It’s Time To Roll The Fish Are Here

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

 

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2018/04/23/13205/

New North Carolina Cobia Regulations For 2018

NC Cobia VBSF

MOREHEAD CITY – The recreational cobia season begins May 1, and the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is reminding anglers that the regulations have changed.

The recreational cobia season will run May 1 to Dec. 31 with a minimum size limit of 36 inches fork length (tip of the snout to the fork in the tail) and a possession limit of one fish per person per day.

For private boats, from May 1 to May 31, the maximum limit will be one fish per person per day, not to exceed two fish per vessel per day, regardless of the number of anglers on board.

For private boats, from June 1 to Dec.31, the maximum vessel limit will be one fish per vessel per day, regardless of the number of anglers on board.

For for-hire operations (charter boats, head boats, guide boats), from May 1 to Dec. 31, the vessel limit will be four fish per vessel per day, or one fish per person per day if fewer than four people are on board.

Anglers must return all cobia not meeting the harvest requirements to the water in a manner that ensures the highest likelihood of survival.

For more information, contact Steve Poland, cobia species lead with the Division of Marine Fisheries, at 252-808-8159 or [email protected].

2018 VIRGINIA COBIA REGULATIONS

From VMRC Website

The 2018 Virginia recreational cobia regulations are as follows:

40-inch, total length, minimum size limit; 1-fish daily possession limit or 3-fish-daily vessel limit, whichever is more restrictive; only one fish per vessel per day may be greater than 50 inches in total length; an open season of June 1 through September 30; and gaffing is now allowed to land a cobia while fishing recreationally.

All anglers, captains, and guides fishing for cobia must obtain a Recreational Cobia Permit from the Commission and report all harvest and cobia fishing activity.

Permits can be obtained online here or at an MRC Licensing Agent. Reporting can be done online through the Saltwater Journal or using forms provided by the VMRC.

LINK: Cobia Regulations Discussion

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2018/04/21/north-carolina-regulations-2018-cobia/

Virginia Anglers Finding Flounder, Red Drum and Tautog

Outer banks tuna

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

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2018/04/15/va-fishing-report/

New NC State Record Bluefin Tuna

MOREHEAD CITY – The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries has certified a new state record bluefin tuna.

Retired Army General Scott Chambers of Townsend, Delaware, reeled in the 877-pound fish March 17 after fighting with the fish for 2 ½ hours off Oregon Inlet. It measured 113 inches curved fork length (tracing the contour of the body from the tip of the nose to the fork in the tail) and had a girth of 79 inches.

He caught the fish using trolling dead bait on 130 pound line test on a 130 Shimano rod and reel aboard the charter boat A-Salt Weapon fishing out of Pirates Cove Marina in Manteo.

Chambers’ fish broke the former state record bluefin tuna by 72 pounds. That fish was caught off Oregon Inlet, as well, in 2011. The world all-tackle record bluefin tuna was 1,496 pounds and was caught off Nova Scotia in 1979.

VBSF.net Fishing News

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2018/04/09/new-nc-state-record-bluefin-tuna/

Monarch Cobia Classic 2018

By DR Ken Neill III | Peninsula Salt Water Sport Fisherman’s Association

The Cobia Bowl will be called the Monarch Cobia Classic this year

The Cobia Bowl was begun as a fun way for anglers to help gather information about Virginia’s cobia fishery and to help raise funds for fisheries research. Due to great sponsorship support and angler participation, this fishing tournament has been a great success. We are pleased to announce that we have even bigger and better plans for 2018. The Cobia Bowl is joining forces with the Old Dominion University Alumni Association for the Monarch Cobia Classic. Our goal is to create the largest cobia tournament on the East Coast. We invite Cobia Bowl sponsors and anglers to join us for what will be a fantastic event with great fishing, bigger parties, and even more fun all while supporting great causes. The Monarch Cobia Classic will raise funds to support scholarship and research. This event will be held July 19-21, during the peak of the cobia season. For more information about the Monarch Cobia Classic and to learn about sponsorship opportunities visit the tournament website.

www.odualumni.org/cobiaclassic

 

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2018/04/09/cobia-monarch-classic/

Warmer Hatteras Water Brings With It Red Drum Bite

By Staff | TH Spangler | Connie Barbour

Strong harsh winds have made it nearly impossible for Virginia anglers to do much fishing lately. Everyone is still waiting for calmer, warmer days and a speckled trout, red drum bite. Water temperatures remain a bit on the chilly side.

