With the Virginia Beach Tuna Tournament playing out over the weekend 97 boats turned their attention to tuna.  Here are the tournament results from their website. First place went to Reel Emotion with 172.4 lbs, second to Wired Up with 160.2 lbs and third went to Reelin’ N’ Dealin’ with 154.8 lbs.

Largest single tuna was caught by team Reelin N Dealin at 104.9 lbs. The largest wahoo was caught by team Le Grande Slam II and weighed in at 23.0 lbs. And the largest mahi went to team Rebel at at 21.3 lbs. Congratulation to all!

VBTT LEADER BOARD 

Golden Tilefish on the Rudee Angler!

Along with the good offshore tuna fishing mahi numbers are on the rise and billfish numbers should follow. Bottom fishing remains good for tilefish and grouper.  Amberjack have arrived at the southern towers.

Inshore a few nice flounder are being taken inside the lower bay now. Spanish mackerel, cobia and schools of red drum are being encountered along the oceanfront and on the bay. There should be some king mackerel available near shore. The cobia and red drum hot spot seems to be the eastern shore shoals. Sheepshead are holding on structure and the spadefish are at the Chesapeake Light Tower and over most all wrecks.

Down in Carolina, OBX surf anglers are catching sea mullet, pompano, spanish and bluefish. Soundside fishermen are catching trout and spot. The OBX pier reports go like this, Avalon: spanish early and sea mullet. Nags Head: spanish. Jennette’s: spanish, flounder and spades. Outer Banks: trout, sea mullet, flounder, black drum and taylor blues.

Inshore boats are having good luck with ribbon fish, spanish, bluefish and amberjack.

Offshore Captains are enjoying outstanding catches of yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna, wahoo and mahi.

By TH Spangler | Connie Barbour

There are plenty of options for Virginia saltwater anglers at this time of year!

The spadefish and sheepshead are on structure now. Most of the big spades are coming from the Chesapeake Light Tower, an 11-pound fish was weighed in this week. 9 pounds is the minimum size for a state trophy recognition citation. The sheepshead are hanging around bridge pilings. Look for both these fish to thicken up at the Bay Bridge Tunnel and The Cell.

Red drum and cobia are available through out the lower bay. The cobia action is outstanding. They are being caught from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to Windmill Point. Catches have also been made along the oceanfront, in the surf and on the Buckroe Pier. Anglers are chumming and sight casting, but sight casting seems to be how most fish are encountered. There should be plenty of cobia around for the Monarch Cobia Classic.

Schools of Red Drum are being spotted while searching for Cobia. Anglers fishing the bottom with cut bait are picking up the drum as well. The area around the Bridge Tunnel Islands and the Eastern Shore shoals are hot spots.

Flounder action is picking up inside the bay. Large flounder are showing up near the bridge tunnel. An 8-pound fish was weighed last week. There have been some catches coming from inside Rudee and Lynnhaven Inlets as well.

Speckled Trout catches are on the rise. Gulp baits and paddle-tailed plastics are producing best. But top water baits seem to be producing  a larger class fish.

Anglers trolling the oceanfront are catching spanish mackerel and encountering cobia and red drum.

Virginia’s offshore tuna action has picked up just in time for the Virginia Beach Tuna Tournament. Yellowfin and bigeye tuna catches are showing up on local docks. To the south boats have found tuna busting on the surface and were able to catch them by casting. There have been some good tuna catches reported to our north, by boats fishing from Ocean City, MD. So now Virginia captains will have to decide which way to run each morning. Dolphin are available and our first billfish have been caught.

Offshore bottom fishing remains good. Some of the VBSF charter sponsors run these trip on request. The Rudee Angler has been running trips. You need to book early!

The OBX/Hatteras surf is providing pompano, bluefish, and sea mullet. There has been some large sharks landed in the Nags Head and Hatteras surf.

