Article by Julie Ball
The Independence Day week was a fishing success, with most of the summertime players in place. The two final heavy hitters arrived this past week, tarpon and king mackerel. The tarpon is one of the most prestigious sportfishing species anywhere. These covert fish take residence each July in the backwaters of the Eastern Shore. According to the folks at Chris’ Bait and Tackle, the silver kings were off to a good start, with a few sightings, hook-ups, and landings. But with the recent cool down and easterly winds, this trend slowed to a halt.
The next big debut was the king mackerel. The first long awaited landing of the season was reported from the Little Island Fishing Pier. These fish are known for their speed, making them a prized target for anglers. Easterly winds are good for promoting king activity. Spanish mackerel continue to provide excellent action for trollers, with Cape Henry still the best location. Captain Steve Wray, skipper of the “Ocean Pearl” out of Lynnhaven, tells that his best luck is occurring in about 20 to 25-feet of water, with planers working better than in-line sinkers. These fish are a nice class, with a few 3-pounders in the mix.
Cobia hunters continue to chum on the lower bay shoals, such as Latimer Shoal and the Inner Middle Grounds, where plenty of medium-sized fish in the 20 to 30-pound range are cooperating. The biggest fish are still coming from sight casters, who are finding fish in open water along the lower Bay channels, and the oceanfront.
Flounder are a good bet, with plenty of keepers available at most of the flattie hot spots. Folks working the CBBT are faring well with limits of decent fish and a smattering of citations while using live bait. The 1st and the 3rd Island Tubes produced the best this week. Drifting with well-presented strip baits is doing the job for many boats off Willoughby and inside Lynnhaven Inlet lately.
Spadefish are still available, although anglers are losing interest as they pursue different species. The Chesapeake Light Tower and the Cell are providing some decent spade action, but more boats are targeting these mighty fighters at the CBBT. The 3rd Island is still the top spade producing location at the CBBT, where anglers are also bailing nice 3-pound trigger fish.
Sheepshead are still biting along the tubes, islands, and pilings of the Bay Bridge Tunnel, with some days better than others. Try fiddler crabs, blue crabs, sandfleas, and clam suspended near structure for a sheep nibble, and you may get lucky. Tautog are also biting, but interest seems to be low.
Black drum sightings, with scattered hook-ups, are coming from the 2nd and 4th Islands, with some fish pushing 80-pounds. These are slow growing fish, reaching enormous sizes, so reviving these docile swimmers will boost their chances of survival. Red drum are still taking baits intended for cobia, and several sightings of schooling reds near the CBBT are providing excellent top water opportunities.
Some large croaker, pushing 2 to 3-pounds are lurking around the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel and the Cell, while the hardhead hunters in Oyster are filling multiple coolers with nice fish. The folks at the Fishing Center are reporting that decent spot moved into Rudee Inlet, with most fish ranging from 8 to 14-ounces. A few puppy drum are still hitting, but the best action is coming from Lynnhaven, where pups are ranging up to about 23-inches. Pompano began biting this week along the coastline and piers, with some fish pushing a pound.
Amberjack are enticing many anglers to make the long run to the Southern Towers lately. Many pups are willing to take your live bait, with a few big fish also testing a few backs. Jigging is also an effective method for jacks when your live well runs dry.
The offshore bite off Virginia is a good mix lately. Most anglers were looking for bluefin tuna, since the Virginia Beach Tuna Tournament was last week. Captain Mike Romeo, skipper of the “Gannet” out of Rudee Inlet, found a nice class of bluefin this week with his biggest fish tipping the scales at 168-pounds. Although the bite slowed a little over the past few days, the Hotdog, the Fingers, and 26-Mile Hill are good places to try.
King mackerel are also a possibility in these same areas. Trollers can continue to expect scattered yellowfin tuna, with a nice class of dolphin rounding out catches.
Wahoo are beginning to bite-off trollers, and a few white marlin have moved in.
Mako sharks are also still around. Danny Knight of Virginia Beach weighed in a nice 160-pounder he caught while fishing on the Frog Pile out of the Virginia Beach Fishing Center recently.
Dr. Julie Ball is the I.G.F.A. Representative for Virginia Beach, VA. You can find Dr. Julie’s reports at www.drjball.com.