Tautog action should still be good on the ocean wrecks and at the CBBT when weather permits. There have been a few reports of flounder being landed near inlets in deeper water.

Last week Outer Banks surf anglers enjoyed an outstanding run of big red drum at the Point in Hatteras, and to the south to Ocracoke inlet. Water temps finally hit the 60 degree mark there. Anglers are also finding puppy drum, sea mullet, blow toads and even a few croaker.

The Outer Banks offshore fleet fishing of out of Oregon and Hatteras Inlets are catching lots of yellowfin tuna. Their catches have also included blackfin tuna, king mackerel, wahoo and even a blue marlin or two.

vbsf map

Water Temps 

Cape Charles: 49.1 F
Cape Henry: 50.0 F
Kiptopeke: 49.4 F
Duck NC Pier: 54.1 F
Oregon Inlet Surf: 52.1 F
OI offshore Buoy @ 60 feet: 51.5 F
Hatteras Surf: 60.0F
Diamond Shoals Tower: 64.4 F

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2018/04/08/report-hatteras-red-drum/

Easter Week Fishing Report For Virginia Beach

By DR Ken Neill III | Peninsula Salt Water Sport Fisherman’s Association

So, what has been happening out on the water so far? In addition to the great bluefin fishing out of Oregon Inlet, both yellowfin tuna and some bigeye tuna have been caught. Blackfin tuna are being caught out of Hatteras. As early as late January, big red drum were being caught out of the Hatteras surf during that early spring we had. Typically, about 2 weeks after that bite starts, we get them here on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. It was simply way too early, but there were rumors of both red and black drum encounters on the seaside. Then winter came back and stopped that talk. Now that spring has come back, expect the red and black drum fisheries to begin soon.

We had a winter fish kill that affected speckled trout, juvenile red and black drum, mullet and even striped bass. We will see if this has a significant impact on our fisheries with speckled trout being the greatest concern. The population appeared to be healthy and growing this past fall.

Striped bass have made their moved into the bay and rivers and are available for catch and release fishing until May when there are some open seasons. Anglers practicing catch and release in the rivers have also caught some puppy drum with some of those in the keeper-slot range.

Boston mackerel have made a showing and some have been caught by gill-netters in the bay. Tautog are the main fishery at the moment with the coastal wrecks being the most productive location. Bay structures have produced some fish during the warm times then shut down after the snow events. The bay will turn back on quickly as water temperatures raise a bit. The fish are there, it is just their activity level that is affected.

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2018/03/31/fishing-report-chesapeake-bay/

Virginia Saltwater Fishing News

By DR Ken Neill III | Peninsula Salt Water Sport Fisherman’s Association

Virginia Saltwater Fishing News

Spring has sprung and a new fishing season is upon us. There have been some changes for this year and likely, there will be more to come.

Shark fishing has become even more regulated this year. Anglers fishing for sharks in federal waters must now use non-offset circle hooks. They also have to have a special shark endorsement with their HMS permit. We catch sharks in state waters but if you do have an HMS permit (used to be your tuna permit) for fishing offshore, you have to abide by circle-hook rule even in state waters if you are fishing from an HMS permitted vessel. You can get this endorsement online, while ordering your permit. You watch a video on shark identification which is followed by a quiz.

NOAA has been encouraging anglers to release shortfin makos for some time. Now you will have to release most any that you catch. The possession limit is still one fish per boat but the minimum size has been increased to a 83-inch fork length.

There has been a good run of large bluefin tuna. We are allowed to keep one “trophy” bluefin tuna per vessel per year but what has become the norm, this fishery has been closed early again this year. The current bluefin tuna regulations allows for the retention of one bluefin tuna per vessel per day measuring at least 27 inches but less than 73 inches fork length.

The bluefin tuna have been large this spring. Before the closure of the trophy season boats out of Oregon Inlet, along with some boats making the run south out of Virginia, experienced great action on fish in the 500 plus pound class. On the last day the trophy fishery was open, an 877 pound bluefin was weighed in as the pending North Carolina record. Big tuna continue to be caught but now must be released.

Tautog regulations have been relaxed a bit. The bag limit has been increased to 4 fish. Minimum size is 16 inches. The season length has been greatly increased with a closure from May 16 through June. It is open the rest of the year.

Sea bass is another fishery that has been expanded. We had an open fishery this February for the first time in many years. The regulations for the rest of the year will be set at the April VMRC meeting but are expected to be an opening May 15 with the season open the rest of the year, without the one-month closure in the fall that we have had for a number of years. We also expect to have a January and February sea bass fishery for 2019 but keep following this.

