Article by VMRC - Saltwater Review
Happy Memorial Day! We hope the unofficial start of the summer season opens with some great fun, lots of cookouts, and awesome fishing!
Chincoteague
According to Donna at Captain Bob’s, flounder are still biting in Chincoteague. The Queen’s Sound (on both sides of the bridge), the Four Mouths (along the embankments), and Cockle Creek (around the holes) have really been producing. Silversides and a mixture of Gulp and jumbo minnows are producing the best results. The Assateague Channel continues to produce in front of Tom’s Cove, and there have even been reports of keeper-flounder from the pier. Snapper bluefish have also arrived in the area, and the surf continues to be hot with striped bass and black drum.
Wachapreague
Staff at the Wachapreague Marina report that flounder fishing has been good at Green and Drawing channels. The throwback ratio in the area has been 10 throwbacks for every keeper flounder.
Cape Charles
According to the staff at Chris’ Bait and Tackle, black drum fishing was good but spotty over the weekend. Anglers reported a few cobia (up to 50 pounds) while drum fishing. Spadefish have also begun to bite around Buoy 13, and flounder have started to pick up in the bay (a citation-sized 8-pound flounder was caught near Buoy 36).
Lower Bay/Bridge Tunnel
Flounder and red drum were reported from the staff at Cobb’s Marina last week. Flounder were caught on Ocean View Beaches and around the 1st Island of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Red drum, along with a few black drum, were hooked at Latimer Shoals. Croaker have begun to bite in Little Creek, as well.
A few anglers reported black drum releases (38 and 48 inches), according to the staff at Sunset Boating Center. Red and black drum were reported off of the 3rd and 4th Islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, and flounder were reported at the Hampton Bar.
Kathy, at Wallace’s Marina, reported the first cobia of the season last Wednesday. The big fish was 57.5 pounds. An 8 lb., 10 oz. flounder was also brought in this week, along with reports of three red drum release citations. The weather is starting to improve, and the water has warmed up, so fishing is improving!
Dr. Julie Ball, IGFA International Representative for Virginia Beach, contributed the following:
Anglers are itching to get out on the water and break in the summer fishing season, so folks are watching the weather for the Memorial Day weekend closely. One of the main species on the menu is drum. Boats of all sizes will head to the Eastern Shore shoals hoping for a chance to tangle with a big red or black drum.
Action with the larger black drum picked up over the past week. Several boats released a handful of fish ranging over 46 inches. The best bite is still near Buoys 13 and 16, but the Nautilus Shoal area and Buoy 10 off Fisherman’s Island are also providing better action lately. Sea clams and chowder clams are working well on the bottom in 20 to 30 feet of water off of Fisherman’s Island. Boats are also finding red drum mixed in with the black drums, especially when providing crabs as an offering with the clams.
Big red drum are still roaming the shoals and breakers off Fisherman’s Island and within the inlet, especially at night in 4 to 8 feet of water. A few anglers are also reporting several catches of small to medium-sized thresher sharks from these same areas.
The prelude to the summer fishing pattern is right on target with the debut of one of the most anticipated warm water residents, the cobia. Sightings of cobia around the lower bay were confirmed last weekend as anglers began catching fish. Some of these fish are pushing to over 54 inches and up to around 60 pounds. Several citation-sized fish were registered at Chris’ Bait and Tackle last weekend. Hopefully, this is a sign of a good cobia season.
The arrival of the much anticipated Atlantic spadefish will become a favorite over the next few weeks. These graceful fish are appearing at the Chesapeake Light Tower and inshore wrecks, but the water temperatures are still a little cool for takers.
Flounder action is still somewhat slow but improving. Folks are catching flatfish, but finding fish meeting the minimum size requirements in the bay is a challenge. A few keepers are coming from near the bend at the 3rd island, but the best catches are still coming from the inlets, where Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle reports that keepers are taking minnow and squid combinations within the basin area. On the Eastern Shore, Chris’ Bait and Tackle reports that the flounder action out of Oyster is outstanding. Folks are taking limits of big flatfish ranging from 3 to 8 pounds using strips of squid and cut bait in the main channel.
Striped bass are still a good choice, with catches of rockfish to over 44 inches coming from the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel and the islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.
Smallish croaker and sea mullet are active throughout the lower bay, especially near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Todd at Bayside Tackle reports hardheads to around 2 pounds are coming from off Willoughby using squid. A few keeper-sized speckled trout, nice puppy drum (juvenile red drum), and snapper bluefish are still biting within Rudee Inlet. Bluefish are also available inside Lynnhaven Inlet.
The deep dropping scene is still good if you want to make the run out to 50 fathoms or more. Boats making a go are rewarded with scattered blueline tilefish and a few golden tilefish. Grouper, wreckfish, and blackbelly rosefish await deeper offerings. With black sea bass now available, many boats hit the wrecks last week with some success. Anglers found scattered sea bass, with some pushing to around 4 pounds. The headboats out of the Fishing Center also found good numbers of sea bass to over 5 pounds last weekend.
The offshore trolling scene should heat up soon off of Virginia.
Outer Banks, NC
Before the latest weather system moved in, dolphin were the talk of many boats that were trolling. Large numbers of dolphin were being reported by the charters, as well as good catches of all three species of tuna and a few billfish.
Bottom fishermen continued to see blueline tilefish, triggerfish, black sea bass, small snappers, and snowy grouper.
King mackerel were available around eight miles offshore. Inside three miles, the cobia bite continued to be strong along with the bluefish bite.
Pier and surf fishing had bluefish, croaker, spot, puffers, and numerous rays. In the sounds, the speckled trout still are tough to find with flounder working the shallow waters of Oregon Inlet. Sheepshead and black drum were around the Oregon Inlet Bridge.
The surf fishing south of Oregon Inlet produced sea mullet around the jetties, Ramps 34 and 30, and behind the motels. Puppy drum were being caught in the morning hours down at the Point and in the Avon area. Pompano were also around Ramp 43.
Offshore fishing out of Hatteras Inlet has been tough. The dolphin were biting very well before the recent blow, and that has a lot of anglers frustrated. A couple of billfish were in the mix as well. The sound fishermen had good catches of cobia, speckled trout, grey trout and bluefish.
