Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, November 29 Update:
While the winter weather is starting to creep in fishing is still going strong, and the colder temperatures don’t seem to be bothering the fish just yet. The speckled trout bite continues to be excellent in several tributaries including the Elizabeth River and Lynnhaven Inlet. Based on several reports, there seems to be an abundance of small speckled trout around, but still plenty of keepers too. At times you may need to work through the dinks to find some worth putting on the stringer. Now is also an excellent time of year to catch big trout too, they are just much harder to come by. An angler fishing from his dock on the Elizabeth caught a limit of trout in less than an hour one afternoon this week. Other anglers report that fishing near structure is producing both specks and reds. Stripers are still increasing in number and the bite is best for them at night in areas where dock or building lights are illuminating the water. A better class of fish also seems to be moving in as several over slot fish were caught in tribs this week.
Contributor David Rudow said that during a sunny afternoon this week temps in the shallows of the southern portion of the Eastern Shore rose rapidly, and he encountered a very large school of slot reds. The fish hit soft topwater lures, but as soon as the sun went behind the clouds they immediately shifted to deeper water.
Tautog are a hot topic this week in the Virginia Beach area as a lot seem to have moved to inshore structures as water temperatures have dropped. They are being caught at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel around the Islands and at several other wreck, reef, and rocky structures. A boat fishing the second island of the CBBT reported catching several keeper tog while dropping down green crab along the rocks. Another fish that is the talk of the town is bluefin tuna. Reports of tuna from the waters surrounding Virginia Beach have started to roll in recently and there were a few fish landed just off the beaches this week. The bulk of the fish are still to the north from New Jersey down to Ocean City, but more are showing up further south. Trollers are having more consistent luck, but those looking to achieve a tuna on “light tackle” have the best chance to do so right now as the fish are inshore. Covering water in the zone of five to 30 miles off the beach has occasionally yielded birds and fish feeding on top. It is a mad dash to get a lure into the frenzy before they move on, and even if you hook up, you are in for a long battle that may result in a pulled hook. Nevertheless, it is an exhilarating way to fish.
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, November 22 Update:
The speckled trout bite is on fire right now folks. Just about all the tributaries are fishing well and the Elizabeth River has been a standout. There was a report from an angler who caught dozens of trout throwing just about everything in their tackle box. Paddletails, Yo-Zuri jerkbaits, and MR17s were the top producers. There have been a lot of small trout, but also plenty of keepers, and even some approaching the 30” mark. The steady action has been fun for anglers and weeding through the dinks will often lead to a limit of solid fish. The red drum bite is also still very good and the Eastern Shore creeks are holding lots of puppy drum. A reader fishing some bayside creeks on the lower Eastern Shore said he has been finding them on most outings, but speckled trout have been hard to come by on the east side.
The colder weather has increased the number of striped bass moving into the southern Bay tributaries and the main rivers have been fishing well. The stripers are being caught near structure such as bridges and docks. A kayak angler on the Elizabeth reported catching nine on a recent outing along with several trout. The big migratory striped bass are currently off the coast of New Jersey, but they should soon make their way south to the Bay. December is historically a great time to catch and release fish for trophy fish, so don’t winterize the boat yet as there are still great angling opportunities to come.
Wreck fishing both at the mouth of the Bay and at the nearshore wrecks has been good with sea bass and tautog providing plenty of opportunities. The larger sea bass are being found offshore and there has been a seriously good grade of fish at times. On a recent trip, Wreck Dawg Sport Fishing had an excellent day at the offshore grounds boating a boat limit of sea bass up to five pounds in under an hour. Bluefish have also been cruising around various wrecks with the Triangles being mentioned by several boats. The bluefin tuna running close to the beaches are being found off Virginia Beach with trollers finding success along with those casting lures. Tuna have been found anywhere from five to 20 miles offshore but there have been hearsay reports of them even closer than that. Around the CBBT, sea bass and togs are being caught along the rocks of the islands. There have also been red drum, black drum, and speckled trout caught in the same areas. This region of the Bay is very fishy this time of year with opportunities just about everywhere, so don’t let the colder weather keep you from hitting the water.
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, November 15 Update:
The fall specked trout bite has really kicked off this month and they are being caught in just about all the tributaries in the Virginia Beach area. Trout are in the marshes and rivers feeding on shrimp and a variety of other baitfish. Popping corks are very effective this time of year especially when paired with fresh shrimp or soft plastics. Lynnhaven, Rudee, the Elizabeth River, and several other creeks are fishing well this week. Fish are being caught by shore anglers, kayakers, and boaters. One boat trolling green and orange bass assassins in Linkhorn Bay caught a limit of five keeper trout in a two-hour trip. Anglers interested in participating in a local tournament should note that Long Bay Pointe and Tackle is hosting the month-long Lynnhaven Troutzilla Tournament which will run from November 10th until December 10th.
