Way South Fishing Report, May 31 Update:
Virginia's waters are now providing ample opportunities for anglers to get out and target many different species. Oceans East reported that although the bite isn’t hot a few reports of red and black drum have come in from the shoals at the mouth of the Bay. Most anglers have been 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. Fortunately, plenty of flounder are in the back bay and just off the coast; the best offering for the flounder has been four- to six-inch Gulp! Swimming Mullet and Jerk Shad, on a jig head or bucktail.
Hampton Correspondent Chuck Harrison checked in to let us know that a strong wind and current made fishing for flounder difficult at the CBBT when he got out last week, and ducking into Lynnhaven was an idea shared by waaaay too many boats out for the holiday weekend. That said, when conditions are calmer there are some flatties at the CBBT and rockfish are also still hanging around the pilings and islands, however, they aren’t in great numbers. Most guys going after them have been chumming, and are finding bluefish also becoming part of their catch. Anglers targeting blues in specific are doing best by trolling with spoons, though some pier anglers have also caught them on spoons or cut bait.
Of course, everyone’s mind is on cobia right about now, with the season opening tomorrow. Plenty of fish are being spotted both inside and outside the bridge complex, through the shipping anchorage, and up off Cape Charles. When conditions have allowed a few anglers targeting them on a catch-and-release basis have reported catches up to six fish including multiple would-be keepers. White, pink, and chartreuse bucktails and skirted jigs dressed with six-inch twister tails of mixed colors have been doing the trick. However, that's just based on a couple of reports - next week after the season’s been open for a few days we hope to have much more extensive intel on the cobia bite... but if you get out after ‘em this weekend, good luck!
Way South Fishing Report, May 24 Update:
This week we're excited to report that flounder have started becoming more active bayside, and have been concentrated around the CBBT as well as in the Virginia Beach area inlets. Most have continued to take chartreuse and white soft plastics and GULPs jigged near the bottom. With each passing day, the bite has continued to pick up and we expect it to further improve, says Oceans East. Some rockfish still are being caught near the CBBT as well. Up in the mouths of the Western Shore tributaries, however, there’s a better striper bite, mostly for fish in the mid 20’s range – right in the slot. We’ve had several readers check in from the mouth of the James, where all three bridges have been productive. Jiggers report decent catches on soft plastics in white and chartreuse.
Bluefish can also be caught from shore and by boat through the area, and are taking cut bait cast from the shore or piers and trolled spoons out on open water. For those trollers dragging spoons, Spanish mackerel have also become part of the catch this past week. Croaker are in the species mix as well but they haven’t as common as one would hope. Bloodworms on a bottom rig in the areas of Buckroe and Grand View are the best bet, for that species.
Our Hampton correspondent Chuck Harrison checked in to let us know that while some drum may be getting caught in the Fisherman's Island area, plenty of anglers targeting them – including guess who – have been disappointed in the past week. On the bright side, we’re now hearing reports of cobia being caught. With the season opening June 1, we’re psyched to hear that there are already some in town and ready to play. Don't forget to pick up the (mandatory but free) permit before you look for 'em!!
Way South Fishing Report, May 16 Update:
Welcome to the "new" Way South report. In an effort to more accurately reflect the geographic areas of the Bay, how they overlap, and where people living in its different zones fish, we're shifting our focus a bit. You'll find that the Lower Bay report will now include much of the area previously covered here (such as Western Shore tribs like the Rappahannock and James), while we try to focus the Way South coverage more on the mouth of the Bay. There may be more overlap with the Coastal reports as a result, but we know there are an awful lot of people living in the Hampton/Norfolk/Newport News area who indulge in both fisheries so we hope that in the future, this serves you up better reports.
The southern waters of the Chesapeake are beginning to come alive with a variety of species, although we heard less this week about the drum that have been bending rods recently. Bluefish and flounder have moved into the area, and can be caught from shore and by boat. Blues are taking small spoons, and have been in the surf, inlets, and the mouth of the Bay. Some large blues have been caught, though most are topping out in the five pound range. Flounder have been actively taking cut squid and white or chartreuse soft plastics. Some have been in the shallows, and are able to be caught casting and retrieving. They're also being caught in the inlets, and around the CBBT. Ocean’s East suggested heading to the CBBT, where the rockfish bite is providing more action than expected. Some flounder and drum have been in the area as well, however, they are not as abundant as stripers at the moment.
