Article by Julie Ball
As summer begins to wind down, many favorite species are available along the Mid-Atlantic coast, and both the inshore and offshore fishing scenes are noteworthy lately. As for the weather, now we are watching more to our South for tropical developments as hurricane season takes hold.
There’s some good news on the flounder front. With clearer water settling in over the past week, the summer’s lethargic flounder spell finally turned around. Good numbers of flatfish are filling limits, with many ranging in the 20 to 23-inch range. The largest fish are coming from the 3rd and 4th Islands of the Bay Bridge Tunnel, with live bait and jigs donned with plastics and strip bait working well for anglers working structure. Drifters are also finding good luck with keepers scattered along lower Bay channels, deep water drop-offs, and near Buoys 36A, 42, and the Cell. Both the Lynnhaven and Rudee Inlet are also providing good catches of keeper fish this past week.
Cobia action is good with the fish grouping up to form pods cruising on the surface. Many of these fish are pushing to well over 50-pounds this week. The late summer trend of favoring buoys and bridge pilings is also gaining momentum. This pattern will only improve over the next several weeks as fall approaches. Sightcasters are leading the way, with plenty of fish to pick from, but choose your bait carefully, as these fish have been finicky lately. A few die-hard chummers are also scoring with a some decent fish.
Big red drum are providing excellent late summer, topwater action as huge schools of fish continue to roam near the entrance of the Bay. More catches of jack crevelle also came from these same areas last week. Black drum are still meandering around the islands of the CBBT, but won’t be there for long.
Trollers are finding accommodating Spanish mackerel off the oceanfront, from Cape Henry to Sandbridge. Small gold and silver spoons are the best lures for these fish. Plenty of greedy sharks along Virginia’s coastal waters continue to provide some interesting catches. Be sure to review the regulations before targeting sharks.
Sheepshead anglers found good catches last week on crabs, clams and fiddlers, with some fish ranging up to around 13-pounds. More sheepshead are beginning to move onto the tubes of the CBBT, along with lots of big triggerfish. Spadefish are still around, but they are preparing to leave soon.
Croaker are providing good action lately in lower Bay waters and inlets. The bite out of Oyster is also hosting coolers full of nice hardheads from the deeper parts of the channel. Big spot moved into lower Bay waters last week, where anglers are intercepting yellow bellies near Ocean View and from Lynnhaven, Rudee and Little Creek Inlets.
The puppy drum action is still going on within most any skinny water location in Tidewater, with steady action within Lynnhaven and Rudee Inlets. These juvenile reds will hit a variety of baits, with fresh cut mullet and Gulp! mullets the top choices lately. Good speckled trout encounters also occurred in these same locations last week, with the nicer specks responding on the Poquoson Flats, Back River and the Bayside and seaside creeks on the Eastern Shore.
Tarpon are still active in the backwaters of Oyster, but not for much longer. Amberjack are still available at the South Tower and some of the offshore wrecks, and jack crevelle will make a brief showing at the Chesapeake Light Tower soon. Deep droppers are still faring well off Virginia as boats continue to find a variety of nice tilefish, rosefish, barrelfish and grouper along the edges of the Canyon.
Bluewater anglers are elated with the offshore season so far this year. Hefty bigeye tuna are still around, along with solid yellowfin tuna. But as the billfish population builds into the area, boats are changing over to marlin spreads. Several white marlin, along with scattered sailfish, spearfish, and blue marlin were released last week. Nice gaffer dolphin and wahoo are also still adding some variety.
Dr. Julie Ball is the I.G.F.A. representative for Virginia Beach, VA. For information, go to www.drjball.com.
