Way South and Virginia Fishing Report, 6/29/2018:
As much as I love compiling these reports, I can’t pretend to be unperturbed every time I call the tackle shops and hear about the killer fishing going on south of me, just outside my sphere of travel. Again this week, I’m talking about the wicked flounder fishing going on around the CBBT. White Gulp! Jerk Shad and Swimming Mullet, sometimes paired with squid strips, are still continuing to crush the fish when worked with a relaxed retrieve along bottom. Spadefish are also around in good numbers at the CBBT, and can be tempted into biting on clam bits. Many anglers fishing for these species are also encountering a cobia or two as they fish. Cobia have scattered widely throughout the southern reaches of the Chesapeake, with no one area really standing out at the moment. Most seem to have been encountered at or near the CBBT this week, but that's likely because many boats are fishing the area. The ship anchorage and Wolf Trap are also commonly mentioned as good bets. As a rule of thumb farther south seems to be better but cobia have been caught all the way up to Smith Point, where catches of one to three fish are the norm for chummers putting a chum pot of ground bunker on the bottom, and fishing live eels next to it.
Sheepshead are around in good numbers as well around the rocks and pilings at the CBBT; sand fleas fished very close to the structure is the best bait to target them. A few bluefish and kingfish have also been mixed in with the catch. Kingfish have become less a part of the surf fishery, but are now moving into inlets and bay in greater numbers. Coastal Correspondent John Unkart spent part of this week at Cherrystone, where he also reported kingfish (including from the campground pier) plus spot, croaker, and undersized flounder all biting on bloodworms and Fishbites.
Croaker and spot remain the best bet for bottom fishermen looking to score dinner in general, and dropping bloodworms or squid strips to the bottom will also produce a kingfish and a flounder or two for those probing on the Cape Henry side inside the first island, and at Kiptopeke. Farther up the bay there are fewer flatties and the kingfish disappear, but bottom fishing has still been strong in the mouth of the Rappahannock for croaker and spot.
And, what about you crabbers? I love back-bays because of the abundance of life they hold — from sandbars and marshes full of hamburger-sized clams, to weedbeds with little critters I don't know the names of, and the overly aggressive crabs I step on while wading through those same weedbeds to catch those same clams. Right now, if you’re anything like me you’re headed out to the shallows to try your hand at taming those pesky crabs the best way you know how — by catching them, and then steaming the hell out of ‘em. We here at FishTalk recommend using fresh fowl necks attached to a trot line to maximize the catch and insist everyone go barefoot to maximize the fun. While crabbing has been sub-par this year, current reports indicate that it’s probable you’ll manage a few dozen crabs and possible you’ll go home with a full bushel basket. Six to eight feet of water has been best.
Way South and Virginia Fishing Report, 6/22/2018:
Writing the report this week, I’m pretty jealous at being stranded up here in Annapolis and not near Virginia's lively waters of the mouth of the Bay, which are currently on fire! There’s nothing I love more than catching (and eating) flounder, if you’ve got the opportunity to leave the docks this weekend, I encourage you to do just that – Oceans East let us know that anglers fishing the CBBT are absolutely crushing flounder, using white Gulp! Jerk Shad lures and Swimming Mullet, just the same as in weeks past. Many are undersized but work at it, and you’ll have a good shot at filling the fishbox. Spadefish have also arrived at both the CBBT and the light tower (use clam bits for this species), and some sheepshead are in the mix (for anglers baiting up with sand fleas and peeler crab). Anglers opting to troll instead of slinging bait or tossing lures are encountering mostly snapper blues, though a few Spanish macks are mixed in, especially on the Cape Charles side.
Of course, the big attractions in the area right now are the cobia and also surprisingly good numbers of big bull reds. Good numbers of both are being caught from the CBBT up to Cape Charles, with the cobia also prowling the waters around the anchored ships. Both sight-casting and chumming (in shallower areas of 25 or so feet on the edge of drop-offs to deep water) are producing excellent catches. One reader checked in with us mid-week to report a stellar trip including 14 cobia plus big bull reds up to 50 inches (verified with photos, including the one above!) Wolf Trap and Windmill Point also produced cobia this week, though in lower numbers, with anglers reporting one to four fish in a day of chumming with bunker while baiting with live eels.
Bottom fishermen baiting up with bloodworm are still catching croaker, though the bite has slacked off a hair from what it had been and the fish have spread out a bit. Decent numbers can be found between the first island and Cape Henry, off Kiptopeke, some are still around at Grandview, and the mouth of the Rappahannock has been a good area to try farther north. Most are medium-sized but a few biggies are mixed in.
Way South and Virginia Fishing Report, 6/15/2018:
The CBBT is the place to be, people! Ocean’s East let us know that the inshore scene is doing very well right about now. White Gulp Jerk Shad and Swimming Mullet are crushing the flounder, and sheepshead are now popping up leading us to believe that it’s going to be another great year for that species. Bishop’s also had great reports coming in from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel with a sprinkling of spadefish, triggerfish, and also some nice stripers. Sand fleas have been a top bait, but stick with clam bits for the spades in specific. Trollers are encountering a mix of bluefish and now also a few Spanish mackerel, mostly caught on Clark spoons. Bottom fishermen have been focusing their effort in the first island and Cape Henry zones, where excellent numbers of croaker plus some spot and flounder are biting bottom rigs baited with bloodworm or bits of peeler crab.