Nice Spadefish caught onboard Aquaman Charters

By Dr. Ken Neill, III | Peninsula Salt Water Sport Fisherman’s Association Member

Cobia have arrived in the bay in force. Fishing has been good for both chummers and sight fishermen. While cobia are getting most of the inshore buzz, red drum fishing remains excellent on the shoals at the mouth of the bay. Schools of big red drum are also being encountered by angler sight-fishing for cobia and by anglers trolling the oceanfront for Spanish mackerel.

Spanish mackerel are being caught along the oceanfront and have begun to move on into the bay. Some nice catches of spadefish have been made at the Chesapeake Light Tower and over some of the coastal wrecks. More are showing on structures inside the bay. “Nice” means by today’s standards, not the 9 and 10 pound spadefish we used to catch.

Some really nice sheepshead (by any standard) are being caught at the CBBT. Flounder are showing some promise this year. Fishing for them has not been great the past few years other than around the ocean wrecks. Catches were good on the seaside this spring and more are being caught in the bay so hopefully we will have a better summer.

Medium and small croaker seem to be plentiful in the rivers where some nice early spot are being caught. Speckled trout seem to have survived the winter freeze and decent numbers of puppy drum have been around.

Offshore action has gotten off to a late start. Tuna fishing has been good out of Oregon Inlet all spring but it took until June for the yellowfin to move closer to us. They are here now in range of Virginia Boats. Nice  bigeye tuna are mixed with the yellofins. Offshore action should swiftly heat up now.

Spencer Elford has won pretty much every youth angling award that Peninsula Salt Water Sport Fisherman’s Association offers. Now as a teenager, his winning ways continue. He and two of his friends: Joel White and Dylan Copeland fished the first annual Cobia East Coast Championship. With no adults to get in their way, the three boys landed a 79.7 pound cobia which easily won first place in the tournament. They walked away with $5,000 and they also won the youth angler award.

Another popular tournament for PSWSFA members is the Gloucester Boys and Girls Flounder Tournament. The tournament will be on July 14 with a captains meeting on July 13. New for this year will be a special PSWSFA Member Division. The largest flounder caught by a club member will earn you $300 in addition to any other prizes you may win.

Soon after that is the Monarch Cobia Classic, July 19-21. For more information about the Monarch Cobia Classic and to learn about sponsorship opportunities, visit www.odualumni.org/cobiaclassic

Nice Drum On Key Dreams Charter!

By TH Spangler | Connie Barbour

The hot weather is here and the summer fishing pattern is setting up in Virginia waters.

The cobia season is open and anglers are catching. Both chumming and sight casting are working! Anglers sight-fishing for cobia are also seeing large schools of red drum. Even prior to the season opening numerous trophy cobia release citations were registered. Remember all anglers, captains and guides fishing for cobia must obtain a Recreational Cobia Permit from VMRC and report all harvest and cobia fishing activity.

Don’t forget the Old Dominion University Alumni Association annual Monarch Cobia Classic coming up in July!

Spanish mackerel and taylor blues have arrived along the oceanfront. Anglers trolling for bluefish and spanish are also encountering the large red drum and cobia.

Eastern Shore flounder catches remain strong inside the seaside inlets.

The coastal wrecks are holding good numbers of sea bass and there should be some triggerfish. Spadefish can be found over the wrecks and flounder can be found around them. Spadefish are being caught at the Chesapeake Light Tower. A nice class of sheepshead have shown up in their usual holding spots. Small bluefish and striped bass are still holding around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel islands.

Offshore anglers making a long run south out of Virginia or fishing from Oregon Inlet have been experiencing one of the best tuna seasons in years. The big eye tuna numbers have been off the charts and so have the size of the yellowfins. Many, many of the hooked tuna have been lost to the sharks. A couple of boats fished their way back to Rudee Inlet this week and reported good tuna fishing all the way. The good tuna conditions are moving closer to the Virginia charter fleet. Offshore bottom fishing remains strong for tilefish and sea bass.

