Way South Fishing report, April 28 Update:
Spring has sprung and the bite is solid—actually, several bites are! Unfortunately, we won’t be able to enjoy ‘em tomorrow with these winds (though later on Sunday looks like a maybe, as of this report going live). Tautog remain a prime target for two more weeks and with the water temps at the CBBT now hitting the low 60s, are biting stronger than in the recent past. The best catch we heard of this week was eight keepers in the box plus throwbacks. Fleas were the prime bait. The first flounder have also been caught, although the action is said to be much better in the seaside bays on the Eastern Shore.
Specks and reds are still in the inlets and the trout bite is on the uptick, with shrimp, white or chartreuse Gulp! Jerk Shad, and Mirr-O-Lures proving effective. A reader checked in after hitting the HRBT mid-week with three specks and three slot reds in the cooler, and reported also catching some small stripers. Plenty of anglers are finding the night-bite as good as or better than fishing in daylight.
At Buckroe and Sandbridge there are multiple reports of (mostly small) sea mullet and some slot reds, and a few weakfish have popped up as well. However, a skate invasion is also going on and many anglers bottom fishing with bait have been inundated by them. A couple small blues were also in the reports, though they haven’t appeared in huge numbers as of yet (that should change soon!) The first of the croaker and spot have also showed up too, though also in small numbers and sizes.
While many area anglers are undoubtedly interested in trophy-hunting for big drum on the shoals — and the timing is right — we didn’t receive any solid intel on that bite this week. That said, Fisherman’s should be a good bet for soaking clams and peelers. Note that last year, the final week of April was when the bull reds showed up in full force from Fisherman’s to the Cabbage Patch.
Way South Fishing report, April 23 Update:
We had multiple reader reports this week of puppies in Rudee, with shrimp proving effective along with the usual lures. Heck, as you can see in this pic Tim even got one on the fly! Ocean’s East echoed this — they said the redfish bite has been good throughout the inlet. They recommended hitting up the CBBT as well.
Speaking of the CBBT: just before the difficult weather passed through a couple of reports also came in from anglers looking for the spring tog at the CBBT — and finding them. One reader using peeler crab on top-and-bottom rigs with 5/0 hooks put five keepers into the box plus had as many throwbacks, fishing until lunchtime. No reports from the Cement Ships this week but it’s a fair bet that tog will be biting alongside the structure there right now, too. If you can get some live sand fleas, they’d be an excellent bet along with crab baits.
Ocean’s East reported that there are also speckled trout hitting through the area as well, with scattered reports coming from Lynnhaven over the past week indicate that the bite is there. Mir-O-lures are a favorite, plus curly-tail pink soft plastics. Many anglers are also using shrimp or Gulp! shrimp plastics, while hoping for a mixed speck/red bite.
We didn't get any solid reports of big drum on the shoals this week, but that's likely a reflection of the weather as much as the bite. Late last week there were some reported off Fisherman's and it's a solid bet that when the wind and waves chillax the upcoming week should hold some seriously good potential for those soaking clam and crab baits. The weather report for next week looks great and we all KNOW that the weather man is never wrong, so...
Way South Fishing report, April 16 Update:
Oceans East let us know that the redfish are still on at Rudee Inlet, consistently taking hard plastics. The bite has been fairly steady, and we’re starting to see their expansion northward as the weather warms up. Redfish are being caught along with specks occasionally in Lynnhaven, where anglers are tending to utilize Mirr-O-Lures, a speckled trout favorite, to bring them in. Specks have also moved north and we had reports of fish in Mobjack and Poquoson as well as our first report (unconfirmed) of a catch in the Pocomoke this week. Sandbridge also got a mention.
Both red drum and blacks have begun showing up in the shoals particularly off Fisherman’s Island, and some of the reds have been big trophy-sized fish. By all reports the bite isn’t in prime form as of yet but the potential is now real to hook into some monsters; peeler crab or fresh mullet has been the ticket if you want to see red, whole clam if you want to see black, and of course cross-over catches do occur.
In addition to the specks and redfish, there are still *some* tog coming in around the CBBT. Their numbers dropped from last week, a bit of a surprise, but this may be in part due to angler effort as opposed to fish willingness as many anglers are looking to enjoy the different alternatives that have cropped up in recent days.
Way South Fishing report, April 9 Update:
Speckled! Trout! Speckled! Trout! Are you excited for the speckled trout to be back…? Yeah, we are too. Redfish! Redfish! Redfish! Yes, the run on these fish is ongoing as well. Reports from Ocean’s East confirm that specks and reds continue to be caught in the inlets, particularly Lynnhaven for the specks, as well as at Sandbridge. This week we also had the first reader report of specks having moved a bit farther up the Bay, and hitting in Poquoson in good numbers. Check out Hampton Correspondent Chuck Harrison's Spring Speckled Sea Trout on the Chesapeake Bay article to get the low-down on tackle, tactics, and choosing your next hotspot. Mirr-O-Lures, other hard plastics, and twister-tailed soft plastics are fan favorites. The best redfish reports this week, meanwhile, came from Rudee. More are making their way north, coming in waves from the Carolina’s, and we should see them moving in in greater numbers day by day. It looks like this season is shaping up to be an awesome one!
Taugtog are still biting at the CBBT, although the numbers reported this week dropped off a bit. However, fair reports are still coming in from the Cement Ships. As usual, crab baits of all sorts are working well. Water temps are now creeping up into the upper 50s so we’d expect this bite should improve in the coming days.
Way South Fishing report, April 2 Update:
Early in the season though it may be, and difficult as the gusty days may be making things, we’re already seeing speckled trout in the inlets adding to the surprisingly strong return of redfish this spring. Red reports from the Carolinas are still strong, too, so this action should only get better in the coming days and weeks. In Lynnhaven Inlet, speckled trout are currently active and biting in the shallows. Ocean’s East recommended throwing Mirr-O-Lures for them, as well as other hard plastics. For the redfish, they said the same lures are working. The redfish aren’t currently as abundant in Lynnhaven and were primarily hanging around Rudee Inlet this week. Some are also being caught in the lower James and in the Elizabeth.
Tautog have been another improving bite as the waters warm up and temps at the CBBT hit the balmy (for tautog) mid-50s. The first report of tog at the Cement Ships also came in this week. Anglers heading to the inshore wrecks and reefs are getting into them better (on crab baits, as usual) but the close-to-home bite is improving by the day. Ocean’s East also mentioned that perch remain active in the Northwest, with plenty of perch to go around. Bloodworm or minnow on bottom rigs have been the star baits.
We didn’t have any reports of black drum in the area this week, however, several were caught from the beach in Assateague. That means there’s a shot at ‘em on the shoals, and some pioneering angler armed with clam baits will be bringing ‘em in soon, for sure!