Spanish on the Ocean Pearl

Water temperatures remain a warm 78 degrees at the CBBT and along the oceanfront. The weather forecast calls for a big cool down next weekend.

The last day of cobia season for recreational anglers was September 15. Catches have been great but its all catch and release now. Sight casting is most effective and live eels are the best bait. These fish will start exiting the bay and move south soon.

Dr. Neil nice slot red drum

Cobia anglers are spotting schools of large red drum in the lower Bay. Puppy drum have been biting well in Bay inlets and in the surf along the oceanfront. Kevin W. Greiner registered a 50 inch red drum release at Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle on September 9^th.

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

Sheepshead catches around the CBBT are still good. Meng Qing Wang caught a 12 lb. 1 oz. sheepshead on September 10^th.

Big Flounder continue to be taken, fish up to 9 pounds. Live Spot or finger mullet is the preferred bait for the big Flounder.

The speckled trout bite is picking up in shallow water tributaries and inlets. Topwater baits have been working well for both species. Popping corks with shrimp lures work also.

Spot are being caught; some big yellow bellies are available.

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

High Hopes Sportfishing

Bluewater anglers are releasing white and blue marlin. They are also finding hungry wahoo, mahi and tuna. Bottom bouncers are catching tilefish. Bill Hawver and family had a great day offshore on the High Hopes with Captain David Wright.  Nice limit of blueline tilefish (2 citations) and a swordfish.

Throughout the fall our fishing report will be published twice each month.  But be sure and check in more often, because we will post breaking news and trophy fish reports as soon as they come in.

Be sure to book a VBSF sponsor boat and then send us your pictures for our next report!

Kings are showing!

Our fall fishing pattern is right around the corner, but don’t dismiss the summer favorites yet. Intercepting them as they prepare to depart can provide great action.

The most exciting news at the oceanfront is the start of what is hopefully an incredible king mackerel run. September is Virginia’s peak king mackerel season. Smoker kings have already been landed.

Ribbonfish

Spanish mackerel, bluefish and ribbonfish trolling remains productive. The spanish mackerel are still chasing trolled spoons off the Virginia Beach oceanfront.

Cobia will prepare to head south soon and offer outstanding top water action as they do. Several boats reported cobia exceeding 50-pounds last week. The Virginia cobia season closes September 15th. Don’t forget your VMRC reporting requirements.

Slot Red Drum

Big red drum are still roaming about the lower Bay and around the shoals of the barrier islands. It is time for reds to begin showing more around the artificial islands of the CBBT. Fresh cut bait and live bait work well for this area. A northerly blow in September will jump start some drum surf fishing action.

Flounder catches are improving along the coast and throughout the lower bay. Look for them around the CBBT pilons, near the rocks that cover the tunnels and around coastal reefs and wrecks. Many are caught around the jetties at Rudee and Little Creek.

Buoys and wrecks are holding triggerfish and spadefish.

Tagging Specks

Speckled trout, puppy drum, spot and croacker are inside the inlets. Trout are available along the Poquoson Flats and in bay-side creeks of the Eastern Shore.

Surf fisherman and those fishing off the Virginia Beach Fishing Pier are catching spot and some croaker, sea mullet, ribbonfish, sand perch and flounder. Red drum, puppy drum, speckled trout and cobia are also a possibility.

Billfish release flags are showing up around Rudee Inlet! The 19th Annual Virginia Beach Billfish Tournament is taking place August 24-27. You can follow the action at  https://vbbt.com/ 

Until next week, remember to book a VBSF sponsor and send us your pictures for our next report.

RUDEE INLET CHARTER BOATS

Lots of Chesapeake Bay pompano? Yep, you read that right. Last week, Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle recorded a bunch of citations for pompano caught near the CBBT Islands. Garland Anderson 3lbs 1oz, Robert G. Whitten 3lbs 9oz, Preston Cochran 3lbs 7oz, Kaleb Underwood 2lbs 8oz, Jack Limroth 3lbs 3oz and William Watts Blomdahl 2lbs 4oz.

Dr. Ken Neill

The cobia bite is still red hot and large schools of red drum continue cruising the lower bay. Catch a school on the surface and you can catch and release a bunch.

Spadefish catches are good. Most catches are coming from around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.

Sheepshead are feeding on the pilings of the Bridge Tunnel.

Ocean Pearl Charters

Spanish mackerel and ribbon fish catches continue to keep the inshore guys and gales busy. Captain Steve Wray and the Ocean Pearl crew was on them last week.  It’s almost time for some king mackerel to show up along the oceanfront.

Some nice flounder limits were had this week. Jigged buck tails are producing, but drifting with live bait entices larger fish. The hot spots are along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and near the Cell. There are some keepers inside local inlets as well.

Gray Trout should show in their usual holes over the next few of weeks.  Look for larger fish deep near the islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and along channel edges. Most grays will be in the four to eight pound range.

The backwaters of the Eastern Shore barrier islands are holding some tarpon.

Speckled trout are in inlets and on grass flats. Topwater action will pick up next month.

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

High Hopes Sportfishing

Offshore anglers are finding dolphin, wahoo, yellowfin tuna, blue marlin and white marlin and a few sailfish.