Water Temps

Ches Bay Bridge: 77.0 F
Cape Henry: 76.0 F
Kiptopeke: 78.6 F
Duck NC Pier: 77.9 F
Oregon Inlet Sound side: 79.1 F
OI offshore Buoy @ 60 feet: 76.7 F
Hatteras Surf: 79.7 F
Diamond Shoals Tower: 80.3 F

By TH Spangler | Connie Barbour

As Memorial Day rapidly approaches the spring saltwater fishery continues to improve almost everywhere.

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

Red and black drum are plentiful on bay shoals near the eastern shore.

Cobia have enter our waters but our season is closed for a few more days, it opens June 1st. There are massive numbers to our south off of Nags Head, headed our way!

Striped bass and bluefish remain around the CBBT islands.

Spadefish should be available at the Chesapeake Light Tower.

There have been some nice size bluefish caught inside Lynnhaven inlet. Some puppy drum and sizable flounder are showing inside both Lynnhaven and Rudee inlets. The flounder should be available around coastal wrecks and along the CBBT anytime.

Flounder catches remain very good in the seaside inlets on the eastern shore. Some large striped bass are being caught in the surf on the eastern shore.

Tuna fishing is red hot to our south. A few Virginia boats have been making the run. Some very large yellowfins and lots of bigeye tuna are awaiting crews. Some of the yellowfins have topped the 90-pound mark. Dolphin and an occasional blue marlin round out catches. A little closer to home tilefish and grouper are being caught by deep-droppers.

Sea bass season is open and catches are good on the ocean wrecks. In seabass news, Dr Ken Neill reports that the sea bass regulations have been set again. As previously planned, we will not have a fall closure this year. This came in doubt when some northern states protested the sea bass plan, but that now has been resolved. Sea bass will remain open for the rest of the year with a 15-fish bag limit and a 12.5-inch minimum  size.

http://mrc.virginia.gov/regulations/fr950.shtm

Water Temps

Ches Bay Bridge: 71.0 F
Cape Henry: 71.0 F
Kiptopeke: 71.6 F
Duck NC Pier: 72.9 F
Oregon Inlet Sound side: 76.1 F
OI offshore Buoy @ 60 feet: 69.7 F
Hatteras Surf: 75.7 F
Diamond Shoals Tower: 74.3 F

Our next report will be Jun 4th.

Nice size Bluefish in Long Creek caught by Bob Caudle 11lb 12oz

By TH Spangler | Connie Barbour

The first cobias of the season have entered Virgina waters. Anglers targeting drum have caught-and-releases a few. Looks like there will be plenty around when the Virginia season opens June 1. Our cobia season should peak around the same time as the Monarch Cobia Classic, scheduled for July 19-21.

Now that the tautog season has closed some are targeting sea bass. The sea bass season opened May 15th.

Sheepshead are holding around CBBT structure as are striped bass. The spring striped bass season is open; and anglers can keep two slot fish between 20 to 28 inches long. Bluefish are mixed in with the stripers.

Flounder fishing is picking up. Flounder catches remain good inside of seaside inlets on Virginia’s eastern shore.

Plenty of red and black drum are still on the shoals on the northern side of the bay.

North Carolina surf anglers fishing Cape Point continue to catch red drum. Pompano, big chopper bluefish and sea mullet have been available as well.

Offshore Virginia boats are either making a long run south to get in on some outstanding tuna fishing off Carolina or they are deep dropping closer to home for tilefish and grouper. The Rudee Angler and Aquaman Charters have been doing very well with the tile and grouper.

Offshore boats out of Hatteras and Oregon Inlets have added great dolphin catches to their already great tuna catches. Plenty of mahi, plus yellow fin, blackfin and big eye tunas. A 690 lb Blue Marlin was just caught and there are some wahoo around. The Hatteras Offshore Invitational Marlin tournament was held this week, congratulation to the winners. Sea Toy – 1st Place Calypso – 2nd Place Goombay – 3rd Place.

Water Temps

Ches Bay Bridge: 68.0 F
Cape Henry: 68.0 F
Kiptopeke: 69.6 F
Duck NC Pier: 66.9 F
Oregon Inlet Sound side: 76.1 F
OI offshore Buoy @ 60 feet: 63.7 F
Hatteras Surf: 75.7 F
Diamond Shoals Tower: 74.3 F

By TH Spangler | Connie Barbour

Many of our spring species have found their way to the Chesapeake Bay and our coastal waters.