The keeper-size for flounder has been reduced to 16.5 inches. The bag limit is 4-fish per person.

Tilefish regulations are undergoing major changes. We had no regulations from Virginia on north. When this fishery was “discovered”, Virginia enacted regulations while waiting for the federal system to catch up. Virginia cannot set regulations for federal waters but can regulate what is brought into Virginia. We have had a 7 fish tilefish (combined species) and a 1 fish grouper bag limit with a year-round fishery for a number of years. The federal system has caught up with tilefish (no changes with grouper so still just Virginia’s one per person bag limit). We now have an 8-fish golden tilefish bag limit and that fishery is open year-round. Blueline tilefish was closed. It will re-open May 1 and remain open through October under the most bizarre bag-limits I have ever seen. Recreational anglers will have different bag limits based on the type of boat they are fishing from. If you are on an inspected vessel (those licensed to carry more than 6 passengers) your bag limit is 7 fish. Examples of these boats here are the High Hopes and Ocean Pearl. If you are fishing from most charter boats, your bag limit is 5 fish. If you are fishing from non-charter boat, your bag limit is 3 fish. These new blueline tilefish regulations come with new federal reporting requirements. These new requirements are not being applied to those fishing under the 3-fish bag limit this year. We still have Virginia’s mandatory permit and reporting requirements for tilefish and grouper.

Cobia regulations have been very contentious the past couple of years with federal managers using data that is simply unbelievable to many. Virginia did not go along with a federal closure and set very conservative regulations for state waters. This year, the ASMFC is involved with cobia management and we are working to get better data. Based on what data we have, a 3-year rolling soft quota has been set. This gives us a number to aim for but will not require a fishery shut down if we get some crazy spike one year in survey estimates.

Virginia had the option of relaxing cobia regulations this year. We could have increased the boat limit to 4 fish, gotten rid of the “only one over 50 inches”, and gotten rid of the no-gaffing provision. A bit surprisingly, the vast majority of anglers and charter captains who weighed in favored keeping the boat limit at 3 fish and keeping the only one big fish rule. They did want to get rid of the no gaff rule. There were a number of options on the season with the majority favoring a June 1 opening and remaining open through the end of September. The second most popular choice was a May 15 opening and a September 16 closure. Personally, this second option was my favorite and I have not gaffed a cobia in years. What I supported at VMRC was what was most asked for by recreational anglers and that is what passed. I was rather proud of Virginia’s anglers supporting regulations more conservation oriented than we could have done.

So for 2018, our cobia season will begin on June 1 and you can keep fish through September. The daily bag limit remains 1 fish per person up to 3 fish per boat. Only one fish per boat may be over 50 inches. The minimum size is still 40 inches. The prohibition on gaffing is removed but please do not use a gaff unless you are sure it is fish that you are going to keep. The free Cobia Permit along with mandatory reporting is still required for an ongoing effort to get more accurate data.

We’ve been getting a lot of questions about the Cobia Bowl. The Cobia Bowl was begun as a fun way for anglers to help gather information about Virginia’s cobia fishery and to help raise funds for fisheries research. Due to great sponsorship support and angler participation, this fishing tournament has been a great success. We are pleased to announce that we have even bigger and better plans for 2018. The Cobia Bowl is joining forces with the Old Dominion University Alumni Association for the Monarch Cobia Classic. Our goal is to create the largest cobia tournament on the East Coast. We invite Cobia Bowl sponsors and anglers to join us for what will be a fantastic event with great fishing, bigger parties, and even more fun all while supporting great causes. The Monarch Cobia Classic will raise funds to support scholarship and research. This event will be held July 19-21, during the peak of the cobia season. For more information about the Monarch Cobia Classic and to learn about sponsorship opportunities, visit www.odualumni.org/cobiaclassic

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2018/03/30/virginia-saltwater-fishing-news/

Virginia Beach Saltwater Fishing Report

tautog virginia

By VBSF Staff | TH Spangler | Connie Barbour

Virginia Beach anglers need four or five warm days in a row to kick off the speckled trout, puppy drum seasons inside Lynnhaven and Rudee Inlets. A few warm days will lure bait into the shallows and the predators will follow.

Cold inshore water is holding up our big red drum bite. But a few warm days will take care of that as well. Then look for reports to start coming in from the Outer Banks of NC and along Virginia’s Sandbridge. The bite will quickly turn on in the shallows of Virginia’s Eastern Shore and in the lower Chesapeake Bay.  Bay anglers will also be targeting large black drum with fresh clams.

