Article by Julie Ball
With breezy weather making access to the evolving spring fishery a challenge, anglers are taking advantage of weather windows when they can.
The biggest new interest is the emerging drum scene, which is motivating many anglers to gather crabs and head for the Eastern Shore shoals during calm spells. Red drum are still providing some decent action among the shoals and sloughs near Smith and Fisherman’s Island, and this activity should continue to improve over the upcoming weeks as we approach the next full moon. The best action is still happening among the surf and breakers, where some nice rockfish are also mixed in. The black drum bite is also shaping up, with a few big fish showing up last week, but most blacks are still measuring under 36-inches. The best local black drum action is occurring along the Eastern Shore seaside inlets, in the surf and near Buoys 13 and 16 on the bayside. This trend will also continue to heat up over the next few weeks and larger fish will become more common.
Some folks are taking advantage of the Chesapeake Bay’s Spring Trophy Striped Bass season. Anglers working topwater lures along the rocks at the islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT) are content with some rockfish exceeding 36-inches. Storm lures cast around the pilings of the CBBT are also working well. Be sure to check these regulations carefully.
Anglers fishing from the Ocean View Fishing Pier are still enjoying good catches of medium-sized croaker and small spot, with scattered sea mullet also providing some diversity.
Bloodworms are working best for everything right now. Surf and pier anglers are also finding good luck with spot and croaker from the shorelines off Ocean View and Little Creek, as well as Buckroe.
Good numbers of keeper flounder are coming from the Eastern Shore seaside inlets and the back waters of Oyster, while a few flatfish are also coming from within both Lynnhaven and Rudee Inlets. The lower Bay flounder fishery will pick up once the water temperature stabilizes.
Anglers are still catching some speckled trout, healthy puppy drum and nice bluefish to over five-pounds in Rudee Inlet and along the oceanfront, where some early season Spanish mackerel also showed last week.
Tautog are still very active on lower Bay and inshore structures, but now these fish are only available for catch and release until September. Big seabass are available on these same structures and you can begin catching them again on the 15th of this month. You can keep up to fifteen black seabass at 12.5-inches. Look for sheepshead to become active in a few weeks.
Blueline tilefish, ranging up to 16-pounds, wreckfish, and other deep water species are still available in water over 50 fathoms when the weather allows boats to reach them.
The Virginia fleet is anxiously awaiting the development of the spring offshore run.
Dr. Julie Ball is the I.G.F.A Representative for Virginia Beach, VA. For mor information, go to drjball.com.
