Article by Julie Ball
The weather is great, its summer time, and the fish are here. So what could be better? How about even bigger fish!
Offshore, boats are experiencing an upswing in an already notable tuna season. Graced with an impressive early season yellowfin bite, the activity has transitioned into what seems to be a remarkable bigeye run, with many of these tuna weighing in excess of 200-pounds!
Inshore is no slouch, either. Cobia continue to keep local anglers content with good catches of respectable fish. Most of the fish are ranging from 30 to 45-pounds, with scattered 60-pounders filling coolers for sightcasters. Steady action is keeping chummers on their toes, but much of this activity is still attributed to trash fish and bothersome sharks.
Drum are still on the loose, with red drum enthusiasts chasing schools of big fish cruising on the surface near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Sporadic jack crevelle sightings are still happening, and a few black drum roaming around the islands of the CBBT continue to fall for well-placed lures.
Flounder are a favorite target, but anglers are still experiencing unpredictable results. Some decent fish are around, with scattered flatfish weighing in at 7-pounds taking both jigs and live bait along lower Bay structures, with the CBBT a favorite. Drifters are also finding takers while dragging baits near the Baltimore Channel, the Thimble Shoal Channel, the Cell, and Buoy 36 and 38 areas.
The sheepshead scene is very good lately, with willing fish pushing to over 12-pounds responding to offerings of clam, crab and fiddlers along the structure of the CBBT last week.
Spadefish are schooled around the Bay Bridge Tunnel, ocean wrecks, buoys and the Chesapeake Light Tower. Although some larger fish are noted within the schools, most spadefish are ranging near the 5-pound mark. Divers and skin divers are mostly taking advantage of this scene.
Triggerfish are also out in full force in these same locations, with some triggers weighing to over 4-pounds last week.
Croaker are everywhere from the HRBT to the CBBT, and the bite in Oyster is beginning to take off.
The spot run seems encouraging this year, with a few nice fish showing within Lynnhaven and Rudee Inlets.
Puppy drum are still on a roll in the same locations, with keeper pups hitting lures, cut bait and live bait.
Speckled trout are also a possibility. Gray trout averaging to around 16-inches are mixed in with nice sea mullet near the Concrete Ships and the high rise section of the CBBT.
Spanish mackerel are very active along the coastline from Cape Henry to Sandbridge, with a nice class of fish available for trollers this year. Many Spanish are ranging up to around 20-inches. A few king mackerel sightings are coming in, but no confirmed inshore catches yet.
Tarpon are active in the shallows of Oyster, with a few confirmed jump-offs last week. Amberjack are taking most any live bait offered at several offshore wrecks and at the South Tower, although most boats are not interested.
Deep droppers continue to scour the bottom near the Norfolk Canyon for deep water fish. Big blueline tilefish, golden tilefish, grouper and black bellied rosefish are the staples of this fishery. A nice side catch of jumbo sea bass is also a likely occurrence.
The offshore scene is attracting a lot of attention with the explosion of bigeye activity in the Norfolk Canyon last week. Over thirty huge bigeye tuna ranging from 150-pounds to nearly 300-pounds were landed by the offshore fleet, along with a few stud yellowfin tuna. Some boats are returning with multiple big tuna and a box full of bailer and gaffer sized dolphin. Some nice wahoo, king mackerel and scattered mako sharks are also keeping anglers content. More billfish are starting to arrive on sight, with more releases occurring each day of both blue and white marlin.
Dr. Julie Ball is the I.G.F.A. representative for Virginia Beach, VA. For information, go to www.drjball.com.
