Article by Julie Ball
Anglers experienced fantastic saltwater fishing on all fronts, but the weekends cold front forced anglers to take a breather. The northerly winds will likely change up a few trends, encouraging more fall fishing patterns to develop.
Cobia are the biggest attraction right now, providing excellent opportunities for sight casters. Big fish are lingering around bridge pilings, lower Bay buoys, and lurking among the hundreds of bait pods from the mouth of the Bay out to the Light Tower. Huge schools of cobia are also cruising along the surface as they group to exit the area. Live eels, croaker, spot or bunker make great live bait right now. Many of these fish are exceeding 50-pounds lately.
Flounder action was steady last week in the lower Bay. Flatfish continue to gather at the mouth of the Bay in preparation for migrating to deeper water. Folks drifting near the 1st and 2nd Islands of the CBBT and near the Small Boat Channel are faring well with nice fish averaging to around 5-pounds. The entire length of the Thimble Shoal and Baltimore Channels are also good places to try. A few keepers, with some fish pushing to over 6-pounds, are also coming from drifting off Kiptopeke.
Boats working the Lynnhaven and Rudee Inlets are finding scattered catches of decent sized keepers. Offshore and inshore wreck flounder action is heating up, with good sized fish taking fresh strip bait. Expect sea bass as a by-catch, along with triggerfish on these wrecks.
Red drum continue to delight anglers on the lower Bay shoals, mainly north of the 4th Island. Surf and pier casters are especially interested in the prospect, with the drum bite in the surf along Fisherman’s island on the rise. With that said, look for drum to show in the surf off Sandbridge and near the Little Island Fishing Pier soon.
Escalating speckled trout catches are beginning to draw a crowd. Good numbers of fish are coming from most of the usual haunts such as Hungar’s Creek, the Poquoson Flats and Mobjack Bay. According to the folks at Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle, Lynnhaven, Rudee and Little Creek Inlets, along with the Elizabeth River are giving up good numbers of specks, with some reaching to 5-pounds. Look for this trend to continue to heat up over the next month. Some nice sized puppy drum are also competing for the same baits.
Spot are still making a big showing, with nice fish available all over the southern and western sections of the lower Bay. Although the action slowed up a little last week, the cold front should kick it up a notch. The folks at The Fishing Center report that anglers are finding yellowbellies in the Rudee and Lynnhaven Inlets, the lower Bay Rivers, the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, Ocean View and along the oceanfront.
Sheepshead are taking late season offerings along the entire span of the CBBT. A few tog and hoards of hungry triggerfish are in the same vicinity. Horse croaker are lurking in deeper areas around the lower bay channels, inlets and the Bay Bridge Tunnel. Big hardheads are also thrilling anglers at the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel, the Concrete Ships off Kiptopeke and inside Lynnhaven near the Great Neck and Lesner Bridges.
Spanish mackerel are still chasing trolled spoons along Sandbridge and Dam Neck in about 20 to 25 feet of water. Schools of false albacore in these same areas will also hit spoons. King mackerel have been scarce so far this year, but scattered kings are hitting an occasional trolled bait or lure along the CB line.
Amberjack are still available on local wrecks, the Chesapeake Light Tower and will remain on the southern towers through October. Jack crevelle are also a possibility.
Deep droppers are having good luck near the Canyon edges lately. Captain Steve Wray aboard the “Ocean Pearl” guided his crew offshore for a limit of nice blueline tilefish and jumbo sea bass. Blackbellied rosefish, grouper and barrelfish are also adding to the deep water variety.
The cold front will keep most anglers close to shore for a few days, but once boats can get back out, good numbers of white marlin and a few blue marlin are available from the Canyon to the Triple 0’s area. Scattered, larger class yellowfin also surprised a few boats last week, along with some blackfin tuna. Mahi are everywhere, with some big gaffers around. Some overnight trips produced a few swordfish last week. For more information, go to www.drjball.com.
Dr. Julie Ball is the I.G.F.A representative for Virginia Beach, VA. For more information, go to www.drjball.com.
