. Offshore anglers are finding dolphin catches to be hit and miss. A good day followed by a slow one. Citation-sized yellowfin and blackfin tuna are showing up, and the yellowfin bite is anticipated to get better over the next month or two. A few large bigeye tunas were landed this past week. White and blue marlin releases are happening almost daily. Wahoo numbers have been good, with many fish in the 40 lb. range. Swordfish are being caught by anglers fishing deep.

Next Report October 26th

Fall is a time of transition. Our summertime visitors leave (both fish and people). The waters are less crowded and fish are very active. It is my favorite time of the year to fish.

Offshore, September is the time we have epic marlin catches. Boats come in with riggers full of release flags. It just has not happened this year. Billfish are being caught but in the 1 or 2 or 3 rate, not in the 10s, 20s, or even 30s we’ve had in some past Septembers. What we are having are good catches of tuna, dolphin and wahoo. Yellowfin and skipjack tuna are the most common catch but decent numbers of bigeye and even longfin tuna are being caught. A 71 pound 11 ounce longfin was weighed in that if approved will replace the long-standing Virginia record 68-pound albacore caught by Irv Fenton, Jr while fishing on Brent Meadors’ boat, Breike. Fall is the best time to catch swordfish but that fishery has been good all season. Boats dropping around 200 fathoms during the daytime have had consistent success on swordfish along with a bigeye tuna by-catch. Some are using electric reels to do this but you don’t need to. They make things easier but disqualify you from any record or trophy fish citation awards. Nighttime drifting is also producing swordfish and this resulted in a new state-record this year with a 466-pound swordfish caught on the Rebel.

Closer to shore, the wrecks are holding sea bass, triggerfish, and flounder. King mackerel and false albacore can be caught trolling spoons over and around wrecks. The Tower Reef area has been good for this. There are still some spadefish hanging around but they will be leaving as we progress into October.

Cobia are still being caught along the oceanfront and in the lower bay. September 30 is the last day of this fishery for both recreational and commercial anglers. Recreational anglers make sure that you file your cobia reports. VMRC needs a good count and you must do so if you want a cobia permit in 2020.

Schools of big red drum are being encountered by anglers looking for cobia. Big red drum are also being caught near the islands of the CBBT. Puppy drum have made a good showing this year and can be caught up on the flats. Most are under the keeper slot size. Speckled trout fishing is very good in both numbers of fish and the size being caught. This fishery is very weather dependent. If we can avoid any major winter kill this year, our speckled trout population looks very good. Tautog, sheepshead and triggerfish are being caught at the CBBT. As we move later into October, the sheepshead catch will diminish as the tautog catch increases. Spot are being caught in decent numbers. They are making one of their better showings in the past several years.

There is a lot of interest in shrimp. We have always had some shrimp. The last few years, there have been eating-size shrimp here in very good numbers. They are being caught up in the creeks, rivers, inlets, and in the shallows on both sides of the bay. Fall is the prime time to catch these tasty critters. Recreationally so far, it is an unregulated species. It is time to get your cast net out and go catch some. Commercially, there is a very small trial fishery along the oceanfront south of Rudee Inlet. This will be the second year of the experimental fishery. Last fall was very successful with a very close monitoring of by-catch.

The striped bass season opens on October 4 in the bay. The coastal season is already open. Virginia continues to move ahead of and beyond anticipated ASMFC action on this overfished species. The springtime trophy fishery was closed. The fall season bag limit has been reduced from 2 to 1 fish per angler in the bay. It has been 1-fish for some time along the coast. A new maximum size limit of 36 inches applies to both the bay and coastal fisheries. The minimum sizes have not changed: 20 inches in the bay, 28 inches in the coastal fishery.

NEXT REPORT OCTOBER 12th

Tom Mooney and Ann Mooney had a nice day catching cobia!

Hurricane Dorian has passed and local anglers are back at it! …. The cobia bite in the bay and along the oceanfront remains very good. Sight casting is most effective and live eels are the best bait. These fish should start exiting the bay and move south soon. But some should be available into October.

Cobia anglers are spotting schools of red drum. Dr Ken Neill did some trolling along the oceanfront September 7th. He saw lots of bait balls, plenty of cobia and a school of red drum. There were schools of spanish mackerel cutting bait. He managed to catch a couple of cobia and a nice king mackerel. He was using plugs.

Spanish Mackerel are still available throughout the lower bay and along the oceanfront.

Sheepshead catches around the CBBT were on the rise this week. Flounder reports were down.

Louis Glaser, Beth Synowiec nice trout!

The speckled trout bite is picking up. This weekend the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Virginia Beach Anglers Club and the Lynnhaven River Now organization are partnering on a tournament in the Lynnhaven and Lafayette Rivers, to highlight the importance of oyster restoration to healthy fisheries. There should be some trout hanging around the oyster bars. And Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle reports a lot of small puppy drum inside Lynnhaven.

Spot are being caught, but the big yellow belly run hasn’t occurred yet.

The Virginia Beach Fishing pier this week reported some spots, a few puppy drum , a few spanish and some blues.

Cool Change, Captain Craig Irwin …. nice catch

Bluewater anglers are releasing a good number of white and blue marlin. They are also finding hungry wahoo, mahi and tuna. Bottom bouncers are catching tilefish.

OBX NC

There has been some bluefish north of Buxton. Bluefish and trout have been plentiful at Oregon Inlet. Trout fishing has been good on all beaches.

Anglers fishing the Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway reported slow action.

Outer Banks Pier Fishing Report, Avalon: trout and bluefish. Nags Head: trout, drum, bluefish, black drum and pompano. Jennette’s: drum, croaker. Outer Banks: spanish, drum, bluefish and trout.

Boats fishing inshore report spanish, bluefish, some mahi and red drum. Trout fishing has been good inshore, with many catching limits.

Offshore captains are finding limits of mahi, yellowfin, blackfin, some wahoo and citation blue and white marlin. Bottom bouncers are catching plenty of tilefish.