Article by Capt. Matt Abell
It doesn’t matter what you call them... the man in a brown suit, crab eater, or just plain ol’ cobia, this is the headline of fishing news for the ESVA! The season started off with a bang for anglers this past Wednesday. Most fish came tight on 7/0-9/0 octopus or octopus circle hooks on fairly heavy leader fished on a sinker slide or fishfinder rig baited with a tantalizing chunk of bunker. Chum, in some cases sunk to the bottom, also played a critical part in luring these scrappy opponents to the dinner table. Live eels have been floated back with the chum, as well as casted along with bright colored jigs to cobia spotted swimming just under the surface of the water or following rays. Remember, while you are battling unwanted rays and sharks, cobia sometimes will follow these tackle decimators right to your boat and offer a bonus to anglers who have a jig or eel ready to deploy. The most productive areas have been from the CBBT up to Cape Charles with good reports coming from waters as far north as the Pocomoke Sound. There have been a mixture of sizes with many fish not reaching the 40 inch minimum as well as other mature cows reaching into the mid fifties. Don’t forget, in addition to your fishing license you must acquire a FREE Virgina cobia permit prior to fishing and participate in the mandatory reporting program.
Flounder fishing has held steady this past week with better catches coming during times of light winds that allowed for clean water. The inshore bite has occurred for the most part on both sides of high water. The fish have been spread out, with some on the flats while others seem to have taken up residence near the inlet areas of the VA barrier islands.
The nearshore report is starting to sound a lot more like summer as anglers target reefs and wrecks with warm water techniques. The blackfish bank reef has produced some decent flounder action. Anglers have used an assortment of top and bottom style flounder rigs as well as 1.5-6 oz. jigs tipped with Gulp to tempt these deep water flatfish in to the dip net. Other shallower wrecks are home to new shoals of spadefish eager to bend rods adorn with tempting prices of clam. Soon, triggerfish will be mixed in with the spades to add even more tropical variety.
The Pocomoke and Tangier Sounds have still been fairly productive. Rock have been the most reliable quarry, while casting lures and reds are still stalking the grassy shallows looking for an entree of crab. The water temperature is climbing into the 80’s, so like all good things, this to shall pass. However, the shallows will redeem themselves this fall as temps drop back down to more hospitable.
We have had a couple of good offshore reports with most action centering around the canyon. Yellowfin and mahi are causing most of the excitement by taking trolled baits like skirted ballyhoo. We did have one report of tuna on the 20 fathom line. Hopefully this continues, as a short run would be welcome with current high fuel prices.
Grab your kids, buddy, or even your wife and get out there and enjoy this wonderful place we call home! §