Tautog fishing is good on the ocean wrecks when you can find a weather window. Dr. Ken Neil fished a half day recently and caught 8 tautog.

Rockfish are available inside the rivers, but must be released.

On the Outer Banks NC surf anglers reported slow fishing last week. With the water temperature on the beach in the low 50s it’s hard to find a consistent bite. We need water temps in the low 60’s. A few red drum were beached at the Point though, but action is not very consistent. There’s a steadier bite found on the southern beaches of Ocracoke Island.

Anglers fishing Jennette’s Pier are catching a few dogfish on frozen cut bait fished using bottom rigs.

Offshore boats running out of Oregon Inlet are finding plenty of big bluefin tuna. Along with the bluefins are some yellowfin tuna and even some wahoo. Blackfin Tuna are available off Hatteras.  Hatteras boats are doing some bottom fishing as well this time of year.

Water Temps

Cape Charles: 42.4 F
Cape Henry: 42.6 F
Kiptopeke: 43.0 F
Duck NC Pier: 43.9 F
Oregon Inlet Surf: 44.1 F
OI offshore Buoy @ 60 feet: 44.1 F
Hatteras Surf: 52.3 F
Diamond Shoals Tower: 70.0 F

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2018/03/23/fishing-report/

Excellent Virginia Tautog Fishing

vbsf taugs

By VBSF Staff | TH Spangler | Connie Barbour

Despite three nor’easters in a row, anglers have found small windows of fishable weather.

Tautogs are available on the ocean wrecks and at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Last week Jamal Esfahani and crew had an incredible day. They weighed their largest fish (9 lb 13 oz) at Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle. They tagged and released 27 citation size taugs.

Our local head boats are catching codfish, red hake and pollock.

The speckled trout and puppy drum should start arriving on the shallow flats inside Lynnhaven and Rudee Inlets, on the James River and in the Eastern Shore creeks as waters warm.

Down in Hatteras NC puppy drum are being caught on the south side of Cape Point and around Ramp 48. There was a big Red Drum run at the point February 29th and 30th.

Bluefin tuna are still around. Last week the boat Seawolf caught a 116-inch, 835 lb, new NC State Record monster bluefin tuna while fishing off the Outer Banks NC.

Water Temps

Cape Charles: 43.3 F
Cape Henry: 43.0 F
Kiptopeke: 43.7 F
Duck NC Pier: 43.3 F
Oregon Inlet Surf: 47.1 F
OI offshore Buoy @ 60 feet: 55.8 F
Hatteras Surf: 51.1 F
Diamond Shoals Tower: 73.6 F

Be cautious while running offshore. The endangered right whales are active off the Virginia North Carolina coast from November to April.

Also be on the lookout for floating objects. The Coast Guard has received reports from cargo ships about lost shipping containers in recent rough seas.

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2018/03/12/excellent-virginia-tautog-fishing/

Virginia Tautogs and North Carolina Tunas

virginia beach fishing

By VBSF Staff | TH Spangler | Connie Barbour

Virginia’s bottom fishing for sea bass and tautogs is still good when weather permits. Unfortunately our short sea bass season closes tomorrow.

North Carolina tuna fishing is excellent when boats can get out. Blue fin tunas have generated most of the excitement. Boats fishing out of Oregon Inlet are finding a few blue fin tuna in the 250 to 600 pound range. Yellow fin tuna are also available. Black fin tuna can be jigged up off Hatteras Inlet.

There has been some puppy drum reported along Hatteras beaches. UPDATE 3/1/2018 – Big Red Drum blitz took place February 29th and 30th at Cape Point, Hatteras.

Water Temps
Cape Charles Water Temperature: 45.5 F
Cape Henry Water Temperature: 47.1 F
Kiptopeke Water Temperature: 47.3 F
Duck NC Pier Water Temperature: 48.7 F
Oregon Inlet Surf Water Temperature: 50.7 F
Hatteras Inlet surf Water Temperature: 58.6 F

Be cautious while running offshore. The endangered right whales are active off the Virginia North Carolina coast from November to April. You can read more: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/shipstrike/

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2018/02/27/virginia-tautogs-and-north-carolina-tunas/

Sea Bass and Tautog Fishing Excellent

By VBSF Staff | TH Spangler | Connie Barbour

Our mild February temperatures allowed anglers to hit the water again and they were rewarded with some excellent sea bass and tautog catches. Yesterday, Connie at Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle weighed in these nice tautogs (above), ranging from 9 to 12 pounds.