The cobia are spreading all over the southern reaches of the Bay right now, with sight fishermen catching them on bucktails in areas where the water clarity allows. It can’t hurt to have some chum and live eels onboard, since that’s been the potent trick a bit to the north for the past week. Speaking of a bit to the north, J&W’s has had good reports of large spot now mixing with croaker, particularly at the mouth of the Rappahannock. They also mirrored the reports of fisherman tying into the man in the brown suit - cobia season has started, people. They're reporting that productive spots have been Butler’s Hole, the Windmill Bar and at The Spike. Chum is bringing ‘em towards the boat, but they’re consistently munching on live eels – probably as you’re reading this... why are you still reading this?
Editor’s note: Mollie Rudow is on break; this week’s reports were compiled by FishTalk intern Parker Martin.
Way South and Virginia Fishing Report, 6/8/2018:
The cobia have finally arrived, and just in time for the season! Reports of them have shown that they’ve stuck around towards the mouth of the Bay, and we wouldn’t be surprised if they continue to do so until the water mucked up by the recent rains, which have been impacting nearly every part of the Chesapeake, clear out. Sight casters are doing just fine in areas of clean water but chumming with ground bunker has been the most effective way to get them; don’t forget to get some live eels and put them on bottom alongside the chum bucket and bunker hunks.
Trollers working the waters at the mouth of the Bay and near the CBBT have encountered the first Spanish mackerel of the year towing spoons, although the catch is dominated by small blues. Trollers pushing out to the 30 fathom line and beyond have had their ballyhoo attacked by tuna and the offshore bite really busted open this past week - be sure to check out the Coastal Report, to get the complete scoop.
Ready for a curveball? Large red drum, some topping 40 inches, are reportedly being caught in better than expected numbers near the lighthouse. A few blacks are in the mix, too, and clam baits are doing the trick. Some anglers are also casting to them after sighting the fish. Puppy drum have also been showing up occasionally for those fishing the mouth of the Elizabeth River. Also in the Elizabeth, white perch, croaker and some flounder are being caught on bloodworms.
Croaker are now just about everywhere from the CBBT clear up to Point Lookout, biting on bottom rigs baited with bloodworm, peeler crab, or Fishbites fished over hard bottom. Many are too small to keep, but the mouth of the Potomac, lower Rap, Grandview, Kiptopeke and near the CBBT on the south side in particular are constantly mentioned as highlights. Reports do include fair numbers of keepers plus bigger specimens here and there.
We also had a pair of (unconfirmed) reader reports this week from the Piankatank and Mobjack of a few stripers and fewer specks having moved into the shallows, hitting five-inch soft plastics in chartreuse and white. Putting the winter kill together with the slow start to spring, it does look like speck fishing in the region may be a disappointment this season.
Editor’s note: Mollie Rudow is on break; this week’s reports were compiled by FishTalk intern Parker Martin.
Way South and Virginia Fishing Report, 6/1/2018:
Virginia's waters are now busting wide-open with multiple opportunities - at least, when the weather gives us a break long enough to go fishing. Oceans East reported that red and black drum have moved in on the shoals at the mouth of the Bay, and are providing a stellar fishery for anglers using blue crab and peeler crab baits, set on bottom on 10/0 circle hooks with fishfinder rigs. Clam baits have also been catching fish. Around the CBBT taugtog are closed but still biting; fortunately, more flounder have begun to appear in the area. The best offering for the flounder has been four to six inch Gulps, Swimming Mullet and Jerk Shad, on a jig head or bucktail. Some spadefish have now appeared as well, for anglers fishing closer to structure with small hooks and sea clam bits. Cobia, meanwhile, are being encountered both outside and inside the CBBT as they migrate into the Bay. Most of the fish caught thus far have been accidental encounters while sight-fishing, though as the season officially starts today inside the Bay we expect that to change, as chummers can really begin targeting this species as well. Reports are that the numbers being spotted just outside the Bay are huge - in some cases dozens per day by anglers who aren't even targeting them - so hopes are high for a phenomenal cobia season. Brush up on your sight casting and chumming tactics, by checking out The Cobia Are Coming.
Anglers looking for a constant flow of action should also consider surf fishing, as a variety of species have moved in during recent weeks. Check out the Coastal Report for more intel on the surf action.
Croaker continue to expand their presence in the lower Chesapeake, and have become the mainstay at most of the area piers from Yorktown south and also over towards Kiptopeke. There's been a good croaker bite for anglers soaking bloodworms on bottom in the lower Rap as well. Most of the fish aren't jumbos, but there are plenty of keepers in the mix. Unfortunately, there's also high/discolored water coming down pretty much all the rivers thanks to all the monsoons we've had lately, ruining a lot of the up-river areas for the time being.