Our tautog action is still good and should remain so through the close of the season. The Tog season closes from May 16 thru June 30.

Red and black drum are here in numbers and fishing for them should continue to improve over the next few weeks. Fishing fresh crabs, clams or live bait produces the best action. Remember, all red drum over 26 inches must be released. So far the best action on both red and black drum is coming from the Eastern Shore.

The Eastern Shore inlets near Assateague, Chincoteague Oyster and Wachapreague are the hot spot for flounder right now. Anglers drifting flounder rigs across shallows are hooking keepers. A flounder rig with a minnow tipped with a strip of squid works well. Some flounder are also available around Rudee and Lynnhaven inlets.

Striped bass and bluefish are hanging around the bridge tunnel islands. The bay’s spring striped bass season opens May 16. The small striped bass must meet the 20-inch minimum size. Anglers will be able to keep two striped bass each measuring between 20 and 28 inches. One of these two fish may be longer than 36 inches, as the trophy season will still be open. A permit is required for any fish larger than 36 inches and you must report the catch. There is not a special permit or reporting required for the 20- to 28-inch fish.

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

Croaker have shown up under piers on the lower bay and in the York River.

Anglers have started catching cobia off Hatteras and the fish should start arriving in Virginia waters any day. The Virginia season does not open until June 1. Our cobia season should peak around the same time as the Monarch Cobia Classic, scheduled for July 19-21.

Offshore a few bluefin tuna along with bigeye and yellowfin tuna are available for anglers making the long run to the southeast. A few Rudee inlet charter boats are making the run. Fishing should pick up closer to home in the coming weeks. Deep-dropping is producing plenty of blueline tilefish and some big golden tiles. A few snowy grouper and bluefish have also  been boated. The Rudee Angler has been enjoying some great deep drop action lately!

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

In the sound, speckled trout and small striped bass have been caught on the Manteo Nags Head causeway bridge.

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

Yellowfin and blackfin tuna are providing outstanding action for boats sailing from both Oregon and Hatteras inlets. Dolphin numbers are on the rise. The season’s first billfish and wahoo have been boated.

Anglers are reminded to use caution while navigating through Rudee, Oregon and Hatteras Inlets, as shoaling continues to be a big problem.

Water Temps
Cape Henry: 65.7 F
Kiptopeke: 65.1 F
Duck NC Pier: 57.4 F
Oregon Inlet Sound side: 73.6
OI offshore Buoy @ 60 feet: 60.6
Hatteras Surf: 70.7 F
Diamond Shoals Tower: 71.6 F

Great fishing aboard the Rudee Angler!

By TH Spangler | Connie Barbour

Tautog, red drum, black drum, striped bass, flounder, trout and croaker are all available in Virginia waters now.

The best flounder fishing is taking place in our seaside inlets. The tautogs are being caught on structure, near shore and in the lower Chesapeake Bay.

Red drum are here and will be available throughout the lower bay for several weeks. Many anglers like to set up near the rock islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel for them. Occasionally they can be spotted swimming on the surface. They also love to feed on the shoals near the Eastern Shore.

Black drum anglers don’t forget the Fourth Annual Black Drum Chase. It will be held May 11th-20th and you can sign up at Chris’ Bait and Tackle on the Eastern Shore.

The trophy striped bass season is open and fish over 40 pounds have been weighed in.

The first sheepshead are here and the cobia will be arriving soon. Cobia are already being caught off Hatteras NC. Remember the Virginia cobia season does not open until June 1. Don’t forget about the 2018 Cobia Bowl July 19th-21st. The Cobia bowl, now known as the Monarch Cobia Classic looks to be bigger and better than ever!

Offshore the tuna fishing remains very good to our south. A few Virginia Beach Charter Boats are now available for the long run to the tuna. Offshore bottom fishing for tilefish and grouper is very good. The Rudee Angler just returned from a great trip. The sea bass season will re-open again May 15 and the blueline tilefish season opened May 1.