Virginia Beach Sport Fishing reports that puppy drum are still making a strong showing in most of the tributaries and there are even still some big ones being caught around the islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. An angler fishing the second island had an excellent day taking home three slot drum, three speckled trout, thee tautog and a sea bass. The fish were caught while bottom fishing over the tunnel in 20 to 25 feet of water. A lot more tautog have moved inshore with the cooler water temperatures and they can be found at various wrecks, rock piles, and other hard bottom structure at the mouth of the Bay. Sand fleas and crab baits are their preferred diet.
The fall fishing season also has anglers excited for increased opportunities at striped bass and the opportunities are definitely presenting themselves now. There are a lot of schoolie sized striped bass hanging around bridges and docks. The bite has been especially good at night when the water is illuminated by nearshore building lights. This region of the Bay will continue to offer the most divers angling opportunities throughout the fall and into the winter. This is the place to be right now!
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, November 8 Update:
While fishing has been tough across many regions of the Bay, this area is an exception and there are plenty of options for species to target this week. The various bridge structures around Virginia Beach are still holding several desirable gamefish species. There was an excellent report from an angler who caught six reds up to 23”, a 20” black drum, and over 20 sheepshead up to 14” while fishing with mud crabs and shrimp. The CBBT is still a hotspot for each of these species and with how warm the fall has been, the sheepshead and other species will likely stick around for a while longer. We are also seeing more sea bass and tautog move inshore to wreck and reef sites, along with a few showing up at the bridges. For greater numbers and a better quality of fish, there has been good action at the offshore sites and the bite should continue to get better with more flounder showing up as they migrate out to the ocean for the winter.
Virginia Beach Sport Fishing reports that speckled trout have been a standout species recently as big fish are becoming more common. Popular haunts for them include Lynnhaven Inlet, Rudee Inlet, and Little Creek. Grass flats north of the Virginia Beach zone still have some shrimp hanging around and popping corks have been tempting the specks to bite.
FishTalk contributor David Rudow says that the far lower Eastern Shore is teeming with red drum. The warmer temperatures recently have the fish pushed up into very skinny water and on several recent trips he has found them feeding in less than a foot of water. David says that the fish have been eager to hit topwater baits and are often chasing lures all the way up to the edge of his kayak. The puppy drum numbers are thinning in places up the Bay as many of them move south, but the southern portion of the Bay is still a hotspot for spottail action. Pups are being caught on the Eastern Shore, at the CBBT, and all the Virginia Beach tributaries.
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, November 1 Update:
Anglers looking for a chance to catch a variety of species will find the best results in the southern Chesapeake Bay this late in the year. The bite has been good as water temperatures continue to drop and many fish are feeding throughout the tributaries. A fly angler fishing the Elizabeth River reported an excellent bite with several different species biting. He caught lots of small, speckled trout and striped bass, two slot puppy drum, and found a few jumbo white perch. Over in Linkhorn Bay, there have been good reports on speckled trout. A boat trolling small swimbaits caught 10 keepers on the incoming tide earlier in the week. Rudee and Lynnhaven Inlet have also been noted as productive for speckled trout. All the tributaries are still crawling with puppy drum and this region of the Bay is becoming the most reliable place to catch them as they move south. Topwater lures have been working well in the shallows during low light hours and Gulp! baits rigged on one quarter ounce jigheads are catching just about everywhere.
Virginia Beach Sport Fishing reports that there are still some bull red drum hanging around in the Bay close to the CBBT. The third island has produced the best results as of late, but there is a chance to find them along any of the islands or along the pilings. Surf fishing anglers at Sandbridge and other beaches are also having success on drum in the suds. Cut mullet on fish finder rigs is working well to tempt the reds to bite. As water temperatures continue to cool down this bite will dwindle, but there should be a couple weeks left for anglers to get on the big reds. Also still hanging around the CBBT are flounder and sheepshead and the inshore wrecks in the ocean are also housing some flatties along with plenty of sea bass. Sheepshead are still available at the numerous bridges in the Virginia Beach area, and we heard from an angler who had a good bite at the Great Neck Bridge. These fish will soon head south, so enthusiasts should get out for them on the sooner side as opportunities will begin to dwindle.