Way South Fishing Reports

Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, February 21 Update:

The Virginia Beach area was blanketed with several inches of snow as a winter storm pushed through this week. It caused some concern for the speckled trout that have already been struggling due to the brutal cold this winter. Hopefully this round of winter weather won’t lead to a cold stun event like we saw in January, but time will tell. The glimmer of hope is that next week’s forecast is calling for much warmer weather and will hopefully be a turning point for us getting into some warming trends heading into spring.

Although the trout have been struggling, the red drum are offering excellent winter fishing opportunities in Rudee and Lynnhaven inlets. Schools of reds have been found in the deeper waters of the inlets near main channels and docks, but fish have also been located in shallow flats in just a few feet of water. The warmer and sunny days are usually when fish will push into the shallows as that water warms up quicker. Reports were slim this week, but we did have a report from an angler fishing in an unspecified tributary who reported that the red drum bite has hot before the storm. He and another angler caught several fish ranging from 15 inches up to 26 inches while throwing soft plastics. Three-inch paddletails were the most productive baits.

While inshore opportunities are limited, the special February black sea bass season in Virginia is still going strong and there were some very nice fish caught this week. Playin Hookey Charters had a few great trips including one that filled a six-man boat limit and another that had jumbo sea bass coming over the rails. While there have been some big sea bass caught this month, there was a JUMBO caught aboard the Rudee Mariner with Captain Charlie Laurens. The fish weighed in at a whopping nine pounds six ounces. The special season will close at the end of the month.

Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, February 14 Update:

While winter has been very cold, the red drum bite has been very hot at times. Several readers hitting the inlets report great action on slot-sized reds, with one noting that a slow retrieve using a 1/8th ounce jighead with Gulp! shrimp or swimming mullet in three or four feet of water was getting the job done. Reports of success came from both Rudee and Lynnhaven, although one angler fishing Rudee also said it was quite crowded there when the weather was decent. Another angler fishing an unspecified marsh reported catching four puppy drum in gale force winds last weekend. All fish were caught on an incoming tide, but only one was a keeper. As we gain daylight and sun angles get more favorable, red drum and other gamefish will be spending more time on shallow flats trying to find warmer water and soak up the sun. February and March may not be when you would think these fish would be in the shallows, but in the Virginia Beach tributaries, anglers have found great success sight fishing schools of drum this time of year.

We also heard of a few anglers who caught speckled trout while throwing around lures and soft plastics on jigheads. This is good to hear that they are more active and responsive after the cold snap in January caused a big fish kill. Reports of dead fish washed up on the banks of the tidal tributaries are still coming through, but it seems that they are from the initial cold stun event and not new fish. There is no doubt that the speckled trout population took a big hit this year. We really need warmer temperatures to prevent any more cold stun events from happening. While it may not feel like it, spring is fast approaching, and with it will come many more fishing opportunities. If fishing in the cold isn’t your thing, use this time to rig up and get ready for the spring bites.

Way South Chesapeake Bay Fishing Report, February 6 Update:

A lot of anglers have been heading to Rudee Inlet to fish for red drum and the bite has been fairly good. Resident reds are hanging around docks and deeper sections of the inlet. The inlet is not very big, so it can get crowded at times. Anglers are reporting that the reds have been willing to hit fresh shrimp and mullet along with several artificial lures. The key when lure fishing in the winter is to slow down your retrieve and bounce it along the bottom. While Rudee is a popular destination, the reds can be found in other tributaries as well including Lynnhaven Inlet and the Elizabeth River. Our speckled trout were hit hard by the cold in January that caused a lot of fish to die. Temperatures have warmed up slightly, but the fish that survived are still not very active. Anglers have seen them schooling at times in the shallows trying to warm up in the sun and it will probably be best to give them a break until water temperatures rise. North Carolina even closed their speckled trout season for the time being due to their cold stun event.

The fishing for sea bass has been red hot out of Virginia Beach and the special February black sea bass season has allowed anglers to box a lot of nice fish. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission has allowed the special season to resume this year which allows harvest until the end of the month. The season will then be closed until May 15th. Anglers looking to participate can find more information about reporting and permitting requirements on the Recreational Reporting Fact Sheet. Playin Hookey Charters had the best sea bass trip we saw this week with a boat limit of 90 fish. Five pounders have been caught since the season opened and there seems to be plenty of keepers to go around.