Down on the Other Banks of North Carolina surf anglers are catching red drum, sea mullet and jumbo bluefish near Buxton. Anglers fishing off the Little Bridge on the Nags Head/Manteo causeway are catching small trout and small puppy drum.

The OBX pier report sounds like this. Avalon: trout, sea mullet, bluefish and drum. Nags Head: slow. Jennette’s: sea mullet and bluefish. Outer Banks: bluefish.

Boats fishing along the beach near Oregon Inlet are catching albacore and lots of bluefish. The Headboats are catching sea mullet and bluefish.

The OBX offshore fleet is enjoying fantastic tuna fishing, yellowfin, blackfin and bigeye are all available. So are the dolphin, with some being gaffers. A few wahoo and billfish round out the catch.

Water Temps
CBBT: Not Available
Cape Henry: Not Available
Kiptopeke: 60.3 F
Duck NC Pier: 55.6 F
Oregon Inlet Sound side: 64.2 F
OI offshore Buoy @ 60 feet: 61.9 F
Hatteras Surf: 67.3 F
Diamond Shoals Tower: 75.4 F

By TH Spangler | Connie Barbour

With water temperatures in the mid fifties our tautog fishing is red hot. Anglers are finding taugs around most inshore structures. Favorite spots include the tower reef area, the Cape Henry wreck, the rock islands of the CBBT and around the concrete ships.

Flounder fishing is picking up every day especially in the shallows on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Chincoteague, Assateague, and Oyster are producing fish to 5 pounds. Drifting minnows on flounder rigs inside the seaside inlets is the favored method. Remember, large baits for large flounder. Flounder are also being caught inside Virginia Beach’s Rudee Inlet.

The black drum bite is on. Anglers using fresh clams for bait are catching large fish near the Eastern Shore. Some extra large black drum have also been landed from the surf.

Our big Red Drum bite always closely follows our peak black drum bite …. the reds are right on time. Fish are showing up along the beach from sandbridge and north to the eastern shore. These fish will be plentiful in the lower bay over the next several weeks.

Croakers are biting off Ocean View and in rivers feeding the bay. Croaker sizes will continue to increase all summer. A few speckled trout and some puppy drum are being caught inside Rudee Inlet, Lynnhaven Inlet, Mobjack Bay and areas north.

The Virginia Trophy Rockfish season opened May 1st and runs until May 16th. There is a 36 inch minimum, and a 1 fish per person, per day limit. Check the VMRC website for exact regulations.

Down on the Outer Banks of North Carolina anglers fishing Cape Point caught mostly sharks last week. To the south, Frisco anglers caught puppy drum, black drum and a few sharks.

On the northern OBX surf anglers found slot size red drum and good numbers of bluefish and a few rockfish. Anglers fishing the Little Bridge on the Nags Head – Manteo causeway caught catfish, stripers, small bottom fish.

Here’s the OBX pier rundown. Avalon: Trout. Nags Head: Bluefish. Jennette’s: Puffers, Shad, Skate, and small Stripers. Outer Banks: Toads and lots of Skate.

The Outer Banks Gulf Stream charters have been returning to the docks with yellowfin, blackfin and mahi. Good to see some mahi, look for many more to follow.

Water Temps
CBBT: 57.4 F
Cape Henry: 57.0 F
Kiptopeke: 57.6 F
Duck NC Pier: 63.6 F
Oregon Inlet Sound side: 64.8 F
OI offshore Buoy @ 60 feet: 55.9 F
Hatteras Surf: 65.8 F
Diamond Shoals Tower: 65.7 F

Beth Synowiec and husband with two person limit of tautog to 25 inches / 10 lbs 8oz

By Staff | TH Spangler | Connie Barbour

It’s time to roll, the fish are biting!

