Article by Julie Ball
One of the main species on the menu is still drum. Although we are rotating out of the peeler run with the full moon behind us, folks are still encountering big red drum roaming the shoals and breakers off Fisherman’s Island and within the inlet, especially at night in 5 to 8-feet of water. Blue crabs are still working well.
Scattered black drum are still responding along the shoals near Buoys 10, 13, and 16 where chowder clams and sea clams are the top baits. Although we are on the downward trend for these brutes from the shoals, they are still available in these areas for those willing to put in the time. Most of these fish are averaging around 30 lbs. or less. The larger fish seemed to have dispersed to the artificial islands of the Bay Bridge Tunnel. Chris’ Bait and Tackle reports some anglers are also finding scattered catches of sheepshead and sea mullet while fishing for drum on the shoals, with a 12 lb. sheepshead surprising one drum angler last week.
Now local anglers have another species to get excited over. Right on time, one of the most anticipated summer residents quietly slipped into the lower Bay last week. Sightings of cobia in Chesapeake Bay waters have anglers searching for eels and chum.
Spadefish are appearing on the Chesapeake Light Tower, and a few inshore wrecks, but water temperatures need to rise a few more degrees for the action to really take off. Hopefully this year’s bite is more promising than last year’s spade run.
Flounder action is still picking up, but there is room for improvement. Folks are catching plenty of flatfish, but finding keepers is still a challenge. A few fish, with an occasional nice one, are coming from the bend at the 3rd Island and along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, but the best catches are still coming from the inlets, where Long Bay Pointe Bait and Tackle reports that scattered keepers are taking minnow and squid combinations within Lynnhaven Inlet. On the Eastern Shore, the flounder action out of Oyster is about the same, with strips of squid and Gulp! baits working best in Sand Shoal Inlet lately.
According to The Virginia Beach Fishing Center, snapper bluefish and a few keeper flounder are still biting within Rudee Inlet. Bluefish are also available inside Lynnhaven Inlet, along with some nice croaker pushing to around a pound. Some speckled trout are responding on the Eastern Shore, but most anglers are looking for flounder.
Striped bass are still a good choice, with catches of rockfish to over 40-inches coming from the islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, especially at dusk and daybreak on topwater lures. Casting to the pilings along the light lines of the Bridge Tunnel at night is also providing some decent action ranging from 18 to 36-inches lately.
Several boats took advantage of the decent weather window last week to check out the deep dropping scene. If you want to burn the fuel to make the run out to 50-fathoms or more, scattered blueline and golden tilefish, grouper, and black bellied rosefish await offerings. With sea bass now legal, many boats hit the wrecks last week with success. Anglers found decent hauls of sea bass, with some ranging mostly from 4 to 6 lbs.
The offshore trolling scene should heat up soon off Virginia. In Carolina, the offshore fleet is enjoying plenty of good gaffer dolphin and some yellowfin action. Scattered blue marlin are beginning to make things interesting as they enter trolled spreads. A few boats out of Virginia are making the run to the accessible water with the same results. Hopefully, this trend will continue as it moves north to Virginia waters. For more info, 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.