Captains running offshore to bottom fish are seeing large schools of stripers 30 to 50 miles out, well beyond the 3 mile limit.

A few local head boats have been anchoring and chumming over wrecks, and are catching codfish and pollock.

Dr. Ken Neill checked in after his last trip. He said at about 20 fathoms his crew saw porpoise, whales and some bird activity. They did not stop, but he told his crew to have their tuna jigs ready on the ride home. He has found bluefin tuna in those conditions. When he got to his wreck it was loaded with sea bass. Conger eels were also prevalent. They did not catch a single dogfish. They caught a limit of sea bass with fish to over 5 pounds. On the way in, they did not see the same activity they spotted on the way out, but there were some birds, and slicks. When he slowed down, they saw some big bunker floating on the surface. They had just missed something. They cruised around and saw some fish marks. They dropped their jigs and hooked up. No tuna or bluefish, but a lot of big rockfish. They moved around a bit to see if they could find a tuna or bluefish. After a few tries with only rockfish to show, they left them alone and headed in.

Remember the Virginia black sea bass season only runs through Feb 28. A no-cost recreational species permit along with your regular saltwater fishing license is required to catch the sea bass.

Down on the outer banks of North Carolina, surf anglers have found drum between Frisco and Hatteras. The bluefin tuna are off the outer banks right now and some very impressive fish have been weighed. Commercial crews are catching lots of yellow fin tuna.

Water Temperatures
Cape Charles: 42.6 F
Cape Henry: 42.8 F
Kiptopeke: 42.8 F
Duck NC Pier: 44.4 F
Oregon Inlet Surf: 48,0 F
Hatteras Inlet Surf: 56.1 F

The Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament announced there will be no changes to citation requirement in 2018.

Be cautious while running offshore. The endangered right whales are active off the Virginia North Carolina coast from November to April. You can read more: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/shipstrike/

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2018/02/19/sea-bass-and-tog-fishing-excellent/

Virginia Black Sea Bass Season Open

By VBSF Staff | TH Spangler | Connie Barbour

The Virginia black sea bass season opened Feb 1 and runs through Feb 28. Remember, a no-cost recreational species permit along with your regular license is required to catch sea bass. The head boats will be running trips; and we should have some good reports coming. In the mean time cod, large red hake, cunners and pollock have been keeping head boat anglers busy while fishing the ocean wrecks.

https://webapps.mrc.virginia.gov/public/mpermits/index.php

Recently Dr Ken Neill fished some ocean wrecks. On the ride out he said the boat became covered in ice from the spray. Once they arrived their destination the water was warmer and they were able to use buckets of it to thaw the deck so they could stand. They fished a number of wrecks, catching sea bass, tautog and spiny dogfish. Because of the numerous dogfish they were forced to use jigs on the sea bass. They targeted the togs with green crabs. They had three fish weigh enough for trophy-fish citations: two sea bass and one tautog.

Beth and Kevin Synowiec fished the canyon January 27. On their first drop they caught two fish each, a large golden tilefish and some nice sized red hakes. They continued catching with each drop, with many producing two fish at a time They finished the day with large red hakes, golden tile fish, a large black belly rose fish and a alfonsino fish.

On North Carolina’s OBX beaches the fishing slowed a bit with just a few reports of slot red drum coming from near Hatteras Inlet and some black drum and red slot drum from near the Frisco Pier.

Offshore there has been a few blue fin tuna and some limits on yellow fin tuna.

Cape Charles Water Temperature: 39.7 F
Cape Henry Water Temperature: 39.6 F
Kiptopeke Water Temperature: 37.8 F
Duck NC Pier Water Temperature: 40.8 F
Orogen Inlet Surf Water Temperature: 43.7 F
Hatteras Inlet surf Water Temperature: 50.7 F

Be cautious while running offshore. The endangered right whales are active off the Virginia North Carolina coast from November to April. You can read more: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/shipstrike/

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2018/02/06/virginia-black-sea-bass-season-open/

Mid-Winter Virginia North Carolina Fishing Report

Outer Banks Marina Wanchese. North Carolina

By VBSF Staff | TH Spangler | Connie Barbour

Now that the super cold weather has broken anglers are finding there way back out on the water. The fridged icy water took a toll on some Chesapeake Bay stripers and our local speckled trout population. Hopefully not to many were stunned to death. The bay water is still way too cold for much fishing. At Cape Charles the water temperature is 39.0 F. Cape Henry it’s 39.6 F and at the buoy off Duck NC it’s 40.6 F

Anglers making the long offshore run to the canyons are finding lots of spiny dogfish waiting for them. Mixed in with the dogfish are a few golden tilefish and hake. They are being caught on jigs and fresh bait. The blueline tilefish season is closed right now. On a recent trip to the canyon Dr Ken Neill’s crew caught a rare beardfish. The headboats are finding some cunners, taugs and pollock on nearshore wrecks. The black sea bass season is closed. Black sea bass seasons are Feb 1-Feb 28, May 15-Sept 21, Oct 22-Dec 31.