Deep dropping for tilefish has been productive. On a recent trip Captain David Wright and crew onboard the High Hopes caught 6 citation blueline tiles. They also picked up a nice yellowfin tuna and lost a white marlin.

Until next week, remember to book a VBSF sponsor and send us your pictures for our next report.

RUDEE INLET CHARTER BOATS

High Hopes Sportfishing

Water temperatures are peaking in the low 80’s with lots of species available, the outstanding fishing continues along the Virginia coast .

Hooked on Hope Virginia Beach had a great day on the Ocean Pearl!

Spanish mackerel provided great action again last week. Fantastic numbers and some nice size fish. Bluefish and ribbonfish are mixed in with them. Brian Dunn and crew had a great day catching spanish with Captain David Wright on the High Hopes and “The Hooked on Hope Virginia Beach” crew had a great day with Captain Steve Wray and Cheryl on the Ocean Pearl.

Paige II Charters

Flounder fishing is picking up steam. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, bay and coastal wrecks, artificial reefs and inside Lynnhaven Inlet are good spots. Captain Craig Paige and crew on Paige II Charters saw good action.

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

Stan Simmerman

Catch and Release Stripers

Large red drum are around the CBBT and along the coast. Puppy drum and small stripers are feeding inside local inlets, Little Creek, Rudee and Lynnhaven. Speckled trout numbers are decent throughout the lower bay and inlets.

Limit on the Healthy Grin

There’s large sheepshead to be had along the CBBT. Dr Ken Neill caught a limit on a recent trip.

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

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

The Virginia Beach Fishing Pier reported roundheads, rays, spot, blues, spanish, flounder  and hound fish.

AquaMan, Game On Charters

Virginia bluewater action is fantastic from now until mid-September. White and blue marlin, sailfish, spearfish and swordfish are showing in good numbers. Dolphin fishing is good. AquaMan Charters had a good day on the mahi!

Everyone is looking forward to the 19th Annual Virginia Beach Billfish Tournament on August 24-27 at Rudee Inlet. The Tournament was started in 2004 to raise funds for youth charity and marine conservation and to highlight the phenomenal fishing off Virginia Beach.

Be sure to book a VBSF sponsor boat and then send us your pictures for our next report!

62.3 pound cobia caught in the Monarch Cobia Tourney

Water temperatures are in the mid to upper 70’s everywhere and there are lots of Cobia throughout the bay. Sight casting is the most productive technique now. Live eels or live spot are your best baits but bucktails will work as well.

Spanish mackerel schools were harder to locate last week. The fish are scattered along the oceanfront from Sandbridge to Cape Henry and in the bay up to Reedville. Anglers are trolling Drone and Clark spoons behind line sinkers or planers.

Anglers are catching lots of ribbonfish on diving plugs.

Schools of red drum have been surfacing in the lower Bay. As long as no one spooks them angers can sight cast them.

Spadefish and Flounder on the Paige II

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

Dr Ken Neill and a nice sheepshead

Sheepshead continue to bite on structure.  Use marsh crabs on a jig head near bridge pilings.

Spadefish are hanging around the CBBT, many ocean buoys and the Light Tower. Anglers are floating fresh clam morsels to them on small hooks. If they are not aggressively feeding, try putting some chum in the water.

Ocean structures are holding flounder, spadefish, and seabass. The deeper wrecks hold seabass, tilefish and grouper. Amberjack are around the towers. If you are heading to the windmills you can check out the following link to get real time weather:  http://rt.eolosconnect.com. There are two weather buoys you can click on to get real-time condition info.

Golden Tile, Barrellfish, Black Sea Bass and a limit of Blueline Tilefish on the High Hopes

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

Be sure to book a VBSF sponsor boat and then send us your pictures for our next report!

Knot Wish’n Charters

Water temperature along the oceanfront and near the CBBT its approaching 75 degrees. At the mouth of the Elizabeth River, it’s a warm 77. Offshore at the Norfolk Canyon its hovering around 68. That means just about everything’s biting now! Inshore, red drum, cobia, spadefish, sheepshead, flounder, bluefish and spanish mackerel. Offshore, tuna, dolphin, marlin, tilefish and seabass.

High Hopes Sport Fishing Charters

Anglers trolling the ocean front are catching spanish mackerel. Bluefish and ribbon fish 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 throughout the lower Bay. Anglers are having success sight casting and bottom fishing.

Cobia action remains good. 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. We’ll be able harvest some for the table after the season opens June 15^th. Until then you can earn a Virginia Release Citation for any released over 50 inches. Don’t forget your VMRC cobia permit and recordings.

Flounder catches are picking up. 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 spanish, bluefish, flounder, croaker, sea mullet and small spot.

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

Tuna on the docks at Rudee Inlet!!!

Offshore, 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 should take off any day. The Virginia Beach Tuna Tourney takes place June 22nd – 25th, 2022. Weigh stations are Long Bay Pointe Marina and The Virginia Beach Fishing Center. https://vbtuna.com/location/

Anglers bottom bouncing the edge of the canyon continue catching blueline tilefish, golden tilefish and sea bass.

Good luck to the Virginia Beach boats fishing in the Big Rock this week!

Book a VBSF sponsor and send us your pictures for our report!