Article by Julie Ball
As the weather improves, so are the water temperatures. After a seemingly long, brutal winter, anglers are thrilled that saltwater fish are quickly filtering into their early spring season haunts along the Mid-Atlantic coast.
Anglers are waiting on the explosion of the spring founder bite, but as for now it is still taking its time. On the Eastern Shore, the bite is becoming more solid each day, with some fish pushing to over 6 and 7 lbs. emerging from the seaside creeks and inlets of Oyster and Wachapreague. The stand-by favorite offerings are still drifted strip baits and gudgeons for this popular species. Lower Bay inlets are also giving up some decent flattie catches, with Rudee Inlet still leading the way on the southside, with fish measuring up to 21-inches lately.
Although tautog season is closed, folks can still partake in catch-and release action along the Bay Bridge Tunnel in the lower Bay and on deeper water wrecks in the ocean. Or even better, when black sea bass come back into season on the 19th, folks can release citation tog at 23-inches for the year-long Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. When seabass become legal, remember you can keep only 15 fish per person, and the fish must stretch to at least 12.5-inches. These popular wreck dwellers can also be found closer to shore as the water temperatures continue to rise.
Catch-and-release is the word if you are interested in speckled trout. Most folks are not interested, but topwater lures can be very effective in the Elizabeth River right now, as well as in the Rudee, Little Creek or Lynnhaven Inlets.
Puppy drum are more than taking up slack for the speck closure, with spunky pups taking both lures and fresh bait in most lower Bay shallows.
Rumors of nice grey trout coming from near the Marine Science Museum area in Rudee Inlet are abound, but remember you can only keep one of these fish per person.
Finally, the first catches of bull red drum occurred in the lower Bay last week. Although the bite is not hot, the imminent full moon next week should light things up over the next few weeks off the breakers and sloughs of Fisherman’s Island and near Buoy 10 off the Eastern Shore. Big black drum are also taking bait for anglers working these same areas, often as a surprise by-catch for those targeting red drum. These docile fish will take offerings of sea clams and chowder clams in many of the same areas with their red drum cousins, but the Buoy 13 area on the bayside of the CBBT is often very productive.
Croaker are giving surf and pier anglers a decent target. Pier anglers are content with a decent showing of small to medium-sized hardheads in the 8 to 12-inch range being caught off Willoughby and Buckroe on bloodworms. Rivers off the Chesapeake Bay are also hosting a good number of croaker.
A modest showing of Tailor bluefish along with a smattering of nice sea mullet are being caught along the lower Bay shorelines and a few pollock are still surprising pier anglers.
Deep droppers continue to hoist nice tilefish, black bellied rosefish and grouper from over 300 feet of water. Captain Neal Taylor, aboard the “Catherine Anne”, put his crew on some nice black-bellied rosefish and bluelines last week while fishing near the Norfolk Canyon. The dogfish are beginning to thin out, making deep water catches a little easier.
Offshore anglers are getting excited about the northward movement of the action from Carolina, where nice yellowfin tuna, some big bluefin tuna and big gaffer mahi are keeping the fleet occupied this week.
Dr. Julie Ball is the I.G.F.A. representative for Virginia Beach, VA. For information, go to www.drjball.com.
