Article by Julie Ball
In spite of the dominant breezy conditions keeping anglers close to shore again last week, the saltwater spring procession is well on its way. Once angers can get outside of the inlets, the fish will be ready and willing.
The first species on most anglers’ list is still red drum. Some days are better than others, but a few good days, with some boats releasing more than a dozen big reds, is evidence that the bite is on the rise. As we transition closer to the full moon, the bite will continue to improve along the breakers and turbulent shallow water of the barrier islands on the Eastern Shore. Most are targeting these fish off Smith and Fisherman Islands, but the catches are spread out, with fish biting close to the beaches in 3-feet of water, to well outside the inlets in up to 10-feet of water. Red drum are a local favorite due to their fierce strike and challenging fight, with some fish pushing up to around 60-pounds.
Black drum hook-ups are also on the rise. Although most of the fish are on the smallish side, some larger blacks are starting to show more activity. The largest fish are still coming from up the shore near Quinby and Machipongo, but scattered catches are coming from the Fisherman Island surf. Anglers have a good chance of catching both red and black drum in the same areas, especially if both clams and crabs are offered. May is usually a good month for blacks, and Chris’ Bait and Tackle’s Black Drum Tournament runs for the entire month of May.
The flounder bite was still hit and miss last week, but scattered keepers are rewarding those who put in their time, especially in the Eastern Shore seaside inlets, Oyster, Magothy Bay and Back River Reef. Around the lower Bay, folks are finding the best luck drifting with cut bait and gudgeons around the 1st and 2nd islands of the Bay Bridge Tunnel, the ODU Reef and off the concrete ships. Scattered keepers are available in the Rudee Inlet and decent flatties averaging around 22-inches are coming from the Lynnhaven River. A few bigger fish pushing up to 5-pounds are also in the mix within the Inlet where fish to around 5-pounds have been responding near the Great Neck Road Bridge and the Lesner Bridges lately.
Croaker continue to bite in various areas in the Bay, especially near Willoughby, Ocean View and off the Little Creek Jetties. The folks at the Ocean View Fishing Pier report good catches of croaker mostly in the evenings and at night, with anglers filling up buckets with fish measuring up to 14-inches. The biggest hardheads are still coming from the lower Bay rivers. Big round head, blow toads, and scattered flounder catches are adding some variety from the pier where anglers are enticing the most strikes with bloodworms.
The folks at Ocean’s East 2 report that speckled trout are still around but folks are mostly turning to other activities. A few specks are still coming from the lower Bay inlets and the Elizabeth River along with some nice puppy drum pushing to 30-inches. Snapper and tailor bluefish were all over the lower Bay, especially within the inlets and around the HRBT last week. Anglers are also finding some decent gray trout and schoolie stripers mixed in with the blues at the HRBT while using Gotcha plugs.
A few medium-sized sheepshead are also becoming active on some lower Bay structures.
The coastal and Bay trophy striped bass seasons opened May 1st with one fish per person at 32-inches or larger, but most anglers will be more interested in drum and flounder.
A few boats reported good catches of blueline tilefish ranging to 12-pounds, nice black bellied rosefish and a few wreckfish on a recent deep dropping trip to the Canyon. Although the dogfish are still around, they are beginning to thin out.
For more information, go to www.drjball.com.