Tautog fishing is excellent around the rock islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, at the Kiptopeke concrete ships and on near shore wrecks. Dr Ken Neill and crew fished a couple of inshore wrecks over the weekend. They ended up with 17 tautog, a pollock and released a lot of sea bass. Our sea bass season opens again May 15.

Large black drum moved into the lower Chesapeake Bay this week. Some large ones were boated and a few smaller fish were landed in the surf. A couple of big red drum were also boated. Red drum fishing along Sandbridge and on the lower Chesapeake Bay should get red-hot this week. Smaller puppy drum are being caught inside Rudee Inlet.

Flounder are being caught seaside on Virginia’s Eastern Shore near Assauteague and Chincoteague by anglers tossing jigs or drifting live minnows on flounder rigs. The flat fish have also entered Virginia Beach’s Rudee Inlet.

Speckled trout are around, but good luck finding someone to share  the location of his or her hot spot!! Try the shallows around Rudee and Lynnhaven Inlets.

Small striped bass, puppy drum and a few speckled trout have been caught up the Bay in rivers feeding areas like Mobjack Bay.

The Trophy Season for striped bass opens on Tuesday. Good numbers of school-sized fish have been available through the lower Bay, with bigger ones being found to the north.

Croakers are now available. Anglers fishing Buckroe Pier caught the first of the season this week.

A few boats headed offshore Virginia Beach to deep drop. They reported good catches of golden tilefish, tautog and bluefish. They released some seabass and dogfish.

In North Carolina the big red drum and big chopper blues are still being caught at Cape Point. The bluefish are being caught from Avon,  southward.  Surf anglers are also finding blow toads and sea mullet.

Anglers fishing the little bridge on the Nags Head Manteo causeway are catching small stripers.

Last week Avalon pier anglers caught shad, trout and puppy drum. Nags head pier anglers landed mullet and shad. Jennette’s pier anglers caught puffers, sea mullet, gray trout, spot and sand perch. And Outer Banks pier anglers caught blowtoads, sea mullet and shad.

The Outer banks offshore fleet has been limiting out on yellowfin tuna and catching some blackfin tuna and mahi. There was a sailfish release registered this week.

Water Temps
CBBT: 55.4 F
Cape Henry: 55.0 F
Kiptopeke: 54.1 F
Duck NC Pier: 53.4 F
Oregon Inlet Sound side: 55.4 F
OI offshore Buoy @ 60 feet: 51.4 F
Hatteras Surf: 61.2 F
Diamond Shoals Tower: 66.2 F

LINK: BOOK A CHARTER

By Staff | TH Spangler | Connie Barbour

Flounder reports are starting to roll in from Virginia’s eastern shore  Look for them to start showing up in the bay very soon. A few red drum have also been caught on the eastern shore.

Some puppy drum and speckled trout have been reported inside Rudee and Lynnhaven inlets.

Tautog catches are picking up at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and on other structures located in the lower bay. Look for action on all four of these (flounder, drum. tautog and trout) to really start picking up now.

Surf fishing on Hatteras NC beaches has been excellent. Last week anglers fishing at the Point near Buxton caught lots of citation red drum. As many as 15-20 fish per day were being recorded at local weigh stations. A good number of puppy drum are also being caught in the same location. Both large and small drum are being caught using cut fresh mullet on drum rigs. There are a lot of dogfish mixed in with the reds, and a few bluefish up to 32” have been beached. With water temperatures rising, expect to see more bluefish in the coming weeks. Black drum, sea mullet, blow toads and croakers are also biting in the surf. OBX pier anglers are catching  puppy drum, skates, dogfish, and puffers.

The OBX offshore boats are catching lots of yellow fin, big eye, black fin tuna and a few wahoo. They have also found a few blue fin tuna but the blue fins are catch and release only at this time.

Water Temps

Cape Charles: 49.1 F
Cape Henry: 53.4 F
Kiptopeke: 54.0 F
Duck NC Pier: 47.7 F
Oregon Inlet Sound side: 66.2 F
OI offshore Buoy @ 60 feet: 55.0 F
Hatteras Surf: 63.9
Diamond Shoals Tower: 70.9 F