Article by Julie Ball
The summer saltwater scene is coming together nicely, making the lingering setbacks of the harsh winter but a mere memory. Now anglers are turning their attention to a great start to the warm water fishing season, with many species now right on track. It looks like it’s going to be a good summer.
The arrival of the local summertime staple has everyone’s attention. Cobia are pouring into local waters, with some really big fish already making a showing. Jamal Esfahani of Virginia Beach boated the fish of a lifetime when a 90 lb. early season stud took his frozen bunker for a run while he was targeting drum off the Eastern Shore last week. Scattered catches of all sizes of cobia around the lower Bay are just the beginning as these fish settle in for the season.
Anglers continue to experience very good drum action on the Eastern Shore side of the lower Bay. Huge red drum continue to roam the shoals off Fisherman’s Island and Nautilus Shoal, with more fish now hitting on the Nine Foot Shoal area near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Black drum are still hitting along the shoals near Buoys 10, 13 and 16, where chowder and sea clams are the top baits. Although we are on the downward trend for black drum on the shoals, they are still available for those willing to put in some time.
Flounder action in Bay waters is evolving slowly at best, as anglers struggled for catches in lower Bay waters last week. Folks are finding some luck around the 2nd and 3rd Islands and Tubes, and near the bend at the 3rd Island of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, near Buoy 36A and Back River Reef. Rudee and Lynnhaven Inlets are providing some decent action, depending on the day. The best flatfish catches continue to come from the shallows on the Eastern Shore, with locations in Wachapreague and Oyster still leading the way. Limits of fish pushing to over 21-inches are common lately from these areas.
Sheepshead are making a low-key introduction, as sporadic reports trickle in of mostly incidental hook-ups by drum anglers, with some nice fish pushing to over 10 lbs. making a great early season debut. Spadefish are still available at the Chesapeake Light Tower as well as some inshore wrecks, with scattered reports of catches of 3 to 5 pounders last week.
Captain Jake Hiles, skipper of the “Matador” out of Rudee Inlet, shared accounts of several really big shark releases during a trip aboard his boat last week, including tiger sharks stretching to over 9-feet long and even a nerve-racking great white shark hook-up.
Rudee, Lynnhaven and Little Creek Inlets are a good source of some respectable puppy drum catches right now. Several Peninsula backwater locations and the Eastern Shore inlets and shallows are also providing some pup action lately.
For those venturing to deeper water, keeper-sized sea bass are biting on several wrecks, with a few pushing to over 4 lbs. Further out, deep dropping is still a good choice. For those fishing on the bottom near the Norfolk Canyon, big tilefish, with a smattering of grouper, wreckfish and black bellied rosefish are providing good results. Big sea bass are still a welcome by-catch in these areas.
Finally, the Virginia offshore scene is taking off with the arrival of tuna last week. Boats venturing out to blue water are returning with bounties of quality yellowfin tuna, along with gaffer mahi. Some nice bigeye tuna are also busting spreads, with scattered catches of fish ranging to over 200-pounds hitting the docks last week.
Dr. Julie Ball is the I.G.F.A. representative for Virginia Beach, VA. For more information, go to www.drjball.com.
