Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 27 Update:
Way South seems to be the place to be for some amazing inshore fishing action. Fall temperatures have moved many fish into the shallows to feed on bait but we are looking at a major warm up starting late this week and continuing through the weekend. The fish are sure to enjoy the warm weather and anglers should do the same with near record highs setting in. Contributor David Rudow reported that a foray to Lynnhaven was basically blown out last weekend, but despite the gusty conditions he and another kayak angler did manage to catch four puppy drum. An underspin was the best bait but a paddletail caught, too. Way South Correspondent Chuck Harrison checked in after a late week trip and let us know that he enjoyed beautiful weather but mediocre fishing. He tried all around the HRBT area looking for specks, and found them, but only undersized fish. He then made his way to the Norfolk side and caught about 50 small grey trout and a few small bluefish. He suspects that the construction zones might have something to do with the lack of larger fish in the area.
We had multiple reports from different tributaries in the area and it seems that there are a lot of keeper-sized fish around, you just have to locate them. An angler in the Elizabeth River caught eight speckled trout in the 17-to-19-inch range and a bunch of dinks. The fish were eager to hit a Vudu Shrimp. Another anger in the Elizabeth limited out on speckled trout during low tide in 15 feet of water with five keepers between 17 and 19 inches. He also released two fish over 20 inches. His hot bait was a MirrOlure. There also seems to be some keeper weakfish hanging around and an angler fishing Rudee Inlet caught an 18-, 19-, and 20-incher during a trip this week. One of the more interesting reports we got this week came from ana angler who was fishing a rock pile in 30 feet of water. They caught tautog, sea bass, flounder, weakfish, and speckled trout all in under an hour and a half using crabs, clams, and shrimp on bottom rigs.
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 20 Update:
Fishing has been red hot a times in our Way South areas despite cooling temperatures. The bull red drum are still hanging around the CBBT, but many are pushing south out of the Bay. October is usually the last month to catch them consistently in the southern Bay. An angler who was out last weekend reported in after one of their most epic days on the water. Three anglers caught 12 bull reds over 40 inches. The largest fish was 51 inches and six others were citation status. Another kayak angler checked in after catching a bull red near the pilings of the CBBT. That’s an amazing accomplishment out of a kayak. These fish won’t be around for much longer, so if you are looking to get one before they leave, get out there asap.
The reds, though mostly smaller, are also around the inshore areas and along the beaches. One angler was fishing near the Lesner Bridge with cut pinfish and caught a 23- and a 31-inch red. They also mentioned that they hooked into a third fish that was much bigger but when he got it close to shore, the fish took one last run and broke off. Virginia Beach Sport Fishing let us know that speckled trout fishing in the tributaries has been spectacular with the cooler weather setting in. A kayak angler fishing in Rudee Inlet caught an 18-inch weakfish and a few small speckled trout during a trip this week. Quality sized speckled trout are being caught in the Elizabeth River as well. Shallow areas with deep water close by are great places to fish since the fish will cruise the flats for bait during the warmer parts of the days. Areas with deeper structure and a moving current will also hold fish. An angler fishing in an undisclosed location reported an epic day trout fishing catching over 40 fish during a four-hour trip. Most fish were keeper status and the larger fish were pushing into the low 20s. Suspending twitchbaits were the hot baits. The speckled trout action will continue to stay good well into the fall, so take advantage of the hot bite.
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 13 Update:
The fall offers some world class fishing on the Chesapeake Bay and we are seeing some incredible bites happening right now. There are still some big bull reds and cobia handing around the bridge tunnel, but these fish will soon leave our waters as it continues to get colder. A kayak angler had a great Columbus Day weekend targeting bull reds near the CBBT when he landed his personal best at 46 inches. Another boat fishing in the same area reports that the bite for this fish has been excellent this week. Small sharks and a few rays have also been keeping lines tight. The next few weeks will be the best chance at experiencing this fishery before having to wait until next year for these fish to return.
The shallower tributaries have also been providing a good bite for slot drum. An angler fishing the Lafayette River checked in after hitting the shallows, finding a decent amount of shrimp, and catching a slot drum on topwater. Another boat night fishing in an undisclosed location reported an amazing bite for puppy drum as they landed over 30 fish with a lot in the 16- to-20-inch range. While the drum bite has been good, the real highlight has been the specks. Now is the time to catch big speckled trout in the southern portion of the Chesapeake (keep your eyes peeled for the November edition of FishTalk hitting the streets soon, which has a feature on targeting those big fall specks by Hampton correspondent Chuck Harrison). This bite is red hot and should only continue to get better. We have seen and heard of many trophy sized specks being caught this week with some even approaching the 30-inch mark. Most anglers would consider that a fish of a lifetime, and now is the time to get your chance at one. A few anglers in the Oceanview area caught a two-man limit of specks while throwing white paddletails along a ledge. Most of their fish were 18- to-22-inches. Another angler caught over a dozen specks while throwing a DOA Deadly Combo popping cork and shrimp. He also saw other anglers in the area catching them on a jerk shad. In the cool catch department, there was a report (with picture evidence) of a baby cobia caught by an angler near the High Rise while targeting speckled trout. That’s definitely an unexpected catch, but anything is possible this time of year.
Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, October 5 Update:
Warmer water species that hang out in areas north of here during the warmer months are starting to migrate out and just about every fish species is feeding hard looking to fatten up before the winter months set in. We are already seeing a solid fall pattern shape up for many species and a forecasted cool down this weekend and into next week should continue to keep things on track. Larger gamefish like red drum and cobia are still around, but their numbers will start to decrease soon as the leave the Bay for warmer waters. The islands around the CBBT are still the best area for fun catch and release action for these big fish. Flounder fishing is starting to slow down as the flatfish begin their migration back to the ocean, but Captain Craig Paige with Paige II Charters still managed to get his anglers a couple of citation sized fish on a recent trip out of Lynnhaven Inlet.
Lynnhaven has also been the scene for some great puppy drum and speckled trout fishing. A kayak angler got out on a trip to the western branch of Lynnhaven this week where he caught over 20 specks with a few over 20 inches and one at 23 inches. Live spot caught the bigger fish whereas paddletails caught the rest. An angler fishing in an undisclosed location also reports that the shallow water bite is on after catching over 15 trout, plus several upper and over slot reds. If you are waiting for the colder weather to set in, you are missing out on some great fishing. Virginia Beach Sport Fishing reports that many of the specks and reds have pushed up into the inlets and rivers. Even the upper reaches of the Elizabeth River are starting to see some good trout action. Another report came in from a fisherman who got on some quality trout and drum using topwater baits and floats with live bait last weekend. The drum were pushing bait back into one to three feet of water. A moving tide produced the best bite and the electric chicken MirrOLure was the hot bait. The cooler weather forecasted to move in should get fish into feeding mode, so make it a point to get out on the water in the coming week.