Article by Julie Ball
Hurricane Irene stirred local waters into a mess, but the great early fall fishing action is picking back up where it left off. As anglers make their way back out to test the fishing grounds, several species are willing to respond. The fall’s main players, such as spot, speckled trout and puppy drum, are beginning to draw more interest. Anglers are also imparting farewells to summer favorites such as flounder, cobia and red drum as they stage to leave.
The flounder scene was good before Irene and reports indicate that the bite is already back on the upswing. Anglers using live bait and drifting with cut bait near the 3rd and 4th Islands of the CBBT are finding keeper fish. The Thimble Shoal and Baltimore Channels and most ledges and drop-offs are good places to drift for flounder right now. The folks at Greg’s Bait Shack report that a boat fishing the Hampton Bar early in the week also found a good limit of flatties up to around 22-inches. Lynnhaven and Rudee Inlets are giving up a few smaller flounder, but the action should pick back up when the water clears. Offshore flatfish in deeper water are also a good alternative. Strip baits bounced over structure works well for wreck flounder. Expect nice sea bass as a by-catch on many of the same wrecks.
The cobia scene is taking on its typical early fall pattern, with fish schooling on the surface in lower Bay waters and along the oceanfront. Nice fish are lurking around lower Bay buoys and along the pilings of the Bay Bridge Tunnel. Before the hurricane, boats were hooking up multiple fish per trip, with some pushing into the 50 and 80-pound class range. A well placed bucktail or live bait will do the trick.
The best post-storm news is the explosion of the croaker and spot action along the oceanfront and along the southern shorelines and inlets of the Bay. The folks at Ocean’s East 2 report that the bite is awesome, with nice yellowbelly spot and horse croaker ravaging angler’s bloodworms ever since Irene blew through. Pier anglers are taking advantage of the first big spot run, toting away coolers full of spot ranging to 3/4-pound and croaker pushing to over 20-inches.
Schools of big red drum continue to delight anglers near the CBBT and off the Virginia Beach shorelines. Spanish mackerel are zipping through tide rips near the Bridge Tunnel, along Cape Henry and along the buoy lines at the mouth of the Bay. After Irene, Spanish mackerel made a surprise showing within the Lynnhaven Inlet basin. Surf anglers casting spoons from the shore near the Lesner Bridge are thrilled with great catches of keeper Spanish mackerel and Tailor bluefish this week. A few king mackerel encounters are occurring off Sandbridge, but nothing significant as of yet.
Sheepshead are still taking late season offerings along the entire span of the Bay Bridge Tunnel. Lots of hungry triggerfish are in the same vicinity. Triggerfish are also available on several inshore and offshore wrecks. Spadefish, ranging around 3 to 4-pounds, are still hanging around the 3rd and 4th Islands, although this action has slowed.
Speckled trout are starting to make a decent showing in the Lynnhaven Inlet, the Poquoson flats, the seaside of Oyster and the Elizabeth River. Although most fish are on the smaller side, a few nicer fish, ranging up to 9-pounds, are also in the mix. Mirrolures are the best choice for specks lately. Puppy drum are hitting for those casting jigs or offering fresh bait within Lynnhaven, Rudee and Little Creek Inlets. Shrimp presented close to the bottom on jigs is working very well for large pups right now.
Amberjack are still available around offshore wrecks, the South Tower and the Chesapeake Light Tower. Jack crevalle could be a nice consolation prize. Deep dropping for blueline tilefish, golden tilefish and blackbellied rosefish is still a good choice as storms normally have little effect on the deep water species.
Offshore, the great billfish action was shut down briefly after the hurricane last week. Once the water settles out, the billfish bite should pick back up. Further south, the Carolina fleet experienced good marlin action around the 150-line early last week. A few yellowfin tuna in the 20-pound class are around and wahoo will become more common as fall endures. The “Waterman”, skippered by Captain Mike Standing out of the Virginia Beach Fishing Center, took top honors in the Virginia Beach Billfish Tournament last week with 13 white marlin. The tournament was still a success, even though it was cut short due to the storm. For more information, go to www.drjball.com.
Dr. Julie Ball is the I.G.F.A representative for Virginia Beach, VA. For more information, go to www.drjball.com.
