Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 30 Update:
Fishing is firing off on all cylinders right now in the southern Chesapeake. Anglers should make it a point to get down south now to take advantage of the superb fishing. One of the biggest highlights has been the continued success for boats targeting cobia as multiple boats reported double digit fish days with some landing fish up to 60 inches. A lot of boats are finding success along the shipping channel running north of the third and fourth islands. The Omega fleet has been out recently rounding up menhaden, so make sure to steer clear as they can shut down a bite with their activity. Slot reds have also been in the tributaries including Rudee Inlet, Lynnhaven Inlet, and Fisherman’s Island to name a few of the more productive locations. One angler fishing near Hampton reported that he found an excellent topwater bite for reds. Over the course of three days, he caught over 50 reds with the hot bait being a Heddon Zara spook. Speckled trout have also been offering better action in these same zones.
Team FishTalk took a crew down to the mouth of the Bay late last week and found a wonderful mix of species including: endless bluefish (hitting just about anything, just about everywhere); tons of weakfish including plenty of relatively small keepers (spoons and Sabikis tipped with FishBites); good numbers of specks in the 15” to 20" range in creeks (4” paddletails of multiple varieties); some flounder up to 23” (hitting paddletails bounced on bottom in the creeks and at the CBBT); and a couple of mega-bulls including one bumping right up to the 50” mark (congrats, Zach!) hitting skirted paddletails and jigging spoons. The most plentiful catch, however, was cutlassfish at Kiptopeake, which were so numerous that when they went into a frenzy on glass minnow three literally jumped into the boat—and the AIC grabbed a net and free-scooped two more (small silver G-Eye Rain Minnow were best for catching them via hook and line, if you want to use that boring old method). Shoreline anglers fishing the pier at Kiptopeake were in on that action, too, as at dusk the cutlassfish moved in under the lights to chase bait. Cobia fishing was a bust for the team with tough sight fishing conditions much of the trip, however, four were spotted near lots of scattered bait one to three miles west of Kiptopeake. If you can get out in this area, now is an awesome time to make it happen. Note that there are plenty of boats and plenty of pressure on all of the above so starting early, fishing late, and fishing weekdays will be a good move.
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 22 Update:
If the weather doesn’t make you want to get out on the water, the great fishing action in this region should. We had a reader report of numerous cobia spotted between Cape Charles and the CBBT, but difficulties getting them to take a lure. Another said they spotted six in a short afternoon of fishing and managed two bites, with one just-under fish landed. A six-inch subsurface swimming plug took the hits while jigs went unmolested. The bite seems to be very tough on some days and downright incredible on others. Chasin’ Wake Cobia Charters was on the water this week when the bite was hot and their clients put 24, yes you heard that right, 24 cobia in the boat during and eight hour trip. Multiple release citations were boated including a 58-inch jumbo. The bull red drum bite around the CBBT is still happening, but the bites have been best in the early mornings or at night when there is the least amount of boat pressure. Using side imaging around the islands is the best way to locate the schools and when you spot them, large soft plastics on a two-ounce jighead precisely casted can lead to a fish of a lifetime. In the shallows of the inlets and around Fisherman’s Island, slot reds have been cruising the flats feeding on bait. Two readers reported double digit fish days this week. Team FishTalk encountered a tougher bite on the reds late this week at the islands, but managed a 42" and a gorgeous 50" bull near Kiptopeake. A skirted white 5" paddletail and a green jigging spoon did the trick. (Also: bluefish were shockingly plentiful at the islands, so use bite-proof plastics or bring plenty of tails).
The cooler weather seems to be turning the speckled trout bite back on with multiple reports of successful evenings in Mobjack Bay. Another angler fishing an unspecified location said that one of his favorite locations for red drum was replaced by specks this week. They caught five with three fish over 20 inches during a morning trip. The largest trout was a tick under 25 inches. The trout bite should continue to improve as we get closer to fall. Look for them to start feeding more heavily in the shallows. A few fly anglers on the Elizabeth had great success this week including a day where they landed 85 fish before noon. Their catch included 13 slot puppy drum, countless under slot pups, perch, croaker, spot, flounder, striped bass, and a few other species. Flies are often a much more realistic presentation compared to some traditional artificial baits as they sink slowly through the water column.
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 15 Update:
We are moving into one of the most exciting times of year for fishing in the Bay. All of our migratory species are here, and new bites are starting to develop with steady action being reported all over. Reader reports indicate solid action on slot redfish in the Virginia Beach bays, including limit catches on paddletail jigs and popping cork rigs. Both Lynnhaven and Rudee were mentioned, as was Linkhorn. Fishing docks and weedbeds was working well and some speckled trout up to 21” were also in one report. You can expect a wide variety of species while fishing on the southern Bay this time of year. Another reader fishing on the lower Virginia Eastern Shore reported an excellent redfish bite in the shallows. The low tides this week had the fish pushed up chasing bait in less than two feet of water which put sight casting on the table. One afternoon produced over a dozen slot reds all caught on small white swimbaits. Late summer and fall are excellent times of year to fish for reds in the shallows of the Chesapeake Bay tributaries as they will be feeding aggressively to bulk up before the colder months. There is a lot of water to search for the reds, but the number one thing to look for is bait.
