4/28/2017 Update:
The guys at Oceans East gave us some insight as to what's been going on down south, and the fishing has been notable better than anglers farther north have been experiencing. Puppy drum, bluefish, and speckled trout up to seven pounds have been abundant in the inlet, being caught on sand fleas and cut bait. Flounder have been coming in from the Wachapreague side, more have also popped up in Virginia's southern waters, and flounder fishing is expected to continue picking up as the season progresses, offering clearer and warmer waters. In the inlet, tautog are being caught on live fiddler crabs and blue crabs.
Other reports filtering in from Rudee mention puppy drum and specks caught on soft plastics, but the time for using these lures may be running short as the good numbers of bluefish now present seem to be the big news - and we all know how soft plastics respond to bluefish teeth. Sharpies recommend carrying some Z-Mans, which are essentially tooth-proof and allow you to continue casting jigs. There were also a couple reports in the area of of black drum caught on clam baits, and of larger redfish caught on cut mullet.
The CBBT and inshore wrecks were producing tog through the week, but we're reminded that this fishery closes as of May 1. If you want to get in some last licks on them, grab some green crab or sand fleas and act fast. Fortunately croaker and also some kingfish (the kind also known as "sea mullet," not king mackerel) have started biting on bloodworm bits fished on bottom throughout the area.
4/21/2017 Update:
Virginia's southern reaches of the Chesapeake continue to be a bright spot in the reports, as the conditions that have led to a lackluster trophy striper fishery in waters to the north have also led to an early run from a number of species down south.The guys at Oceans East suggested jigging up puppy drum in the Rudee Inlet, using soft plastics. The inlet has been full of large trout, and also good numbers of bluefish, which you can target using gotcha plugs and spoons. Stripers are expected to move through the area soon, too.
Bishops Fishing Supply in Newport News suggested local anglers go after tog with fiddler crabs, until the rockfish bite picks up. They also mentioned that croaker have moved into the area.
Many area anglers are also heading a bit further south to Hatteras, to get in on blackfin and yellowfin tuna. They've been abundant, with anglers finding success by trolling ballyhoo with sea witches. Some anglers have also bent their rods jigging on the tuna. Dolphin are around now, too.
4/14/17 Update
Ocean's East is reporting speckled trout have been caught in the area up to SEVEN POUNDS! Lots of puppy drum are around, and bluefish have already begun showing up, too. They also mentioned that on the eastern shore the flounder have arrived and have been caught on large minnow. Wachapreague was singled out as particularly hot for the flatfish. (See our Coastal Report for more details; our eastern shore sources mentioned that this fishery was cranking up several times this week). Finally, anglers targeting tautog are also discovering a good bite on live fiddler crab and also on blue crab. Over at Chesapeake Bait & Tackle, the word is to head for the Elizabeth River for both puppy drum and speckled trout; both have been hitting well this past week. They also mentioned that blue catfish have been active in the North River, and anglers farther up the rivers have been experiencing a great white perch bite using shad darts.
4/7/2017
From how this winter’s gone, it looks like guys located around the mouth of the bay are gearing up for a great year of fishing, both bayside and oceanside. Ocean`s East reported tog, stripers, speckled trout, and puppy drum have been abundant in the area. If you’re looking for a good day of tautog fishing, your best bet is to fish concrete structures, offshore wrecks, and the CBBT according to local reports. Target the tog with green or peeler crab – just drop a nice, juicy chunk on your hook and you`ll be catching `em up in no time.
Inshore fishing in both bayside and Oceanside inlets have produced a decent amount of fish recently, and as the weather warms up, it`s only expected to get better. Both inlets are holding puppy drum and stripers. The drum and rockfish have been biting on cut mullet and crab. Specks have been caught in the inlet, as well. Local anglers have found success using minnow, shad, and crab. In addition, our friends at Chesapeake Bait and Tackle located in Chesapeake, Virginia, reported that trout are in the North West River.
