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.

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.

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.

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.

The Hatteras Village Offshore Open is underway!

The black sea bass season reopened May 15th and runs through 31st. The bite has been very good; with several boats catching limits of jumbos. The Triangle Reef is a popular spot. Sea bass will bite squid, crab, fresh cut fish, clam strips, shrimp or diamond jigs.

The spring black drum bite has been excellent. The best action is coming from Virginia’s Eastern Shore, where fish are being caught seaside and bayside. Some have topped 70 pounds, but the 20 to 25 ponders are best for the table. Whole clam, peeler crab, whelk, peeler crab/clam sandwich, buck tails and lead head jigs are all good baits.

Red drum are in their usual spots and now cobia have joined them. This week a couple of boats caught both. 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. Look for them around buoys and other structure, like the islands and pylons of the CBBT.

Sheepshead are feeding on crustacean clinging to the CBBT pylons. They can be caught by fishing fiddler crabs, mole crabs or clam tight against the structure. Some large fish in the 12-pound range have been caught.

Flounder fishing inside Rudee and Lynnhaven Inlets is picking up, some nice keepers have been caught. After a good start to the Eastern Shore flounder season things have slowed a bit. Most fish are in the 15 to 18 inch range; larger fish are rear. The best flounder baits are buck tails dressed with a Gulp or a minnow/squid sandwiches fished on a Sea Striker Fluke Killer.

Spanish mackerel and bluefish are being caught along the oceanfront. They will hit very small spoons like the 0S Drone or Clark pulled behind a small plainer.

Virginia Beach Pier anglers are catching nice spanish, blues, roundhead and keeper trout.

OBX, NC

Surf anglers are catching, bluefish, spanish mackerel, roundhead. Down in Avon and Hatteras some pompano. A couple of citation drum were beached near ramp 45.

Those fishing from the little bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway are catching lots of small trout, but few keepers.

The OBX pier rundown sounds like this. Avalon: blues, spanish, mullet and speckled trout. Nags Head: spanish, trout, blues and flounder. Jennette’s: bluefish and triggers.  Outer Banks: bluefish and spanish.

Inshore Boats are catching trout and sheepshead inside Oregon Inlet and spanish and bluefish near shore.

The offshore fleet is catching lots of mahi, some wahoo, blackfin tuna and a few blue marlin. The Hatteras Village Offshore Open is underway and several large blue marlins have been weighed. Pirates Cove has weighed some blues as well.

Spanish off Virginia Beach, Knot Wish’n Charters

Bluefish and spanish mackerel numbers are on the rise along the Virginia Beach oceanfront; Virginia Beach Pier anglers caught both this week …. Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle says bluefish have also entered Lynnhaven inlet …. Try trolling or casting to schools near inlets, along tide lines and over coastal wrecks in the lower Bay. So far the fish are averaging between 1 and 5 pounds. The VA state record bluefish is 25 pounds, 4 ounces and was caught at Bluefish Rock in the Bay in 1986 by Gayle E. Cozzens. And the record spanish is 9 pounds, 13 ounces and was landed off the Virginia Beach oceanfront in 1993 by Everett Cameron.

Large schools of red drum continue to migrate along the coast on their way to the Chesapeake Bay. Another large school was reported off the Virginia coast this week, anglers were able to sight-cast them. But your best chance at landing one of these beast is to anchor up near the shoals at the northern end of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Black drum are still a good possibility in the same area. Released red or black drum measuring 46 inches or more qualify you for a Virginia State citation award.

Our upcoming cobia season should be a very good one. Large schools are migrating along the OBX on their way to the Bay right now. Anglers to our south have been sight-casting cobia and drum swimming together.

Now that our nighttime air temperatures are remaining above 60 degrees the inshore flounder bite is starting … it’s off to a good start with most of the big fish coming from the inlets and tidal marshes on the Eastern Shore barrier islands. Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle is reporting flounder catches inside Lynnhaven Inlet and Knot Wish’n charters have picked up a few flounder inside Rudee Inlet as well. Generally large baits catch larger fish. The Virginia state record flatfish is 17 pounds, 8 ounces and was caught at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel in 1971 by C.E. Cross.

Sheepsheads are arriving the Bridge Tunnel daily. Their numbers will peak in June and they will hang around until September. They love fiddler crabs, sand fleas or clams fished up against the pylons. Most fish are in the 3 to 8 pound class, but the state record is 20 pounds, 12 ounces. It was caught under the Seagull Fishing Pier, on the CBBT by Arun Nhek in 2005. The Sea Gull Fishing Pier was closed for bridge construction. The last I heard, they plan to reopen it around 2023.

Speckled trout are scattered along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, ocean and soundside  … and in the marshes along the lower Chesapeake Bay and on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Look for them in the surf and inside inlets near marshes.

Spadefish should start showing anytime now. The good bite will occur in June. They will be available all summer.

The tautog season closes the 15th. Better hurry!

