6/30/2017 Update:
Oceans East Bait and Tackle Shop let us know that flounder fishing in Rudee has been good, and many fish being caught are large in size. Many successful anglers have been drifting gudgeons and squid through the channel. There are also plenty of small bluefish and croaker biting cut bait.
Around the CBBT there's a lot going on, these days. The cobia bite has been steady, and anglers using live eels and bucktails have had the most success catching large fish. Red drum have also been in the area, and are mixed in with the catch. Flounder, sheepshead, kingfish, and croaker have all been in the mix for bottom fishermen probing the area. For the flounder white bucktails and jigheads dressed with GULP tails are a hot bait. Peeler crab has been a good bait for bottom fishermen, since just about everything swimming in the lower bay wants to eat it.
Cobia fishing from Latimere Shoals to Cape Charles, and on the western side from Grandview up to New Point Comfort, has produced mixed results. Most boats that have been going out are sight fishing or chumming, and multiple factors are playing into their success. When sight fishing depth hasn’t really seemed to matter, and a big part of success depends on the brightness of the sun and visibility. Anglers who are chumming along the drop-offs between 20 and 40 feet are finding that the Cobia tend to come on at the end of the tide, while sharks are the main catch during the steady portions of the tide. These reports jibe with what we found ourselves during a recent trip to Cape Charles, when high cloud cover made sight fishing difficult but as the tide dropped off, a 50-inch cobia ate a bunker head in about 30 feet of water (see the 6/23 update below). During the rest of the tidal cycle the action was all from sharks.
Sea bass and flounder are currently on the inshore wrecks, and taking cut bait such as clam. Offshore, tuna fishing has been very good out to the 100 fathom line. Check out the Coastal Report for more offshore information.
6/23/17 Update:
Although not many keeper rock are being caught in the southern part of the bay, local anglers have been bringing home cobia for dinner. Most fish are being caught sight fishing or chumming, using live eels as bait as well as cut bunker. Many fish have been just under or around the legal limit of 40 inches. Chummers do have to fend off large numbers of sharks, as they wait for the cobia bites.
Angler in Chief Lenny Rudow reports that conditions weren't ideal for sight fishing yesterday, with cloud cover and glare, but it was possible to spot a few fish here and there from an elevated position. A few boats were working Grand View and Latimer Shoals, but the bulk of the fleet stayed busy just north of the ship anchorage and off the ledges and channel edges west of Cape Charles. There were also some large patches of weeds in the area which made sight-casting that much harder, as jigs quickly became fouled.
In addition to cobia, speckled trout are being caught in Rudee inlet on GULP in chartreuse and white. Puppy drum have been caught in the inlet on peeler crab.
6/16/2017 Update:
RED ALERT: Ocean’s East, among others, reports an incredibly strong cobia bite this season, with huge numbers of fish in the southern reaches of the Bay. They’re striking jigs (skirted plastics with white, pink, and chartreuse colors are best) cast by sight-fishermen, and more reliably, are biting eels both cast by sight-fishermen and set back in chum slicks. The waters off Grand View, Plumb Tree Island, and Baltimore Channel have been the best bets. Catches numbering in the dozens have been reported by a few boats working these areas. While the big numbers of cobia have flooded the lower bay, their numbers in the waters outside the CBBT and near Virginia Beach have dropped. If you want to target this species, the best bet at this point in time is to work the waters on the inside.
Closer to the CBBT and other structure in Virginia's Chesapeake Bay waters, some sheepshead and red drum are being caught. Shrimp is a top bait. Speckled trout and puppy drum are also in the inlet at Rudee, and are taking lures bounced off bottom. Some are popping up in the surf, as well. Croaker fishing has been steady, and plenty of fish are in the usual haunts with the James River proving particularly productive for this species lately. They’re primarily taking blood worms. The James is also holding lots of speckled trout - to target them, throw GULP! lures in chartreuse and white, around points, structure, and shallow drop-offs.
Offshore, tuna fishing has been good and steadily improving. Anglers are trolling ballyhoo and Green Machines, however Green Machines have been most successful. See the Coastal Report for more info.
6/9/2017 Update:
Get on your boat and grab some eels, because the cobia are here! Local anglers are catching fish upwards of 40 inches in the Buckrow and Grandview areas on live eels, and on lures like two-ounce jig heads with chartreuse BKDs. This season has already been described as "exciting" at the very least, and nearly all boats are bringing dinner home.
If you don’t have a taste for cobia, rockfish have been plentiful in the James River. Most are being caught at night around the James River Bridge on chartreuse and white bucktails. While you’re out at Chesapeake Bait and Tackle get some blood worms and peeler crabs to drop down, as there’s a good chance you’ll end up with some red drum in your cooler, too. Be sure to use fresh peeler crab. Puppy drum have been hot particularly around and in Ruddee Inlet. In the bay and its tributaries, croaker have been abundant. Most are biting on bloodworms and/or large green night crawlers.
If you`re looking to get out on the water and go crabbing, this season is looking pretty great so far. Many watermen are pulling up traps full of crab, and scooping at every bait on their troutline. Bishops suggested using menhaden if you have traps, which has been most successful in their area this summer.
6/2/2017 Update:
Chesapeake Bait and Tackle and Bishop’s are reporting that lots of croaker are now around in the southern reaches of the Bay. Puppy drum have also been caught, mostly by those using shrimp but also on soft plastics such as white BKDs with a half-ounce jig head.
At the CBBT and area hotspots spadefish and sheepshead are now making themselves known, especially at the light tower for the spadefish. The big news of the week, however, is the strong influx of cobia—which are now legal to fish for in Virginian waters. Pre-season anglers have been catching and releasing cobia both on jigs and in chum slicks. The best lures have been pink and white bucktails dressed with twister tails, and soft plastics of the same colors. Read Cobia are Coming to learn more about how to catch these awesome bruisers. Rudee, meanwhile, was recently still holding some speckled trout, redfish, and bluefish.
In the bay flounder fishing has been up and down with the conditions. As the water clears up flounder fishing with squid, minnow, and GULP artificials improves. When it becomes churned, fishing gets tougher. Crabbing continues to be good down south, with plenty of Jimmies starting to come into the shallows and trot-liners and getting on them good. Catches seemed to be a little better on the eastern side of the bay, where the water is still relatively cool.