Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 29 Update:
Hampton Correspondent Chuck Harrison made it out to Little Creek and the HRBT, where he reported a decent speckled trout bite with four fish in the 17- to 18-inch range and “a bunch” of small ones. He noted that three feet of water was a good depth, but said schools moved through in waves and when they were done, they were done. Ocean’s East Tackle Shop echoed this report — they mentioned that the fishing has been on or off depending on the day as specks move through different areas. They suggested moving around until you’re able to locate some fish and get into them. Ocean’s East also let us know that the sheephead bite is still okay, even as the bulk of the fish are moving south. A couple were caught this week during fair weather, although their numbers are dropping. The same goes for reds and flounder. There are still a few left, but they’re quickly moving through. Flounder are coming through right now, and can be caught in the inlets.
Stripers haven't been so easy to find as they've been on the move, with trolling tandems and Mojos proving the best way to locate a fish or two. Looking for birds can help nail down their general vicinity and a good pair of binoculars can be just as important as a fishfinder. At the CBBT, the tautog are beginning to wake up and bite in earnest. Sand fleas and crab chunks will both get ‘em biting. There’s also a nice king mackerel bite going on off Virginia Beach, and when the weather allows a good number of anglers are pushing out to troll for ‘em.
NOTE: Virginia cobia regs are up in the air… the powers that be are calling for a 42-percent reduction, and several options are on the table including a much shorter season, and a somewhat shorter season with two-fish boat limits. You can make your preferences known here.
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 23 Update:
Anglers who managed to get out early in the week enjoyed some beautiful scenery, peppered with bends in their rod tips. Flounder fishing dropped off a good bit through the week, but the red drum and speckled trout bites have made up for it. Oceans East reported that specks are running strong in the Hampton area and around the HRBT. Most anglers are opting to use four-inch plastics and Gulp!s in white, chartreuse, and root-beer colors. They’ve been a super active fishery and we’re hoping that they stick around for a little while longer. Drum can be located sporadically, but they’re not sticking to any one area. They’ve been taking a variety of cut bait and lures. Stripers are relatively easy to find right now as many have moved into the area. Searching for them under birds of along channel edges has been popular, and many anglers are reporting catching keepers in the 23-inch range. We also had a reader report of a lucky encounter with a school of big bull reds within sight of the CBBT. The didn’t stick around long but were happy to smack a white bucktail trimmed with a lime green paddletail.
Contributor Eric Packard fished the lower York this week and reports plenty of specks around grassbeds were more than willing to hit popping cork rigs in chartreuse and pink, pink twisters on half-ounce jigheads, and especially four-inch pink Gulp! twisters. Several slot puppies, some undersized rock, and a kingfish were also in the mix.
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 16 Update:
The red drum fishery has continued to pick up in the past week. Ocean’s East reported that anglers jigging two-ounce spoons and seven-inch plastics along the channel edges and under working birds are getting in on a steady catch. When finding birds in this zone, along with the red drum there are plenty of reports that stripers, bluefish, and even a stray Spanish mackerel continue to be in the mix. Tossing metal spoons through boiling baitfish has been a great way to entice them. Anglers looking to scoop up a few more mackerel as they head south have been trolling the channel edges with small Drones, Clarks, and Hard Head Custom Baits spoons. They’re also picking up some bluefish, in perfectly portioned lunch-for-two size.
Around the CBBT, flounder fishing remains fair for anglers bouncing soft plastics off bottom. Although most of the flounder haven’t been large, there are keepers are in the mix and a few very nice ones have popped up. Fishing for flatfish at the inlets has, by most reports, been as good or better. Better news from the inlets, though, along the shorelines (both east and west), the CBBT islands, and the HRBT is that a nice fall speck run continues to pick up steam. Ocean’s East let us know that four-inch soft plastic paddle tails, Gulp! Shrimp or Jerk Shad, and fresh shrimp under corks are all good bets for the specks. A couple of very nice trout in the mid-20-inch class were reported this week. A few puppy drum are in the mix as well, especially for those fishing shrimp.
Reports from the piers indicate that there’s also a bit of a fall run on for bottom fishermen. Spot and some croaker are feeding as they prepare to head south, and they’re quick to slurp down bloodworms, sand fleas, and shrimp fished on bottom rigs.
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 9 Update:
Out in the main-stem Bay there have been birds working over a few schools of breaking fish with stripers in the mix. Many, however, are undersized and it may be necessary to fish deep under the main school, or leave fish to find fish, in order to put keepers in the box. Copious snapper blues have also been problematic for those casting soft plastics where birds are present, so bring plenty of extra tails, or switch to the un-bite-able Z-Mans or heavy metal. A rare Spanish mackerel has shown up here and there as well, but they seem to have mostly departed the scene at this point. Speckled trout have been showing up in fair numbers throughout the area, though many are small. Correspondent Chuck Harrison got out to the HRBT this week, and there he managed to bring in four speckled trout between 17” and 20” plus a 24” puppy drum. Harrison reports he didn’t see a whole lot of action happening while he was out, but did have a yakker report that he also caught a 24” inch puppy drum.
Redfish have also been popping up near the mouth of the York, as well as at the CBBT. Also at the CBBT, the sheepshead bite persists for anglers dropping sand fleas and peeler crab chunks very close to structure. This is another bite that won’t last much longer so get while the getting is good. Specks are also present around the CBBT islands, though as with elsewhere many have been small recently and the bite hasn’t quite hit the full fall swing yet. As these fish begin shifting away from northern areas (note that in our other reports this is now being observed from the Potomac and up) there should be some awesome action in the coming weeks both at the islands and in the inlets.
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 2 Update:
Oceans East let us know that the sheepshead bite remained solid this week around the CBBT and south. The sheep were ready to snap up fiddler crabs, which have been their favorite baits. Around the CBBT, some stripers are popping up as well. A few keeper-sized rockfish were caught on the troll and on jigs this week, as anglers hit the channel edges. We’re glad some stripers are showing up (remember that the Bay season opens the 4th), because the close of the cobia season was a bit of a dud. Two readers who fished the CBBT just prior to the close said it was slim pickings, with just two sighted and none landed. However, one of them did report briefly spotting a pod of big reds (that unfortunately disappeared as quickly as it had appeared). The other shifted targets, dropped shrimp, and managed to haul up a couple keeper tautog, some weakfish, a puppy drum, and way too many toad fish from the waters around the bridge-tunnel complex.
Other reader reports from the bridge-tunnel this week included flounder catches (including one limit), a few drum of both colors, and snapper blues. Around the islands and also in the inlets, speckled trout are still making their rounds, too. Tossing paddle and twisty tail four-inch soft plastics in bright or sparkly colors has been bridging them in. We also had one slot red reported by a reader casting for specks (and getting a limit) in Lynnhaven this week with pink Bass Assassins; although the specks were far more plentiful they were not overly impressive size-wise.