Article by Julie Ball
The predicted decent weather paired with cooperative fish could make this Memorial Day weekend a great lead-in for the summer fishing season. The chance at a red or black drum bite continues to draw anglers to the Eastern Shore side of the Chesapeake Bay. After a brief lull in the black drum action this week, Mark at Chris’ Bait and Tackle reports that a few boats are now starting to catch multiple fish again. Most catches are coming from near buoys 10, 13 and 16, where sea clams and chowder clams are working well.
Red drum action is not anywhere near the level it was for the past two years. Smith Island Inlet is producing a hand full of red drum for boaters in anywhere from 6 to 10 feet of water, with peelers and blue crabs working the best. Puppy drum, on the other hand, are out in force in Bay and coastal inlets, with Lynnhaven getting the nod this week. One boat fishing Lynnhaven Inlet lost count after releasing over 20 pups this week. Mary at the Virginia Beach Fishing Center reports that anglers are catching a few puppy drum and striped bass in Rudee Inlet, as well as bluefish to 8 lbs. from the jetties. Nice chopper bluefish are also invading the lower Bay and inlets.
The next big news is the arrival of the first summer species. The graceful spadefish took residence in local waters this week, with a six-pounder caught at the CBBT this week. Expect these popular fish to turn on soon. Look for big spades to show on the Cell soon, where the largest fish of the year are routinely landed. Sheepshead are next. Cobia are going strong in Carolina right now, so we should see our first local cobia catches soon.
The lower bay rivers are still holding croaker, as well as the Little Creek jetties, where hardheads up to almost two pounds are hitting squid and Fishbites. The folks at the Ocean View Fishing Pier report that “all the croaker you want” prefer bloodworms lately, along with a mix of nice roundhead. Surf and pier anglers along the oceanfront are hooking croaker, spot, roundhead, and bluefish. The bluefish are hitting top water plugs, with Gotcha plugs working best.
Flatfish are still not at the top of the list this week. Anglers who work for them are weeding through dozens of undersized fish to find a few keepers, with Willoughby and Oyster providing the best numbers of keepers. Expect the flatfish action to improve once the water clears. Striped bass were making up for the slow flounder bite, but folks are finding sluggish rockfish action right now. The 3rd and 4th islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel were producing the best striper catches earlier in the week, where top water plugs were working well.
With the nice weather on the horizon for the weekend, some boats will venture offshore in search of tilefish, grouper, and seabass. The seabass will not disappoint, with good hauls of jumbo fish coming from inshore and offshore wrecks.
Bluewater anglers are watching the water to the East. Folks making the run to Carolina are finding yellowfin tuna, dolphin, and some mako sharks. Captain Mike Standing, skipper of the “Waterman” out of Rudee Inlet, tried his luck at the South East Lumps, where he scored with a Mako shark this week.
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.