Though we don't yet have any confirmation of cobia caught in the Chesapeake, they're running strong just down the coast. We had two reports this week from anglers who hauled their boats down to the Outer Banks and scored, one of them with a limit catch (and the other with what might have been, if they'd managed to hook a higher proportion of the fish they sighted). We'd expect to hear of these fish off the mouth of the Bay any day now.
Meanwhile, pier anglers are catching croaker with more regularity now, though most have been small. Bluefish, and occasional striper, some puffer fish, and kingfish are also coming over the rails, with cut menhaden best for the blues and stripers and bloodworms best for just about everything else.
Way South Fishing Report, May 10 Update:
The shad run’s more or less over in the southern Western Shore tributaries and is beginning to drop off in the Potomac, but the catfish bite remains strong in all the rivers and Apex Predators has been reporting solid snakehead action on the Virginia side of the Potomac. As has been true recently the catfish have extended their range with the lowered salinity and can be found all the way to the river’s junctions with the Bay. We actually heard one report (though unverified – it’s just a rumor unless someone can email us a photo!) of a catfish caught near the CBBT. Speaking of rumors: everyone’s waiting for croaker and spot to make their way up into the Lower Bay, and there’s chatter about them showing up near Deltaville, but as of yet we have no solid confirmations north of Buckroe. Same goes for spot, although they’ve now been confirmed in pound nets as far north as the Potomac.
Farther down the Bay we are still hearing about both black and red drum. But our Hampton Correspondent Chuck Harrison headed out to Fisherman’s Island this past week, and reported that the morning started off with a fleet of nearly 25 boats – yet by afternoon only a few were left and the fish remained unseen. With that being said, he did also report hearing about schools of reds on the surface from a sight-angler who had been out, indicating that fish are certainly still in the area. Several charters also reported finding a big red here and there just outside the bridge.
Rays have been present as well, and Ocean’s East reported that striper fishing has been fair near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, however, of course the Virginia season is closed and any rockfish that are caught must be released. Fortunately, flounder have been showing up in higher numbers around the mouth of the Bay, and are eager to strike chartreuse and white soft plastics near bottom, both jigged or retrieved. Flounder reports have come in from various areas at this point, ranging from the mouth of the James, to the CBBT, to Lynnhaven, so it’s safe to say that any of the usual early season spots could produce flatties at this point.
Way South and VA Fishing Report, May 2019:
Remember that the trophy season in Virginia has been shut down this year, so all rockfish caught must be released, regardless of size. Fortunately, there are a lot of other options starting to take off right now. Northern Neck anglers are getting in the last licks on the shad runs, which have begun to peter out but are still providing a bit of action. The best bite has been for catfish, throughout the Potomac, in the Rap from Tappahannock up and in the James, from Claremont up. However, salinity levels are still so low that blue cats will likely be encountered by bait anglers unusually far down all of these rivers. Many area anglers are also focusing on the snakehead bite, especially in the creeks off the Potomac, where the water has warmed enough to provide a steady topwater bite with plastic frogs proving a top option.
Ocean’s East reports that flounder have entered the building. They're now in all the coastal bays and inlets, and anglers fishing around the CBBT have caught a healthy mix of flounder and also some rockfish (which of course have to be released, regardless of size). Flounder are taking white or chartreuse soft plastics bounced off bottom, and GULP! Swimming mullet. The tog bite at the CBBT has also been improving steadily, especially between the second and fourth islands, with green crab, peelers, and sand fleas fished right up against the structure generating most of the bites. The inlets are also seeing steadily improving action, with flounder in Rudee and Lynnhaven and the back-bays, a few specks showing up for anglers casting four- to six-inch plastics, and also some puppy drum taking peeler crab and sand fleas.
The bite for bigger drum (still mostly blacks at this point) has been in the open Bay off Cape Charles and at the Cabbage Patch, with whole clams being the undisputed heavyweight champion bait for the blacks. More large red drum are showing up these days, however, mostly around the shoals and flats between Cape Charles and the Fisherman’s Island area.