Virginia Beach Sport Fishing let us know that the king mackerel bite is picking up along the oceanfront with several nice ones landed this week. They recommend using live menhaden fished on a king rig. Cutlassfish are another excellent bait for king mackerel and there is an abundance of them around the inshore waters of the Lower Bay. Number four Drone spoons fished deep along with several other swimming lures can also be effective. VBSF also mentioned that Spanish mackerel fishing has been great at times for anglers trolling Clark or Drone spoons along the beaches. It’s good to troll lures at different depths, so using planers, inline sinkers, and bird teasers will make sure to cover the entire water column.
Around the CBBT and nearby shoals, cobia fishing remains the main attraction for many anglers. Sight casting with live eels or bucktails dressed with large soft plastics have tempted the brown bruisers into the net. On windy or cloudy days, chumming or live lining can work, but be prepared for pesky sharks and rays to be quick to bite your line. They will put up a hard fight, so if the tug is your drug, they will put a smile on your face.
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 9 Update:
This region of the Bay is an angler’s paradise come late summer with seemingly endless angling opportunities. Way South correspondent Chuck Harrison got out last weekend to fish the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. He and a friend caught around a dozen feisty bluefish at the second island to start the day. They then went to the first island and caught a 19-inch flounder but couldn’t find any more willing to bite. Virginia Beach Sport Fishing reports that flounder fishing is reaching its peak with lots of nice flounder being pulled from inshore and nearshore locations. The islands of the CBBT have been very productive this summer, but there are a lot of boats fishing there on most days. Jigging just off the rocks or drifting flounder rigs is getting the flatties to bite. Anglers are also reporting an abundance of small sea bass that have been eager to short strike and steal baits. Rudee and Lynnhaven Inlet have also been holding good numbers of flounder with plenty of keepers being pulled from ledges and shell bottom. Red drum are also abundant in the backwaters of the tributaries with plenty of slot fish cruising around the shallows. An angler fishing in an unspecified inlet reported catching four slot fish and four over slot fish during a midweek trip. Paddletails have done most of the catching
Cobia are still a main target for boats with towers searching the shoals and CBBT pilings. Calm days have led to plenty of fish sighted, but they aren’t always willing to bite. Live eels are arguably the best bait for cobia, but bucktails, large soft plastics, and twitchbaits are excellent artificial options. One of the most elusive fish that visit our waters during the summer is tarpon and they have been making appearances in the Chesapeake Bay and along the barrier islands. Anglers have spotted them as far north as southern Maryland this year. Fishing for them is like finding a needle in a haystack with anglers typically going on many outings without even getting a bite. If you do hook up and get your hands on one, it is a major accomplishment. Live bait is key for targeting them, with cut spot, croaker, mullet, or menhaden being the top baits. The remnants of Hurricane Debbie kept many anglers off the water during the back half of the week, but the forecast to start next week appears much better. Temperatures are also expected to cool down which should make for some excellent days on the water.
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, August 2 Update:
Summer fishing is firing off on all cylinders as we move into August. Now throughout the beginning of fall is when anglers will have the most options for species to target. Way South correspondent Chuck Harrison was out last weekend fishing the Little Creek jetties in Norfolk. He found good action until the weather turned and pushed him off the water. Chuck reports that there was a huge school of Spanish mackerel outside the jetties, but they were being very finnicky. He did put one 18-inch fish in the boat. After chasing the mackerel for a while, he shifted to jigging along the side of the jetty and caught some flounder including a 19 incher. The flounder fishing around the Virginia Beach area has been excellent this summer with fish being caught inside all the major inlets, at wrecks, and along the islands of the CBBT. Jigging soft plastics has worked well, but small sea bass have been frequently intercepting baits. Standard flounder rigs tipped with minnows or squid strips are also catching fish when drifted along the side of structure. The minimum size for flounder is currently 17.5 inches.
Virginia Beach Sport Fishing reports that cobia fishing remained good this week when there weren’t clouds or wind to deal with. Most boats sight fishing cobia are spotting upwards of 20 fish per trip and often hooking up on at least a few of those. Chumming has also worked to get the man in the brown suit into the boat, but sharks and rays often get to the baits before cobia do. A reader fishing around the CBBT last Friday and Saturday found steady action on both days. One of their main targets was bull redfish, of which they found plenty. Side scanning around the islands of the CBBT is how they found most of their fish and once they were spotted, 7-inch Diezel Minnowz on two-ounce HD jigheads got them biting. They also reported that low light hours and night fishing produced the best bite. Once the sun got up, they switched to flounder fishing and had good success putting keepers in the box while fishing around the rocks of the islands. We also had reader reports of monster sheepshead at the CBBT this week, with one angler hauling in a pair over 10 pounds. If you plan to fish around the tunnel on the weekend, be prepared to deal with a lot of boats if the weather is nice. Getting out during the middle of the week usually means less boats to deal with.