Down on the Outer Banks of North Carolina surf anglers have found some slot size red drum on Frisco and Hatteras beaches. The first giant blue fin tunas have been showing up on commercial docks in Wanchese.  Carolina captains are also finding some yellow fin tuna.

Be cautious while running offshore. The endangered right whales are active off the Virginia North Carolina coast from November to April. You can read more: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/shipstrike/

Permanent link to this article: https://vbsf.net/2018/01/24/mid-winter-virginia-north-carolina-fishing-report/

News Release – Mid Atlantic Council Meeting in Raleigh

Hilton Garden Inn Raleigh/Crabtree Valley 
3912 Arrow Drive
Raleigh, NC 27612
Telephone 919-703-2525

The public is invited to attend the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s February 2018 meeting to be held February 13-15, 2018 in Raleigh, NC. The meeting will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn Raleigh/Crabtree Valley, 3912 Arrow Drive, Raleigh, NC 27612, Telephone 919-703-2525.

Meeting Materials: Briefing documents will be posted at http://ww.mafmc.org/briefing/february-2018 as they become available.

Public Comments: Written comments must be received by Wednesday, January 31, 2018 to be included in the Council meeting briefing book. Comments received after this deadline but before Thursday, February 8, 2018 will be posted as “supplemental materials” on the Council meeting web page. After that date, all comments must be submitted using an online comment form available at available at http://www.mafmc.org/public-comment.

Webinar: For online access to the meeting, enter as a guest at: http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/february2018.

Agenda

PDF Agenda

Tuesday, February 13th

1:00 p.m. Council Convenes

1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Risk Policy Framework and MSE
John Wiedenmann and Doug Lipton

  • Council discussion on integration of more comprehensive social and economic analyses into MAFMC MSE model developed to evaluate Council risk policy and ABC Framework

Council Staff

  • Risk policy and butterfish specifications

3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Climate Change and Fisheries
Bradford Dubik/Elizabeth Clark (Duke University)

  • Trends in average commercial fishing locations over time in response to shifts in species distribution

Jim Morely (Rutgers)

  • Discuss future direction of Rutgers/MAFMC Climate Velocity COCA project

Wednesday, February 14th

9:00 a.m. Council Convenes

9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. Ricks E Savage Award

9:15 a.m. Demersal Committee Meeting as a Committee of the Whole

9:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Black Sea Bass Recreational Management Measures

  • Adopt 2018 Federal waters management measures (tabled motion from December 2017 meeting)
  • Review state proposals for 2018 February fishery
  • Discuss progress on LOA Framework

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Commercial Accountability Measures Framework – Meeting 2

  • Review and approve preferred alternatives

12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Lunch

1:30 p.m. Council Convenes

1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Council Habitat Update

  • Progress towards a Regional Fish Habitat Assessment
  • Council engagement on Offshore Wind Energy Planning
  • Habitat projects of interest (GARFO/Habitat Conservation update)

3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. North Atlantic Right Whale 5-Year Review and Reinitiation of Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 7 Fishery Biological Opinions
Michael Asaro (NMFA PRD)

  • Update on the status of right whales and a summary of recent research
  • Overview of consultation on commercial fisheries under Section 7 of the ESA
  • Update on planned activities of the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team under the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 2018

Thursday, February 15th

9:00 a.m. Council Convenes

9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Business Session

  • Committee Reports
  • Executive Director’s Report, Chris Moore
  • Science Report, Rich Seagraves
    • Review final draft of EAFM Risk Assessment
  • Law Enforcement Reports
    • NOAA Office of Law Enforcement
    • U.S. Coast Guard
  • Organization Reports
    • NMFS Greater Atlantic Regional Office
    • NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center
    • NOAA Office of General Counsel
    • Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
  • Liaison Reports
    • New England Council
    • South Atlantic Council
    • Regional Planning Body
  • Continuing and New Business

 

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