Deep dropping on the Rudee Angler

The sea bass season reopens from May 15^th to the 31^st. Then it reopens again June 22^nd and runs through the end of the year. 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 May 18th, 23rd and 30th.

Boats running offshore to the south are finding some yellow fin tuna and dolphin.

OBX, NC

Sea mullet, bluefish, spanish, blow toads and a few trout are being caught in the OBX surf. Anglers fishing the Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causway are catching trout. The OBX pier rundown goes like this; Avalon: bluefish. Nags Head: bluefish and a couple of spanish. Jennette’s: bluefish. Outer Banks: bluefish.

Inshore boats fishing around Oregon Inlet are finding bluefish and sheepshead. Sound side fishing for trout is good.

Offshore bluewater anglers are catching yellow fin tuna, dolphin (mahi mahi) and some king mackerel. Billfish are starting to show up.

Book your charter as ASAP …… the good dates go fast ….  CHARTERS

Some nice speckled trout have been caught between Virginia Beach and Oregon Inlet NC this week. Scott Horton caught this nice one in Rudee inlet a couple of days ago.

The first red and black drum of the season arrived on the Virginia shoals a couple of weeks ago, and there’s more on the way. Massive schools of drum and cobia are migrating together along North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Most of these fish will enter the Chesapeake Bay… soon! If you would like a chance at encountering one of these schools and get in on some world-class fishing, now might be the time.  No boat? … You need to contact a charter captain ASAP and pick a date.

Bluefish are feeding up and down OBX beaches … and are now in Virginia Beach waters. Some really nice sized fish, to 35 inches were landed in the Carolina surf. Spanish mackerel can’t be far behind! The tidal rips east of the CBBT should soon be a great place to hook up with both.

Flounder catches continue improving as our water temps warm, especially around Wachapreague and Chincoteague on the Eastern Shore. Flounder are also showing up in our local inlets (Rudee, Lynnhaven, Little Creek) and along the CBBT.

Sheepshead to 10 pounds have already been caught in the bay.

Tautog action continues to be good, especially on ocean wrecks. Catches along the CBBT and on Bay structure are improving. There are only a few more days left in the Virginia season, it closes May 15th.

The Virginia Beach pier has been catching some spot, roundheads, gray trout and small blues.

The Rudee Angler is advertising 17-hour offshore deep dropping trips for May 11th, 18th, 23rd and 30th. These trips usually catch black sea bass, blueline tilefish, golden tilefish, snowy grouper, black belly rose fish and spiny dogfish. You need to call their booking desk to confirm these dates.

OBX, NC

Surf anglers are catching sea mullet near ramps 48 and 38. At the Point anglers are catching blues on metal spoons. South on the Point anglers have caught blues, spanish, citation drum, citation black drum and pompano.

Anglers on the northern beaches are finding croaker, spot, sea mullet and bluefish.

Those fishing from the Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway are doing very well with trout.

The OBX pier rundown sounds like this. Avalon pier, bluefish, sea mullet and skate. Nags Head pier, mullet, bluefish, and trout. Jennette’s pier, bluefish, croaker, sea mullet and spot. Outer Banks pier, bluefish and spot.

Inshore boats are catching loads of bluefish and May 1st they encountered large schools of black drum, red drum and cobia.

Offshore boats are catching dolphin, yellowfin tuna, big eye tuna, black fin tuna and wahoo.

Tautog fishing remains good to excellent. Look for them around underwater obstructions like wrecks, reefs, rocks and the pylons of the CBBT. Captain Craig Paige and crew on the Paige II enjoyed good tog action this week (above). 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.

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

Sheepshead are already being caught 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.

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.

Black Drum are still 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.

Anglers fishing off the Virginia Beach Fishing Pier are catching some blues, trout, small black drum, roundheads and a few spots and skates.

Virginia offshore anglers are catching  sea bass, blueline tilefish, golden tilefish, snowy grouper, black belly rose fish and dogfish sharks. Make sure to keep up with seasonal regulations for each. In May the Rudee Angler (headboat) starts offering 17-hour deep drop trips on weekends. You need to book early.

OBX, NC

Hatteras surf anglers are catching mostly sea mullet, sharks and blow toads. They are still picking up a few citation red drum at The Point in Buxton along with some puppy drum. There have been some very nice pompano caught in the surf to the south, I look for a good pompano season on Hatteras Island this year. Anglers fishing north of Oregon Inlet are catching sea mullet, trout and puppy drum.

The yellow fin tuna bite off Oregon Inlet remains very good and now you can add mahi mahi to the list. Captains are finding a nice class of fish with a few gaffers in the mix.

The charter boat Rock Solid ran across some cobia on the ride in from offshore. They were able to land the first reported cobia at the OI Fishing Center this year.

Fishing out of Hatteras Inlet, anglers are enjoying excellent mahi mahi and black fin tuna fishing. The wahoo and yellowfin tuna bite was scattered this week. Inshore anglers are finding bluefish and spanish mackerel. Spanish mackerel numbers are on the rise.